Mipdoc 2014 preview magazine

MARCH 2014

mipdoc

www.mipdoc.com The official MIPDoc magazine

®

PREVIEW MIPDOC KEYNOTE

MIPDOC KEYNOTE

A+E Networks’ Dean Possenniskie

Discovery’s Paul Welling

SEE PAGE 6

SEE PAGE 6

MIPDOC WORLD PREMIERE TV SCREENING

A Tale Of Two Thieves SEE PAGE 8

Also inside:

• Digital Sunday • New-look screenings • Co-Production Marketplace • Product on sale in Cannes • What’s new in factual?

• MIPDoc events and conferences • And more...

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CONTENTS iNEWS

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A+E’s Dean Possenniskie; Discovery Networks’ Paul Welling; A Tale Of Two Thieves: the MIPDoc World Premiere TV Screening

i PRODUCT NEWS

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For sale in Cannes: multiplatform factual content from around the world

i FEATURES

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New ways to watch factual What impact are DTT, VOD and OTT services having on the supply and demand for factual programming?

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Bright future for factual Factual programming is establishing itself in primetime

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Unusual partnerships 31 New types of factual deals with a diverse range of partners are emerging, bringing with them evermore ambitious projects

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SERIES THE WORLD AS YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE !

World Medicine (20x26’) – 2014 – Bonne Pioche A world tour of ancestral medicinal practices, among majestic landscapes.

Evolution on the move (3x52’) – 2014 – Les Films en vrac Three astonishing, newly observed animal behaviours

In search of secret splendours (20x26’) – 2013 – Scientifilms Discover the great myths of mankind via magical rituals and vibrant places.

WWW.ARTEPRO.COM/SALES C-HAZARD@ARTEFRANCE.FR MEET US AT MIPTV – ARTE BOOTH P1.B3

NEWS

NEWS IN BRIEF

CO-PRODUCTION MARKETPLACE THE MIPDOC Commissioners’ Meet-Up, part of the MIPDoc Co-production Marketplace, is a four-part event held from 09.00 on Sunday, April 6 in the MIPDoc Conference Room at the Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez. During the sessions commissioners from around the world will meet the producers of what they believe to be the most promising projects in development, selected from around 150 entries.

Also under the Co-production Marketplace banner during MIPDoc: The Commissioning Editors’ Conversation at 10.45; the MIPDoc International Pitch at 14.45; and Success Stories From Israel at 17.10, all in the MIPDoc Conference Room on Saturday, April 5.

NETWORKING AT MIPDOC AMONG the weekend’s many networking opportunities, the MIPDoc Networking Lunch at the Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez Beach, on Saturday, April 5, is the official opening lunch for all MIPDoc delegates. The lunch is sponsored by China’s CCTV Documentary Channel.

On the same day, and at the same venue, MIPDoc delegates meet MIPFormats delegates at the MIPDoc & MIPFormats Opening Cocktail, the beachside Cantina Party, an opportunity to network to the sounds and flavours of Mexico, MIPCOM 2014’s Country Of Honour. The party is sponsored by ProMexico.

NEW-LOOK SCREENINGS SERVICE THE MIPDOC screenings service has new features for 2014. Companies can now upload online — no more DVDs. Plus, buyers can log on with their badges and can message sellers in real time. All delegates now receive a daily email summary of the day’s screenings. With over 400 buyers from 60 countries attending to screen over 1,400 titles, MIPDoc is the biggest international digital screenings venue for documentary and factual programmes.

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Viewers in suspense as Discovery announces new channel rollout

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the dramas of everyday people ISCOVERY Networks’ behaving badly,” Welling said.

Paul Welling gives a “With drama this real ID Xtra MIPDoc keynote on keeps you on the edge of your Sunday, April 6 at 11.30 in the seat, making you look closer as MIPDoc Conference Room in the mystery unravels.” the Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Welling said the channel already Martinez. has a track record. “In the US T he head of channels for ID is the fastest growing pay-TV CEEMEA will talk about the network, and since its launch in launch of ID Xtra, a brand new Poland in September 2012 it has channel rolling out across the rebecome the Nº1 mystery and gion. He will also examine the suspense channel, the fastest increased popularity in the mysgrowing channel in Discovery’s tery and suspense genres which feature strongly in the ID Xtra Paul Welling: immersive real-life mysteries portfolio and it has an average viewing time of 51 minutes — schedules.

ID Xtra is available across Central and Eastern one of the longest among cable and satellite Europe, Middle East and Africa from April channels.”

1, 2014. “Through our unrivaled storytelling Recent new channel launches by Discovery inand presented in a unique contemporary and clude women-skewed TLC. “Following its instylish format, our immersive real-life myster- ternational debut in 2011, TLC has become ies and gripping suspense programming de- the fastest and most distributed entertainment livers everything from salacious scandals to channel for women in the world,” he said.

Factual no longer ‘worthy but dull’ We have great momentum in DEAN Possenniskie, managing diEurope and introduced three rector, Europe for A+E Networks of our brands, Lifetime, H2 gives a MIPDoc keynote speech at and A&E, into the region for 15.10 on MIPDOc’s Digital Sunday, the first time in 2013. Watch focusing on how to achieve growth this space as we continue to through original content, and disgrow our local channel portcussing his view that factual profolios in Europe and expand gramming has finally shrugged off our audiences.” its ‘worthy but dull’ image with some Docudramas have revolugenuine blockbusters. The speech is tionised people’s perceptions in the MIPDoc Conference Room in of factual TV over the last the Martinez. five years, with the History “A+E Networks is a global leader in the creation and ownership of Dean Possenniskie, managing director, Channel at the forefront of this trend. “We have worked original, innovative, unscripted pro- Europe for A+E Networks closely with our production gramming and formats, and currently we’re seeing viewers across Europe tun- partners to push the boundary of traditional factual programmes into the realm of ‘muscular’ ing in to franchises such as Pawn Stars, Storage Wars, Crime 360, and Duck Dynasty,” he said. documentaries that successfully employ cutting“We are moving to expand our formats with lo- edge graphics and effects, and feature film qualcal productions of shows such as Pawn Stars, ity scripting, casting and camerawork on proAmerican Pickers, Dance Moms and Shipping grammes such as The Men Who Built America; Wars, and A+E Networks now has six unique Mankind: The Story Of All of Us; and our upchannel brands in Europe fuelled by this excep- coming special, World Wars. And, viewers have tional content, along with an increasing slate responded to these new techniques driving up of original commissions from our local teams. ratings for our channels worldwide,” he said.

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i NEWS WORLD PREMIERE TV SCREENING

A Tale Of Two Thieves

Gordon Goody: “84 and still sharp” Detectives examine the train after the robbery

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The 90-minute documentary A Tale Of Two Thieves, about Britain’s Great Train Robbery of 1963, is the inaugural MIPDoc World Premiere TV Screening. It’s directed by Chris Long, co-produced by Kowalski Media of the UK and Scalie Filmworks of the US, and distributed by Balanga. Producer Simon Howley spoke to the MIPDoc Preview Simon Howley: “Getting Gordon and his story was a tricky one”

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IPDOC Preview: Chris Long has a strong reputation in drama, particularly crime drama — with series including The Mentalist and Without A Trace to his name. Was this a contributing factor to the choice of Chris as director?

Simon Howley: We have been trying to work with Chris for a long time — we’ve been developing a drama about a rock and roll bodyguard called The Fixer with him for a while. During the process we found out we both had this fascination for the Sixties era and the Great Train Robbery.

When this film came up Chris was our first and only call. He’s one of the most renowned drama directors in US television and a great showrunner — we were delighted when he said yes. He’s brought his experience and visual flair to the project as well as strong editorial judgment.

The doc centres around one of the robbers Gordon Goody. He’s never spoken about it before. How did you achieve this?

Getting Gordon and his story was a tricky one, but it was all about trust and ironically, honesty.

We were honest with each other from day one.

He’s never gone on record fully about the Train Robbery — he refuses to call it the Great Train Robbery — and when we were developing The Fixer one of the guys we met through that process called up and asked if we’d be interested on doing a film about Gordon Goody. My first reaction was ‘Who?’ I’d never heard of him and a cursory glance at Google didn’t really satisfy my curiosity — it said he ‘was a hairdresser who was involved in the Great Train Robbery’ and that was it! I knew about the robbery — Biggs, Reynolds, Buster Edwards et al and thought it was well trodden ground and that I knew all there was to know about it from watching the countless TV specials and bad dramas. I was very wrong. What I did know was that we had to get something new.

My number was passed on to Gordon and I heard nothing for several weeks until I was on holiday and I took a call from an unknown Spanish number. The story of this film really

began in a rundown hotel in Almeria when I met Gordon for the first time and he started telling me about his life and his part in the Train Robbery — I was fascinated from the first sentence. From our first meeting we took things very slowly as Gordon got to know me and I got to him — he’s now 84 and still sharp.

Before we put Gordon on film I pre-interviewed him three times to help jog his memory — we were after all talking about things that had happened over 50 years ago.

What is the enduring appeal of this story?

It’s a caper, a classic British crime yarn as popularised by films such as Get Carter, The Italian Job and Two Way Stretch. The Robbery at the time had international headlines, it even made The New York Times — ‘Undoubtedly Goldfinger or Dr. No is behind this incredibly efficient bit of larceny!’ said the Times!

What networks and schedules are you targeting with this 90-minute special?

We know there is worldwide recognition of the story and we see it as being a cracking crime caper that could fit in to schedules around the world. We have been inundated with interest from buyers in Europe, the US and Asia.

What will the viewer see? Interviews?

Archive? Reconstruction?

The film is a combination of strong first-person testimony, real-time investigation, archive and our own unique take on reconstruction all combined to be a Hollywood blockbuster for the small screen.

What other interesting facts should we know about this film?

The film’s greatest achievement is that we manage to solve a fifty-year-old crime mystery. We have succeeded where the police, the post office investigators and even other production companies have failed — we have found the insider behind the train robbery, the man only refereed to previously as The Ulsterman or The Irishman who walked away with over £2m and who’s family never even knew of his involvement and still don’t at this present time.

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PRODUCTNEWS The MIPDoc Preview highlights some of the content on sale from around the world at Mipdoc and onwards at MIPTV DW TRANSTEL

LOOKING GLASS INTERNATIONAL

ANIMAL Encounters (7 x 30 mins) is a new series from Bonn, Germany-based DW Transtel, which is available in Arabic, English and Spanish. The series looks at how humans become close to animals, including: ‘Wolfman’ Andre Soma from Norway, who fights for the rights of wolves throughout Europe; Aralbay in Mongolia, who is accompanied by an eagle as he hunts; and a Kenyan orphanage for elephants where work is much more than just a job.

BOUTIQUE Australian distributor Looking Glass International brings new series The Other Side (13 x 30 mins) to the international market. Created by Angel Entertainment for APTN Network Canada, the documentary series follows a team of paranormal investigators which, with the guidance of an Aboriginal Elder, examines the truth behind stories of real-life hauntings.

