THE TRUE STORY OF TWO OF FORMULA 1®’s MOST CAPTIVATING STARS – GILLES VILLENEUVE AND DIDIER PIRONI

PRODUCED BY NOAH MEDIA GROUP IN ASSOCIATION WITH SKY STUDIOS.

UK PREMIERE AT THE GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL ON 5 MARCH

Featuring the Villeneuve and Pironi families including Joann Villeneuve, Melanie Villeneuve, Jacques Villeneuve, Catherine Goux, Didier Pironi and Gilles Pironi and Formula One World Champions Alain Prost and Sir Jackie Stewart.

VILLENEUVE PIRONI: RACING’S UNTOLD TRAGEDY tells the astonishing story of two supremely gifted Ferrari F1® drivers: Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi.

VILLENEUVE PIRONI: RACING’S UNTOLD TRAGEDY

We want to help Producers, Distributors, and Film Investors in the documentary space (including us!) understand what the audience and market looked like in 2022. Here we look back at the major documentary film releases of the past year and analyse the data to learn more about what worked, what didn't, what consumer trends emerged and where the market is heading.

As an entertainment analytics company, we have compiled data to help uncover:

What did the consumer demographics look like in 2022?

Which sub-genres were consumed the most in 2022?

Which geographies engaged with this content in 2022?

Who were the key buyers/sales agents & territories in 2022?

What did the box-office and streaming look like in 2022?

Where were the key award wins/nominations in 2022?

Whilst there is critics-based analysis for the top documentaries of the year (see feature links at the foot of this article) there is little objective data being shared. If you have read data-based analysis on the documentary film space and would like to help us further our research and understanding, please get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!

Click to get FREE insights into the market & audience for your project - worth $800.

Documentaries have always been a popular genre among audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and in recent years have seen a significant increase in popularity. This can be attributed to the increasing availability of streaming platforms which make it easier for audiences to access and consume documentaries.

Here are the Top 15 documentaries of 2022 based on views in the first 30 days after release:

We can see from the data that David Attenborough led titles operate as a genre of their own, as they have in previous years.

Documentary fans in 2022 tended to skew slightly female and older (30+) 

Here we can see the individual gender/age skew of titles:

In 2022 there was a strong appetite for documentary content in:

… as well as in South America generally, but less so in South East Asia, Russia, Africa and China.

The top documentary sub-genres and their associated demographics in 2022 were:

The most consumed Documentaries by genre in 2022 were:

The worst rated documentaries of 2022 according to IMDB were:

Is this because they are controversial or just genuinely bad!? Tweet us!

We can see that the audience on social media talking about documentaries in 2022 breaks down into the following main segments:

Using IBM Watson Personality Analysis technology we can see how the audience sees the world around them:

Personality: 
They are excitable, sentimental and helpful. They are authority-challenging: they prefer to challenge authority and traditional values to help bring about positive changes. They are philosophical: they are open to and intrigued by new ideas and love to explore them. And they are melancholy: they think quite often about the things they are unhappy about.

Needs: 
Their choices are driven by a desire for discovery.

Values: 
They consider both helping others and taking pleasure in life to guide a large part of what they do. They think it is important to take care of the people around them. And they are highly motivated to enjoy life to its fullest.

The companies putting out the most documentaries in 2022 were:

The top 5 networks for documentaries in 2022 based on views were:

The highest grossing documentaries at the box office in 2022 were:

Very few documentaries in 2022 had a notable theatrical release but there were a couple of standout successes from:

Moonage Daydream (which performed better at the box office than it did on streaming)

The key awards given most to documentaries in 2022 were:

This analysis compiles data on 144 documentaries released in 2022 on IMDB Pro with more than 1000 votes.

Demographics come from social and title voting/rating data (which we have skew-corrected to remove the inherent bias in participant in voting activity).

Social Media analysis using our partner Audiense.

Below are some further resources on the best documentaries of 2022

Order reflects Tomatometer scores (as of December 31, 2022) after adjustment from our ranking formula, which compensates for variation in the number of reviews when comparing movies or TV shows.

Peter Hamilton/Documentary Television Picks 2022

Screen Daily‘s 2023 Oscar and Bafta Documentary Contenders

A.V. Club‘s Best Documentary Films of 2022

Deadline‘s Top 10 Documentaries of 2022

Here we reflect on the major documentary film releases of 2022 and analyse the data to learn what worked, what didn't and where the market is heading.

