{"id":11464,"date":"2018-07-18T08:02:30","date_gmt":"2018-07-18T12:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/special-report-making-killing\/"},"modified":"2018-07-19T09:32:31","modified_gmt":"2018-07-19T13:32:31","slug":"special-report-making-a-killing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/special-report-making-a-killing\/","title":{"rendered":"Making a Killing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"A perennially popular genre, crime docs are in a state of evolution.<\/em><\/p>\n

When Netflix released its groundbreaking documentary series Making a Murderer<\/em> in December 2015, it impacted not only the life of its subject, Steven Avery, and the way people viewed the U.S. justice system, but also the true-crime television genre. More and more people wanted to learn about real criminal cases, and they found they could do so on their couches, TV remote control in hand, leading to increased demand from channels and other platforms for factual crime content. Apparently, the age-old adage \u201ccrime doesn\u2019t pay\u201d doesn\u2019t hold any water in the television industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt put crime programming front and center,\u201d says Nicky Davies Williams, the CEO of DCD Rights, of the Netflix success. People were surprised, she says, at \u201chow intrigued the world was and also how faithful to a long series the audiences were.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that sparked a change in how crime stories could be told. While returnable series with closed-ended episodes are still very much in demand since they represent the type of non-serialized programming that allows viewers to jump in and out, audiences now want and expect a more detailed investigation of individual cases. This yearning for more information has boosted the growth of multiple-episode storytelling within the crime genre.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe direct impact [of Making a Murderer<\/em>] is that there\u2019s now room for six- to eight-part, big-budget arced series, as opposed to restricting crime to returnable series with self-contained episodes,\u201d says Emmanuelle Namiech, the CEO of Passion Distribution. \u201cTo be fair, the interest in a long-term investigation leading to a premium expos\u00e9 was first generated by HBO\u2019s The Jinx<\/em>,\u201d she adds, noting that \u201ctrue-crime is one of those universal topics that fascinate viewers. In the same way that scripted has seen a resurgence of crime shows, factual crime programming has been on the rise.\u201d<\/p>\n

TURN UP THE VOLUME<\/strong>
\n\u201cVolume has become more important than it has ever been before,\u201d says Paul Heaney, the CEO of TCB Media Rights. Having a significant number of episodes available is important for both serialized crime programs and those of the closed-ended nature as broadcasters can fill their schedules with these types of shows across the weekend and draw high ratings at the same time.<\/p>\n

Crime shows are particularly valuable for channels as they attract an \u201cidentifiable audience of regular, repeat viewers in the 25-to-54-year-old female demographic,\u201d according to Jon Kramer, the CEO of Rive Gauche Television. \u201cChannels want programs that have a lot of episodes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rive Gauche Television has several such long-running series in its catalog, including the 30-episode Evil Twins<\/em>, the 33-part Happily Never After<\/em>, the 36-episode Ice Cold Killers<\/em> and the 45-episode Sins & Secrets<\/em>. Rive Gauche is betting on a new crime show titled Homicide\u2019s Elite<\/em>, which Kramer believes will garner a strong following as well.<\/p>\n

Audiences find true-crime so gripping because the traditional whodunits and longer explorations tap into \u201cuniversal themes of betrayal, lust, greed, revenge and overcoming adversity,\u201d says Laura Fleury, A+E Networks\u2019 senior VP, head of programming for international. \u201cThere is something uplifting\u2014especially for women, who are more often at the wrong end of a crime story\u2014to hear stories about how people overcame those situations, how justice was finally [served]. There\u2019s certainly a thrill to crime content too. There\u2019s a thrill of feeling suspense and of wanting to try to figure out human behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n

CRIME WATCH<\/strong>
\nFor the armchair detectives, Fleury believes watching crime programs is \u201ccathartic, but not necessarily through watching someone else suffer. A lot of the crime stories we\u2019re watching now have transcended the core crime viewer. They are stories that everyone\u2019s interested in, and they have all of the great attributes of a traditional crime story\u2014the race against time, incredibly high stakes, good guys and bad guys, and some sort of a resolution, or at least a pursuit of justice or call to action.\u201d<\/p>\n

