Channel 4 Unveils FourDocs To Boost PSB Content Online
Channel 4 has announced the details of its forthcoming online-only documentary channel, FourDocs, providing broadband users with access to the best documentary content the broadcaster has to offer.
Launching later this year, Channel 4 states that the new offering “celebrates all aspects of the documentary genre,” providing a “vibrant community covering the whole area of documentaries where users can upload and download their own films.”
The online operation will also give users practical advice on documentary making, provided by experienced programme makers. Andy Duncan, chief executive of Channel 4, explained the need for the channel, stating: “Channel 4 has a deserved reputation as a pioneer of documentary filmmaking with programmes such as Nick Broomfield’s The Leader, his Driver and the Driver’s Wife and Errol Morris’s The Thin Blue Line creating defining moments in the history of the genre. As we increasingly adapt to a multi-media world we needed to find further ways of supporting and encouraging the development of documentaries.”
He added: “Developing a broadband channel combining the latest, accessible technologies with the most creative and experienced minds in the industry seemed a genuinely innovative and exciting way of doing this.”
FourDocs is the brainchild of Peter Dale, head of soon-to-be-launched entertainment channel, More 4. The service is designed to be an “inspirational resource” for those interested in documentary story-telling and will host a variety of services, including archives of celebrated documentaries, interviews with famous documentary makers and a clips library containing downloadable, copyright cleared general shots to help film makers flesh out sequences in their own films.
Uniquely, FourDocs will also promote the ability for film makers to upload their own work, which can then be viewed and discussed by other users of the site. The site will feature content from users on any subject matter, with the only proviso being that any uploaded documentaries are no more than four-minutes long, with the short-form format selected to challenge existing and new film makers alike.
Channel 4 intends to encourage usage of the new service by the widest possible range of film makers, from primary schools to advertising agencies, as well as attracting professional documentary makers to create work in its four-minute format.
FourDocs was created by Magic Lantern Productions for Channel 4. The original idea was developed by Patrick Uden, of Uden-Media, and interactive specialist, Anthony Lilley, Managing Director of MLP and Vice-Chair of PACT. Patrick Uden will serve as Executive Editor, while Anthony Lilley will take the role of Executive Producer for the FourDocs channel. FourDocs will be built, managed and maintained by Magic Lantern Productions for Channel 4 New Media and Peter Dale.
The venture was first revealed last year (see Channel 4 Plans Online Documentary Channel), following Channel 4’s decision to increase the budget for flagship documentary strand Dispatches to more than double its previous output (see Channel 4 Boosts PSB Output With Dispatches Investment).
Channel Four: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.com
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