Has anyone noticed-People love documentaries

completedit

but the majority never seem to watch documentaries about concepts or ideas. All those Netflix documentaries that trend are all the exact same. The Jeffrey Epstein case is fascinating but does it need 4parts? It seems like 3 parts would be more than enough. I used to watch Crime Scene Investigation on Discovery when I was younger and those episodes were one hour and seemed to get by just fine. Same with Louis Theroux's documentaries. He gets in and gets out, Take the Tiger King? Louis got in and got out, nice and easy. Meanwhile Netflix come back and repeat the same stuff over and over and drag out the series. Then you'll get the usual drivel on Joe.ie about how mental the series is. They all follow the same format. I did enjoy the Nazi next door though.

How much does anyone need to know about a case? All the documentaries seem like misery porn, rather than actual documentaries to inform yourself. I'm far from intelligent but I try to sit down and watch interesting documentaries that help me understand the world, not just a play by play of some celebrity/business mogul scandal. Watched Hypernormalisation by Adam Curtis-was a good watch,

*I orginally wrote does Epistein need 10 episodes, turns out there's 4. But, I've seen other series like the Steve Avery one and it was just like come on, hurry up. Maybe I amn't that interested by human stories though. I prefer the bigger picture.

Potential-Monke

It's just another level of nosy neighbours. People want scandal. It's why soaps are so popular, it's why "reality" shows are popular. People are nosy and just want to gossip, and that's basically what these shows do.

Re: concepts and ideas, you can't gossip about that because a: it doesn't involve people directly, and b: it requires thought and intelligence, the opposite of those who like soaps and reality tv.

completedit

Yeah, like that American footballer documentary that nobody in this country has ever heard of. Who actually cares? He was a nobody in the grand scheme of things. My attitude is that unless I go looking for it, I don't care about knowing about it. I don't mean to come across arrogant, as I said, I'm not smart or something but there is so much to learn and know, just don't see why you'd devote so much time to something serious, but irrelevant.

Epstein might be a bad example. He was powerful and had links to major players. I suppose I just consider it passive entertainment and I've become very conscious of that lately.

Potential-Monke

Some of them are good. Like, 'Don't Fu<k with cats' was brilliant, but also too drawn out and could have been done quicker. Very American way, reminding you every episode what happened in the last, and not in a 'skip intro' kind of way. It's why I haven't watched that Tiger one.

Netflix "documentaries" are atrocious..

completedit

Yeah, like I said, I caught the one about the old geezer who was accused of being an a notorious ex concentration camp commander. I enjoyed that. At the time was reading Ordinary Men, a book about the psychology of the SS and just suited my niche and was on a plate. Also, who am I to tell what someone should find interesting? I suppose, I'll stumble upon such documentaries and be like, why not watch them, but people just watch them to watch them and that, I just can't get my head around.

recyclops

Deleted User wrote: »

Netflix "documentaries" are atrocious..

The last dance gets away with it as its pretty much an off shoot from 30 for 30

I find sports documentories to be generally brilliant. Why 30 for 30 is so highly regarded.

JustAThought

I use documentary heaven -google it - it has hundreds of documentaries and after you watch the entire thing it allows you tomthen give it a star rating - so before you watch it you can see how many people rated it and what they thought - really filters out the rubbish. They are made for internet or cinema so you don’t have that annonying American forma that repeats what you have juat seen every 8 minutes to facilitate ad breaks. They also split their documentaries into sections so it is easier to browse - Art &Architecture, Business, Crime,Conspiracy Theories, Drugs, Nature,Sports,History,War,etc - I really enjoy it apart from having problems eating banannas since I watched their doc on the bananna wars & exploitation in S.America . Really recommend the site.

Also channel4.com
have a great series in their online documentary section - Murder In the Outback - its 4 parts and they investigate that dissappearance of the british backpacker who was never found and his wonky girlfriend who refused to take part in newspaper appeals, & claimed to the police she was held up and kidnapped and shot - no forensic evidence of ballistics/no footprints at the site- no body- and police experts said her testimony was lies... great documentary - really recommend.

Some of the Netflix documentaries are the modern equivalent of True crime magazines and the like.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ian-hislops-fake-news-a-true-story-review-sorting-fact-from-fiction-in-the-post-truth-world-36txlkqsq

A great documentary if anyone is interested on fake news its scarey what people believe or more correctly want to believe.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=113769630

If you like history, they are on youtube.

There are hundreds of great documentaries if you seek them out.

double jobbing

Deleted User wrote: »

Netflix "documentaries" are atrocious..

Netflix in general is terrible. TV is a shadow of the quality it once was but there's still more of interest on it than this service has to offer. I've quit on the 1st episode of 90% of stuff I tried watching, there's more good stuff that's been on TV on Youtube for free.