2022 DOCUMENTARY FILM INSIGHTS ROUNDUP - THE DATA

Award-winning production, distribution and technology company Noah Media Group today announced its first multi-million pound content fund and offered an insight into the projects that it will benefit.

With a focus on representation and inclusion both on and off-screen, Noah will finance and produce four global documentary projects through the content fund, over the next 18 months. With three of the four films already in production, Noah will be taking meetings at Sundance Film Festival this week with view of greenlighting the 4th film in the fund. 

The scheme follows the critical and commercial success of Noah’s recent Emmy & Grierson nominated 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible, one of Netflix’s most globally watched documentaries ever, and Venice TV Awards winning Arsène Wenger: Invincible with Amazon & co-producers Federation Entertainment. 

Said Noah founder and CEO John McKenna today, ‘The content fund is a great step for the business in terms of owning our own destiny and backing our wonderful team. We are delighted to be partnering with some incredible people to share their extraordinary stories, ranging from global icons through to little known human stories with global themes and scope.’ 

Noah’s Head of Distribution Drew Masters, who will representing Noah at Sundance, added, ‘Our belief is that at their best, documentaries can provide an opportunity to challenge perceptions and gain new perspectives, whilst consistently engaging on an emotional level. The three projects that we are currently producing with the content fund are all fantastic examples of this belief in practice, and we are excited to be attending Sundance this year to discuss opportunities for our films and the fund.’

Noah will be announcing the specific projects in the coming months, but themes explored by the projects will include race, identity, sexuality, gender & disability, in partnership with some of the biggest names in entertainment and sport, on and off screen. The first three projects are already in production and expected to release in 2024. 

Today’s investment news follows a busy time for premium documentary producers Noah Media Group, with the recent expansion of their Production & Development department with key new hires. Nearing completion at NMG are an access-all-areas documentary on British boxing champion Ricky Hatton and a feature length documentary Villeneuve Pironi, focusing on the intense friendship and tragic rivalry between Formula 1 legends, Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi, both in partnership with Sky Studios & NBCUniversal.

Noah Media Group today announced its first multi-million pound content fund and offered an insight into the projects that it will benefit.

NOAH MEDIA GROUP UNVEILS MULTI-MILLION POUND CONTENT FUND, TO FINANCE AND PRODUCE MULTIPLE GLOBAL ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS

Q&A WITH NOAH MEDIA'S EXECUTIVE PRODUCER DAVID SNOWDON AS HE REFLECTS ON THE MAKING OF A MEMORABLE TITLE SEQUENCE FOR ITV.

Q. What was your role and how many people worked on the title sequence for ITV?

A. I was Executive Producer on the project - leading a team of five on the creative side excluding the internal creative and production support we have here at Noah.

Q. How was the creative idea for the title sequence decided?

A. We had a number of creative meetings in the office to work on a concept. We would go through ideas we thought might work and build on them. It was during this process that we questioned how the players would get to Qatar halfway through a football season. We knew we were onto something once everyone started chipping in with various funny modes of transport. We clearly knew that we wouldn’t be able to get Gareth Southgate in a rowing boat or Ronaldo on a super yacht so animation was our only option! We wanted a fun character design but were also keen to bring it into a 3D setting. After some research, we worked on the idea of a pearl turning into the World Cup trophy as our narrative and then mapped out a structure. 

For the music, ‘Around the World in 80 days’ seemed like a great choice so I searched for various versions of the title music and came across the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra’s version of the track, it worked perfectly with the mood we were aiming for.

We pitched our concept to Paul McNamara - Senior Director and Executive Producer Major Events at ITV Sport, who thankfully bought into our vision and awarded us with the project. It was a brave decision as it is always risky going for a character based title sequence with the chance of players getting injured in the weeks and days before the tournament.

Q. What was the hardest thing to create in the titles, or the most challenging point in the project?

A. In the early stages of production, we brought in Pedro Allevato of Sugarblood animation studio to bring our characters to life. There was a lot of discussions on how we would combine Pedro’s 2D style into a 3D environment, a job that Noah's head of 3D, Hugo Johnson took in his stride.

