{"id":7756,"date":"2020-07-20T09:00:34","date_gmt":"2020-07-20T13:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2.worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/worldscreen.com\/"},"modified":"2020-07-21T09:07:28","modified_gmt":"2020-07-21T13:07:28","slug":"twice-the-drama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/twice-the-drama\/","title":{"rendered":"Twice the Drama"},"content":{"rendered":"

Formats are in high demand as commissioners and producers look for shortcuts in the high-risk business of scripted content. <\/em><\/p>\n

Two unusual doctors have been battling it out for supremacy on the Turkish television ratings charts: Ates Hekimo\u011flu in Kanal D\u2019s Hekimo\u011flu<\/em>, based on Hugh Laurie\u2019s cantankerous Dr. House; and Ali Vefa in FOX\u2019s Mucize Doktor<\/em>, modeled on the autistic savant at the center The Good Doctor<\/em>. That\u2019s just two of an array of international dramas that have been remade in Turkey as local producers find new ways to win the intensely competitive battle for eyeballs on the free-to-air broadcasters. And what\u2019s happening in Turkey is taking place in lots of other markets as everyone looks for more cost-effective, faster ways to deliver locally resonant dramas.<\/p>\n

\u201cHistorically, people haven\u2019t looked too far for local story development,\u201d observes Andre Renaud, the senior VP of global format sales at BBC Studios. \u201cBut in the last two years, the impact of scripted has grown. I think there are two key things, besides the characters and stories we\u2019ve told. One is the reduced development cost, and two is the reduced development time. A show can be from page to stage within a year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephen Driscoll, the executive VP for EMEA at all3media international, has a similar perspective, adding, \u201cThis coupled with gaining access to award-winning writers and critically acclaimed scripts makes scripted formats a viable content choice. When considering scripted formats, commissioners can see the demonstrable success that the original has achieved, including strong ratings, critical acclaim and awards. Most importantly, though, the format must bring something fresh that hasn\u2019t been pitched to them as an original.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharon Levi, the head of sales at Armoza Formats, says that using a scripted format is akin to taking a shortcut. \u201cComing up with the idea and the scripts takes so long, and so much money [needs to be] invested in development. You want to be fast in releasing shows and being up to date. Formats have that to offer. Also, these formats have aired somewhere in the world, so they\u2019ve already been proven. People know the formula works, so you\u2019re taking a little less of a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, not everything can be remade. So what makes a show formattable? BBC Studios\u2019 Renaud puts it down to \u201cstrong, bold characters,\u201d where \u201cindividual stories and events surrounding them can be both unique and universal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMother<\/em> is adaptable because the story is very relatable,\u201d says Shigeko Cindy Chino, the associate managing director for international business development at Nippon TV, which has sold the format to Turkey and Korea, among other markets. \u201cThis theme of strong bonds and relationships among strangers can be seen in any culture, and Mother<\/em> told it so well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fredrik af Malmborg, the managing director of Eccho Rights, points to relatability as being a major factor in the success of Nurses<\/em>, which began in Finland and has been remade in Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia and, most recently, France. \u201cIt\u2019s not like an American hospital series that looks too polished,\u201d af Malmborg explains.<\/p>\n

Liar<\/em>, first made for ITV and SundanceTV, has been all3media international\u2019s most successful scripted format to date, with deals sealed in Italy, India, Spain, Germany and France. \u201cThe set up was so strong and original, commissioners got it quickly and saw how powerful it could be with a local cast and crew,\u201d\u2008Driscoll explains.<\/p>\n

While dramas certainly dominate the scripted-format landscape, comedies should not be discounted. Armoza Formats\u2019 best-selling scripted format has been La Famiglia<\/em> and BBC\u2008Studios\u2019 has been The Office<\/em>. But, comedy is harder to adapt, says Levi at Armoza Formats. \u201cSometimes a lot of the words get lost in translation. You need to be flexible, but also you need a very creative writer to find where the comedy is and adapt it to the local language and culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adapting drama isn\u2019t easy either. \u201cWe must be aware that \u2018localization\u2019 is not about imitating the original,\u201d says Chino at Nippon TV. \u201cIt is about perceiving the original and translating it into a relatable context for the local viewers.\u201d<\/p>\n

As such, flexibility is paramount \u201cin terms of cultural differences, language barriers, religious or spiritual issues,\u201d says Levi. \u201cYou can\u2019t force the commissioners to do something against what they believe their viewers are going to relate to.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Eccho Rights, af Malmborg says that having \u201ca good consulting process\u201d is crucial, \u201cso [the producers] know the thoughts behind the original scripts. You\u2019re free to adapt if you know what you\u2019re adapting. If you don\u2019t, then you may make mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

A good format adaptation process also requires providing support to your producing partner, says BBC\u2008Studios\u2019 Renaud. \u201cIt\u2019s crucial to be able to partner the essence of the idea with how it gets localized. We have scripted development producers who do that, and they\u2019re available from the very beginning of the commission through to helping to bring that story to life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Negotiations around scripted formats also require much conversation about who will hold the rights to the remakes\u2014and how those multiple versions are sold. \u201cWe represent a Turkish series called Ezel <\/em>that was adapted in Romania as Vlad<\/em>,\u201d says af Malmborg at Eccho Rights. \u201cWe have sold that to Bulgaria and we have a few other deals. It makes sense to keep the franchise together.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Renaud at BBC Studios, it\u2019s often a different type of client that would want a scripted format versus a finished product. \u201cDrama Republic\u2019s Doctor Foster<\/em> has been licensed around the world, mostly on OTT services, and the local adaptations are coming on to [linear] broadcasters, so it is possible to have both in one market. I think it\u2019s rare that there would be a single channel that would look at both investing in a local drama like that and also buying tape; you tend to do one or the other.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Formats are in high demand as commissioners and producers look for shortcuts in the high-risk business of scripted content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":7757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-features","category-top-stories","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nTwice the Drama - TVFORMATS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/twice-the-drama\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Twice the Drama - TVFORMATS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Formats are in high demand as commissioners and producers look for shortcuts in the high-risk business of scripted content.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/twice-the-drama\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVFORMATS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-07-20T13:00:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-07-21T13:07:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/07\/2020-07-16-formats-thumb.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"387\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/twice-the-drama\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/twice-the-drama\/\",\"name\":\"Twice the Drama - TVFORMATS\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-07-20T13:00:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-21T13:07:28+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/twice-the-drama\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/twice-the-drama\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/twice-the-drama\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Twice the Drama\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/\",\"name\":\"TVFORMATS\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\",\"name\":\"Mansha Daswani\",\"description\":\"Mansha Daswani is the editor-in-chief and associate publisher of World Screen. 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