Researching home-brewers for TV documentary

[windfallfilms]

Hi everyone,

I'm a development producer at Windfall Films - and I'm lucky enough to be researching the world of home-brewing for a possible new documentary series. Hurrah!

I'd like to speak to some home-brewers passionate about craft beer in particular. Whether you're brewing in your kitchen, garage or camper van I'm keen to get to know who is putting heart and soul into the perfect personal pint.

With craft beer's popularity through the roof, and more and more people from all walks of life trying out a brew at home, I'm keen to convince one of the major broadcasters to let me explore this hugely exciting world that is both very geeky and very cool!

Just to stress this is something in its very early stages of research so there's no obligation from either me or you - I'd just love to speak to you. Just drop me a quick line if you're happy to chat.

Thanks and all the best,
Kimberly
[email protected]

 

[calumscott]

Past history says you'll struggle.

You're not the first and I'm entirely sure you won't be the last, however after an initial post from a goodly number of others they all vanished into the archives of the forum lost in the flotsam and jetsam of countless "I want to make the strongest Turbo Cider in the world" and "I brewed my beer according to the instructions and it tastes cr@p" threads.

The simple maths are stacked very strongly against you.

Yes, craft beer is in the ascendency.
Yes, the home brewing industry has made big %age increases.
Yes, there are more people brewing and winemaking.

But a 40% increase on "not a hell of a lot" is still "nearly no audience whatsoever". Seriously. Take a look at the programmes that DO make it. Cookery - we (nearly) all have to do it. Baking - because we all have to cook we have all the stuff available to bake and it's quick. And there it ends.

Add to that the length of time it takes to get to an end product, the fact that the processes involved in every single beer are pretty much identical. Every wine - identical. Every cider or cider style brew - identical. It doesn't make for anything that anyone would put on telly for more than a single one off, one hour documentary.

The simple fact is that the only people who get excited enough about brewing to find any of it interesting are, well, here... take a look at the membership numbers and you'll see why a dent in the shape of the back of your head will join dents from those who go before you in the doors of those "major broadcasters".

Assuming they made it IN the door in the first place...

Sorry to put a complete downer on your project.

 

[NickW]

Past history says you'll struggle.

You're not the first and I'm entirely sure you won't be the last, however after an initial post from a goodly number of others they all vanished into the archives of the forum lost in the flotsam and jetsam of countless "I want to make the strongest Turbo Cider in the world" and "I brewed my beer according to the instructions and it tastes cr@p" threads.

The simple maths are stacked very strongly against you.

Yes, craft beer is in the ascendency.
Yes, the home brewing industry has made big %age increases.
Yes, there are more people brewing and winemaking.

But a 40% increase on "not a hell of a lot" is still "nearly no audience whatsoever". Seriously. Take a look at the programmes that DO make it. Cookery - we (nearly) all have to do it. Baking - because we all have to cook we have all the stuff available to bake and it's quick. And there it ends.

Add to that the length of time it takes to get to an end product, the fact that the processes involved in every single beer are pretty much identical. Every wine - identical. Every cider or cider style brew - identical. It doesn't make for anything that anyone would put on telly for more than a single one off, one hour documentary.

The simple fact is that the only people who get excited enough about brewing to find any of it interesting are, well, here... take a look at the membership numbers and you'll see why a dent in the shape of the back of your head will join dents from those who go before you in the doors of those "major broadcasters".

Assuming they made it IN the door in the first place...

Sorry to put a complete downer on your project.

I believe there's some truth in that Calum, but I would think its something people may want to watch, and of course, a 1 hour documentary would be where I see it.

The vast majority of people in this country drink to some extent, so there is common ground there. In my opinion I think a show like this may peak the interests of a good portion of these people.

Then again - may be I only think that because I enjoy brewing. :hmm: :shock:

 

[oldbloke]

In my opinion I think a show like this may peak the interests of a good portion of these people.

Did you mean "pique" ?

 

[NickW]

In my opinion I think a show like this may peak the interests of a good portion of these people.

Did you mean "pique" ?

That's the one :lol:

 

[desmosteve]

I'd disagree about the likelihood of this, there's never been more interest in artisan / craft food and drink, see the number of micro breweries all over the show, and the interest in baking etc only reinforces that

I'd be concerned that it might be spun into some sort of piss take involving some "keen" and quirky types boiling stuff in a back kitchen, but I have to believe that there's some scope for such a show :thumb:

 

[calumscott]

Then again - may be I only think that because I enjoy brewing.

:idea:

That's the trouble. It's an impossible pitch.

Lets look at the list of hobbies and pastimes:

Knitting and sewing - around 7M. That gets "The Great British Sewing Bee"
Dancing - around 19%, 12.5M. That gets Strictly.
Collecting - around 13%. 8.5M. I suppose The Antiques Roadshow is the best they'll get.
Rambling - Came out top in a poll by WWF in 2013. Countryfile?
Gardening - 38% of pensioners. Plenty of coverage.
Bird/nature watching - Not huge but so accessible to everyone, the <Season>watch stuff.
Reading - just about everyone - no representation on telly.

