Broadcasters / ARTE / ARTE Abenteuer Der Menschheit
ARTE
ARTE Abenteuer Der Menschheit
Format
Documentary / History of Humankind
Length
2×52 or 1×90 min
Timeslot
Saturday Primetime (Slot 112)
Exposé length
3–5 pages
Editorial tone
Epic, narrative, personified. Grand human history made tangible through individual fates. Marveling at the achievements of past civilizations, but never romanticizing. Spectacular in staging, grounded in science. Adventurous in tone, without slipping into sensationalism.
What this format covers
●History of civilizations and their achievements
●Inventions and innovations that changed humankind
●Spectacular expeditions and voyages of discovery
●Personified stories from past epochs
●Cultural encounters and exchange between peoples
●Archaeological discoveries that rewrite history
●Time frame: prehistory to 19th century
What this format does NOT want
●20th/21st-century history (belongs to ARTE Geschichte)
●Purely political or military historical presentation
●Academic treatises without narrative personification
●Topics without spectacular visual potential
●Pure talking-head formats with experts
●Investigative or journalistic formats
●Contemporary reportage
Visual expectations
Cinematic staging with high production value. CGI and computer animation for past worlds. Spectacular shoots at historical sites. Drone footage, reenactments, elaborate reconstructions. Visual opulence befitting the Saturday primetime slot. Reference: BBC Civilisations, National Geographic Specials.
Expected exposé structure
Title + subtitle (epic, evocative)
Logline (2–3 sentences: which epoch, which protagonists, what is the discovery)
Exposé body text as narrative with personified opening
Historical context and scientific foundation
Protagonist(s) — historical figures or present-day researchers
Visual execution / reconstruction concept
Episode breakdown (for 2×52)
Production company, author, contact
Example productions
Die großen Entdecker — Auf den Spuren von Marco Polo
Das Geheimnis der Kelten
Die Seidenstraße — Auf den Spuren alter Handelswege
Imperium Romanum — Aufstieg und Fall
Die Wiege der Zivilisation — Mesopotamien
Editorial notes
Saturday primetime slot — highest reach requirements. The film must reach a broad audience. Personification is mandatory: no abstract history teaching, but people and their stories. Temporal upper limit: 19th century. Spectacular expeditions (archaeological digs, underwater archaeology, cave exploration) explicitly desired. Broad supplier base enables international co-productions.
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