Animal Encounters (DW Transtel)

The Other Side (Looking Glass International)

Blue Whisper (Albatross World Sales)

ALBATROSS WORLD SALES THE LATEST titles from German distributor Albatross include: Blue Whisper (1 x 52 mins/HD/3D), an exploration of the deep ocean; Hoanib — The Secrets Of The Desert Elephants (1 x 52 mins), looking at survival strategies in the Namib desert; The Beethoven Files (1 x 52 mins), a docudrama that sheds light on Beethoven’s experience of deafness; Secrets Of The North Sea (1 x 90 mins), looking at life above and below the water; The Wagner Files, a docudrama mixing re-enactments and animation; and Polar Bear Summer (1 x 52 mins), which is scheduled for delivery in 2015.

NPO SALES NETHERLAND Public Broadcasting’s distribution arm NPO Sales highlights a range of documentaries at Cannes, including: Land Of Promise (1 x 102 mins/3 x 48 mins), which, using archive material, looks at how immigration has changed Europe and examines how can we live together in spite of differences; Awake In A Bad Dream (1 x 110 mins/2 x 50 mins), following three women after their diagnosis of breast cancer; Ana Ana 1 x 52/75 mins), following four Egyptian women in the aftermath of the Arab Spring; Days At The Lennon Park (1 x 48 mins), about the custodian of a park in Havana; FC Rwanda (1 x 57 mins); Killing Time (1 x 55 mins); 69: Love Sex Senior (1 x 90 mins); and Putin’s Olympic Dream (1 x 55 mins).

Land Of Promise (NPO Sales)

EARTH TOUCH SOUTH Africa-based wildlife and factual producer Earth Touch is launching a series featuring some of the most spectacular locations on the planet. Inside Nature’s Marvels (5 x 50 mins) begins in Asia and the extraordinary floating villages of Halong Bay in North Vietnam, and then on the Puerto Princesa underground river in the Philippines. In Indonesia the series examines the conflict between villagers and huge lizards on the island of Komodo, and in South America at life along the Amazon river and the environment around the Iguacu falls on the Argentinean/Brazilian border. The series is produced by Leonardo Films and Earth Touch holds worldwide distribution rights, excluding German-speaking Europe and France.

ZDF ENTERPRISES

Nature’s Greatest Secret - The Coral Triangle (ZDF Enterprises)

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IN NATURE’s Greatest Secret - The Coral Triangle (3 x 50 mins/HD) a traditional Indonesian schooner is equipped with the latest diving equipment and stateof-the-art camera technology and explores hidden worlds, above and below the waves, to examine the greatest concentration of marine life found anywhere in the world.

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Inside Nature’s Marvels (Earth Touch)

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DOCU DRAMA / 52’

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iPRODUCTNEWS PICTURE BOX DISTRIBUTION

CCTV9 CHINESE documentary channel CCTV9 brings a vast catalogue of documentaries to MIPTV. Highlights include: A Bite Of China II (7 x 50 mins), looking at the relationship between the lives of people and the fish they eat; Doing Business With The World (7 x 50 mins), about the world’s largest factory for women’s shoes in Dongguan, China, and their expansion into Ethiopia; Gardens (8 x 50 mins), which looks at the history and harmony of Chinese gardens; Han (6 x 50 mins) looks at the legacy of this important dynasty in Chinese history; and Mt. Huangshan (6 x 50 mins), about this region which holds the titles World Cultural Heritage Site, World Natural Heritage Site and World Geopark. This series reveals the scenery, social life, natural history and culture of Mt Huangshan; Porcelain Story (6 x 50 mins) looks at the trade routes developed for Chinese porcelain, filled with stories of adventure, turbulence and sunken ships; and The Peony (4 x 50 mins/HD) is about how this native plant has enriched the world.

SELLING Big (13 x 30 mins) is an HD series brought to Cannes by Toronto-based Picture Box. Produced by Mountain Road Productions, the show profiles the characters who work for Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers as they source huge industrial equipment from sites across the globe. With no reserve bid the pressure to sell is high — the machinery, the money and the stakes are on a grand scale.

Selling Big (Picture Box Distribution)

TRICON FILMS & TELEVISION

A Bite Of China II (CCTV9)

A+E NETWORKS BIG HISTORY (16 x 30 mins + 1 x 120 mins), marks the first project that A+E Network’s History channel has completed in association with Bill Gates, and looks at how examining science and history can reveal unexpected twists on historical events. The series is produced by Flight 33 Productions in association with Bill Gates’ Big History Project for History and H2.

BEACTIVE

ITV STUDIOS GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT

TRANSMEDIA documentary Road To Revolution focuses on the emotional stories of people caught up in the Arab Spring. The Portuguese company’s project includes a theatrical feature film, two TV documentaries, 40 webisodes and one app for tablets and connected TV. The interactive application provides additional content giving an overview of the socioeconomic, geographical and political development of each country and ethnicity.

PRODUCED by ITV Studios, and aired on Animal Planet, America Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters (6 x 60 mins), follows two teams of bounty hunters as they battle the elements of the Rocky Mountains to bring outlaws to justice. Set in Southern Colorado and Northern Montana, the series covers the area from Glacier National Park near the Canadian border to the Delores River Canyon near Mesa Verde National Park.

Road To Revolution (BeActive)

Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters (ITV Studios Global Entertainment)

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NEW FROM Tricon’s reality slate is To Catch A Killer (8 x 60 mins), an HD true crime series from Ocean Entertainment, in which Mike Arntfield guides a team of civilians to investigate unsolved murders. Extreme Collectors (14 x 30 mins/HD) sees professional appraiser Andrew Zegers value curated memorabilia and collectibles for extreme collectors. Tricon also brings new reality HD variety show Hit Record On TV! (8 x 30 mins) from director and creator Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who puts the spotlight on unknown artists who create short films, live performances, music, animation and engage in conversation via a global open-source online community. Each episode focuses on a different theme as Joe encourages anybody with an internet connection to join him and contribute.

Hit Record On TV! (Tricon Films & Television)

MIPDOC 2014 Conferences & Events Programme 5-6 April 2014 – Grand Hyatt Cannes Hôtel Martinez

The leading factual programming screening & conference

2014 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Dean Possenniskie Managing Director Europe, Middle East & Africa A&E Networks Responsible for overseeing and growing A+E Networks’ channel, content distribution and digital media businesses across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Dean Possenniskie will share insights on A+E Networks flourishing content development activities.

MIPDOC WORLD PREMIERE SCREENING:

Paul Welling SVP, Head of Channels, Discovery Networks in Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA)

“A Tale of Two Thieves”

Discovery Networks’ Paul Welling takes center stage to talk about the launch of ID Xtra, a brand new channel rolling out across the region and the increased popularity in the mystery and suspense genre.

SATURDAY 5 APRIL 8.30-9.15

COMMISSIONERS CLUB

9.50-10.30

Worldwide Distribution: BALANGA

8.30-9.15

CONFERENCE ROOM

BREAKFAST SCREENING Sponsored by Canada Media Fund and Telefilm Canada

COMMISSIONERS CLUB

MONEY MATTERS & FINDING FINANCE WORKSHOP 10.45-11.30

CONFERENCE ROOM

CO-PRODUCTION MARKETPLACE: THE COMMISSIONING EDITORS CONVERSATION 11.45-12.45

CONFERENCE ROOM

VIEW FROM THE TOP: WHAT DO BUYERS WANT?

A standing-room only session featuring leading international buyers who reveal their acquisition trends for 2014 & beyond.

GRAND HYATT CANNES HÔTEL MARTINEZ BEACH

THE MIPDOC NETWORKING LUNCH In partnership with CCTV Documentary

14.45-16.15

CONFERENCE ROOM

THE MIPDOC INTERNATIONAL PITCH Open to all creators and producers looking for co-production partners to develop their documentary and factual projects.

16.30-17.00

CONFERENCE ROOM

FRESH FACTUAL TV An exclusive glimpse on the newest factual an documentary programming tracked around the world.

17.10-17.40

Produced by Kowalski TV and Scalie Filmworks.

SUNDAY 6 APRIL

NEW VISITORS TOUR & WORKSHOP

13.00-14.30

“Tale of Two Thieves” was directed by The Mentalist Executive Producer Chris Long (photo).

CONFERENCE ROOM

FOCUS ON ISRAEL

NEW: Digital Sunday CONFERENCE ROOM 9.30-10.00 CROWDFUNDING MEETS DISTRIBUTION CONFERENCE ROOM 10.10-10.40 TRANSMEDIA & STORYTELLING IN DOCUMENTARY: “FORT MCMONEY”

Co-Production Marketplace 9.00-10.00

MEET UP SESSION WITH COMMISSIONING EDITORS: THE NETHERLANDS, DENMARK, FINLAND, SWEDEN

CONFERENCE ROOM 10.50-11.20 VOD FOR SUCCESS: HOW TO MAKE THE RIGHT DEALS? CONFERENCE ROOM 11.30-12.15 MIPDOC KEYNOTE: Paul Welling, SVP, Head of Channels

10.30-11.30

12.00-13.00

17.50-18.20

CONFERENCE ROOM

CO-PRODUCTION CASE STUDY: ‘APOCALYPSE, WORLD WAR ONE’

COMMISSIONERS CLUB

Sponsored by ProMéxico

MEET UP SESSION WITH COMMISSIONING EDITORS: NORTH AMERICA

CONFERENCE ROOM 14.30-15.00 VOD FOR SUCCESS CASE STUDIES CONFERENCE ROOM 15.10-15.50 MIPDOC KEYNOTE: Dean Possenniskie, Managing

14.15-15.15

Director, Europe, Middle East & Africa,

COMMISSIONERS CLUB

MEET UP SESSION WITH COMMISSIONING EDITORS: ITALY, GERMANY

A&E Networks

CO PRODUCTION MARKETPLACE: SUCCESS STORIES FROM ISRAEL

COMMISSIONERS CLUB

MEET UP SESSION WITH COMMISSIONING EDITORS: FRANCE

in Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Discovery Networks CONFERENCE ROOM 12.30-14.00 SNACK & SCREEN

COMMISSIONERS CLUB

CONFERENCE ROOM 16.00-16.30 FACTUAL MEETS THE BRANDS

CONFERENCE ROOM 16.45-18.15 MIPDOC WORLD PREMIERE SCREENING: “A TALE OF TWO THIEVES”

By Balanga

FROM 19.00

GRAND HYATT CANNES HÔTEL MARTINEZ BEACH

MIPDOC & MIPFORMATS OPENING PARTY

18.30-20.00

Sponsored by ProMéxico

GRAND HYATT CANNES HÔTEL MARTINEZ BEACH

MIPDOC CLOSING COCKTAIL In partnership with NHK

MIPDoc thanks its Sponsors & Partners Sponsors

As of 20th February 2014, subject to change.

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Partners

Visit mipdoc.com for detailed programme.

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iPRODUCTNEWS ZED

CONTENT TELEVISION

FRENCH producer and distributor ZED has boosted its current affairs offer with Commodity Traders (1 x 52 mins/HD), about the unknown world of the leading raw materials speculators. This investigation uncovers the intricacies of commodity trading and the faces behind the high-stakes business. ZED also brings The End Of Bank Secrecy (1 x 52 mins/HD), which looks at how US authorities brought an end to Switzerland’s century-old principle of confidentiality in its banking system.

