Screen Australia

  • Search Keywords

  • Year

  • Production Status

  • Genre

  • Co-production

  • SA Supported

  • Indigenous creative

  • Length

  • Technique

Documentary filmmakers
Experience

Experience of currently active producers, directors and writers of Australian documentaries

Next update May 2016

All | Males | Females

This section looks at the experience of producers, directors and writers who have worked on Australian documentaries shot in the last five years (July 2009 to June 2014). There is a high level of experience in the Australian documentary sector, with between 20 per cent and 30 per cent of currently active documentary producers, writers and directors having five or more credits in those roles.

A high proportion of currently active female documentary producers, directors and writers have multiple credits, with 58 per cent, 64 per cent and 56 per cent respectively having two or more credits.

Credits of producers, directors and writers who have had at least one Australian documentary credit in the last five years as at June 2014

All

  1 credit 2 credits 3 credits 4 credits 5+ credits Total no.
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
Producers 258 45% 85 15% 52 9% 33 6% 151 26% 579
Directors 191 44% 72 17% 42 10% 15 3% 110 26% 430
Writers 200 48% 65 16% 37 9% 23 6% 92 22% 417

Males

  1 credit 2 credits 3 credits 4 credits 5+ credits Total no.
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
Producers 138 46% 50 17% 27 9% 14 5% 73 24% 302
Directors 137 49% 44 16% 22 8% 6 2% 70 25% 279
Writers 125 50% 33 13% 19 8% 11 4% 62 25% 250

Females

  1 credit 2 credits 3 credits 4 credits 5+ credits Total no.
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
Producers 113 42% 35 13% 24 9% 19 7% 77 29% 268
Directors 51 36% 27 19% 19 13% 9 6% 37 26% 143
Writers 70 44% 30 19% 18 11% 12 8% 29 18% 159

Source: Screen Australia analysis of credits of theatrically released and television broadcast Australian documentaries shot between July 1980 and June 2014.

Notes:
Gender unknown for 25 people: nine producers, eight directors and eight writers.
Producers, writers and directors are deemed to be ‘currently active’ if they have been credited on at least one Australian documentary in the last five years.
Figures include credits for co-productions but exclude overseas productions made by Australian producers, directors and writers.
Percentages may not total exactly due to rounding.

Top