Archive notice: This article was originally published on February 20, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
On 28.02.2009, a large public casting for the new TV series “dasbloghaus.tv” takes place at the Inselhalle in Lindau, for which almost 300 young people from the Lake Constance region have already registered in recent weeks. The event at the Inselhalle is intended to cast actors for the lead and episodic roles. People are also being sought to work as extras during filming.
Preparations have been under way at Lake Constance for weeks, and the new youth TV series “dasbloghaus.tv” is already on everyone’s lips in Lindau. Almost 300 young people have now applied for a role. Almost every day, the production company receives offers from Lindau residents who want to make their homes available as locations or offer holiday apartments for the film crew. “The enthusiasm is fabulous,” says a delighted Hans-Werner Honert, Managing Director of production company Saxonia Media, which is realising the project together with Bayerischer Rundfunk.
And the makers of dasbloghaus.tv have now cleared the final hurdle. The last thing missing was the funding commitment from FFF, the film funding body of the Free State of Bavaria. It has now approved the requested funds of 400,000 euros, giving the starting signal for the ambitious project. “We are very grateful and happy about the promised support,” Hans-Werner Honert continues. Three years ago, Bayerischer Rundfunk and Saxonia Media put together the 52-part series “Endlich Samstag!” in Bamberg. For Honert, however, it was not just about producing a series: “We wanted to create a joint project with children and young people from the region. That was great fun! The young people’s enthusiasm was overwhelming. The experience we gained in Bamberg now also forms the basis of our Lake Constance project.”
“dasbloghaus.tv” is primarily about what concerns teens today – the balancing act between the real and virtual worlds and this generation’s emotional ups and downs. Computers and the Internet play an essential role. In the series’ stories, the Internet is therefore not merely a superficial detail but significantly shapes the action. A bridge is also to be built between television and the Internet. Between individual episodes being broadcast on TV, viewers will be able to continue following their favourite characters online. The makers are confident that this will capture the spirit of the times for their target group of 12- to 17-year-olds. The first clapperboard is due to snap as early as May for the series, which revolves around 15-year-old Sofie and her clique.
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Synopsis:
They are the BlogHaus clique. There are three of them at the beginning. Others join. Young people aged between 13 and 17 who hang out on the shores of Lake Constance as often as they can. The lake is their territory! For two years, the teenagers have had their own blog online. The one with the most clicks between Lindau and Constance. And what fills their blog fills their lives. What cannot be accessed on their blog belongs within the walls of the small bathing hut right by the lake. It is their meeting place and the starting point for the great adventure ahead of them: their lives. Because the teenagers are going through a damn hard time. A thousand questions and even more answers – or none. Who am I really? And where do I want to go? Why doesn’t my dream guy notice me? Am I perhaps too fat? Or is he blind?
The series is a production by Bayerischer Rundfunk together with Südwestrundfunk, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, KI.KA and Saxonia Media GmbH. Filming takes place from May to October 2009 in Lindau and the surrounding area. From 2010, the episodes will be broadcast at 20.15 on KI.KA. On 28 February 2009, the major casting for the series takes place from 9.00 at the Inselhalle in Lindau. Everyone who wants to take part in “dasbloghaus.tv” can apply for a role there. Actors are being sought for the teenage lead and episodic characters, as well as extras of all ages. Registration is possible until 12.00. Children and young people under eighteen must bring a declaration of consent from their parents to participate. First, all applicants will be registered and photographed. The candidates for the recall will then be announced; they are to introduce themselves in person in short individual interviews in the afternoon. Once the public casting is complete, the shortlisted applicants will be invited to individual castings over the following three weeks. The candidates must then prove in an acting scene in front of the camera whether they have what it takes to become a series favourite. Templates for the casting forms, which include the declaration of consent for underage applicants, can be downloaded from the website http://www.dasbloghaus.tv from Monday, 20 February 2009.