The last half reasonable estimates of the numbers of truly active brewers I saw was in the low tens of thousands (CAMRA) although I suspect this is a bit light but still, it's going to be in the higher tens of thousands or maybe just about into the low hundreds of thousands.

Nobody is going to bankroll the expense of producing more than a slot in a foodie program or an episode in a foodie or crafty series if that.

 

[calumscott]

I'd disagree about the likelihood of this, there's never been more interest in artisan / craft food and drink, see the number of micro breweries all over the show, and the interest in baking etc only reinforces that

I'd be concerned that it might be spun into some sort of piss take involving some "keen" and quirky types boiling stuff in a back kitchen, but I have to believe that there's some scope for such a show :thumb:

To be fair to this one it's documentary format rather than "game show".

There has never been more interest in the craft side of things but you have to face facts, we are *seriously* niche. Yes people like craft beer, it takes a certain type of nerd to actually build the kit to make it...

There is scope for the show, just not for the money to make it.

 

[NickW]

I have no interest on bird watching, collecting or knitting.. but

I regularly watch countryfile.
I quite often watch antiques road show / equivalent shows
... and quite enjoyed the Great British Sewing Bee!

 

[Pjam]

Careful Kimberly, you might catch the brewing bug :)

For me, there's very little on TV I like to watch. One to two very good drama's, Countryfile (as said) and that's about it. There no budget any more.

But a Brewdoc ............ I'd watch that

 

[dennisking]

Maybe a bit more of an idea of the style of program might help. People on here will to bit a bit reticent to commit if they feel it will be just a micky take.

 

[LeithR]

Calum makes the point in his first paragraph.

You're not the first and I'm entirely sure you won't be the last, however after an initial post from a goodly number of others they all vanished into the archives of the forum lost in the flotsam and jetsam of countless "I want to make the strongest Turbo Cider in the world" and "I brewed my beer according to the instructions and it tastes cr@p" threads.

Most home brewers don't do it to make anything other than an acceptable pint (mainly for themselves) and occasionally to share it with friends. We like to experiment, yes sometimes with strength but also with flavours that are not currently included in British beers made by the big brewers. We do it for fun and we do it to save money on the predominantly exorbitant thin brews that are often foisted on us by the large breweries run not for any other purpose other than to make money.

Only a very few breweries now brew to maintain standards that their forefathers initially set.

If you read through the forum you will see we spend a lot of time supporting and encouraging new brewers to have a go at things they have thought up that are different.

You might learn quite a lot if you went along to the Spring Thing in a couple of months and it might give you an opportunity to get some material for a programme.

 

[Brew Dawg]

Will it be narrated by David Attenborough? If so... I'm in!

 

[NickW]

Just got off the phone with her. Very pleasant lady . Just asking about what I do, how it works, where I want to go with it. Just investigating at this stage.

 

[oldbloke]

Maybe a bit more of an idea of the style of program might help. People on here will to bit a bit reticent to commit if they feel it will be just a micky take.

Probably doesn't know yet, if it's early research.

I quite enjoyed Rory McGrath's short series on homebrew, but felt it could have been done better.
And that got an unannounced slot on one of those channels people only look at by accident.

If it's just beer, I can see a 1hr (well, 45 minutes if it's being sold to the US, they like their adverts) documentary working, along the lines of:
Homebrew used to be awful, like this: bad kits and malt extract
Now it's pretty good, like this: good kits and decent extract brews
And it can be very high quality: all grain/shiny
And end up as a commercial microbrewery: shiny

But I'd prefer a series of half hours or hours covering the whole scene, from ale to country wines. The audience is tiny so funding would be difficult, but they made 2 series of Supermodels, and there aren't that many people into model planes and boats.

Maybe Michel Roux would give 5 minutes of each of his shows to it...

 

[NickW]

I got the gist it was leaning towards craft beer, and homebrew may be a part of it, but not all the show. Hard to tell.

 

[brewtim]

Here's an interesting article I found the other day regarding beer blogging and how it compares to food blogging:

How does beer blogging compare to food blogging

He also has some other interesting writings, the one about the rise of craft beer vs the decline in drinking is good.

It was interesting to see Michel Rouxs' Food and Drink program on Saturday morning had a few craft ales on it as they were pairing beers with food and making recommendations, not a bottle of wine in sight

 

[dennisking]

As long as it's not like the awful one with Neil Morrissey.

 

[rpt]

Why do people keep saying the funding will be difficult? Are you TV executives? Let's support the idea.

 

[NickW]

Windfall are award winning. For the nature's giants show as I'm aware.