98 Filmmakers and Financing however, you can use the summary information to build a story. Gather comparative market information to prove the size and extent of the audience for your film. What if you do not know the budgets of the films you are going to make? Your case will be much weaker, but you can still develop a rationale. Showing the results of films with various bud- gets will help. The other elements of your company, as described in Chapter 3, "The Films," can bring more credence to your proposal. If you have well-known directors or actors committed to your proj- ects, you can use their previous films to describe a segment of the market. What if you have someone else's budget for a $2-million film? Don't use it. Your film will have characteristics that don't match that budget and needs a knowledgeable person, such as your friendly production manager, line producer, or unit production manager (UPM), to create its budget. Make sure you are right before going to investors. At the end of the day, you have to work within this budget. DocuMentarieS In the last edition, documentaries were included in Chapter 6 with the "nontraditional" films. There are two types of documentaries: theatrical feature films and televison/cable movies. Theatricals belong in this chapter on markets along with the other feature films as they have proven to be a lasting niche in the independent film market. Documentary films have entered the mainstream. The Hollywood Reporter recently commented that audiences are cur- rently obsessed with documentaries. Throughout the 1990s and into the 21st century, documentary films grew in prominence and popularity on the theatrical screen. At the same time, films centered on political and social activism topics have grown in popularity with audiences. Part of the reason is the quality and diversity of the films. Documentaries ranging from the highly political Fahrenheit 9/11 to the "artistic crime" (as www.imdb.com has characterized it) Man on Wire and the musical Shine a Light are among nonfiction films that have earned substantial sums at the box office. Audiences eager to see intellectually stimulating, well-crafted fare are being drawn to theaters showing documentaries, resulting in attendance