Munia Kanna-Konsek, the head of sales at Beyond Distribution, finds that \u201cthe important thing is that the audience needs a resolution. If the stories are left open-ended, they will not do so well. As viewers, we need closure, safe in the knowledge that the person who committed the crime has been brought to justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

True-crime series are a \u201creal-life whodunit,\u201d echoes DCD\u2019s Davies Williams. \u201cThe line that one has to tread is one that delivers a degree of distance, rather than having people being frightened of a knock on the door. The tone and nature of it must strike the right balance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with viewers\u2019 desire to see a resolution from their couch cushions comes an expectation for takeaways. This is the case particularly for female viewers, according to Davies Williams. \u201cThese viewers will ask themselves, \u2018What have I learned from this? How can I avoid this?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

And if the program-maker can produce a series that has immediate ramifications when dealing with a case that has been broadly covered in the news, like Making a Murderer<\/em> or Investigation Discovery\u2019s Killing Richard Glossip<\/em> from filmmaker Joe Berlinger, that can be a strong hook. Yet, she cautions, \u201cIt can be a difficult one to deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProduction-wise, a program like Making a Murderer<\/em> is very difficult to duplicate,\u201d Rive Gauche\u2019s Kramer concurs. \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t fool ourselves that there are going to be 20 of these in the near future.\u201d<\/p>\n

And because crime content has a shelf life, TCB\u2019s Heaney warns against stockpiling this type of programming. \u201cThere are always new filming techniques being developed, or new ways to do reconstruction,\u201d he explains. Though there are, of course, many returning series, \u201cyou\u2019ve got to be careful of expecting that your crime shows will keep selling. There is a lot of demand, but there is also a large supply, so recent history is telling us not to get too smug about having a lot of true-crime series in our catalogs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The key, according to Rive Gauche\u2019s Kramer, is that there must be \u201ca crime and a solution. That\u2019s the first thing. But then you have to take chances because you can\u2019t keep doing the same thing all the time.\u201d The company is enthusiastic about Something\u2019s Killing Me<\/em>, an investigative show that sets itself apart in that the crimes featured are medically based.<\/p>\n

THE PLOT THICKENS<\/strong>
\n\u201cTop-quality dramatic reenactments, exceptional production values as well as gripping storylines based on real-life crimes make for a deadly combination,\u201d says Beyond\u2019s Kanna-Konsek. \u201cAdd to that serious narration emphasizing and bringing to the fore the important points that help illustrate the victims\u2019 tragic ends and what led the perpetrators to this point in their lives, then you are mesmerized.\u201d She points to several shows in Beyond\u2019s catalog that use this storytelling technique, including Deadly Women<\/em>, Fatal Vows<\/em>, A<\/em> Stranger in My Home<\/em> and The Will: Family Secrets Revealed<\/em>. She has also found an increased interest in crime shows that can play in daytime slots, including blue-light series such as Highway Patrol<\/em>, Motorway Patrol<\/em>, Beach Cops<\/em> and Highway Cops<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always another angle, another way in,\u201d TCB\u2019s Heaney says of how producers can expose the underbelly of society. He points to a new addition to TCB\u2019s catalog, A Killer\u2019s Mistake<\/em>, which is currently in production. It examines the \u201ckey moment when a killer managed to give him or herself away. So, that\u2019s another way in to tell the story of a crime.\u201d Confessions of a Serial Killer<\/em> also takes a unique approach. \u201cIt uses the real audio of a murderer but inserts an actor to play the role\u201d in the re-creation, Heaney says.<\/p>\n

