ZDF documentary – Avatar protects. 6 million watch.

Fasttrack – Straight to the point

6 million views. One source protected. A young audience reached. And a production workflow that shows how broadcasters could produce in the future.

Courage for new storytelling: An editor openly doubted the avatar storytelling approach. The answer was given by 6 million views.
Anonymity through technology: The avatar fully protects the source's identity without sacrificing realism or emotional impact.
Realtime Workflow: Real-time rendering instead of classic post-production. Faster, more flexible, cheaper.
New target groups through avatar storytelling: A generation that barely uses classic documentary formats was reached through a new visual approach.
Avatar as a scalable broadcaster asset: Once developed, it can be used for further formats and productions. Broadcaster logic in documentary production.

Customer

ZDF

Industry

Broadcasting / Public Media

Category

Avatar & Synthesis

3D & Animation

Virtual Production

Project duration

N/A

Challenge

ZDF wanted to visually represent past events without using real actors or physical locations, and without compromising the identity of the central source. However, the real challenge was something else: having the courage to adopt a new way of storytelling. One editor openly doubted: avatar storytelling in a documentary – do we really have to do that? The answer was provided by 6 million views.

Fasttrack – Straight to the point

6 million views. One source protected. A young audience reached. And a production workflow that shows how broadcasters could produce in the future.

Courage for new storytelling: An editor openly doubted the avatar storytelling approach. The answer was given by 6 million views.
Anonymity through technology: The avatar fully protects the source's identity without sacrificing realism or emotional impact.
Realtime Workflow: Real-time rendering instead of classic post-production. Faster, more flexible, cheaper.
New target groups through avatar storytelling: A generation that barely uses classic documentary formats was reached through a new visual approach.
Avatar as a scalable broadcaster asset: Once developed, it can be used for further formats and productions. Broadcaster logic in documentary production.

Customer

ZDF

Industry

Broadcasting / Public Media

Category

Avatar & Synthesis

3D & Animation

Virtual Production

Project duration

N/A

Challenge

What we did

Inventive developed a real-time 3D workflow with avatar storytelling for ZDF – for a documentary that protects anonymity and reaches new target groups.

Inventive developed a realtime workflow based on 3D technology that visually depicts historical events in a credible way without real actors. The avatar storytelling approach resonates with a young target group that hardly uses classic documentary formats anymore. The identity of the source remains fully protected. The avatar is more than just a production solution: a scalable asset that can be used for further formats and productions.

Result

6 million views in the ZDF Mediathek
Identity of the source protected throughout
New, younger target group reached
Realtime workflow as a reference for future productions

Interested? Let's talk.

Added Value & Context

Avatar storytelling is not an experiment. It is a new form of storytelling with proven reach.

Wherever real shoots are not possible or justifiable, real-time 3D opens up new possibilities. Anyone who thinks of the avatar as a scalable asset rather than a one-off solution is building a production infrastructure that becomes more valuable with every format. This is broadcaster logic: invest once, exploit many times over.

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Managing Director

Business & Solutions

Gersi Gega

Schedule an appointment

Managing Director

Consulting & Innovation

Christoph Köhler

Schedule an appointment

Creative Director

Managing Producer & Direction

Benjamin Jurick

Schedule an appointment

Think together!

Whether media production, AI challenge, content strategy, AI avatars or strategic consulting – let's invent together.

Quick response

If you want to turn ideas into visible output, you’re in the right place with us.

Next steps

After the first exchange, clarity emerges: an honest assessment, a concrete plan, and a realistic timeline.

Managing Director

Business & Solutions

Gersi Gega

Schedule an appointment

Managing Director

Consulting & Innovation

Christoph Köhler

Schedule an appointment

Creative Director

Managing Producer & Direction

Benjamin Jurick

Schedule an appointment

Think together!

Whether media production, AI challenge, content strategy, AI avatars or strategic consulting – let's invent together.

Quick response

If you want to turn ideas into visible output, you’re in the right place with us.

Next steps

After the first exchange, clarity emerges: an honest assessment, a concrete plan, and a realistic timeline.

Managing Director

Business & Solutions

Gersi Gega

Schedule an appointment

Managing Director

Consulting & Innovation

Christoph Köhler

Schedule an appointment

Creative Director

Managing Producer & Direction

Benjamin Jurick

Schedule an appointment

Think together!

Whether media production, AI challenge, content strategy, AI avatars or strategic consulting – let's invent together.

Quick response

If you want to turn ideas into visible output, you’re in the right place with us.

Next steps

After the first exchange, clarity emerges: an honest assessment, a concrete plan, and a realistic timeline.