Entitled “The Buyers’ Summit: Leading international buyers reveal their programming strategies”, the panel assembled a star cast: Sabine Holzer, Terra Mater Factual Studios; Elvira Lind, Spiegel TV; Mikael Österby, Sveriges Television; Charles Schuerhoff, PBS International; and Laurent Sicouri, Canal + Group Documentary Channels. Edwina Thring, of Wild Thring Media, moderated.
Österby began with an example of the sort of production Sveriges Television goes for:
The Bible, a scripted drama that is “one of this crazy projects: we will do the Bible in 10 hours” – MikaelÖsterby #Mipdoc
— Blog226 (@Blog226) April 6, 2013
Terra Mater Factual Studios’ Sabine Holzer then gave producers a few pitching pointers:
Want to pitch an idea to Sabine Holzer ? Try: nature, science or history #Mipdoc
— Blog226 (@Blog226) April 6, 2013
What does PBS want to buy? Schuerhoff’s example was King of Hollywood, a documentary about David Geffen, a “very giftedly undiplomatic” man!
Now screening: trailer of “king of hollywood” introduced by C. Schuerhoff, Director International Acquisitions, PBS International #Mipdoc
— Blog226 (@Blog226) April 6, 2013
Sicouri then presented Planet+, Canal+’s new youth-skewed factual channel, which he described as:
Planet+no limit for younger audience, factual show entertainment, extreme, paranormal..everything that’s spectacular in acquisitions #Mipdoc
— Blog226 (@Blog226) April 6, 2013
…as such, said Sicouri, “dramatisation through storytelling and editing is very important” for Canal+’s planet channels.
Planet+ is interested in historical documentaries with innovative forms of illustrations #Mipdoc
— Blog226 (@Blog226) April 6, 2013
Watch this full session in video here!
Thanks to Paris Dauphine University’s Blog226 for the above tweets: be sure to follow them in Cannes over the next few days!
Photo © D’Halloy, Image & Co
