What is exactly your role within Atlantique Productions and what is your company’s vision and strategy for International TV Drama?
Patrick Nebout: Alongside Olivier Bibas, the MD of Atlantique Productions, my focus is on developing projects and partnerships with producers and broadcasters across Europe. In Sweden, we obviously already have a privileged relationship with Nice Drama, the company I founded with Henrik Jansson-Schweizer in 2010, But we are also looking to enter partnerships with Norway and Denmark. Elsewhere in Europe we have started talks with high-concept producers in Italy, Germany and the UK. Atlantique’s ambition is to become a leading European studio, by working with the best European talents, developing and producing not only English-language series for a global audience (often based on strong brands such as Transporter) but also more organic co-productions between two territories. This being said we are also pro-active in the US, especially with cable networks and SVOD platforms.
How different are working practices in Scandinavia and in France and what are the advantages for Nordic producers to co-produce with France?
PN: Scandinavia has always been open to work across borders, with a long-standing tradition of co-financing and co-producing between the Nordic public broadcasters. There’s also a successful and enduring experience of co-financing with Germany.
France on the contrary has long been very protective and inward-looking, with the state heavily backing the cultural sector, and in particular film and TV drama production. State quotas of French-language content imposed on local broadcasters, are still a big advantage for local producers, protecting them from outside competition. But the situation has changed, with more flexible regulations that allow broadcasters to invest in so-called European content. Therefore over the last 2-3 years, French broadcasters have increased their European collaborations, and are now investing in foreign-language drama.
So the French market is more open to foreign-language TV drama?
PN: Yes. It’s a very different landscape today than just three years ago. The leaders in terms of foreign language TV-drama have historically been Canal + and Arte. Atlantique co-produced Transporter with M6, and TF1 has also high ambitions to be involved in international series. And last but not least, the arrival of Netflix in France and Germany is good news for local and European producers working on international TV drama.
What projects do you have in development or production with Scandinavian partners?
PN: Nice Drama and Atlantique Productions have entered a co-development agreement which will see us develop a number of projects, both organic French-Swedish as well as English-language productions aimed at the international market. We’re currently developing a high-concept thriller with the working title Jour Polaire (Midnight Sun) created by the talented writing/ directing team Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein.
We’re also working on the provocative series Crater Lake, together with Israel’s Keshet, based on an original concept by the Oscar-nominated writer Ron Leshem (Beaufort, The Gordin Cell). It’s a story about the end of life, and more specifically about assisted suicide. It is in no way depressing, rather a life affirming show about death. We hope to have French and Swedish broadcasters as main partners and we’re looking into setting the story in Scandinavia, and to attach Nordic writers, cast and/ or director.
Why do you want to involve Scandi partners in this project?
PN: There is a specific sensibility for controversial themes in Scandinavia so it would be great to have a Scandi writing/directing team around Ron Leshem. Apart from that, we’re also interested in strong auteur voices like Ruben Östlund, Susanne Bier, Mikael Marcimain, or Tarik Saleh.
Is your idea to bring feature film sensibilities and ambitions to your TV projects?
PN: Absolutely. Trends in TV drama are moving fast, viewers are getting used to high quality and ambitions that used to be visible only on the silver screen just a few years ago. Scandinavia has been pioneering in that field with high quality TV drama and their film and TV industries are used to exchanging talents.
The exciting thing is that on the indie film scene, more and more directors move into television. Because of the polarisation of the theatrical market, mid-range movies are being squeezed out of the market so many directors/writers turn to TV drama which is welcoming them. On top of that, more outlets are available, eager to commission edgy TV drama directed by established feature film directors such as Netflix with David Fincher’s House of Cards or Arte with Bruno Dumont’s series P’tit Quinquin.
What is the trend in terms of formats for high end international TV drama?
PN: My feeling, talking to broadcasters in Europe and the US, is that we are going more and more towards an environment where the question of format and duration is becoming secondary. Obviously broadcasters still have slots to fill. But as a producer, the new rule is that there are no fixed rules. The only rule is that in a highly competitive market, you have to come up with a unique and compelling storytelling, whether it is for a mainstream show, or an auteur-driven mini-series. It might sound like a cliché, but today content is definitively king.
Is crime still the most popular genre?
PN: It’s still very in demand and it will always have an audience. It’s not new, as it takes its origin in 19th century literature. The great thing about crime is that you can have so many layers within the genre, so many different twists, making it lighter or darker, so many sub-genres. Social-realism, supernatural, anticipation, period drama, you name it.
Sci-fi as well is on the rise, especially grounded sci-fi. Thanks to dramas like The Walking Dead or Lost, suddenly the genre has gained a mainstream status and it can appeal to wider audiences if it ads topical subjects to its multi-layered dramaturgy. Comedy is the toughest genre internationally. What you can do is add humour to your shows, but straight comedy has a hard time to travel, if it’s not a US show.