Case Overview – Project headline and key visual
The Bachelor S26E7
Warner Bros. Entertainment / NZK Productions
Case Overview – Project Scope & International Episode Context
In 2022, The Bachelor aired its 26th season, which is still one of the most viewed prime time TV Shows in the US. It was a great honor for us that Progressive Productions was chosen as the Austrian production partner for an entire episode of a show with such scale and history. For this season, the show visited four countries outside of the US, of which Austria was the third.
Case Media – Season Trailer (YouTube)
Production Expertise – Studio Experience & Reality Format Adaptation
Due to some of our previous projects, we already had experience in collaborating with large studios. Among others, we have worked together with NBCUniversal and 20th Century Fox on large-scale productions like Royal Pains, Covert Affairs and The Sound of a City project with Julie Andrews. As the genre of The Bachelor was relatively new to us, we were glad to accept this challenge to quickly and successfully adapt to the workflow of the world’s most successful reality show. Thanks to this, we have gained important knowledge, enabling us to add reality productions to our list of expertise with confidence. It is part of our policy to stay fully discreet regarding behind-the-scenes processes of our productions, so in this article, we will only elaborate on information connected to shooting The Bachelor's Viennese episode, based on what is visible to any viewer watching the show.
Local Production Expertise – Location Knowledge & Local Talent
Due to the style of the show, The Bachelor was a perfect match with Austria’s capital city. Even without cinematic tricks and heavily scripted scenes, Vienna has such a romantic atmosphere that can be effortlessly shared with TV viewers. However, it was vital to find the perfect location for each scene of the show, a process we could complete thanks to our vast local knowledge. This knowledge also helped us to bring in such amazing people as Eva Poleschinski to appear in the show, fashion designer and Mag. Katrin Wippersberg, psychoanalyst.
Case Media – Dress Fitting Date Segment (YouTube)
Location Case Study – Palace Locations in Vienna
The city of Vienna has many aspects that perfectly fit The Bachelor’s creative concept, among which its palaces were the most natural point of overlap between the show and the city. There was no shortage of palaces to choose from, as Vienna has more than 100 in total, the most significant of which got featured in the episode.
Location Case Study – Palace Types in Austria
In Austria, palaces can be placed in two categories. One part of these can be found in the inner districts of the cities and are called “palais” in German. An example of this kind of palace hidden among tenement houses is Palais Ferstel for example, which appears in the episode. The other category of palaces is more often (but not always) found on the outskirts as they are a lot larger in scale and are called “schloss”. For example, the Belvedere and Schönbrunn are both schlosses that also got featured as locations of The Bachelor’s Viennese adventures.
Case Media – Rose Ceremony Palace Interior
Case Media – Iconic Palace Exterior
Case Media – Historic Palace Interior
Shoot Logistics – Reality Format & Filming Approach
The special characteristic of the reality genre - as everyone knows - is that the camera never stops rolling. Therefore, such even everyday activities, such as transport between locations, are placed in the spotlight. While with other types of productions, providing talent transport to the shoot is only a question of logistics, in the case of The Bachelor, such a maneuver has creative and aesthetic expectations to meet as well. This led to special picture vehicles being used, including an antique horse carriage and an original 1963 Rolls-Royce, among others.
Location Case Study – Everyday and Iconic Locations in Vienna
As previously mentioned, Vienna has countless romantic sides to it. Many other iconic locations with characteristic Austrian features also got highlighted in the episode. Ranging from a cute corner café to a classy downtown boutique or an elegant library, Vienna did not fail to provide The Bachelor with stunning places to have a date.
Call to Action – Get in Touch
We would love to hear about your upcoming project!
Send us an email at:
info@progressiveproductions.eu