Certainly the most challenging aspect of the titles was reacting to last minute player injuries - you are just praying that the players you have designed and spent a lot of hours working on make it to the tournament, so to lose Sadio Mane in the weeks before the World Cup kicked off was really disappointing. However, our motion graphic designer, Adam Constable saved the day by replacing him with Chelsea goalkeeper, Eduard Mendy in time to repackage a number of deliverables and get it to ITV in time for their team leaving for Qatar.

Q. What is your favourite part of the titles and why?

A. It is really hard to pick a favourite moment, but if I was forced to choose I would have to say the Messi and Neymar horse race through the desert. Horses are notoriously difficult to animate but the team worked very hard to get it right, and in what will probably be Messi’s last tournament it is great to see him riding into the sunset in search of the trophy that had eluded him in his career.

Q. With supporting assets such as the ad break bumpers, how many assets in total were delivered to ITV?

A. It was an extensive deliverable list, let's put it that way! The title sequence gets shown at the top of each show, but assets such as the Break Bumpers get far more airtime. We knew it was imperative that we created enough so they didn’t get repetitive in each broadcast.  But as well as 223 (!) bumpers, we delivered 33 transmission wipes as well as looping backgrounds and closing sequences.

Q. World Cup title sequences can be much anticipated and fondly remembered.  What is it that makes them special?

A. Having grown up watching the World Cup and the title sequences that preceded the broadcasts, you never dream of being given the opportunity to actually produce one.

With a World Cup only taking place every four years, and the high standard of production companies that you are competing against, getting the chance to create the title sequence for a major broadcaster is a huge honour. It is one thing having the idea, but without an amazing team beside you who can bring it to life it would be impossible. All the team are very proud of what we have created for ITV, and very grateful to Paul and his team for trusting us to deliver a little bit of history for the greatest football tournament in the World.

Adam Constable - Motion Graphic Designer 

Pedro Alleviato - Sugar Blood - 2D Animation consultant

A Q&A with Noah Media's executive producer David Snowdon as he reflects on the making of a memorable title sequence for ITV.

THE MAKING OF ITV'S WORLD CUP 2022 TITLES

Multi-award-winning UK production, distribution & technology company Noah Media Group today announced significant sales for feature documentary STEWART with Sky UK, Sky Germany, Sky Italy, Viaplay (Nordics, Benelux, Baltics and Poland), Canal+ (France, French speaking Europe and Africa), Vapet (Czech Republic) and A Contracorriente (Spain), as well as multiple airlines. Other major territory deals are also complete, with further announcements coming in early 2023.

STEWART is a major new documentary on the former Formula 1 World Champion, team owner and businessman, Sir Jackie Stewart.

Sky UK will be launching the project on 30th December 2022 with other territories following in the new year.

The feature-length documentary was written and directed by Patrick Mark (Fabergé: A Life of Its Own), produced by Sarah Bayntun and Gareth Dodds (Spitfire, Armstrong) and executive produced by Jackie’s son, Mark Stewart (The Last Man on the Moon, Gazza) for MSP. Also executive producing are Bill Pohlad (American Utopia, 12 Years a Slave) and Jean-Marc Huët. 

Using immaculately restored and previously unseen archive footage, STEWART charts the rush of excitement that heralded Jackie’s first F1 World Championship title in 1969.  From his humble beginnings outside Glasgow, through the darker years of the early 1970s when, despite opposition from those who believed that F1 should be ‘gladiatorial’, Stewart set out to improve racing safety.

STEWART is immersive, colourful and powerfully emotive, transcending motor sport to explore universal themes of love, loss and human vulnerability.

Catherine Quantschnigg, Head of Sales at Noah Media Group comments: “It’s been great to see how positively buyers have responded to this powerful documentary about Formula 1 legend Jackie Stewart and how strong the title is performing in sales across many territories”.

Premium documentary production, distribution & technology company Noah Media Group are currently in production on an access-all-areas documentary on British boxing champion Ricky Hatton, as well as a feature length study of the intense friendship and tragic rivalry between Formula 1 legends, Villeneuve and Pironi, also in partnership with Sky Studios & NBCUniversal. 

STEWART is part a diverse slate of Noah-produced titles and other recently announced third party films, including 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible, sold to Netflix globally, Arsène Wenger: Invincible, a co-production with Federation Entertainment and recently acquired Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh documentary, I Am Irvine Welsh.

