Soon the wait will finally be over. Then we'll know how the life of Jens, Jana and Zoë continues in 'wtFOCK'. Newsmonkey went to talk to Marianne Furevold. She's the producer of the original Norwegian series 'SKAM'.

'wtFOCK' was very successful in our country. But we would almost forget that the series originally started in Norway. In 2015, producer Marianne Furevold came up with a series about the doings of high school students called 'SKAM'. In Dutch this means 'shame'.

The Norwegian series was an overwhelming success that eventually became internationally known. To better understand this immense success, we talked to the original producer of the story: Marianne Furevold.

Marianne Furevold from the original hit series 'SKAM'

In Flanders, the series also had unseen success. Nothing can beat the original Norwegian series that started in 2015, but Furevold was still involved in the Flemish remake of the series and she even followed it. “They did a really great job. It was important to us that they keep the essence of 'SKAM' as we made it. But most importantly, they find what's specific to their target audience and feels authentic as well. It's been a while since the original series. The whole world has changed since then. 'wtFOCK' did a really great job. They really understood how we worked,” Furevold tells Newsmonkey.

To launch the series in different countries, the makers came up with a university to better understand the series. “We started a kind of 'SKAM' university for the producers and the writers a few years ago. To tell how we worked and to better illuminate the background of the drama series. 'SKAM' has accidentally become a huge success, especially with the youth. We told the producers about our research to help them make the best 'SKAM' for their country. ”

“It's about people and their personalities”

The original 'SKAM' series was not only a great success in Norway. But the whole world watched the Norwegian teenagers with immense pleasure. “It was really overwhelming, but it was great how it was embraced by the whole world. One of the biggest reasons, is because it's about people, about their personalities. We showed what it is like to be human, because we all want to be in love or to love someone.”

According to Furevold, the series is not necessarily different from other teenage dramas. But the difference lies in the level of research and understanding of young people. “All dialogues are based on our research that we did with people the same age as the actors. It's just about talking to the target audience you're making the series for. ”

The use of fictional characters on social media is relatively new to us. But Furevold certainly sees perspective in this. “We also want to allow the target group to connect on different platforms. That way they can follow the ups and downs of their favorite characters. You get a glimpse into their lives. And you know well enough that it is a fictional character, but even then the feeling that you are part of it is important. ”

Those who want to watch the original series of 'SKAM' can do so via this site. And if your Norwegian isn't any good? No problem, English subtitles are provided.

Short clips

In addition, the original series made use of short clips launched on the web platform. It's a first in Belgium to launch videos at irregular times. But in Norway they already did that way before the release of 'SKAM'. “In Norway, we've been working with short fragments for more than ten years already. But that's also just a great way to tell a story. We told 'SKAM''s story in real time. That way the audience could really experience as if they were in the series.”

After four seasons, the original 'SKAM' series ended. Furevold doesn't rule out anything for a possible fifth season, but that is not for the immediate future. “It was a good decision to quit after Season 4, because you really have to quit at the peak. At the moment there aren't any real plans, although it might be interesting to see where the characters are now. ”

'wtFOCK'

For us, the wait is almost over. The continuation of 'wtFOCK' will start in a few days or weeks. But we don't know exactly when that is. And that's… the magic of the series. Ils Neuts, who is responsible for the marketing strategy of 'wtFOCK' at Telenet, agrees. For Telenet it was also a leap into the unknown. Because a series like 'wtFOCK' had never been made in our country before. There was no marketing strategy. Or not one that you'd immediately notice.

Characters on Instagram

“If you aren't using marketing, the series must be made in such a way that young people actually look for it online. We did a bit of seeding beforehand, so let go of clips carefully and let the actors emerge as characters. It was a conscious choice to address them in a way that young people would like to be addressed ”, Ils Neuts tells newsmonkey.

What truly makes the Flemish series this strong, is the social media. All characters have an Instagram. “We did a few things, such as making the characters live on Instagram. Real stories appeared online and it gave more depth to the daily clips. Even when the series was offline for a while, the characters lived on. When they went on vacation, or there was a birthday, it all got published. If Zoë, for example, went to Angèle's concert, then this was shown on her Instagram. The fact that you start to mix fakeness and reality, truly gives an extra layer to the series. ”

Taboos

WtFOCK doesn't shy away from taboos, because that's exactly what young people need. They want to find an example that tells them what's good and bad. “We have chosen to address topics that young people are processing today. Sometimes they're really difficult, like in the second season when Zoë is confronted with nude photos. These are problems young people know, these are the challenges of social media. They're all really looking for their own identity. Which just makes it a topic of discussion. The exemplary role that Zoë has taken for many girls is very great.”

Why 'wtFOCK' and not 'SKAM'?

In other countries, the 'SKAM' remake was given the same name. That's not the case here, but according to Neuts there is a good reason why. “We didn't think 'SKAM' said anything here. In Norwegian, that is shame, but that really doesn't mean anything in Dutch. WTF is what young people say when things are going well, but also when things are going badly. We have chosen to convey the feeling that 'SKAM' wanted to give to Flemish young people. WTF is the language those young guys use. Whether it's going good or bad. ”

wtFOCK will start again soon. Of course we cannot tell when. Because then the magic would be lost. So be patient, it's coming!

Text: © The editorial staff