Factual TV trends: the intersection of modern history and social activism show making

2^nd July marks 94 years since the Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928 was passed giving women electoral equality with men. 

The prime minister of the time Stanley Baldwin expressed hope that equal vote would be beneficial for the country and serve for the greater good.  But in the last few years we’ve witnessed a significant backward step in the fight for women’s rights and equality.

The resurgence of the Taliban changed the lives of millions of Afghan women, the murder of Sarah Everard reignited debates around women's safety, during the pandemic the time needed to close the global gender gap increased to 135.6 years, and almost 1 in 2 women experienced a form of violence.

The role of user-generated video in citizen activism

We recently found out that our copywriter Kelly Prior is the great-granddaughter of the Suffragette Helen Tolson, so we asked her why she thinks user-generated video has an important role to play in citizen activism and highlighting the remarkable role played by women in all walks of life.

“With UGV empowerment converges with creativity and authenticity fundamentally changing the nature of how women’s rights issues are covered and debated.  Thanks to UGV, campaigners of today cannot be silenced, women can share their stories and shine a light on issues that must be solved if we are to reverse the deterioration of women’s rights and gender equality.”

Activism and social change documentaries are on the rise

In an era defined by climate change and our impact on the living world, and marked by the rise of movements such as Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+ and MeToo which challenge us to think differently, it has never been more important for TV buyers and commissioners to invest in authentic shows.

Few things are more emotive than the stories and events shaping the world and society.  Harnessing UGV in activism and social change programming guarantees audiences feel emotionally connected to a story.  It delivers a level of genuine human connection that cannot be re-created.  It brings an unrivalled level of humanity to storytelling and allows audiences to participate and interact with the stories around them every day, as with events, campaigns, and movements of global significance. 

Modern history programming is too…

Modern history was ranked as a top 3 factual trend in 2021.  Audiences want to investigate the reality of the past, and they want to indulge in the inescapable humanness of authentic historical storytelling

UGV offers an opportunity to enhance and enrich modern history show-making with authentic content that gives access to the diverse characters and meaningful stories of the past.  Fresh angles on moments in history, once-in-a-lifetime footage that has never been seen before, stories that cannot be recreated or re-enacted, and the chance to juxtapose archive footage with contemporary narratives.

UGV is a rich and diverse gold mine of modern history treasures that have the power to engage diverse audiences and attract new viewers to historical factual and non-scripted entertainment.

Are you planning your next factual show?

Let Newsflare help you uncover the new, timely, unexpected, disruptive, and unique user-generated video that will help you take the lead in factual show making.