LONDON-based Content launches feature-length documentary Aluna (1 x 60/90mins) in Cannes. More than 20 years ago Alan Ereira’s television film From The Heart Of The World: The Elder Brothers’ Warning brought global attention to the Kogi people of Colombia, an ancient civilisation who regard themselves as the guardians of the earth. Having remained hidden for centuries, the Kogi emerged in 1990 to caution us, their ‘younger brother’ about environmental damage to the earth.

Two decades later the Kogi are convinced that their message has gone unheeded, and in Aluna give a more specific warning about the future of the planet. Filmed over three years, this documentary contains footage filmed by the Kogi.

PBS INTERNATIONAL US DISTRIBUTOR PBS International headlines its factual slate with three HD productions. Secrets Of The Vatican (1 x 60/120 mins) goes behind-the-scenes to unravel the series of events that led to the resignation of the last Pope, with comment from cardinals, priests, convicted criminals, police, prosecutors and whistleblowers. Generation Like (1 x 60 mins) looks at how the perennial teen quest for identity and connection has migrated to social media, and exposes the game of catand-mouse that corporations are playing with these young consumers. The Unshakeable Hagia Sophia (1 x 60 mins) explores the architecture and history of this structural wonder, and how it has been significant in both the Muslim and Christian religions, using new technology to unearth Christian mosaics hidden behind Muslim paintings.

Aluna (Content Television)

DISCOVER CHINA PRODUCTION FOR GENERATIONS Tibetans have struggled to cultivate their inhospitable land. In doing so they have developed some of the most extraordinary dishes on the planet. The documentary A Taste Of Tibet goes in search of this authentic cooking. Hong Kong-based Discover China also brings One Day In Tibet, which looks at why and how Tibetans pray and kowtow daily as an expression of their faith.

100% DISTRIBUTION SHARING The Earth (10 x 52 mins) is a travel documentary series that raises environmental questions while exploring different cultures, animals and habitats.

Paris-based 100% Distribution is also prioritising: Investigation Dog (1 x 52 mins), a series that reveals the skills of rescue dogs, with re-enactments and 3D graphics; Louis De Funes (1 x 52 mins), a portrait of one of France’s most famous comedians whose centenary is celebrated in 2014; and Kanak (1 x 52 mins), which explores an ancestral culture in New Caledonia through the eyes of Edou, a local singer.

One Day In Tibet (Discover China Production)

PIMIENTO MONTREAL-based Pimiento presents three documentaries in development at MIPTV. Havana Sexy follows four Cubans who live in a society where opinions about sexuality are evolving. Le Gout Du Risque — co-produced with Seppia, France — explores extreme sports. The third project, coproduced with Lente Viva Film, Brazil, profiles Benjamin Treuhaft, who founded an organisation called Send a Piana to Havana, which encourages the development of musicians in Cuba.

Secrets Of The Vatican (PBS International) 14 I

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Sharing The Earth (100% Distribution)

FRANCETV DISTRIBUTION TELEWIZJA POLSKA (TVP)

THE FACTUAL line-up from FranceTV includes: The People Of The River (12 x 52 mins), a series that looks at life on the banks of the world’s most famous rivers — the Mekong, the Zambezi, the Ganges, the Colorado, the Amazon and the Blue Nile; Way(s) To School (26 x 26 mins), which follows four pupils from different countries and their daily precarious journey to school; and Night On Earth (2 x 50/90 mins), which uncovers wildlife during the dark hours around the world, using state-of-the-art technology.

TVP BRINGS a three-part documentary series to the international market in Cannes that provides an exhaustive exploration of a long period of European history. Titles in the History Of The Early Slavs series are Trzcinica — Carpathian Troy, The Royal Island and the newly completed The City Of Sunken Gods.

The City Of Sunken Gods (TVP) The People Of The River (FranceTV Distribution)

ELECTUS INTERNATIONAL AMONG the documentary titles brought to MIPTV by Electus are: National Park Secrets And Legends, in which four ‘campfire stories’ are explored in each episode, revealing mysteries including occult murders, lost planes, alien portals and secret military ops; Francesco De Buenos Aires, a biography of Pope Francesco using his words and the testimonies of those that know him best; and the second season of America Unearthed (Season one, 13 x 60 mins; Season two, 13 x 60 mins), in which forensic geologist Scott Wolter uncovers compelling evidence that pre-dates the official discovery of the New World.

EXPLORA FILMS

RED ARROW INTERNATIONAL

AUSTRALIA, A Journey Through The Evolution (1 x 52 mins), brought to MIPTV by Spain’s Explora Films, begins 35 million years ago when the biggest island in the world split away from the vast continent. The creatures were isolated and along with the landscape have evolved through millions of years, creating one of the most beautiful, unique and diverse ecosystems in the world.

IN A small town in the US in 2010, a 12-year-old helped his 15-year-old friend to shoot and kill his stepfather.

The shocking murder was carried out by two middleclass boys without prior criminal records. Both boys were tried and sentenced as adults and are each serving 30 years. Playground Murder Plot (1 x 45 mins) gained unprecedented access to both boys, their families, and the on-going court case. Red Arrow is also highlighting Mata Mata (1 x 90 mins) which follows the best Brazilian football talents, their families and agents in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup.

Australia, A Journey Through The Evolution (Explora Films)

Playground Murder Plot (Red Arrow International)

FIRST HAND FILMS DEATH — A Feelgood Series About Life (5 x 52 mins) is a series looking at the different ways we relate to death, whether avoiding or dealing with it in individual and engaging ways. Also on the Swiss distributor’s roster are: Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley (1 x 54/72 mins), in which actress Whoopi Goldberg examines recently discovered photography and performance materials, and talks to some of today’s top comedians about comedy pioneer Moms Mabley; Contact (10 x 26 mins), looking at the contact sheets of photographers from the legendary agency Magnum; and Sound Of Torture (1 x 58/75 mins), looking at the plight of Eritrean refugees who flee to Europe. The film follows an Eritrean journalist-activist living in Sweden who has an online radio programme telling the stories of refugee camps while recording inmates’ pleas for help.

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iPRODUCTNEWS LAGARDERE ENTERTAINMENT RIGHTS (LE RIGHTS) MORNING Glory (5 x 52/90 mins) is a series about daybreak in different global environments, including tropical and temperate rainforest, savanna, tundra, river delta and desert. The show is launched in Cannes

by France-based distributor LE Rights. The company also brings: Berlusconi: Political Showman (1 x 52 mins); Arctic: The White Gold Rush (1 x 52/90 mins), examining the intense negotiations taking place about plans for untapped hydrocarbon reserves; World War 1 documentary Women At War (1 x 52/90 mins); and Running Wild (2 x 52 mins), about photographer Vincent Munier’s work in the national parks of Norway.

ZODIAK RIGHTS PLANET ICE (4 x 60 mins), a co-production between Mona Lisa, Arte France, Nova Media, TV5 Canada, CNRS Images and IRD Audiovisuel, explores the contentious debate surrounding the evolution of the glaciers which act as a barometer of global climactic changes. Following several teams of glaciologists across four continents to the world’s highest and most outstanding glaciers, Planet Ice examines the possibility of their gradual disappearance.

Morning Glory (LE Rights)

ABC COMMERCIAL

THE UK’s Passion Distribution brings a white-knuckle documentary to Cannes. Don’t Look Down (1 x 60 mins) explores the terrifying new craze of urban free climbing, where illegal climbers put their lives at risk hanging by a thread from high structures in an attempt to seek the ultimate thrill. The company is also highlighting two shows from its exclusive relationship with The Weather Channel, new series Tornado Alley (8 x 60 mins) and Building Invincible (3 x 60 mins).

THE JOURNEY To North Korea (1 x 60 mins), available in Chinese and English, profiles the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, whose leadership style seems to differ from previous leaders. Foreign guests and media were invited to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Korean War Armistice Agreement in Pyongyang, as Kim attempts to open up his country and win the hearts and minds of his people. However commentators still wonder what the future holds for North Korea. The programme is brought to Cannes by Hong Kong-based Phoenix Satellite.

AUSTRALIA’s ABC Commercial brings a large catalogue of HD factual programming to Cannes, including: Fashion Asia (13 x 30 mins), exploring fashion, design, art and youth culture, with fashion blogger Margaret Zhang and TV presenter Courtney Dober who immerse themselves in the culture of 13 cities across Asia and Australia; Enigma Man: Stone Age Mystery (1 x 57 mins), follows the discovery of ancient remains that scientists believe to be a new human species; Kids On Speed? (3 x 55 mins) explores Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, better known as ADHD, a condition that is rapidly on the rise in children; and Bodyline: The Ultimate Test (1 x 57 mins) is the story of the infamous Bodyline test cricket series, profiling a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia.

Don’t Look Down (Passion Distribution)

The Journey To North Korea (Phoenix Satellite Television)

Fashion Asia (ABC Commercial)

Planet Ice (Zodiak Rights)

PASSION DISTRIBUTION

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ALL3MEDIA INTERNATIONAL

ARTE SALES

INSIDE British Airways (3 x 60 mins) profiles the multibillion pound international airline, looking at the challenge of keeping 270 planes in the air every day and carrying over three million passengers every month. The UK’s all3media also brings Chrisley Knows Best (10 x 30 mins), which follows the luxurious life of multi-millionaire real estate developer and entrepreneur Todd Chrisley, his wife Julie, and their children. Chrisley is investing tens of millions to build Nashville’s first ever high-end department store and wants the whole family on board to help him run it.

ARTE Sales heads to Cannes with a broad catalogue, including new programmes: Looking For Kate (1 x 52 mins), a documentary marking the 40th birthday of Kate Moss; A Season At The Julliard School (6 x 26 mins), which follows the daily lives of the artists of tomorrow; On The Yeti Trail (1 x 52 mins); backpacking show to explore different world winds, Wind Quest (12 x 52 mins); World Medicine (20 x 26 mins); and Sex In The World Cities (14 x 52 mins).

Looking For Kate (ARTE Sales)

ENGINE 15 MEDIA GROUP IN BATTLE Castle (6 x 44 mins) host Dan Snow explores the military engineering behind these strongholds built to resist sieges and the legendary battles that became testaments to their might.

Brought to MIPTV by Engine 15 Media, the California-based company also brings Let’s Roll (1 x 82 mins), a documentary that follows six Los Angeles firefighters who cycle 3,300 miles in 45 days across America in tribute to colleagues lost 10 years earlier in the 9/11 tragedy. They battle severe weather, physical injuries and personal conflicts that cause them to question whether they can actually make it to New York City.

Chrisley Knows Best (all3media International)

ELECTRIC SKY UK- AND Hong Kong-based distributor, Electric Sky comes to Cannes with international rights to Fulwell 73’s new documentary, The Life Of Ryan (1 x 60 mins). The programme looks back at the career of Manchester United footballer Ryan Giggs, who celebrates 24 record-breaking years at the club, with video diary, archival footage, exclusive access and interviews. Interviewees includes Alessandro Del Piero, Marcel Desailly, David Beckham, Damian Lewis and Martin Amis.

