Friday, December 02
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM

Genre Confusion: The Blurring Boundaries of History Programming
Main
Salon Dei Cavalieri, Section 1

Sponsored By:
     WGBH

The genre boundaries are blurring. These days history meets science, current affairs, drama and so much more one at a time or all together. How can producers benefit from this new way of approaching factual documentaries? Do distinctions between genres make any sense at all in the marketplace? What's the point of view of producers, CE's and schedulers? Is this "confusion" helping in creating better programs? Where (if any) are the dangers? We will examine how some of the most successful experiment with genre, and what we can learn from them.

Three things that delegates will take away from the session:

What can we expect to see on our TV screen in the nearest future and what are the trends with respect to genre definitions?

Learn if it's a good idea to produce a film that mixes up different genres - does it pay?

View some good examples of this "confusion".

Sponsor Introductions:
     Tom Koch, Director, WGBH International
     WGBH USA

Producer:
     Daniela Bagliani, Programme Acquisitions Manager
     RTI SpA - Mediaset Group Italy

Moderator:
     John Farren, Editor "Timewatch"
     BBC UK

Participants:
     Andrea Broglia, Head of Documentary Acquisitions
     RTI SPA Italy
     Fred Burcksen, Vice President Distribution & Investments
     ZDF Enterprises Germany
     Stephen Hunter, VP/Executive Producer
     Cineflix Productions Inc. Canada
     Bettina Lerner, Executive Producer
     British Broadcasting Corporation UK