Terrorists hijack a civil airplane and force the pilot to set course for a sold-out football stadium. At the last minute and against the explicit orders of his wing commander, a German air force pilot shoots down the airplane before it crashes into the stadium. Saving the lives of tens of thousands but killing all passengers on board he faces charges for his action in court. German bestseller author and attorney Ferdinand von Schirach’s courtroom thriller is terrifyingly topical.
The Concept
The viewers witness the trial. After the hearing of the air force pilot, the audience has to judge for themselves by voting live online, via telephone or text message: guilty or innocent. Depending on the outcome of the viewer’s vote either the conviction or the acquittal of the pilot will be broadcast in the end of the TV event. The Verdict turns a linear fictional program into an interactive and captivating TV event.
The Creators talk
How did you get involved in the TV project The Verdict? Did you find it or did it find you?
The writer of the theatrical play (The Verdict) Ferdinand von Shirach is a very well-known writer here. He used to be a lawyer and he switched his profession entirely to writing stories. During the development of the last TV series I did with him (Shades of Guilt), he started telling me the story of The Verdict. He wanted to do it as a theatre play and when he told me about the involvement of the audience in the story, I told him immediately that I want to try to do a huge media event out of this that could be available in every media that exists so far. It went into stage play, one of the most successful stage plays in Germany in present time. The next step will be obviously the movie that goes on air October 17.
After Shades of Guilt, this is the second time you are working on a script based on Ferdinand von Schirach’s work. Why did you decide to do that and what is different with The Verdict?
First of all, it is set in a court room, it is a court room drama. It takes place in a court room in real time. That is the first thing that makes it special and different. The major point is that the audience is not just the viewer, but also part of the story. At the end of the story they decide whether the accused will be sent to prison or not. It is very necessary to follow each and every step of the story in order to find the right verdict in the end.
What are your expectations? How would the audience react to it?
It is kind of an experiment. One of the expectations that has been fulfilled already is that we will have a huge discussion platform in every media. Not only on TV, but also in print and online. And it has started already, so that worked. On the audience side, it is a huge experiment. First of all because it is a topic that is tough, it takes you by your inner fears that we are experiencing living right now in this world. On the other hand, you are not just a consumer, you are not just a person that gets story told to, you are also part of it, a part of how this story will end.
My biggest wish for the audience would be for them to be interested in the story and to start negotiating between each other, in their families, with their friends, on the street, everywhere. We have a topic that could be discussed for more than just this one night on TV, but also in the days after. It could be a topic of the streets and that would be my inner goal.
The viewers are deciding, but if you had to decide, which end would you choose? What would be your personal verdict? Is the pilot guilty or not?
I am very sorry to give you an answer that you will not like, but we at the creative decide not to give our own verdict. Not because we don’t have one, but because we want as less influence from the outside as possible on the audience. It would be very helpful if the audience would be as plain as possible in their heads, as open as possible in their minds to make their own verdict and experience during that show.
Should we expect more interactive projects like this one?
This experience is kind of a mindstep for the future. If this is something that the audience accepts, likes and participates, we have already developed a couple of ideas and formats that could be produced directly after that show that will follow these footsteps.
Was it an easy decision to commission The Verdict? Did you have any doubts?
Ferdinand von Schirach handles this material fantastically, and that very quickly persuaded us to make the decision, despite some reservations. In addition to the clever, exciting script we felt that it was a stroke of genius to make the audience the jury and get them to return the verdict. When you take on that kind of responsibility you engage with the topic and all its various aspects in a more differentiated way. That’s an exciting process and one that we want to initiate with this project.
This type of programming ignites social debate and is not something that private broadcasters offer. Do you think that such projects represent the essence of public service broadcasting? Is there, in your opinion, an increased demand for such programs?
The Verdict is a project that allows us to fulfill our public service mandate in a very exciting and unusual way. This show lets us play to the strengths of linear TV and test its limits in a positive manner. I can imagine that shows offering an interactive option will also be in demand in the future and will build strong links with viewers.
What exactly will viewers experience?
Viewers will be confronted with an extremely complex legal and moral question. Essentially, it’s all about what kind of world we want to live in. The evening’s purpose and goal is to engage with that question. At the end the viewers will be asked to decide whether the pilot, Lars Koch, is guilty or innocent.
Do you have any expectations for the aftermath? After all, the verdict will be returned by a representative part of the German population.
I hope that as many people as possible will watch the show and engage in a dialog with one another. Democracy is always about dialog and if The Verdict can get people talking, then we will have produced good TV.
Can we expect more interactive programs with viewers’ involvement in the future?
TV will become more interactive where the content makes that possible or offers corresponding incentives. Clearly, the options in the fictional segment are limited, however The Verdict shows what is possible. In future, technical innovations will generate new possibilities and I look forward to working with editorial staff to develop content for the TV of the future and pushing boundaries.
How did Beta Film get involved in The Verdict?
The Verdict is only the latest project in the long lasting relationship between Oliver Berben and us, which includes Hotel Adlon – A Family Saga, Shades of Guilt and the new Robert Dornhelm mini-series Hotel Sacher, which we also present at MIPCOM, among others. The Verdict piqued our interest since we saw a chance in bringing something to the international attention which has never been seen like that before. Oliver Berben and Beta’s next joint project, by the way, is the series Perfume, based on the international bestseller of Patrick Suskind.
How would you describe The Verdict in television terms?
With The Verdict, the best of linear television will celebrate its comeback combined with the high innovative potential of interactive formats. The audience is not reduced to being a passive recipient, but will have the opportunity to actively shape the program. Depending on the outcome, either a conviction or acquittal will be shown. In each territory, the judgement will be presented by well-known national anchormen, followed by high-ranking political talk shows discussing the results.
The Verdict is premiering on the first day of MIPCOM. What are your plans for it afterwards? How will the property be marketed internationally – as a film or as interactive format?
The Verdict will not only be simultaneously shown in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland – Beta Film will bring this TV event to many other European countries. There are simultaneous broadcasts in Czech Republic and Slovakia. Denmark will follow later this year, there are substantial talks with further major European and Asian territories. We believe in the program’s potential and international relevance which is why we offer the show either as a ready-made with a fixed ending, as an interactive event or as a format. We are confident that either possibility offers the potential of triggering national debates.
With titles such as The Verdict, NSU German History X and the upcoming Hitler, Beta is building a portfolio of themed productions that pull the strings of serious society issues and have the potential to trigger debates. Is there an increased interest from buyers and respectively audiences for such content?
Issues with a high social impact are naturally intriguing and have the potential of generating public debates – which is why we are interested in formats dealing with those issues. Beta Film has proven with Generation War that these formats are able to generate attention far beyond national borders. Naturally, we are excited about their potential in shaping international debates and will continue to offer programs dealing with socially and historically relevant matters.
What are the other new highlights of Beta? What are your expectations from MIPCOM?
Beta Film is proud to celebrate three world premieres for the first time – the MIPCOM-Monday is ours!
Next to the premiere of The Verdict at 8.15 pm we present Academy Award-nominated Oliver Hirschbiegel’s multi layered family drama The Same Sky as a World Premiere at the Grand Auditorium on Monday at 6.30 pm. The International Screening of the medieval drama Maximilian and Marie de Bourgogne by International Emmy Award winner Andreas Prochaska will have its premiere at the International Screening section in the afternoon. Also a big highlight will be the TIFF and Karlovy Vary entry Wasteland by HBO Europe, an intense psychological drama and riveting mystery, set in the Rust Belt of the Czech/Polish border.
