The magic touch
French broadcaster TF1 is breaking new ground with crime drama Contact, both on camera and off. DQ speaks to series producer Christophe Carmona. When TF1 first ordered a pilot of mystery crime drama Contact, it was an unusual step to employ a system more synonymous with the US industry. Unwilling to immediately commit to a full season of a show that placed a new spin on the tried-and-tested crime genre that remains so popular in France, the broadcaster placed an initial two-episode order for the programme. But following its debut in December 2015, during which the double bill drew an average of 5.7 million viewers, the show was rewarded with an order for six more episodes – to the delight of producer Christophe Carmona. Filming is taking place this summer. “It’s very unusual. We were the first to try this way of production,” Carmona reveals about the show’s journey to the screen. “TF1 was thinking of getting into production with one, two or three projects that sounded slightly risky. They wanted to test it so we had a lot to do to make the show work. They wanted to see the first two episodes before they ordered any more.” Contact stands out from other police series by way of its central character, Thomas Adam (played by Thomas Jouannet), who has an unusual gift: by touching an object, he can see the memories of its previous owners. “We were the first to do a cop show with anything fantastical in it,” … Continue reading The magic touch