Thelonious Monk

I think those drawn out 8 episode Netflix docs are f*cking awful. Everyone was banging on about that Tiger King thing but after 2 episodes I never wanted to be reminded those people exist again, same as those Making a Murderer people.

WrenBoy

Sky have noticed, seen ads they're launching a channel solely for Documentaries.

The long documentary format means less editing and more filler .

The Nal

McMillions. Interesting story. We do not need a 6 hour documentary on it though. 90 minutes would've been perfect.

Netflix seems to think more is more with these things.

murpho999

double jobbing wrote: »

Netflix in general is terrible. TV is a shadow of the quality it once was but there's still more of interest on it than this service has to offer. I've quit on the 1st episode of 90% of stuff I tried watching, there's more good stuff that's been on TV on Youtube for free.

I really wouldn't agree with this, they've had some really good series.

It's all subjective though so can't be proved.

whisky_galore

Potential-Monke wrote: »

Some of them are good. Like, 'Don't Fu<k with cats' was brilliant, but also too drawn out and could have been done quicker. Very American way, reminding you every episode what happened in the last, and not in a 'skip intro' kind of way. It's why I haven't watched that Tiger one.

Watched first episode of Tiger King. More reality tv than documentary, I can see how it appeals to people who like vulgar "mad 'Merica" stuff or your average Sunday World reader. I'll not be watching any more.

The Cuba Libre Story and Vietnam War historical documentaries are excellent, a welcome break from Hitler-this and WW2-that.

The world at war an old BBC documentary series for the 1970s is very good mainly for the interviews with the still alive Nazi's who in the 1970s wherein late middle age some unrepented and there is an interview with Hitlers Secretary.

If you dig around online you would find the documentary.

Potential-Monke

Potential-Monke wrote: »

It's just another level of nosy neighbours. People want scandal. It's why soaps are so popular, it's why "reality" shows are popular. People are nosy and just want to gossip, and that's basically what these shows do.

Re: concepts and ideas, you can't gossip about that because a: it doesn't involve people directly, and b: it requires thought and intelligence, the opposite of those who like soaps and reality tv.

BBC4 has some of these concept documentaries, and historical ones. Always enjoy them.

CrankyHaus

whisky_galore wrote: »

Watched first episode of Tiger King. More reality tv than documentary, I can see how it appeals to people who like vulgar "mad 'Merica" stuff or your average Sunday World reader. I'll not be watching any more.

The Cuba Libre Story and Vietnam War historical documentaries are excellent, a welcome break from Hitler-this and WW2-that.

Agreed. Stuff like Tiger King deliberately misrepresented reality to increase audience engagement and should be considered reality tv rather than documentary as a result.

Deleted User wrote: »

BBC4 has some of these concept documentaries, and historical ones. Always enjoy them.

The music series are fantastic! Punk Brittania, Metal Brittania etc.

Thelonious Monk

Yes Friday nights on BBC4 usually have great music documentaries, I love them. Great one about Hank Marvin and The Shadows a few weeks ago.

Bobblehats

Deleted User wrote: »

BBC4 has some of these concept documentaries, and historical ones. Always enjoy them.

If there was only one channel you’d have to say BBC4 should far and a way be it. For someone who watches almost exclusively documentaries Netflix is a crock of **** man I liked the Henry Lee one but their format seems alien to me and if I get a bang off it I’m off! Mostly watch the international zombie shows on there, ha they to have the highest production values.

chrissb8

After part 3 of making a murderer, I gave up on documentaries on Netflix. Why the hell would I care about the minutia of some illiterate man in the south of the united states? Just give me the key points and events in 90 minutes.

Very formulaic too. Get obscure topic with a few twists and turns and make a documentary about it. Flesh it out over 6-10 parts. So so so boring.

I haven't even bothered with Tiger King, like some terrible documentary you would see on tv at 4 am in the morning from the 90s revamped with slicker production.

CrankyHaus

chrissb8 wrote: »

After part 3 of making a murderer, I gave up on documentaries on Netflix. Why the hell would I care about the minutia of some illiterate man in the south of the united states?.

It was actually even worse than that. It gave a heavily biased platform to his defence attorney to influence people outside of the court room, where there are checks and balances upon such influence.

Imagine someone you cared about was murdered. The murderer was convicted by due process and then their defence team was handed a platform to reach millions in which they could advance their one sided arguments without challenge; and this created a popular movement to free the murderer by diktat.

Andrewf20

Time, the kalief browder story and trial by media are very good docs on netflix. Tiger Kings was decent too but is 2 episodes too long. Long shot is all brilliant and I think it was only 45 mins long.

Like any TV channel, there's good and bad.

Stovepipe

have a look at "Abstract-the art of design" on netflix. Two seasons, about 12 episodes so far. All about great design,photography, art, architecture, even car design. First class and no ads or endless repetition.

