Undoubtedly, the MIDPOINT Institute has spent a long time investing in training series curators who want to develop their projects, and in 2015, the TV Launch programme was introduced and became part of the core training courses offered by the institute.

The popularity of the series format has led to the introduction of other successful programmes, such as Cold Open and the Writers’ Room – the call for which is already open (click here) until 15 August. Now, the MIDPOINT Institute is launching MIDPOINT Smash Cut, a programme that is entirely focused on and dedicated to the development of web series.

Katarína Tomková, series programme coordinator, explains: “The consumption of content via different channels and devices came with exploring new formats, also reflecting a new type of storytelling. These often go hand in hand with new possibilities in terms of distribution models, and perhaps target a new audience segment. At the MIDPOINT Institute, we'd like to explore this trend, and offer creators and writers the possibility to develop shows that can perhaps be easier to produce and finance, also in territories with limited budget options.”

MIDPOINT Smash Cut is project-based, led by digital series creative producer Kirsten Loose and French short-form series creator Sullivan Le Postec, and will consist of an online kick-off followed by a residential workshop held as part of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event in November 2021.

Le Postec offers his insight on the title of the programme: “A smash cut is an editing technique where one scene abruptly cuts to another. You could say it has become the normal cut for the YouTube generation. It’s one of the techniques that short-form series can use to achieve high efficiency. But more importantly, I felt it was a name evocative of their high, youthful energy: short-form series often have big ambitions.”

Loose also adds her point of view on the necessity of such a training programme: “Telling a serialised story with very limited means is an art form in its own right. You need to strip storytelling down to its bare essentials, while at the same time you have to develop a very clear idea of who your target audience is and on which platform you can reach them.”

Regarding the market’s positioning of short-form content, Loose explains: “Short-form series have proven to be a good opportunity for broadcasters and streaming platforms to nurture new talents. But the genre also appeals to high-profile filmmakers and writers, as it gives them a different kind of creative outlet. As short-form series can be shot quickly, even under difficult conditions, they have turned out to be the perfect fictional format to produce during the current COVID-19 situation. In Germany, for example, a rising number of these so-called ‘instant series’ have been commissioned and produced since last year.”

As for the challenges inherent in this format, Le Postec adds: “Structurally, short-form series are not very different from other TV series. But writers often discover that being concise is not that easy. Short-form series are an exercise in narrative efficiency. A pilot episode has to introduce a whole world and engage the audience with only a few precious minutes to do so. Further instalments will have to develop plot and characters, and give them real emotional arcs in the same short time. There are some tricks in a writer’s bag that can be very useful to know and use when developing a short-form series.”

The call for MIDPOINT Smash Cut is now open, and the deadline for applications is 10 September. All of the necessary details can be found here.