Every year is filled with great stories to document. If you have a documentary that will make audiences shocked, cry, moved, puzzled, educated, or all of the above, you might want to pitch it to Netflix. If only it were as easy as sending an email on Netflix’s feedback page for your pitch. If you want your film one day to be featured on educational documentaries you can find on Netflix, here are methods you can take to pitch your idea to the popular streaming service.
When you go on Netflix’s Help Center, they warn you that they do not review or accept any materials that have not been specifically requested. They find new content to buy or create with a team of creative executives or documentary film buyers who receive the pitches. The creative community and talent agencies can also propose ideas for projects. Netflix could purchase finished works that have premiered at film festivals or other establishments. This popular streaming service can even have an idea of its own that they create.
This is all the more reason why you need your educational film to go through a licensed agent, producer, manager, attorney, or industry executive who has a relationship with Netflix.
What kind of documentaries is Netflix looking for to add to its streaming service?
If you’re going to make a successful pitch to Netflix, it helps to know what exactly they’re looking for in their upcoming documentary. According to Desktop Documentaries, longtime television executive Peter Hamilton had a few strategies in mind. One is crafting a documentary with memorable characters. Many documentary films have memorable interview figures that stick with the audience, such as Tiger King’s Joe Exotic with that mullet and eccentric personality. Too many bland characters will make audiences bored and click the back button on their remote.
Another element of a Netflix documentary is raising the stakes. Successful film collections of documentaries have characters either defying, tracking, investigating, or risking death. For example, Free Solo is about a rock climber on a quest to climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without any equipment. Audiences will be filled with anticipation to see for themselves how the climb went down.
In Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal, there is a deep investigation into Rick Singer’s methods to get the children of rich parents admission to Ivy League universities. The best documentaries are ones where the investigations into the unbelievable become more believable by the time the end credits roll.
What makes your documentary stand out from others?
Documentary film programming also gives audiences unique access to something they wouldn’t be able to see themselves. For example, the 1970’s Woodstock documentary allows future generations to witness the greatest talents the country’s ever known. The same can be said for Man on Wire where we can see French tightrope walker Philippe Petit's incredible feat of climbing a rope between the Twin Towers.
It’s also important to see if the usual budgets in Netflix documentaries match yours. For instance, Supersize Me had a budget of $65,000. But then there are big-budget documentaries on Netflix that could run at a million dollars like Ava DuVernay’s 13th. If you have all of these qualities in your Netflix pitch, there’s a good chance it’ll be considered.
The best question to ask yourself when making a documentary for Netflix is if this is something streaming services could add to their film archive over a year from now. If this is the type of documentary that’s only good for the moment, one with a headline that is fresh but still forgettable, maybe you should rethink things. If you can give audiences a story that they’ll remember for years and years, it’s time to start preparing your Netflix pitch.