UK production, distribution & technology company Noah Media Group today announced significant sales for feature documentary STEWART with Sky UK.

NOAH MEDIA GROUP ANNOUNCES RAFT OF SALES ON F1 DOCUMENTARY 'STEWART'

MUSIC vs SPORT. THE SURPRISING FINDINGS ON THE CONVERSION OF FANBASES IN TWO OF DOCUMENTARIES MOST POPULAR GENRES.

Here we explore the relationship between the commercial success of popular documentaries and the associated names attached to the project, and consider what factors influence the conversion of an established fanbase into a consuming documentary-film audience.

The attraction of talent-focused projects for factual filmmakers is an established route to tell interesting stories. With the subject of the film already having an engaged following of fans, the theory goes that the film can tap into a pre-existing bedrock of support; a captive audience who will watch your film against which producers can plan with an extra level of commercial confidence.

But is it really as simple as that and what insights and learnings are out there to be made, to better understand this key area of documentary filmmaking, and the relationship between fans and documentary success? For example, why do some types of on-screen talent bring their audience with them more reliably than others, and might it be possible to identify talent whose fanbases are most likely to convert into viewers?

We’ve analysed over 200 music and sport talent-focused documentaries, released over the last 3 years – ranging from big hits such as The Last Dance, 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, The Beatles: Get Back and Miss Americana, to smaller releases and those that have not made the impression that their producers would have hoped for – and asked the simple question: Does having more fans equal more film viewers?

Get FREE insights into the market & audience for your project - worth $800.

Tracking the number of fans as shown by social media followers, against the number of film views, a clear difference is shown between two of the leading documentary genres – MUSIC and SPORT.

The data shows that music has a positive correlation, with the greater the number of fans (social followers) equating to the greater the number of film views.

However, for sport, no clear pattern emerges with a more chaotic spread of film viewing numbers no matter how many fans the talent has.

Our analysis clearly shows that music fans are far more likely to consume documentaries with associated musical talent that they follow, than sports fans are likely to consume docs involving their favourite team or sportsperson.

What could be the reasons for this difference, when both music and sport have passionate and dedicated fanbases and are a prominent part of contemporary culture?

Might musicians and music have a more natural affiliation for this artistic space and the film medium? 

Could they have more to say when compared to sport, when less of their career has been captured live on television? 

Perhaps audiences have a deeper emotional connection with musicians than they do with sports personalities?  

This points to the challenge of making a successful sport doc being greater than is widely appreciated – and the success of films such as Free Solo and Diego Maradona are therefore all the more notable.

Noah Media Group pride themselves on putting a forensic level of detail into building relationships with fans groups and driving the strategy for releasing content - from first look exclusive clips, trailer launches, talent support and the film itself.  This has delivered an exceptional hit rate even on sports docs, including 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (Netflix), Arsène Wenger: Invincible (Amazon Prime) and Finding Jack Charlton (BBC). The company, aided by its analytical approach and commitment to data-informed strategy, understands the fanbase at the very beginning of a project and that has proven a crucial factor in building commercial success and mitigating the conventional hit-miss ratio. 

The relationship the talent has with their fans should be explored, including looking for evidence of past instances where they have brought their audience with them to new projects e.g. book, podcast etc.

Considering the questions posed and really interrogating the relationship between on-screen talent and their fans, will help filmmakers to better understand their audience from which informed decisions can be made to improve commercial performance.

This analysis is based on documentary, sport and music genre titles on IMDB Pro with more than 500 votes, released after July 2019. 'Views' data from Muso. Social follower counts are those of the principal contributors in the Title Credits.

Music vs Sport. The surprising findings on the conversion of fanbases in two of documentaries most popular genres.

The latest news on our production and distribution projects as well as updates and insights from the Noah Media Group team.

News

VILLENEUVE PIRONI: RACING’S UNTOLD TRAGEDY

2022 DOCUMENTARY FILM INSIGHTS ROUNDUP - THE DATA

NOAH MEDIA GROUP UNVEILS MULTI-MILLION POUND CONTENT FUND, TO FINANCE AND PRODUCE MULTIPLE GLOBAL ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS

THE MAKING OF ITV'S WORLD CUP 2022 TITLES

NOAH MEDIA GROUP ANNOUNCES RAFT OF SALES ON F1 DOCUMENTARY 'STEWART'

THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILT-IN AUDIENCES