Heaney also distinguishes between series made in the U.S. and those made in the U.K. \u201cThere\u2019s a U.S. style that is slightly glossier that works all around the world, as seen in series such as Murder Made Me Famous<\/em> and Copycat Killers<\/em>, and there\u2019s a grittier U.K. style that also works well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe overall bar of quality in storytelling and quality of execution is going up,\u201d says Fleury of A+E Networks. \u201cProduction values have increased.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crime genre is a very broad one with many subgenres,\u201d she adds. \u201cThe more traditional whodunit crime documentary continues to evolve. New shows are constantly being produced, with exciting, fresh ways of telling these stories, whether they are one-hour documentaries or eight-hour series.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fleury continues, \u201cEveryone was trying to crack, \u2018What\u2019s the live show that will drive viewership?\u2019\u201d Live PD<\/em>, which offers a real-time look at law enforcement at work, was the answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cCapturing law enforcement work as it\u2019s happening, in the moment, is what makes Live PD<\/em> so brilliant,\u201d Fleury explains. \u201cThere are few other things that have the stakes that live law enforcement has and the show has resonated so directly with audiences. Viewers participate in discussions on social media. For the audience, Live PD<\/em> is an experience that is more about what might happen next rather than a traditional show that looks at how a crime is going to be solved.\u201d<\/p>\n

TIMELY CRIME<\/strong>
\nAnother way to keep the genre fresh, DCD\u2019s Davies Williams says, is by evolving with the crimes of the time and featuring topical felonies. DCD Rights is among several distributors offering shows on the perils of online dating. Swipe Right for Murder<\/em> is a recent addition that has a younger skew due to the nature of the crimes covered.<\/p>\n

Winding up on the wrong end of the law can lead to public notoriety. TCB Media Rights\u2019 Murder Made Me Famous<\/em> examines incidences in which a crime brought infamy to the accused. \u201cMurder Made Me Famous<\/em> rates very well on REELZ in the U.S. and is an example of a series that will have a long shelf life,\u201d Heaney says.<\/p>\n

Similarly, programs about crimes directly involving celebrities who already had a claim to fame before they were tainted by misdeeds offer another storytelling angle.<\/p>\n

A dose of drama also provides a good hook to engage viewers. DCD Rights bridges the gap between crime drama and true-crime series with Real Detective<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s fascinating because the audience sees real detectives take them through a case that has haunted them,\u201d Davies Williams says. \u201cIt is beautifully cast and the detectives are engaging. The show opens with the detective telling the story of the crime and then cuts to full dramatization. The show itself is 90-percent dramatized with voiceover and interjections from the detective. It fills an interesting gap and crosses drama with factual.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause these stories are so dramatic by definition, they translate well,\u201d explains A+E\u2019s Fleury. \u201cThey can be dubbed and subtitled, and the visualization, while not needing to be super graphic, is universal. These are universal and incredibly relatable stories, so they travel well.\u201d<\/p>\n

TRAVELING SLEUTHS <\/strong>
\nMost often, finished tapes cross borders with ease. \u201cU.S. and U.K. shows tend to travel the most in their original form,\u201d says Passion\u2019s Namiech. \u201cThere is no need to adapt them, save for the usual dubbing or subtitling.\u201d<\/p>\n

The countries with the largest appetite for true-crime content are the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, Italy, France and Germany. DCD\u2019s Davies Williams finds that Eastern Europe is another strong buyer of this type of programming.<\/p>\n

Indeed, A+E\u2019s Crime & Investigation network continues to pop up in territories across the globe, and the company has even launched a new OTT brand in the U.K., Kriminal, focused on crime programming.<\/p>\n

Digital platforms \u201care certainly an additional revenue stream, but the linear channels are still the major home for this genre,\u201d says Beyond\u2019s Kanna-Konsek.<\/p>\n

Yet, most distributors are finding that the space for true-crime on digital platforms is \u201csteadily rising,\u201d as TCB\u2019s Heaney says. GRB has a deal for true-crime programming with Netflix, and DCD\u2019s Davies Williams agrees that with cable and digital platforms alike on the hunt for true crime, \u201cIt offers quite a lot of choice of where to sell at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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