Gernot Lercher & Marion Camus-Oberdorfer Talk Natural History at ORF

Gernot Lercher, who heads up natural history at Austrian pubcaster ORF, and Marion Camus-Oberdorfer, director of acquisitions and distribution investment at ORF-Enterprise, discussed how they collaborate to bring high-end natural history to Austrian and international audiences via the UNIVERSUM brand at the TV Real Festival.

Lercher oversees the beloved UNIVERSUM brand at ORF, while Camus-Oberdorfer and the team at ORF-Enterprise work on co-production strategies and presales to help bring these blue-chip natural-history productions to life. Their session from the TV Real Festival this morning can be viewed here.

Lercher has to fill 44 prime-time slots every year for UNIVERSUM, which continues to command loyal audiences at ORF. Some viewers have been with the storied brand since its launch in 1987, Lercher said. “That means we still have to surprise them and bring films they wouldn’t really expect. But on the other hand, it’s necessary to guarantee some reliability. They switch on Tuesday nights, in prime time, and they expect high quality, both visually and in terms of content. UNIVERSUM in Austria stands for something. This is the pressure we have to bring programs in that slot that fulfill all the expectations our audiences have. I always try to have a nice mix.”

ORF-Enterprises has long been involved in supporting the popular block. ‘Our clients in the international market know us well for having these very high-end, blue-chip productions in nature and wildlife. This is what makes it easy for us as a distributor to invest. It is not as much of a risk as it would be in other documentary genres, because we are so very well-known, and this is thanks to Gernot and his team. We have these international alliances and can still produce high-end nature and wildlife documentaries. But it is becoming harder and harder because it’s a huge budget needed to produce these programs, and many of the partners we worked with for so many years cannot afford the amounts we used to get from them. Many countries are not as involved as they were some years ago. We are doing our best to close these budgets and to deliver the same quality as we have always been delivering for this slot.”

Co-productions are crucial, Lerner noted. “Everybody is suffering from budget cuts. Especially in natural history, it feels like a family where one helps the other. This makes it easier in tougher times. No co-production means no documentary. Putting money together is the only way to get things done.”

Camus-Oberdorfer added, “The budgets from one single broadcaster or one single producer are not enough to do a high-end quality production. It is all about the relationships.”

I asked the panelists to talk about the technological innovations in wildlife that they’re keeping an eye on, including the impact of AI.

“AI probably scares everybody on our planet,” Lercher says. “It starts to be very scary when you think of just putting into your laptop ideas and they come to life and you don’t have to go out there and tell real stories in real wildlife. I hope that will never come, at least until I retire!”

Lercher has seen a move away from the “traditional blue-chip animal behavior storytelling; films exclusively focused on animal behavior. The audience is increasingly interested in the human impact on nature. They want to learn more about conservation and get an idea of how each of us can help save the planet. Times are over for just focusing exclusively on the idyllic and exotic places, not looking left or right, ignoring what’s happening there. Today’s audiences are very open to and even appreciate seeing tensions and conflicts between civilization and nature.”

Lercher also stressed the importance of delivering high production values. “Outstanding quality means that if you put people in such a documentary, they must be filmed cinematically. That’s always one crucial thing we ask the producers for; this guarantees a quality of all those films that have sustainability. Twenty years ago, it was enough that you could broadcast the film after five or seven years. Now, if you put big money into a production, it’s necessary that it can go on air for at least a decade. It has to have a long life.”

Camus-Oberdorfer mentioned ORF’s strict policy against AI use in natural history docs as well as some other genres. Buyers and commissioners, meanwhile, want authenticity. “Nature and wildlife is perhaps the purest genre of documentary because nobody wants to see AI animals running across a fake countryside.”

AI will eventually help reduce production costs, Lercher added, especially when it comes to reenactments as the technology develops.

I asked Lercher about the use of platforms like YouTube to bring in new audiences to UNIVERSUM. The pubcaster is somewhat behind due to previous regulations, Lercher said. “We know we need to generate more interest on social media, and we’re working hard to find a way to do that. Our law that guarantees us some more rights on those platforms is new, so we are just finding our place there.”

As the session came to a close, I asked Lercher and Camus-Oberdorfer about what keeps them motivated to continue piecing together the funding required to bring these shows to fruition. “Never before have people all over the world seemed to realize so clearly what we stand to lose if we don’t take care of our planet. I wouldn’t say natural history documentaries are experiencing a full renaissance, but they are important tools to help raise awareness for conservation and environmental protection. We believe our work can make a difference out there.”

Camus-Oberdorfer, who describes herself as an “animal and nature lover,” agreed, adding, “All these paradises are endangered and people all over the world have to understand that nature as we know it is not granted forever. If we don’t stop polluting the environment, this planet will turn against us.”