Lack of recognition and ageism under spotlight at DocFest

A lack of appropriate production credits, fears of a ‘brain drain’ and the threat of “creeping ageism” are aspects of the industry which require addressing, according to a panel of senior production personnel.

Line producer Helen Landeau – whose credits include My Daughter’s Killer and Uprising – and Dan Hall (Rose Ayling-Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks, ABBA: Against the Odds) both urged indies and broadcasters to address the exodus of talent from the industry, which they said is down to unreasonable working conditions, a lack of recognition and opportunities for advancement,.

Producer-director Hall, who was moderating the Unsung Heroes of Production panel at Sheffield DocFest last week, said: “Every time we approve an impossible schedule, every time we don’t credit someone who’s done the work, every time that we accept a budget that relies on people working for free or less than their work, we’re feeding this [problem],” he said.

Hall said the numerous Facebook groups and social media posts made to decry the current landscape for freelancers and the burden placed on production staff’s mental health – which risks burnout – is exacerbated by not receiving the credit for the work they do.

“Two-thirds of people are thinking of leaving the industry, that’s not a staffing problem, that’s an indictment of the situation and it’s a sign that things need to change. People need to be recognised for what they do,” he said. “We can blame the markets, and we can blame the streamers, but we are part of the machine and we are complicit in this.”

His words echoed earlier comments from the panel, which also included producer-director Noah Amir Arjomand (The Fixers), production manager Dominique Haidar and Dorothy St. Pictures chief Julia Nottingham, with credit recognition a hot-button issue. Hall said time as a development producer has led to an “obsession” over credits, having put in a lot of time on projects but never having his name attached to them.

“I was told: ‘it doesn’t matter because the people who need to know will know’,” he said.

Ageism is creeping in

Landeau said prejudices against experienced personnel could also contribute to a potential industry exodus, with employers not taking chances on ‘too expensive’ workers. She cited her own experiences of not being considered for production coordinator roles because of her experience, which she says is evidence of “creeping ageism” in the industry.

“There’s no sense in me applying for that role because I know I will not be considered,” she said. “Even down to a production manager job, I’m not considered because I’m too experienced and so considered too expensive.

“What’s frightening is that there’s now a brain drain of people who have got that experience, ageism is creeping in real fast. People look at those who have got 20, 30 years of experience and think: ‘I can’t have them because they seem rather expensive’. [They want] cheap fodder.”

Landeau added that if more experienced people were to leave the industry, a “huge brain drain” would likely follow.

“You’ve got the younger ones coming in, who the hell are they going to learn from?” she asked. “There’s only so much that a university can teach you, and they’re [already] having difficulty of getting into the industry.”