"I had to jump in on camera once".

Werbewoche.ch: Sophie Toth, on Sunday the second season of your hit series "Tschugger" will premiere on Swiss television. The show has already been available on Sky Switzerland since mid-October - but the TV launch is something even more special, isn't it? 

Sophie Toth: Yes for sure! Many of my friends and family and also numerous fans have told us that they are waiting for the start on linear TV.

After the success of the first season, expectations are now likely to be high. Nervous?

Of course, we are now very excited about how the second season will be received, since we no longer have the surprise effect and newcomer bonus and, on the contrary, have to prove ourselves. Our expectations of ourselves are also always very high, and that's why I have a good feeling, to quote Andreas Möller in good "Tschutter" language. After all, we're running right after the World Cup final.

Will you also watch the first episode of the new "Tschugger" season on TV?

Certainly, even if we are still allowed to do various bingewatching sessions in cinemas on the weekend. SRF will show two episodes at once on Sunday and I will certainly watch them with my son and friends at home on the beamer.

Rarely has Switzerland waited so eagerly for a TV show produced in Switzerland. How do you explain the "Tschugger phenomenon"? 

Tschugger is a collage that anchors a universal story locally and brings with it a very unique visual style and also humor. We draw on everything we like ourselves - be it Beverly Hills, Fargo or Lilyhammer, the non-touristy side of Valais or hip-hop culture. And I think a lot of people also like our characters because they're not perfect. And also don't take themselves completely seriously. Apart from that, the timing certainly played into our favor. In addition to the many heavy topics, people were probably also in the mood for this kind of humor.

You had already shot the second season before the first season aired. Even though it was a while ago, which events and anecdotes from the shoot do you remember most? 

There would be so much to tell! Every day there was a bigger or smaller drama and a lot of comedy, even behind the camera. For example, on our very first day of shooting on the Simplon Pass, we started in a snowstorm and all the cars were struggling extremely. By the time we arrived, the director of photography had tried to move the stuck car by trying to push empty Coke Zero cans under the tires.

That sounds very exhausting.

But there was not only drama. The shooting also saw the start of a real romance between certain police employees. But the specter of the Covid pandemic was breathing down my neck every day during the filming of both seasons. And other illness-related incidents were also very challenging. For example, during the filming of the second season, we had to rewrite the final scene with the villain because the actor was out due to an acute medical emergency. I also had to stand in for the camera once and double our federal police officer Annette, gun and all.

So if you look closely, you'll discover Sophie Toth herself in season 2.

Exactly. Bax's stunt puppet also had a few stints on the set. And when she wasn't in front of the camera, people were constantly scared by her, because she was usually lying on the floor somewhere and looks very much like Bax.

What was the end of the shooting like?

The last day of shooting of the second season and thus the final evening was also my birthday. The equipment team had created a magically cozy corner in the factory hall where we had set up the studio, with the caravans, sofas and lamps. That really blew me away emotionally. The day after, the first season came out. That everything came together like that was really incredible.

One of Shining Film's core competencies - and an important focus of your work - besides the production of "Tschugger" is the production of audio-visual content for advertising and brand communication. Hand on heart: What do you enjoy more? 

Of course, fiction gives me a lot of pleasure. Being able to tell my own stories and work on them with a great team over a long period of time gives me a lot of energy. I've done a lot of successful commercials over the years, and got a taste for longer formats together with David Constantin for longer commissions - web series for Swisscom and the Openair Gampel. So it was only a matter of time before we wanted and were able to tell our own stories. Now I have various other fictional projects on the table besides "Tschugger".

How do the two fields differ? 

Apart from the fact that both end products are audiovisual works and the contributors are partly the same, the production processes are very different. Both sides have their charms. The brevity and manageability of a commercial production has its charm. We develop over months and can never be on set during the writing process. On the other hand, the shooting takes months. We still have a lot to get used to.

Both good advertising and good TV shows thrive on outstanding storytelling. As a producer, you are not primarily responsible for this, but - from your experience: What makes a story a "good story"? 

For me, a story is good when the characters telling it pick me up. If I believe the problems and challenges of the characters and feel for them, the story works. But for me, there are also audiovisual projects that touch me in a different way. For example, through music or striking images.

What projects are you particularly looking forward to in the coming year? Perhaps the filming of a third "Tschugger" season?

I'm looking forward to all the projects and the challenges that come with them. We have big dreams and hope that some of them will come true next year. If and how it will continue with Bax and the others is not yet clear - but we are super busy...