HG DISTRIBUTION MONTREAL-based HG Distributions brings a new documentary that tells the difficult stories of parents who learn to cope with their child’s serious illness. Draw Me A Child (1 x 54 mins/HD) follows four parents who have to adapt to a new life between home and hospital. Also on the factual slate from HG Distribution is Schools Like No Others (13 x 50 mins/HD) which looks into the lives of young people around the world who work hard to make their dreams come true, including joining the Beijing Opera, the Royal Military Academy of Belgium and the University of Gastronomic Sciences.

CINEFLIX RIGHTS LAST Seen Alive (6 x 60 mins) is an HD documentary from Cineflix Productions that tells the stories of two missing young people and their families’ desperate search for them.

One is a 16-year-old from Arizona and the other a 26-year-old from New York. With no word from their loved ones and little help from authorities, the families each join forces with private investigators. The programme is brought to Cannes by the UK distributor Cineflix Rights.

Last Seen Alive (Cineflix Rights)

Draw Me A Child (HG Distribution)

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MIPTV速 is a registered trademark of Reed Midem - All rights reserved.

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FEATURE THE DIGITAL CHALLENGE The World In 50 Years (ZDFE)

New ways to watch factual With DTT, VOD and OTT platforms now firmly established as part of the mainstream viewing experience, Andy Fry asks what impact these services are having on the supply and demand for factual programming

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AVISH dramas and Saturday-night entertainment shows generally grab the headlines in the TV business. But there’s no question that factual and factual entertainment continue to play a hugely important role in schedules around the world. Titles like Pawn Stars, Cake Boss, Catfish, Come Dine With Me and Mayday are all compelling shows that can be produced at low cost and in high volume. This fact, combined with their repeatability, makes them perfect anchors for pay-TV channels and/or daytime slots on traditional terrestrial broadcasters.

Then there are the specialist factual series that provide schedules with their wow factor — the BBC Natural History Unit’s output, for example, or the epic projects that come out of National Geographic and NHK. Not be to overlooked, either, are the shows where production innovation provides new insights, examples being Embarrassing Bodies or Educating Essex.

Given the vital role that factual plays on TV, one obvious question is how the genre is responding to changes in the digital landscape.

Chris Bonney, CEO of Cineflix Rights, oversees a huge

catalogue of factual content ranging from hard-hitting titles like Border Security to lifestyle shows such as The Property Brothers. He says: “Currently, the kind of factual shows that are in most demand by the VOD and OTT platforms are loud, expensive one-offs that are easier for them to promote. The long-running series tend to still be the domain of the pay-TV channels, though there is a growing opportunity for companies like ours in DTT.” The fact that factual series are still mostly found in pay TV and DTT is partly down to the fact that they play such an important role for broadcasters, Bonney explains.

“The best shows become brand franchises that define a channel and allow broad“The factual shows that are casters to cross-promote new in most demand by the VOD titles,” he says. “That’s not something they necessarily and OTT platforms are loud, want to lose control of to digiexpensive one-offs that are tal platforms.” easier to promote” In fact, Bonney continues, the Chris Bonney conversation with broadcasters usually involves a related www.mipdoc.com I preview magazine I March 2014 I 19

i FEATURE

The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning (ZDFE)

discussion about whether they can also secure online and mobile rights. “It varies title by title, country by country,” he says, “but broadcasters will often look at whether they can secure all-rights exclusivity on a show. Assuming we have the rights, this raises a number of questions, such as: do they have the necessary infrastructure to use those rights? What are they willing to pay over and above their broadcast licence fee? Is there any risk that we might grant them rights now that suddenly develop additional value a little while later? And is there a way, perhaps, of giving the primary broadcaster a short exclusive window and then releasing digital rights to other platforms non-exclusively?”

For the most part, Bonney says, rights-owners recognise the importance of such shows to broadcasters and seek to accommodate them. “They’re the primary customer and digital is still a nascent market for factual. So it’s about maintaining that relationship, but not ignoring the potential to build up a business with YouTube, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and iTunes.”

One example of that potential is Cineflix’s effort to combat content piracy. According to Bonney, his company sometimes places whole episodes of shows on YouTube via a partnership it has forged with Base79: “We sometimes find that episodes of our shows are uploaded to YouTube or other digital platforms by third parties. So it makes sense for us to take control of that process and try to generate some legitimate revenues.”

Bonney’s assessment of the market is echoed by Fumio Narashima, senior corporate officer for programme sales and development at NHK Enterprises. “From a business perspective, broadcasting licenses are still dominant for us, especially in the factual genre. We have many fixed customers for factual genres, so our strategy is to first sell 20 I

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“The sooner we can legitimately offer our content on VOD after broadcast, the less susceptible we are to piracy” Fumio Narashima

our content — increasingly including on-demand licenses — to broadcasters with exclusive rights.”

At MIPTV, NHK Enterprises will headline The Origins Of Disease and Miracle Body 3, a series that analyses performances of the world’s top athletes using state-ofthe-art special-effects technologies. In cases like these, “our sales to broadcasters include online streaming, catch-up VOD for one week to one month, and long-term VOD”, Narashima says. “In the case of South Korea, some channel operators also request licenses that cover downloads.”

According to Narashima, NHK Enterprises would consider exclusively licensing online VOD rights to operators that pay the right fees. But the reality is that some broadcasters will refuse to acquire content that does not have VOD rights attached. Since the VOD rights do not fetch much in isolation, the decision to give the broadcasters what they want is generally a no-brainer.

However it works out, Narashima agrees that it is important to have a VOD strategy in order to combat the illegal use of content. “The sooner we can legitimately offer our content on VOD after broadcast, the less susceptible we are to piracy,” he says.

New ways to watch factual Sayumi Horie, senior producer of international co-productions at NHK, comes to MIPTV seeking partners for Human Life: Our Amazing Cells (2 x 60 mins). The doc, she explains, looks into the human body at the cellular level and explores the changes that occur in bodies and psyches at pivotal stages in our lives.

At this stage, Horie does not anticipate her core copro discussions will focus too much on digital. But she does see a growing role for this emerging market: “Broadcasting rights are still the majority of our negotiations. However, in genres like education, we are finding that we can get additional funding from the digital budget on top of the funding the broadcaster can offer from the production budget. Many public broadcasters include digital strategies in their mandate and, as we work a lot with public broadcasters, we can work together to create something that goes beyond TV broadcasting.

For our science entertainment series Discover Science, which shows the principles of science through ridiculously huge experiments, Germany’s SWR and South Korea’s EBS both came on board, not only asking for broadcasting rights but also wanting to use the programme for their web or mobile school offerings.”

Horie supports the view that digital can attract a different audience to broadcast: “Looking at the data from our VOD service NHK On Demand, in the top-five mostviewed programmes over the New Year were two documentaries that didn’t necessarily get top score in the conventional TV ratings. One was a doc series about The Theory Of Everything, and one was about the reconstruction of one of Japan’s most famous shrines. The fact that these programmes ranked so well on VOD tells us that there is a different demand between VOD and TV.” Horie also believes in the promotional value of YouTube: “We have a channel called NHK Online. We upload our clips and programmes in short form for promotion. We have maybe hundreds of hours of content up at the moment.”

ZDF Enterprises’ (ZDFE) vice-president of factual, Ralf Ruckauer, will be at MIPTV with titles including Women Who Made History, Holy War, Natascha Kampusch and The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning. He agrees that broadcasters are still the dominant force in

The Origins Of Disease (NHK)

First Sight: Sonia & Anita (Blue Chalk Media)

factual. Looking first at the free-to-air channels, he says: “We have got used to broadcasters asking us for catchup rights. We see it more or less as a standard that freeto-air channels want to have a seven-day catch-up period. But some are demanding eight days or even 10-plus days of catch-ups. And sometimes a broadcaster does so many re-runs it is hard to find windows in between without any catch-up.”

In addition, Ruckauer says, a lot of pay channels see VOD rights as part of their “containment” politics against platforms like Hulu and Netflix. “Not demanding VOD rights would kill their business model,” he adds.

Having said this, it should not be “Factual hasn’t quite taken inferred that there is no factual off in the on-demand content left for the stand-alone VOD/OTT players. As Cineflix’s space, but I think it will as Bonney observes, there is room more people cut the cord for the new platforms to secure from their cable contracts” marquee, promotable events.

Jon Rutherford Hulu started going this direction in 2011 when it acquired Morgan Spurlock’s six-part series Day In The Life, in which he chronicled 24 hours in the lives of people such as Richard Branson and Will.i.am.

More recently, Netflix has begun a major drive into the factual market. Titles that have been acquired under its Netflix original documentary banner include a profile of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney and The Square, an Oscar-nominated documentary that tells the story of the Egyptian revolution from the point of view of the activists in Tahrir Square. Explaining why The Square attracted Netflix, vice-president of original documentary programming, Lisa Nishimura, says it is “an amazing film that brings to life in such a deeply human way one of the most important events of our time. It is documentary filmmaking at the highest level — a beautifully constructed chronicle of brave people struggling to www.mipdoc.com I preview magazine I March 2014 I 21

i FEATURE make their country a better place.”

Also picked up recently by Netflix is a documentary about child golfers called The Short Game. Says Nishimura: “We seek to provide the very best storytelling within the documentary filmmaking category and The Short Game is a beautifully told and heart-warming tale that appeals to all generations.”

Marquee films have a key role in terms of branding the new players. But they do not fill shelf-space in the way that Cake Boss or Catfish can. To perform this role, the VOD/ OTT players have started doing what they did in drama and comedy, which is to explore what is available in rights owners’ archives. A good example of this trend saw Hulu pick up the fourth season of all3media International’s factual entertainment series The Only Way Is Essex (along with a large slate of drama and comedy titles).

This, says ZDF Enterprises’ Ruckauer, can be a very effective route. “Because VOD/OTT are not limited by volume, you can do a lot of trial and error,” he adds. “Sometimes you just upload something on to a VOD platform and get really surprised. For example, we have a 10-year-old documentary series called Ways Out Of The Darkness: Europe In The Middle Ages that is in the German VOD top 10 every year. That’s really fascinating.”

This theme is picked up by Jon Rutherford, senior vicepresident of distribution and business development at Tricon Films in Canada. “Factual hasn’t quite taken off in the on-demand space yet, but I think it will as more people cut the cord from their cable contracts. And when it does, I expect it to develop in the same way as scripted and comedy — namely that the on-demand and OTT platforms will start to acquire older seasons and archive.”

Rutherford, whose top factual titles include Restaurant Takeover, Ex-Wives Of Rock and Donut Showdown, says this is a win-win for all involved. “The broadcasters don’t want to give up their exclusive first-run shows, but there is a case for releasing earlier seasons of shows to the ondemand platforms. What we’ve seen from drama is that VOD and OTT can play a role in introducing new fans to a show. This can then have a positive effect in pushing new audiences towards the channel.”

The idea that the VOD/OTT platforms can play a promotional role is echoed by Emma Simpkins, director of sales at Passion Distribution. “In the case of YouTube, we tend not to put up whole episodes of our shows at present. But we do show three-minute segments because of the profile that creates.”

