Creative incubator of fresh new voices.
MIDPOINT Smash Cut 2021
Series
Archive
Projects
Three promising short-form series projects
ATAXIA
There is a city on the small Mediterranean island of Cyprus, festering with crime and corruption, ruled by the few who benefit from the chaos. Zoe, Makis and Phivos, lost souls in their mid 30’s, ...
MIDPOINT participants:
Andreas PhylactouAndreas PhylactouAndreas SheittanisChristina TryphonosChristina Tryphonos
Break a Leg
LENART (30) is a shy, introverted, not so young anymore filmmaker, who is unhappy with his current success and recognition in the film industry. Because nobody is taking him seriously, he develops ...
Deadlines
Sergiu is a 40-year-old graphic designer living in Bucharest. He is a pretty good graphic designer, but doesn’t understand anymore the seemingly pointless competition of surviving from one deadline ...
MIDPOINT participants:
Razvan Dutchevici
Participants
The next generation of the Central and Eastern European series content professionals
Tutors
Renowned short-form series experts
Tutor
Sullivan Le Postec
France
Sullivan Le Postec has had a lifelong passion for TV series. He started out as a TV critic and journalist before becoming a TV writer himself, penning episodes for French series Dernier Recours and ...
Complete bio
Guest Tutors
Structure
Three-phase short-form series development program
Three short-form series projects are working in one group, each project’s development is overseen by experienced tutors, but also offered an ongoing peer-feedback by fellow participants.
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Preparatory Kick-off WorkshopNovember 4–5, 2021 | online
Aimed as an introductory meeting of selected creators of short-form series (up to 20 mins per episode) coming from the Central and Eastern European region with a background in the audiovisual industry that want to shift to short-form series development.
Lectures
History of Web SeriesSullivan Le Postec
November 4, 2021, 11:00 a.m. | onlineStreaming video became possible in the late 1990s and, almost instantly, creators started experimenting new ways of telling stories online. From the original boom of the do-it-yourself webseries, to Hollywood comanies investing in the millions, online short form series have made the most of their creative freedom and the possibility to connect directly with their audience.
They have proven to be a unique opportunity for creators to curate their own voice and gave birth to a young, innovative and vibrant generation of news talents.
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WorkshopNovember 14-20, 2021 | Tallinn, Estonia
The workshop will help the participants define their series concept, outline their pilot script and season, and will train and explain the specifics of short-form series and the difference to long-form series in storytelling. Besides receiving the tutors' attention and guidance, the projects will also have the option of receiving feedback from their fellow participants.
Smash Cut uses lectures, group work and individual consultations as its methodological tools. The participants will also be actively writing during the workshop working days, under the supervision of the tutors. Thus, participants leave the workshop with actual results and progressed materials.
The program runs in the English language.
Lectures
Finding the Right Partners - A Guide to Financing and Distribution for Web SeriesKirsten Loose
November 16, 2021, 2:00 p.m. | Tallinn, EstoniaWeb series offer great opportunities for storytelling. But how to bring those projects to life? This lecture will give an overview on financing and distribution models for web series, look at potential partners, platforms and networking opportunities and get you into the mindset for defining the potential of your project, identifying target audiences and developing a strategy to find the right partners.
If You Can't Beat Them, Join ThemHyppe Salmi
November 17, 2021, 2:00 p.m. | Tallinn, EstoniaYLE has been successful in creating short form dramas for teens and young adults. The lecture gives the participants some hints on how to use social media for developing, creating and promoting drama series.
Make Your Pitch Custom-MadeMichaela Sabo
November 18, 2021, 11:30 a.m. | Tallinn, EstoniaWhenever you do something from the bottom of your heart all the great energy you put in reflects in a form of an excellent result. There are no general rules that define a great pitch. The only rule is to know your story well and be able to have your heart present while pitching it. During her lecture, Michaela Sabo will guide the audience to find their strengths and weaknesses and make an advantage of both of them, to create a custom made pitch. And last but not least, Michaela will give useful tips on how to overcome jitters, how to stay focused, how to find the core elements of the story and how to transfer it to the pitch audience.
Web Series - An Exercise in Narrative EfficiencySullivan Le Postec
November 18, 2021, 5:00 p.m. | Tallinn, EstoniaThe episodic length of web series has tended to grow in recent years. Still, most web episodes fall between 5 and 20+ minutes. Their core audience watches them mostly on phone and computer screens, sometimes on the go.
For those reasons, web series need to catch the attention of the audience quickly – there are always millions more YouTube videos waiting to be seen. Web series must deliver as much emotions, drama, comedy and thrills than TV episodes two or three times longer. They require an intense narrative efficiency : the shorter the set-up, the longer the engaging pay-off can be!
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All participantsOnline ConsultationsFebruary 24, 2022 | online
Funders
Partner
