Producer research

Lis Olgiati

Is a Producer/Director who works in observational documentaries, she's worked on docs such as 'Married to a Paedophile', 'Bicurious Me' and 'No place to call home' among others. Her work has been aired on a variety of channels such as Channel 4, BBC 2 and Channel 5.

I believe documentaries can have huge amounts of power to educate, & breathe oxygen into important social issues. They give voice to those who normally wouldn't have the chance. Storytelling can bring people together as a force for positive change, especially in our society where TV & the media are so dominant. (Lis Olgiati website about me)

Link to Lis Olgiati Website

To get a better understanding of my role as a producer I emailed Lis with some questions that she then answered:

How do you involve yourself creatively in an idea in all stages of the production?

As a documentary producer in broadcast television, I deal less with funding, and almost solely with coming up with documentary ideas and sourcing the contributors for them. I am there throughout the filming and helping to find narratives to follow. So I am involved creatively the whole way, and throughout the editing process also.

I am also a camera woman so often I might film our stories either alone, or alongside a director. Documentary teams tend to be small so I work across most aspects of the production.

How soon after filming did you schedule reshoots if needed?

We try to get all the filming done before the edit starts, but there may be a day or two in the edit (around week 4 of 10) where we plan to revisit a contributor for a specific thought or scene that's needed for the film. Sometimes that's not possible - depends on the subject.

How did you find funding for filming?

In Broadcast television, we tend to get the entirety of our budgets from the Broadcaster who has commissioned the documentary (so Channel 4, BBC etc). Sometimes there are Co-Pros with American broadcasters, especially for history or specialist factual projects. Rarely do we source the funding ourselves.

How did you stay within budget/compromise if things were too expensive?

It's about having experience and being mindful throughout the production of where documentary projects often get delayed.... that's mostly losing access to a place or a contributor, and having to find a new one. We have small contingencies / emergency pockets of cash if we go over. Often staff might go part time for a bit. I've often worked on other projects at the same time to make the budget go further.  

Why do you like documentaries?

Documentaries can open the public's eyes too difficult or complex subjects, and often inspire individuals to take action - whether that's to donate to a food bank, or stop and talk to a homeless person. Personally i enjoy it as you are allowed to poke around fascinating worlds and meet incredible people you wouldn't meet in everyday life. Every day is different.

Contributors often will take part in documentaries as they want their voice to be heard and they want to make a difference to others. It's a cathartic process.

How much interaction do you have with the Director?

A lot. We work very closely throughout the whole process. The Producer is the one who tends to find the contributor or get the access, and maintain those relationships, allowing the Director to fulfil their vision for the film.

How much do you stick to a script?

Not really applicable. In documentaries, we don't have scripts. When we do documentary drama, we stick quite religiously to the scripts as the dialogue has already been pre-recorded.

How do you find contributors and then keep them on board with the project for a long period of time? Do you have any advice on building trust with contributors?

Huge question! Depends on the project. We go through charities, government organisations, hospital trusts, online forums. It's important always to be honest, open, a friend to them if they need it, and being available to take calls at any time. It's being respectful of what they are going through and being as supportive as you can, without being intrusive. It's a privilege to be able to film someone and we never forget that.

How easy was it to gain access to locations, people etc.?

It depends on the subject. Institutional access to a government organisation or a hospital can take a long time. Sometimes years. It's slightly easier just getting access to individuals. It's always hard work in current affairs or human interest documentaries as they tend to be more complex subjects.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

From these questions I have learnt:

• How important the relationship between the Director and Producer is, it's the Producer's role to make the creative vision of the Director become a reality.
• Other resources I can use to find contributors and how to make them feel comfortable in an interview setting, this will allow them to get into a conservational flow and will give us more in depth and detailed answers to questions.
• The importance of the budget being stuck to and ways it can be extended if needed.
• Where creatively a Producer gets involved in the process, e.g. in finding a narrative/structure.
• The overall impact that a doc has on society or even a group of people, it's a change for a minority to be heard by other people.

I will use this in my pre-production in; my scheduling if we need to do any reshoots etc. I will be sure to make it so they are done as soon as possible so that the edit isn't affects. I'll also use it when talking to contributors, I'll be sure to keep in regular contact with them and inform them of any changes allowing them to feel comfortable with and giving them a chance to voice any concerns. I'll also use it to actually find contributors that we need by looking in charities, Facebook groups or on social media.