Simpkins, whose catalogue includes factual series like Worst Drivers, House Crashers, An Idiot Abroad and Divorce Hotel, takes a similar line to Rutherford when she says: “The new platforms feel like an opportunity for library content at the moment. But it’s changing so fast that you need to be watching developments all the time.

The best advice is not to give up too many rights so you safeguard against future developments.”

One area Simpkins would like to see develop is “specialist SVOD platforms that can replace the declining DVD 22 I

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New ways to watch factual market. The DVD revenue that used to be generated around areas like military history or cars and motorbikes hasn’t been replaced yet.”

“The new platforms feel like an opportunity for library content at the moment”

Of course, one interesting part of this discussion is what happens when the new platforms start to compete headon with the broadcasters in terms of content origination.

At present, they do not spend anything like the same amount on origination, but there are signs that they are moving that way.

YouTube’s Original Channel Initiative has been the big- Emma Simpkins gest attempt so far to kick-start the online origination market. But there have been other examples, such as Xbox Entertainment Studios’ decision to commission a studio called Lightbox to make a series of non-fiction shows. The first one charts an incident in 1983 when Atari, confronted by critical reviews of ET The Video Game, buried millions of unsold games underground. The series will air exclusively on Xbox One and Xbox 360.

There is also evidence that some see the development of digital as an opportunity to devise new business models.

One is Greg Moyer, a former Discovery and Scripps Networks Interactive executive who launched Blue Chalk Media, a digital production company focused on creating factual content like First Sight: Sonia & Anita for digital platforms.

“I haven’t ruled out working in TV again, but I’m really interested in the idea of digital-first video. My argument is that major publishers have an opportunity to become Netflix original documentary The Square web-content curators, helping their audiences gain access to high-quality factual storytelling.”

Moyer’s goal in the first phase of his company’s development is to create short-form factual content that online news outlets can use to supplement their editorial.

In particular, he sees mobile as an exciting new frontier: “There’s an opportunity for Blue Chalk Media to incubate a new era of rich-media storytelling as digital pushes traditional media brands to go mobile. Photojournalists, videographers, editors and writers can collaborate to tell stories in innovative, immersive ways.”

Having said this, Moyer points out that the established TV players are also exploring digital origination opportunities: “We’re just signing off some deals with major media brands. One of them is a publisher, but we’re also going to be working with some cable-channel operators.

Like me, they have seen the way that young people use Kindles, iPads and mobiles, which suggests there will be a growing demand for digital-first content.”

049_CANADA_PV_TV

Canada

Grand Hyatt Cannes Hôtel Martinez Conference Room

MIPDOC

International Transmedia Co-production Case Study © CC&C/Idéacom international/IWM

2014

April 5 – 17:50 to 18:20 Apocalypse World War I Josette D. Normandeau, producer Ideacom International A Canada/France Co-production

MIPDOC Breakfast Screening April 6 – 8:30 to 9:15

Arctic Defenders

Avatar Secrets

Burgundy Jazz

Unikkaat Studios John Walker Productions Ltd.

Ramona Pringle Productions

Catbird Productions

Inside the Mind of Leonardo

Secouristes de l’extrême

Who Killed Gandhi?

Handel Productions & IWC Media, UK A Canada/United Kingdom Co-production

Groupe PVP A Canada/France Co-production

Karma Film

Transmedia & Storytelling in Documentary: Fort McMoney April 6 – 10:10 to 10:40 Fort McMoney Canada Pavilion at MIPTV P-1.A0 and P-1.A51

canada-miptv2014.ca

Toxa Productions National Film Board of Canada In association with Arte

i FEATURE MIPDOC: FACTUAL

Bright future for factual As the genre evolves, factual programming is establishing itself in primetime. From one-off documentaries to global series formats, Max Leonard explores the broad range of factual shows on offer at Cannes

T

URN back the clock a few years and reality formats dominated many primetime schedules; a little more recently, huge entertainment and quiz shows were the real weekend fi xtures. In some markets, however, those shiny floors have lost a little of their lustre, and it seems to be factual’s turn in the spotlight.

“If you look from 2010 to 2013 you see a growth in factual programming and in factual entertainment, while commissions for things like game shows slightly go down,”

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says Henrik Pabst, co-managing director at Red Arrow International, with responsibility for global format and factual distribution. “Five years ago we had one primetime slot for factual entertainment, but that’s changed.”

Factual entertainment, the overtly ratings-chasing (if not always ratings-achieving) little brother of the serious documentary, is now omnipresent, not least because of its chameleon-like tendencies, dipping into lifestyle, docu-soap and presenter-led entertainment; and it can

Bright future for factual Monica Loughman. “It’s really warm-hearted and you can’t help but root for them to pull it off,” Elisha says.

Despite this evolution in forms, some successful subjects seem perennial. Pabst’s Red Arrow International has several romance-themed formats new to market. The One That Got Away takes that ‘what if?’ moment — when you catch a stranger’s eye on the subway, for example — and finds that person to see if the spark was real. Its Married At First Sight, a Danish format that brings total strangers together at the altar, will also be at Cannes. That has been sold to 15 countries so far, on straight-to-series deals. The company will also have another relationshipbased format, this time helping couples in crisis, available at MIPTV.

“Five years ago we had one primetime slot for factual entertainment, but that’s changed” Henrik Pabst

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (NatGeo)

be formattable and sold abroad. And this is unlikely to change soon. Emily Elisha, head of factual at Zodiak Rights, says in 2014 we will see the “continued merging of genres where factual programming takes further leaps into the realms of entertainment and drama”. Case in point: Zodiak’s Big Ballet, now being made for Channel 4 in the UK, which follows a troupe of plus-size amateur dancers as they put on Swan Lake, mentored by choreographer and dancer Wayne Sleep and ballet dancer

First Dates, which in 2013 had a successful fi rst run on the UK’s Channel 4, takes romance into a new realm: the fi xed rig. Couples are sent on a first date to a restaurant entirely fitted out with cameras, and all the awkwardness, missteps and moments of connection recorded from multiple angles.

“We’re trying to capture on camera the moment when Cupid draws back his bow and the arrow lands,” Meredith Chambers, creative director of its production company, Twenty Twenty, says. “Can you see the spark that might one day create a baby? The rig’s the perfect way to do that.”

The fi xed rig, the all-seeing matrix of cameras, first promised to update the fly-on-the-wall observational documentary for the 21st century; then, as series set in schools and hospitals progressed and were recommissioned, it delivered something increasingly docu-soap. First Dates (distributed by Warner Bros. International Television Production, also in production for Germany’s ProSieben) takes the rig into new territory — what Chambers describes as the realm of “constructed documentary”. The producers set up the blind date, and then “let life happen in front of the rig”.

All3media’s Gogglebox also constructs a situation: it, very simply, films people watching TV and commenting upon it, then cuts different people’s reactions together. A Chinese version is casting, and more sales are expected.

All3media says it is working with international buyers to version the programme, since the laws governing using clips from other shows vary by territory.

Whereas Gogglebox encourages gentle interactivity of the traditional talking-to-the-telly variety, First Dates www.mipdoc.com I preview magazine I March 2014 I 25

i FEATURE allows viewers to put themselves forward for a date with the show’s protagonists if they don’t click with their first on-screen partner. But dating, as with many other aspects of life, is going online: the construction of reality itself is changing. That led UK indie producer Raw to develop what it calls a ‘digital rig’: “It enables you, with the consent of the people taking part in the programme, to monitor securely all of their electronic communications,” Dimitri Doganis, Raw’s founder, says. “As programme makers, we are trying to respond to changes in society that we see around us. In researching the lives of teenagers, we realised that so much of their lives was being conducted digitally that we needed to develop a way to document that.” But, Doganis says, none of these things reduce the need for great narratives and intriguing characters. “That’s an absolute given. We have to think what are the new forms in which we can try and package those classic elements.”

The digital rig will be debuting on UK television in two programmes following the lives of teenagers and students respectively.

Unsurprisingly, interactivity and other questions of what might be called ‘non-broadcast elements’ — whether that is social media, interactivity, transmedia appeal or supplemental rights for SVOD or OTT services — are more prominent than ever before. Germaine Deagan Sweet, senior vice-president of global content sales, at National Geographic Channels says: “With audiences engaging across many platforms, we are responding to the complex landscape of windowing with a strategy that meets the needs of our partners, and places content across the multiple screenplays of our screen-savvy audiences.”

Saevar Lemke, EMEA regional director of programme sales at Discovery Enterprises International says factual and educational programmes are ideal short-form content. “However, the live event cross-platform experience is not so much linked to factual content,” Lemke says.

Zodiak Rights, meanwhile, highlights as one of its MIPTV offerings the new Hulu series, Elite New Face: From Sidewalk To Catwalk, which follows the world famous agency as it embarks on a global search for fresh talent. But such deals are still not a big revenue maker for documentary content. “It’s growing but there’s still no money in it,” Esther van Messel, managing director of Switzerland’s First Hand Films says. “Although we do a lot of online VOD deals the main money still comes from broadcasters. But the broadcasters are very slow at opening up their… maybe not their minds, but their funds, to fund additional material and outlets.”

At the top of First Hand Films’ slate is Radical Evil, a feature-length documentary from Oscar-winning Stefan Ruzowitzky. “Broadcasters are going back to wanting feature-length documentaries because that actually is evening-filling entertainment,” van Messel says. Another feature new to the international market is FremantleMedia International’s Class Of ’92, a documentary about the era-defining Manchester United football team, which is 26 I

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“Broadcasters are going back to wanting feature-length documentaries because that actually is evening-filling entertainment” Esther van Messel

being brought to market just as they, and their manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, have retired.

First Hand also has Contact, a 10 x 30 mins series showing how photographers chose their iconic shots — for example of Margaret Thatcher, Tiananmen Square or Miles

Big Ballet (Zodiak Rights)

Bright future for factual Davis — through examining their contact sheets. And Death: A Feelgood Series About Life is a light-hearted pre-watershed five-part series about the commercial, physical and cultural aspects of death, that was shot in 100 countries. By contrast, Red Arrow International’s Birthday series follows a photographer around the world as he documents the different attitudes and rituals around the other end of life — birth.

These are perhaps two examples of a ‘grand narrative’ approach to explaining human life, and there are plenty more. Big History from A+E Networks is one of the US media company’s sales priorities. It tells the story of human history through the seemingly humdrum commodities — like salt, copper and gold — that have made modern civilisation possible. How We Invented The World is Discovery’s action-packed mini-series that examines four inventions that have defined the modern world: mobiles, cars, planes and skyscrapers. And Manufactured (13 x 30 mins) from Beyond Distribution tells the story of great products, be that a tool or a tyre, a Stetson hat or a toilet.