ILoveYourVibes

I like really funny documentaries ..or really fascinating ones..where i have an aha moment . Otherwise ..i am just not that into them tbh.

Paris is burning was good tho

Capt'n Midnight

mariaalice wrote: »

The world at war an old BBC documentary series for the 1970s is very good mainly for the interviews with the still alive Nazi's who in the 1970s wherein late middle age some unrepented and there is an interview with Hitlers Secretary.

If you dig around online you would find the documentary.

It wasn't the BBC. It was ITV.

Specifically Thames Television who later lost the franchise for London to Carlton because they made the Death on the Rock documentary.
It was a milestone on the dumbing down of ITV.

Great documentary though, if a little UK centric for obvious reasons.




Another one to look at :
Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War - is a Canadian docu about it and covers the French period too.

Dick phelan

Netflix has a lot of Ken Burns documentaries which are excellent. The series on the Vietnam War, American Civil War and Prohibition are all excellent. I agree there's too much crime porn style docs right now but stuff like Animal Planet etc are still great.

I Am Nobody

I only watch the animal and science documentaries.A glass of Bushmills and the sound of Sir David Attenborough ,means your in for a very educational and mellow night.

whisky_galore

Dick phelan wrote: »

Netflix has a lot of Ken Burns documentaries which are excellent. The series on the Vietnam War, American Civil War and Prohibition are all excellent. I agree there's too much crime porn style docs right now but stuff like Animal Planet etc are still great.

Some of the Civil War documentary analysis, by Shelby Foote in particular, has dated poorly now, esp in light of recent events.

I Am Nobody

whisky_galore wrote: »

Some of the Civil War documentary analysis, by Shelby Foote in particular, has dated poorly now, esp in light of recent events.

Possibly but he does know the history and presents it very well,I thought.

Church on Tuesday

I'm a sucker for WW2 documentaries, basically have binged watched all of the Greatest Tank Battles series on YouTube. Fascinating machines in a horrific time for humanity.

Capt'n Midnight

Church on Tuesday wrote: »

I'm a sucker for WW2 documentaries, basically have binged watched all of the Greatest Tank Battles series on YouTube. Fascinating machines in a horrific time for humanity.

What people forget it that tank vs tank isn't supposed to happen.

Tank destroyers, and that includes three men in Jeep, are what are supposed to stop tanks. They usually don't have turrets.

Tanks with turrets are supposed to roam the battlefield and take out softer targets.


WWII tanks while moving could typically only hit the target one time out of twenty. But could hit the target most of the time if stopped.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=222o2O_w3WI

Later tanks had stabilisation so could hit targets while moving.

A WWII tank engaging one of these would be about the same as a WWII tank engaging a destroyer, because ships had the necessary fire control and range finding to be able to fire on the move.

This tank has a 120mm gun so compared to the 88mm on a King Tiger could fire something twice as heavy with 1.5 times as the velocity. And had much better armour. And much more reliable engines.

riclad

There's plenty of good documentarys on history, science, sports , rock and roll.
I think there's still great drama, s being made .
There's always an audience for true crime programs. I thought the program Do, nt f with cats was very well made. It's not like the usual serial killer documentary.
There's probably more good drama,s and comedys being made now than ever as there s
Netflix and new streaming services have have the budget to pay for new programs.
I don't watch crime drama, s they are usually too predictable or else very violent.
I prefer to watch documentarys .
People still watch comedys like friends and the office because they are better than most comedys being made right now.
To make a good comedy you need a great cast,
and great writers.
I think writing a great comedy is much harder than writing yet another drama featuring police
or detectives solving crimes.
Real life is more interesting than most drama,s
I won't watch a drama unless it gets great reviews and has a good cast.
There's a new Hbo Doc coming out soon based on the book I'll be gone in the dark ,
About the golden state killer, it took 30 years for the police to arrest him using dna evidence.
Netflix pays for new documentarys to be made
so of course they want 3 or 4 episodes to be made to maximise the audience

cj maxx

I saw a doc on how they caught the golden state killer. DNA but from databases from companies iirc. You know" I found out I have cousins in Portugal" stuff

PARlance

The Nal wrote: »

McMillions. Interesting story. We do not need a 6 hour documentary on it though. 90 minutes would've been perfect.

Netflix seems to think more is more with these things.

90 minutes wouldn't be perfect for Netflix though as people would soon get through their content/cancel.

They've been fairly successful at dragging the sh1te out of topics and making sure people think they're getting value.

Ipso

cj maxx wrote: »

I saw a doc on how they caught the golden state killer. DNA but from databases from companies iirc. You know" I found out I have cousins in Portugal" stuff

I wonder how many will boast that their Portuguese cousin had 20 prostitutes buried under his patio!