Prevention campaign for the Berlin Police: warning without lecturing
The shell game is a scam. The Berlin Police prevention film does not explain the scam, it shows the feeling afterwards: in 40 seconds in German and English and as a silent 10-second spot for screens around the city.
- 40 sec
- long version in German and English
- 10 sec
- silent vertical spot for public screens
- 4
- partner logos in the end credits, all equal in size
- EU
- co-funded through the ISF LUMEN project
What did ROCC Film produce for the Berlin Police?
ROCC Film produced a prevention campaign against shell game fraud for the Berlin Police, Directorate 5 (City). ROCC Film shot it in autumn 2025 in Berlin-Mitte, including at the Brandenburg Gate. There is a 40-second long version in German and in English and a silent 10-second vertical spot that ran in out-of-home and digital out-of-home. The European Union co-funded the film through the ISF LUMEN project, whose project office sits at the State Criminal Police Office of Baden-Württemberg.
| Version | Format | Length | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long version German | 16:9 | 0:40 min | Web, social media, screens used in prevention work |
| Long version English | 16:9 | 0:40 min | Web and social media for visitors from abroad |
| Spot for screens | 9:16 | 0:10 min | Out-of-home and digital out-of-home, no sound, text in English |
The film does not explain the trick. It shows the feeling afterwards.
Nobody can win at the shell game. Still, people stop, watch a round and then place a bet themselves. Anyone who thinks they have seen through the trick feels safe. This is exactly where the Berlin Police start, instead of explaining the scam step by step.
So the film tells the moment after the game. A man has lost his money and stands there as a clown, in a colourful wig, between a currywurst stand and the Brandenburg Gate. Then the film rewinds to the shell game in front of the TV Tower, where it all began. The clown stands for the feeling of having joined in of your own free will.
With a topic this sensitive, every line counts. The Berlin Police communications department made sure the film does not blame anyone who was cheated. Together we sharpened the tone and the ending. The head of the inspectorate suggested the new closing line, in German: „Hütchenspiel ist Betrug. Sie halten Dich zum Narren!“, roughly “The shell game is a scam. They are making a fool of you!” Now the line is about the perpetrators, not the victims.
The full prevention film
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The shell game is a scam
Long version English · 0:40 min
For screens in public spaces
For out-of-home and digital out-of-home there is a 10-second spot, built to the media owner's data sheet: vertical 9:16, no sound, the logos of all partners running along the bottom edge. It works without sound, and because the text is in English, tourists understand it too.
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Spot for screens
Vertical 9:16 · 0:10 min
What makes a prevention campaign effective for public authorities?
- 6 million
- gross contacts
- 631,800
- spot plays
- 68
- screens
- 3 months
- run from May 2026
It warns without lecturing, it works without sound and in more than one language, and it implements funding rules and data sheets properly. The Berlin Police campaign shows how these fit together. From 1 May 2026 the spot ran for three months on screens in Berlin: on the streets, for example on Friedrichstraße, and at Potsdamer Platz station.
Feeling instead of explanation: instead of explaining the scam, the film shows what it feels like to have joined in of your own free will. That way it aims to reach exactly the people who think they are too smart to fall for it.
Impact without sound: screens in public spaces play no sound. The 9:16 spot tells everything in pictures and a few words, in English, so that visitors from abroad understand it too.
EU publicity done properly: the end credits show the logo of the Berlin Police, the logo of the State Criminal Police Office of Baden-Württemberg, the line “Co-funded by the European Union” and the ISF LUMEN logo, all equal in size. The State Criminal Police Office of Baden-Württemberg approved the arrangement of the logos in advance.
Approval across several units: the specialist unit, the head of the inspectorate and the communications department gave feedback, the funding body checked the logos. For the internal approval we supplied the reasoning behind the concept in writing. The German and English versions come from the same shoot.
“I am a huge fan of this film.”
“Finally, a 10-second spot built specifically for the info screens. The shell game campaign took a really fresh approach and was present all over Berlin for three months.”
Frequently asked questions about this production
What makes a prevention campaign effective for public authorities?
It warns without lecturing, works without sound and in several languages, and implements funding rules and data sheets properly. For the Berlin Police, the film shows the feeling after the scam instead of the trick, and a silent English 9:16 spot ran on screens in public spaces.
What is the shell game?
A street game in which passers-by bet money on which of three cups something lies under. The Berlin Police warn: the shell game is a scam, anyone who plays can only lose.
Who was the client?
The Berlin Police, Directorate 5 (City). The European Union co-funded the film through the ISF LUMEN project, whose project office sits at the State Criminal Police Office of Baden-Württemberg.
How does ROCC Film handle the publicity rules of EU funding?
We get the logos and rules from the funding body and build them into every version. Here four logos stand equal in size in the end credits, and run along the bottom edge throughout the spot for screens. The State Criminal Police Office of Baden-Württemberg approved the arrangement of the logos in advance.
How does approval work when several units are involved?
We work with the specialist unit and supply each unit with what it needs for its decision. For this film the head of the inspectorate and the communications department gave feedback, the funding body checked the logos, plus a written reasoning for the concept.
Which formats did ROCC Film deliver?
A 40-second long version in German, the same in English and a 10-second vertical 9:16 spot for out-of-home and digital out-of-home, without sound and built to the media owner's data sheet.
How does ROCC Film deliver to public authorities?
In whatever way the authority specifies: as a download, as a viewing link or as a file for its own screens.
Are you planning a campaign that needs to reach people on the street?
Christian Martin Schäfer and Christoph Wieczorek are your direct contacts, from the first conversation to final approval.