First Dates (Red Arrow International)

Science series are a traditional strength of the BBC, and Mark Reynolds, director of factual, content and pro- reliable ratings hits and can take a journey into subject duction, at BBC Worldwide (BBCWW) says the corpo- matters with more serious intent. Kevin McCloud, the architecture expert from Grand Designs, for example, ration will be doing more series with popular presenter more recently fronted Kevin Brian Cox. Its How We Got McC loud’s Ma n Made To Now, co-commissioned Home, a series in which with PBS, is a six-part series he explored sustainable “With shows such as Save presented by US science and building techniques. And technology author Steven With Jamie, he is showing Jamie Oliver — also found Johnson, which explores people what they can do in on the FremantleMedia the power and the legacy of the recession, it’s not just International slate — is great ideas — for example no different, says Angela chop and chat anymore” how the search for clean waNeillis, the company’s diter had the unintended conAngela Neillis rector of non-scripted consequence of paving the way tent: “Jamie’s culinary creafor the iPhone. tivity now sees him creating Cox, Johnson and others prove the enduring appeal of presenter-led factual. factual entertainment in the sense that with shows such “These are people that really know their craft and their as Save With Jamie, he is showing people what they can subject matter. They have that integrity, natural passion and enthusiasm,” Reynolds says, including in his appraisal David Attenborough and Louis Theroux, whose authored documentaries exploring the far-flung reaches of modern life are globally appreciated. Three new Theroux shows are on the market at MIPTV. NatGeo has picked an astrophysicist, Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson, for its 13-part Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. And if you want gravitas, why not choose the honeyed god-like tones of a Hollywood legend? Discovery is presenting 10 new hours of Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman, which explores the deepest mysteries of life and science.

Bringing it back down to earth a little, NatGeo also has Vinnie Jones: Russia’s Toughest and, taking it into a domestic setting, on-screen personalities and strong characters are also important in home-based shows — for example home renovation or cookery. And, though those kinds of shows can shade into fact-light lifestyle, they’re Big History (A+E Networks) www.mipdoc.com I preview magazine I March 2014 I 27

i FEATURE

Bright future for factual

Doganis’s Raw, meanwhile, produced the acclaimed Blackout, which dramatised the effects of a devastating cyber attack on the national electricity grid as if through members of the public’s cameraphones. NatGeo commissioned a US version, American Blackout, and also has historical scripted dramas Killing Kennedy, starring Rob Lowe, and Killing Lincoln, both from Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions on sale at MIPTV. All3media’s Anzac, a scripted drama about the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and the nurses that cared for them, is described as having a gentle Call The Midwife-style feel. It is one of a number of World

“We’re moving away from this idea of a narrator telling you what is happening and why you should believe it” Christian Murphy

War One themed offerings, commemorating the centenary of the Great War. A+E Networks’ World Wars is a 6 x 60 mins “megadoc”, which marries archive with CGI. “We’re taking a very different approach — essentially that there was actually only one war,” Christian Murphy, its senior vice-president of international programming and marketing says. “We’re looking at the whole 30-year period through the eyes of the chief protagonists of the Second World War. Hitler, Churchill, MacArthur, Roosevelt, de Gaulle, Mussolini, Stalin — all their opinions and actions were formed in the First World War.” There are also significant dramatic elements; Murphy is enthusiastic about its possibilities: “It completely immerses the viewer in the moment. You feel like you’re there and you learn new things you never thought were possible,” he says. “We’re moving away from this idea of a narrator telling you what is happening and why you should believe it, to seeing it, feeling it and responding on a more emotional level.”

France-based distributor Zed is also commemorating 28 I

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© NARA

do in the recession, it’s not just chop and chat anymore.”

Such formats have traditionally been looked after by the factual department. An increasingly regular yet more unusual bedfellow there is the drama doc. No longer confined to short segments within traditional documentaries, the drama is now taking centre stage.

“Last year we had The Challenger documentary about Richard Feynman [and the space shuttle disaster],” BBCWW’s Reynolds says. “Then before Christmas we had The Whale [recreating the true events that inspired Moby Dick]. Both had fantastic writers and directors with a drama background but also strong executive producers from factual.”

Sacrifice (Zed)

some anniversaries. Sacrifice (2 x 45 mins), from Emmy award-winning director Frederic Lumiere, marks the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings and the liberation of Paris. Annihilation (8 x 52 mins) commemorates Auschwitz’s liberation, and Jackie Without Jack (1 x 52 mins) marks the 20th anniversary of Jackie Kennedy’s death.

Another big event in 2014 is the football World Cup in Brazil, and Red Arrow International’s Mata Mata has been following many of the host country’s aspiring footballers, following their successes and travails as they vie for selection. It is designed for delivery pre-World Cup, as the team is announced in June.

Elsewhere, serious documentaries are well represented.

Death: A Feelgood Series About Life (First Hand Films)

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i FEATURE

Bright future for factual

Al Jazeera has a 3 x 60 mins mini-series, Orphans Of The Sahara, about the stateless Tuareg people. “It was a story with geopolitical importance,” director May Welsh says.

“The Sahara has the biggest energy deposits in Africa, and there is a big Al Qaeda presence. The Tuareg are an isolated and misunderstood people.” The story is soundtracked with Tuareg music, the only aspect of their culture that is commonly known worldwide.

Documentary producer Brook Lapping, meanwhile, will be at MIPTV looking for further co-production partners (alongside the BBC) for its landmark series Barack Obama: Inside His Presidency. It is proposing 4 x 60 mins covering issues such as Obamacare, the rise of the Tea Party and the recent government shutdown.

ZDF Enterprises’ (ZDFE) slate for MIPTV includes a range of nature programming. The Coral Triangle follows a team of marine biologists diving into fascinating underwater worlds, while Wild Berlin takes a humorous look at the surprising animal species that call the German capital home. From Hell To Heaven — Lusatia lets the viewers discover an unknown landscape of deserted industrial sites in central Europe, which are being recolonised by elk and other animals. From the BBC, Land Of The Monsoon is a flagship series that tells the story of the monsoon habitat and the animals that live there through the narrative of the ferocious rains.

Stella Briley, head of acquisitions at UK factual distributor Electric Sky, says weather is an increasing favourite among buyers globally. “It’s likely to be of general interest but perhaps becoming more current as extreme weather conditions wreak havoc in certain areas,” she says.

Electric Sky also has Aidan: My New Face, a one-off documentary about a boy with a one-in-a-billion illness, and Sky High Scrapers, a returnable series following a crew of high-wire rope-access engineers as they work on the sides

Wild Berlin (ZDFE)

30 I

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Sky High Scrapers (Electric Sky)

of tall buildings — one of the most dangerous and challenging jobs in the US. Other shows with strong real-life characters include Appalachian Outlaws (A+E Networks), a non-scripted look at the cut-throat ginseng trade in Virginia, and Hillybilly Preppers (Beyond), featuring a backwoods cast of unorthodox DIY enthusiasts who will take on any task, including zombie-proofing your home. And all3media is hoping that its new real-life series Inside BA, looking behind the scenes at the UK’s prestigious airline, and The Embassy, peeking inside Australian diplomatic affairs in Bangkok, will resonate with international audiences.

Over such diversity, is there any trend to pull out for 2014? Perhaps that human stories are still king but that a new positivity is prevailing.

“I think there has been a change in tone in a lot of shows from the aggression of some of the big panel-based factual entertainment shows to a warmer, more accessible one,” FremantleMedia International’s Neillis says.

“We’ve been in a recession for five years and I think that a lot of people are looking for something that is comforting, entertaining, to take them on a bit of an escape when they’re watching television.”

i FEATURE ©BBC 2014 Karl Ammann and Getty Images

CO-PRODUCTION

Unusual partnerships While international co-productions are now firmly established as a way of financing factual programming, new types of deals with a diverse range of partners are emerging, bringing with them ever-more ambitious projects. Andy Fry reports

Hidden Kingdom (BBCWW)

T

— without a comparable inHESE days, the factual crease in audience to show for it.

TV market is dominat“The beauty of factual The tried and tested solution to ed by character-based co-production is that this financial conundrum is coentertainment series, lifestyle you can create production, and the good news shows and reality/observationis that there are still plenty of oral documentaries. But alongside bespoke versions for ganisations willing to hammer these schedule stalwarts, there’s the different partners” such partnerships into shape. still demand for the kind of highMark Reynolds “We’re still very committed to end specialist factual series that factual co-production because it make audiences gasp in wonder. enables you to put some amazing, The challenge, of course, is how to pay for such spectacles, which typically focus on natu- ambitious programmes on the screen,” Mark Reynolds, ral history, history, science or culture. Once you’ve fac- director of factual at BBC Worldwide (BBCWW) says. tored in the cost of location and research trips, archive, “Some of these projects have such high budgets there’s no dramatic reconstruction, CGI, expert advisors and set- way a broadcaster could afford them by itself.” piece experiments you are looking at a budget that is He cites the example of Hidden Kingdom, a natural hisat least three to five times bigger than a regular series tory series that uses state-of-the-art camera technology www.mipdoc.com I preview magazine I March 2014 I 31

i FEATURE to reveal the world from the perspective of animals such as chipmunks, shrews and dung beetles. Filmed in a wide variety of locations, the programme is a co-production between the BBC, Discovery, RTL, France Televisions and CCTV-9. It was subsequently sold by BBCWW to broadcasters including Network Ten Australia, SVT Sweden and RUV Iceland.

While co-production is fundamental to getting projects like this made, this doesn’t mean that all of the contributing financial partners have to make do with a one-sizefits-all production, Reynolds says. “The beauty of factual co-production is that you can create bespoke versions for the different partners. So the BBC’s version was a 3 x 60 minute series narrated by Stephen Fry. But in France and Germany they cut 90-minute versions because they wanted to create more of an event/movie feel.”

This flexibility is one reason why high-end factual productions continue to hold their own, Reynolds says. “A lot of channels have had success with character-based factual entertainment, but they still look for landmark event pieces that are tailored to their audience. Co-production is a way to make that possible.”

The companies credited as partners on Hidden Kingdom are broadly typical of a high-end factual co-production.

But there are a couple of names that should be viewed as encouraging signs for the future of the sector. Firstly, there is China’s CCTV-9, which has recently joined other public broadcasters such as the BBC, France TV, ZDF and NHK as an active co-production player. Aside from Hidden Kingdoms, CCTV-9 has also partnered BBCWW on series such as Africa, Wonders Of Life and Generation Earth. Outside this blossoming partnership, it has also been involved with NHK’s Life Force II and a project entitled The Story Of Australia.

The latter, developed to mark 40 years of diplomatic relations with China, was a six-part series produced by Bearcage of Australia.

Also significant is the involvement of German commercial broadcaster RTL, not a name usually associated with this kind of content. Tracing the roots of the relationship, it’s noteworthy that RTL previously teamed up with the BBC, Discovery and France TV on two docudramas, Krakatoa: The Last Days and 9/11: The Twin Towers, which achieved a market share of 33.3% among the 14 to 49 age group. That success was enough to tempt RTL into Hidden Kingdom, a decision RTL executive producer Agnes Ostrop is delighted with. “This is the first time RTL Television has been involved in the production of a wildlife film,” she says, “and we are very happy to be part of this exciting project to reveal an extraordinary world.”

