Documentary & Reality Case Studies: 21 Projects From Concept through Development to Delivery

Here is my expanded selection of our ever-popular and instructive Case Studies.

• Each documentary or reality project is unique.
• The 21-project collection is a mosaic that describes models for your future productions.
• As they say in Recovery programs: “Take what you like, and leave the rest!”

Read now before my free, practical research and analysis vanishes behind our paywall:

Archive Success 

• In Ebola’s Wake: A High-risk, Fast Turnaround Documentary for Al Jazeera
• Nat Geo Takes The Archive Global: Challenger Disaster: The Lost Tapes
• MLK: The Assassination Tapes won a Peabody
• AIDS: The Rise of the Killer Virus, a Berlin-based copro
• Fidel Castro! A PBS / NGC International copro
• The Lost Kennedy Home Movies for History U.S.
• Bill Gates on Jonas Salk and the polio vaccine for Smithsonian Channel and BBC4.
• Every Face Has A Name from Sweden uses 4K to unlock value from the archive.
• BESA: A seven year WW2 passion project.

Our unique coverage of the archive is sponsored with thanks by ITN Source.

Risk: Pushing the Limits

• Siberian Cliffhanger: A NYC producer takes on enormous financial and personal risk deep in the Russan Arctic.

A Giant Screen Hit

• Flight of the Butterflies: $40 million box office… and counting.
• Post includes Nat Geo‘s all-time Top 5 Giant Screen hits.

Kickstarter How To’s

• Bill Nye: $859,425 is a crowd-funding record!
• The Amazing Randi earns $246,000
• George Plimpton’s classy campaign

Aussie Winners

• ABBA: The $500,000 Aussie / Swedish Love Doc
• Dinosaur Stampede: A global copro from our friends in WA.

Reality Revealed

• Pawn Stars launched Leftfield from startup to massive buyout.
• A Celebrity / Paranormal hit was conceived in a New York cab.

Politics

• Fugees Pras and hit comedian Marlon Wayans back Sweet Micky documentary
• $40+ million gross for an angry polemic against president Obama

Plus…

• Citizen Science: Nearly $3.0 Mn funding by NSF.