Anthony Zuiker Moves Beyond 'CSI Man' with Launch of True-Crime App

"My days are over. That's it. I have resigned, I have already started... The CSI Man is dead. Welcome to my autopsy." This was the entry point for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Anthony E. Zuiker, creator of MIPCOM Cannes, unveiled a cinematic curtain at the event, an app he described as 'a real-crime studio that [...]

"My racing days are over. That's it. I'm resigned as of now... The CSI guy is dead. Welcome to my autopsy."

Anthony E. Zwicker, creator of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, gave the Cannes MIPCOM keynote, where he pulled back the curtain on Cinemalistic, a program he called "a true crime studio that turns real events into cinematic storytelling, based only on verified facts."

Zuiker first introduced Cinemalistics in May as an AI-powered true crime service that gives users the opportunity to track crimes unfold through video, databases and other forms of evidence as it develops, but MIPCOM is its first public showing. RELATED NEWS BBC Studios News Launches Fund and Scripted Duties Ben Donald Helping Unveil Next Generation European News IP How Steven Moffat and Sue Verto obsessively recreated 10 Downing Street for Channel 4's 'Number 10'.

As such, Zwicker was in full show mode today, speaking about the vision, complete with images from his childhood, AI-generated images of crime scenes and even one of his own "death." Watch on Deadline.

"Cinemalistic is the world's first true crime media platform," he said. This is not a streaming service, a news site, or a documentary studio. It's a whole new category: a platform where stories evolve as reality unfolds and evidence joins the narrative.

The app includes 20 tabs that give users access to crime documentary footage as it happens, an archive that maps the case, and "flashing live file indicators" that alert users to new data sourced from verified sources.

"No guesswork. No hyperbole. Just precision," Zwicker put it.

As the story is updated, the videos are adapted to reflect new information, and users are encouraged to research through tools that can include police reports, 911 calls, court records, witness statements, crime scene evidence, autopsy files, press conferences, video records and public documents. "Twenty buttons," Zwicker said. The whole case is in your hands.

He added that cinematography will continue even after the arrest. "At that point, the real-time phase ends, but the cinematic journey doesn't," says Zwicker.

“The result is not only a living archive of research, but two completed pieces of premium content: a feature-length feature film and a feature-length documentary, both built from the same proven foundation.

“This is where another dimension of the business model comes into play. "Cinematism satisfies the audience's immediate desire to understand what is happening, while creating a library of valuable content that can live beyond the research lifecycle."

Zwicker said he applies the same depth of research to cinematography as he did with the CBS show that launched his career, CSI. The writer, producer, and showrunner produced 911 episodes of the franchise, which he said has reached an "approximate value" of $12 billion.

"CSI became a global phenomenon for many reasons, but what set it apart was research.

Our writers' room was built around research, and this gave the shows a global edge that resonated around the world. Our sources included Reddit, Yahoo, CNN, Al Jazeera, Daily Mail and TMZ. Every story started with research. It was scripted TV's secret sauce."

Zwicker said Cinemalistics' ultimate goal is to transform crime content in the "age of understanding," speeding up the time it takes to cover a developing story. "This is how the world will see the truth - as it happened."

Zwicker co-founded Cinemalistics with former CAA employee David Freeman and has backers such as David Carsten and his venture capital firm 5IR Funds. Nvidia's artificial intelligence tools are used to power this app.

The ambition is for Cinemalistics to move beyond crime and cover a total of 12 areas including sports, breaking news, politics, scandals, natural disasters and major public events.

In his fun and free-spirited speech today, Zwicker pondered how the 13th edition of the show could be called Cinemalistics Sussex – documenting the vibrant lives of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – and he couldn't resist a little dig at the royal couple. I picked up the popcorn, poured the peanut M&Ms and made the soda bigger, because these two keep us going like no one else. I've ever ordered," he joked.

Returning to the sales pitch, Zwicker concluded, “MIPCOM, Cinemalistics is not just a real-time crime show. At its core, it is an operating system for understanding complex stories.

"From the age of broadcast, to the age of information, to the age of understanding, it's been quite a journey - from the boy with the pen behind his ear to whatever came next. Turns out I wasn't just thinking about television."

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