Japan’s NHK is another of the key players when it comes to factual co-production. Among the current projects is Human Life: Our Amazing Cells, a two-part science series with a German partner. “It uses images of living cells and CGI to explore how 60 trillion cells govern our lives,” Sayumi Horie, senior producer international 32 I

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The Story Of Us: Europe (ZDFE)

co-production at NHK, says. There’s also Life Force II, another natural history co-production, involving NHK, NHNZ, CCTV-9 and Science Channel.

More unusual, perhaps, is a project entitled Dashi: The Essence Of Japan, a documentary that examines the history of dashi (a traditional soup stock) and how the Japanese food philosophy is rooted in nature.

“It is a co-production between NHK, Asia Documentary Productions, Point du Jour, and ARTE France, and is a great example of a Japan-oriented idea that flourished into a universal story through development with our international partners,” Horie says. “We are now trying to work out a similar co-pro with French partners for a colourised archive documentary film entitled Tokyo Phoenix: 100 Years Of Destruction And Rebirth In Colour.”

“Our focus is always on combining creative talent and expertise so that the end product becomes stronger in its universal appeal” Sayumi Horie

Echoing Reynolds, Horie says financing is only one aspect of international co-production. “Our focus is always on combining creative talent and expertise so that the end product becomes stronger in its universal appeal.

This is especially the case for NHK-initiated co-pros,” she says. “Balancing creative input from different partners is always a challenge, but if done carefully and sensibly, the partnership can achieve an amazing result for everyone, as was seen in our Giant Squid project (a coproduction with Discovery Channel in association with ZDF and ARTE).”

In Horie’s opinion, international co-productions have another benefit that is not often discussed. “They are an excellent learning ground for directors and producers who are otherwise only accustomed to working with people from the same background. For many years, NHK has

Unusual partnerships CO-PRODUCTION SPOTLIGHT Q&A with Tom Brisley, creative director at Arrow Media What co-pros have you been involved in recently?

The biggest co-pro we are working on is Live From Space, for Channel 4 in the UK and National Geographic Channel.

Although it has been an incredible challenge, with the added dimension that there are two live shows, one each for the US and UK primetime, it’s also been the most rewarding project of my career. We are collaborating with NASA, broadcasting live from the International Space Station [ISS] and witnessing first hand the most extreme location humans inhabit, as the ISS travels at 17,500 mph and makes a complete lap of the Earth during each two-hour live show.

Another recent co-pro is Terror In The Skies, for Channel 4 and Smithsonian Channel in the US.

Why did you go the co-pro route and how has it worked out?

I am a big fan of co-pros. It is one of the best ways of creating big ambitious projects. The skill is in finding the right broadcasters to co-produce. For Terror In The Skies, Channel 4 wanted a presenter and Smithsonian Channel didn’t. As we knew this from the start, we were able to plan shoots accordingly. The result was two satisfied clients with the added bonus of both versions available for international distribution.

What is the key to a successful copro? And what are the risks?

The key is bringing together the right co-producers. There’s no point bringing two or more parties together if their editorial needs are miles apart — it’s a recipe for disaster, both in the edit and for future broadcaster relationships.

Clearly there will need to be tweaks along the way, but it’s always best to drill down on these and plan for them as much as you can beforehand.

Essentially, get the front end right and the risk of problems later down the line is greatly diminished.

Are co-productions taking place between a broader pool of players?

I think co-productions have never been healthier or more diverse. Networks, cable and satellite broadcasters, international broadcasters, coproducers, pre-sales partners and countries with tax breaks, make copros a complex grid of possibilities.

There is nothing more satisfying than finding a new matrix of partners and delivering exactly what they all want.

[W 08 on

producers and directors from strategically assigned its most around the world. “For examtalented in-house producers to “We are getting ple,” Horie says, “Colours Of international co-pros with an involved in projects at Football is a project initiataim to enhance their cross-cula much earlier stage ed by TAL (Televisao America tural communication skills and then we used to” Latina) and aims to establish a hone their competitive edge in collection of football-related mithe global arena. We have been Nikolas Huelbusch ni-docs from around the world in doing so in science and natural time for the World Cup football. history, but we are now trying In general, when ideas are initito provide similar opportunities for producers and directors in arts, history, and culture.” ated by other broadcasters/producers, we contribute ediWhile NHK often takes the lead in projects, it is also torial input only when we deem it necessary and benefihappy to partner on projects initiated by independent cial to the project.” www.mipdoc.com I preview magazine I March 2014 I 33

i FEATURE Like the BBC, NHK has a series of core partners that it talks to on an ongoing basis, including the likes of France Televisions, ARTE, ZDF, WGBH NOVA, Science Channel, NFB and Discovery Canada. But it is also on the lookout for new relationships. “NHK is moving into 4K and 8K production, so we are considering new partnerships with creators and content providers in the field of giant screen,” Horie says. “Since we are a public broadcaster, we would be naturally looking for partners that have a strong sense of public values and educational purpose, e.g. museums, academic institutions, and schools.

In light of the rapid expansion of the educational content industry, we would also like to explore the possibility of working with education service providers on platforms such as online and tablet.”

Co-production also continues to play a key role in the way Germany’s ZDF Enterprises (ZDFE) finances factual content. However there are a few changes in modus operandi, according to Nikolas Huelbusch, ZDFE’s project manager of factual co-productions and development. “We are getting involved in projects at a much earlier stage then we used to,” he says. “The advantage of Tokyo Phoenix: 100 Years of Destruction And Rebirth In Colour (NHK) this is that we can have more input into the factors that make a series more appealing to the international market.

Windfall Films; Aliens: The We can advise on what verDefinitive Guide, a co-pro“Early conversations with sions might be necessary and duction with Arrow Media; broadcasters and which experts or perspective and Tutankhamun Decoded, production partners about will work best. It avoids a sita co-production with Blink uation where we are distribFilms.” expectations are key” uting a show that has limited All of the above examples Alan Handel appeal.” saw Handel team up with UK Two projects that ZDFE is companies, a model that he currently involved with are says works well: “From a fiThe Story Of Us: Europe, with indie producer Nutopia; nancial point of view, it means we are well-placed to target and World In Motion, a series from Gruppe 5 which broadcasters in both the North American and European looks at the history of the world through movement. markets. So in the case of Aliens: The Definitive “World In Motion is a three-part series looking at migra- Guide, Discovery Canada, Science US and Discovery tion, trade and armies — movements that have triggered International aired the series while Tutankhamun world change,” Huelbusch says. “It’s the kind of global Decoded was broadcast on History Canada, PBS and topic you need if you are to attract co-pro partners.”

National Geographic International.”

Like his counterparts, Huelbusch says the best rationale There’s also a creative consideration: “You can do a sucfor going down the co-pro route is to raise the creative cessful co-production with anyone. But Canada, the US stakes on a project. “But it will only appeal to broadcast and UK share a storytelling culture. This means that expartners if you have something unique to say or a new ap- pectations are often similar and editorial styles are comproach. It could be a new theory, a new camera technol- patible. All of this can contribute to the smooth running ogy or a new way of storytelling, something that will in- of a co-production.” terest the audience.”

For Handel, getting things running smoothly is vital to a While a lot of the key deal-making in factual co-produc- successful outcome: “My view is that early conversations tion involves discussions between public broadcasters and with broadcasters and production partners about expecthematic channel operators such as Discovery, National tations are key. Most broadcasters know that co-proGeographic and A+E, there’s also a parallel universe in duction means putting a little bit of water in their wine, which indie producers club together to try to get projects but clarity upfront ensures that everyone knows they are off the ground. “A lot of my time is spent talking to oth- moving in the same direction. You then need to keep up er producers about ways to secure the finance on am- the dialogue during production.” bitious projects,” Alan Handel, president of Montreal- One company that specialises in smooth running co-probased producer Handel Productions says. “Recent ductions is producer/distributor Off the Fence (OTF). examples would be Strip The City, a co-production with Managing director, distribution, Bo Stehmeier says 34 I

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Unusual partnerships there’s actually a big opportunity for broadcasters in the pre-sale arena: “One thing we specialise in is getting broadcasters to buy into projects at a very early stage,” he says. “This way they can use their acquisition budget to get something that closely resembles a homegrown production.”

OTF is able to do this because it has both production and distribution expertise in-house, Stehmeier says. “We have executive producers who can speak the language of the broadcasters. So let’s say we go to broadcasters with a project that is 40% financed. They can get involved early in return for some editorial input. In some cases, they might then line up local celebrity talent for the voiceover, so that they can then promote the show in the same way as an origination.”

According to Stehmeier, this quasi co-pro model has become particularly useful since money got tighter in the TV system: “A lot of broadcasters have had to reduce staff and are working within tighter financial constraints. So we’ve been able to fulfil some of the functions that they would have managed before.”

Current projects on OTF’s slate include Your Inner Fish, from Tangled Bank Studios. “If there’s one thing missing at the moment that I’d like to see, it’s broadcasters paying a little bit extra to secure some equity in factual shows,” Stehmeier says. “If they did that they’d start to see some revenue accruing from the backend rights, and this could then help fund the production of further high-end factual.”

In terms of overall trends, there’s a general acknowledgement that the number of high-end factual projects has probably dropped slightly because of the growing trend towards long-running factual entertainment series. There’s also increasing complexity in the rights arena thanks to the expansion of the US-backed thematic channels and the advent of digital players.

But BBCWW’s Reynolds says there are still clear opportunities.

“We’re talking more to the new digital players like Netflix and Hulu, which are starting to move into factual, and we also see an opportunity in the growing market for fact-based dramas,” he says. “We’ve seen the factual channels invest more in high-end dramas which are based on true stories. A good example of that would be The Challenger Disaster, which the BBC co-produced with Discovery’s Science Channel. Projects of this kind are still subject to rigorous fact-checking but they are able to tell stories from a more personal perspective.

So I expect to see continued strong demand for more of these.”

This argument is echoed by ZDFE’s Huelbusch, who has come on board for two English-language docu-dramas from Story House Productions, a company that has a foot in both the German and North American markets. “We are partners on Mammoth Outbreak, a what if? docudrama, which looks at what happens when the body of a mammoth is exhumed and triggers a viral outbreak. We are also partners on World War A, which explores what would happen if aliens landed and started using our resources. This is a new direction for us but one that is in line with the kind of content that broadcasters are looking for.”

Meanwhile NHK’s Horie believes the creative rational for co-pro becomes ever stronger: “As societies become more inter-connected, we are faced with problems that require consolidation of knowledge, experience, and expertise. With the right partners, co-production can be a way to achieve that and create something that has lasting impact.

This is why we feel co-production in the factual genre is so important.

In today’s world, it is vital to explore issues from various perspectives.

Co-production can be a way to exchange thoughts and ideas and to enable us to find a better solution.” www.mipdoc.com I preview magazine I March 2014 I 35

MEET

www.offthefence.com Stand: R7.C30

TIPS & SERVICES Welcome to MIPDoc! Thank you for attending the show this year. There is much to think about to be fully prepared for this exciting edition, so we’ve designed this tips & services section to help you make the most out of MIPDoc. To ensure you start off with a bang, please refer to our Quick Checklist Things to do before the Show: Have you prepared your transportation? Have you arranged your transfer to Cannes?

Have you booked your accommodation? If not, call our accommodation department for preferential pricing on your lodging: hotel.miptv@reedmidem.com

INSIDE: 1. USEFUL TIPS • GETTING TO THE FRENCH RIVIERA • GETTING TO MIPDOC

Remember to print out your e-ticket before the show to save time on your badge collection at Registration.

• UPON YOUR ARRIVAL

Have you visited the Online Database on my-mip.com/online-database to find out in advance who else is attending the show, to set up meetings and discover projects?

• THE DIGITAL LIBRARY

Have you checked the show programme to plan the week around events not to be missed?

2. SERVICES • CLUBS & CONFERENCES • FACILITIES

Find answers to all these questions on the following tips & services section. For more details please refer to my-mip.com.

1. USEFUL TIPS GETTING TO THE FRENCH RIVIERA

BY AIR The nearest airport is Nice Côte d’Azur International (NCE), which provides direct flights to many cities around the world.

Promotion code (Air France and KLM): 21336AF www.airfranceklm-globalmeetings.com

BY TRAIN The Cannes train station is a short walk away from the Palais des Festivals. Please note that the station is currently under renovation. Works might make the access a little less fluid.

T: +33 (0)8 92 35 35 35 www.tgv-europe.com

GETTING TO MIPDoc TAXI T: +33 (0)8 90 71 22 27 or +33 (0) 492 99 39 23 or book online : www.taxi-cannes.net/en/reservation BUS FROM AIRPORT You have several options for bus travel. Tickets must be bought beforehand.

Where to get tickets: Desk at Terminal 1: outside arrivals, Gate A0.

Opening hours: 8.00 – 23.00 Desk at Terminal 2: outside arrivals, between gates A1 and A2. Opening hours: 8.00 – 24.00 36 I

• The Nice AirportXpress line to Cannes (bus N°210)

goes to and from Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport and the Cannes bus station via Le Cannet everyday from 8.00 to 20.00 every 30 minutes.

Journey takes 50 minutes.

A one-way ticket costs €20 and a return ticket costs €30.

Where to catch it: Terminal 1: gate A0, platform 3 Terminal 2: between gates A1 and A2, platform 3 • Bus N°200 also goes to Cannes from Monday-

Saturday at 20.45 and 21.55.

Where to catch it: Terminal 1: platform 3

• Noctam’Bus N°200 will get you to Cannes in the evenings. It is available Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and travels from 23.30 to 04.10 every hour and a half.

Where to catch it: Terminal 1: platform 3

TRAIN To get to the Nice train station from the airport, go to Terminal 1, gate 6, take bus 23, direction Vallon des Fleurs (€1). Buses depart every 5 to 12 minutes. Disembark at Gare SNCF Saint Augustin (second stop). The station is just a few meters walk. Trains for Cannes depart every 5 minutes. A one-way train ticket costs from €6.40.

Book your train tickets at www.tgv-europe.com or by calling +33 (0)8 92 35 35 35.

preview magazine I March 2014 I www.mipdoc.com

CAR RENTAL If you wish to rent a car, our official partner Sixt Rent a Car can provide you with preferential rates.

Promotion Code (up to 10% discount): 9963828* T: +33 (0)8 20 00 74 98 www.sixt.com *Please note that this reduction is subject to availability and only applies to prepaid payment via the Sixt booking centre or on the Internet.

HELICOPTER Azur Helicoptère is available at the Arrivals Concourse in both Terminals 1 and 2. The flight duration is 7 minutes to Cannes. A free shuttle service is available in Cannes for transfers between the heliport of Palm Beach and your final destination downtown.

A one-way ticket costs roughly €135 per person for MIPDoc participants (+15€ heliport tax). Note that there is a 2-person minimum for helicopter service.

T: +33 (0)4 93 90 40 70 www.azurhelico.com PRIVATE SHUTTLES Le Privilège Limousine is a Reed MIDEM preferred partner.

Contact: Stéphanie Plot +33 (0)6 25 75 34 54 stephanie@le-privilege.com www.le-privilege.com SHUTTLES TO OUR PARTNER HOTELS MIPTV offers you free shuttle service to and from your hotel if you are staying outside Cannes during the market.

UPON YOUR ARRIVAL USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT CANNES: The Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez is on the famous Croisette Address: Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez 73 La Croisette 06400 Cannes Tél: +33 (0)4 93 90 12 34, or visit www.cannesmartinez.grand.hyatt.com Country dialling code: +33 Time zone: GMT +1 Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50 Hz. Round two-pin plugs are standard Measurement system: Metric Currency: Euro

PLAN YOUR SHOW BE SURE YOUR SCHEDULE IS SET

Make appointments and contacts before arrival.

Pro tip: Connect to the Online Database, the best way to schedule meetings in advance!

Visit www.my-mip.com to: • Identify and contact the right people to meet among all attendees • Increase your own visibility by completing your company and personal profiles • Showcase and identify projects of interest • Schedule and plan meetings • Select the conferences and events you want to attend EVENTS FOR ALL DELEGATES MIPDoc Networking Lunch

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YOUR BADGE: Access to MIPDoc: Your badge is your primary means of identification during the market. It provides access to the conference sessions, networking events and the digital library (buyers only) during opening hours. Please carry it at all times, and be ready to show it at entry points and security points around the area.

Do not exchange your badge with anyone. Even if your photo does not appear on the badge, it will appear on security guards’ monitors when they scan it.

Shared badges will be confiscated and not returned.

Saturday, 5 April, 13.00-14.30 Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez Beach

REGISTRATION All participants & Press representatives can pick up their badges at the Registration Desk. If you are a buyer or a company presenting programmes in the digital library, don’t forget to pick up your smartcard with your badge to access the screening rooms or check the list of buyers who screened your contents.

Sunday, 6 April, 12.30-14.00 Conference room

Important: E-ticket holders: E-tickets will be sent to you via email a few days before the show. They include a barcode for ID recognition. Don’t forget to print it out to save time at the

2. SERVICES

Registration area.

REGISTRATION OPENING HOURS • Friday, 4 April: 14.00-19.30 • Saturday, 5 April: 8.00-19.00 • Sunday, 6 April: 8.30-19.00

MARKET OPENING HOURS • Saturday, 5 April: 8.30-19.00 • Sunday, 6 April: 8.30-19.00

MIPDoc & MIPFormats Opening Cocktail Saturday 5 ,April, 19.00 Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez Beach

MIPDoc Breakfast Screening

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MIPDoc Closing Party

Important: At MIPTV, final lists of buyers who have screened your programmes during MIPDoc and Content lists for buyers will be available by request as from Monday, 7 April (14.00) to Thursday, 10 April (18.00), at the Palais des Festivals (Concierge Service - Palais 0).

CLUBS & CONFERENCE ROOMS NETWORKING LOUNGE Open to all participants. Features include a meeting area, Wi-Fi access and email points REGISTRATION LOUNGE Open to all participants. Features include a meeting area & Wi-Fi access CONFERENCE ROOM: see schedule COMMISSIONER’S CLUB: see schedule

Sunday, 6 April, 8.30-9.15 Conference room

MIPDoc Snack & Screen

You can review a list of the content you have screened during the event. This list is available at the Networking Lounge.

Post market, a final list of the content you have screened during the event will be send to you by email as from Tuesday, 8 April 2014.

Sellers To view a list of the buyers who have screened your programmes, please request your company smartcard at Registration. This list can be printed in the Networking Lounge.

Post market, a final list of the buyers who screened your programmes will be send to you by email as from Tuesday, 8 April 2014.

SCREENING BOOTH: for buyers only sponsored by

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Sunday 6 April, 18.30-20.00 Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez Beach

DIGITAL LIBRARY The Digital Library for international documentaries via individual screening booths.

Screening hours: • Saturday, 5 April: 8.30-19.00 • Sunday, 6 April: 8.30-19.00

Buyers Access the screening library with your smartcard, distributed at Registration.

If you don’t have your smartcard, please request your viewing smartcard at Registration.

FACILITIES BUSINESS CENTRE Provides a complete range of secretarial & administrative services (fax, printing services) located on the first floor facing the reception.

FREE COFFEE BREAK Located in the Screening Booths and the Networking Lounge, from 8.30 to 11.30 and 14.00 to 17.30.

CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi Free Wifi available in the Registration Lounge, Networking Lounge, Commissioners’ Club, Conference Room and Screening Booths.

Connect to 2014_REEDMIDEM • Login: your last name. If it includes characters such as space, dash, apostrophe, etc., please do not type them.

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mipdoc PREVIEW The official MIPDoc preview magazine March 2014. Director of Publications Paul Zilk Director of Communication Mike Williams EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Editor in Chief Julian Newby Deputy Editor Debbie Lincoln Technical Editor in Chief Hervé Traisnel Deputy Technical Editor in Chief Frédéric Beauseigneur Graphic Designer Carole Peres Sub Editor Joanna Stephens Contributors Andy Fry, Max Leonard, Gary Smith Editorial Management Boutique Editions PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT Publishing Director Martin Screpel Publishing Co-ordinators Nour Ezzedeen, Emilie Lambert, Amrane Lamiri Production Assistant, Cannes Office Eric Laurent Printer Riccobono Imprimeurs, Le Muy (France) MANAGEMENT & SALES TEAM Director of the Entertainment Division Jérome Delhaye Director of the Television Division Laurine Garaude Sales Director Frédéric Vaulpré Conference Director Lucy Smith Director of Market Development Ted Baracos Programme Director Karine Bouteiller Director of the Buyers’ Department Bénédicte Touchard Managing Director (UK / Australia / New Zealand) Peter Rhodes OBE Senior Vice President, Americas Robert Marking Sales Director Latin America José-Luis Sanchez Sales Manager Panayiota Pagoulatos Regional Sales Director Sylvain Faureau Regional Sales Director Fabienne Germond Sales Managers Paul Barbaro, Liliane Da Cruz, Nancy Denole, Nathalie Gastone, Samira Haddi Sales Executive Cyril Szczerbakow New Media Development Manager Bastien Gave Sales Managers, Buyers Cyriane Accolas, Yi-Ping Gerard, Andry Ramilia Australia and New Zealand Representative Natalie Apostolou China Representatives Anke Redl, Tammy Zhao CIS Representatives Alexandra Modestova, Igor Shibanov English Speaking Africa Representative Arnaud de Nanteuil Germany Representative (Digital Media Sector) Renate Radke Adam India Representative Anil Wanvari Israel Representative Guy Martinovsky Japan Representative Lily Ono Middle-East Representative Bassil Hajjar Poland Representative Monika Bednarek South Asia Representative Adam Ham South Korea Representative Sunny Kim Taiwan Representative Irene Liu UK Representative (Digital Media Sector) David Hedges Reed MIDEM, a joint stock company (SAS), with a capital of €310.000, 662 003 557 R.C.S. NANTERRE, having offices located at 27-33 Quai Alphonse Le Gallo - 92100 BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT (FRANCE), VAT number FR91 662 003 557.

Contents © 2014, Reed MIDEM Market Publications. Publication registered 1st quarter 2014. ISSN 1963-2266. Printed on 50% recycled paper ®

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