10:00 – 10:05 Welcome
10:05 – 10:25 Research Report: Shakeup on the Eastern Front. Lottie Towler (Ampere Analysis).
10:25 – 10:55 Interview: How to Sneak Past the Gatekeepers? María García-Castrilló (Dopamine content). Moderated by: Johanna Karppinen
10:55 – 12:00 Co-Financing Market pitches. Moderated by: Marje Tõemäe
12:45 – 13:05 Presentation: How to Meet Your Match in Co-Production? Lottie Towler (Ampere Analysis). Introduction by: Marike Muselaers
13:05 – 14:35 MIDPOINT TV Series Launch Project Pitchings. Moderated by: Agathe Berman, Gabor Krigler. Introduction by: Johanna Karppinen
15:00 – 15:45 Case Study: Rivals Becoming Friends - a New Trend? Mirela Nastase (ZDF Studios), Veronika Kovacova (Beta Film). Moderated by: Marike Muselaers
15:45 – 16:15 Case Study: From Scratch to International Success. Birk Rohelend, Ingrid Eloranta. Moderated by: Johanna Karppinen
16:15 – 17:45 Coming from Ukraine pitches. Introduction by: Johanna Karppinen. Moderated by: Anna Machukh
13:00 – 15:00 Jury Meeting Projects - Altair, Nordic Hotel Forum
15:00 – 18:00 TV Beats Co-Financing Market 1:1 meetings - Sirius, Nordic Hotel Forum
10:05 – 10:25 Key to Series-Writing Success. Dominika Braná. Moderated by: Johanna Karppinen
10:25 – 11:00 Case Study: On Attracting and Handling Different Kinds of Collaboration. Michael Polle (X Film Creative Pool). Moderated by: Marike Muselaers
11:00 – 11:45 Discussion Panel: Launching a Lucrative Co-Production. Nebojsa Taraba, Kateryna Vishnevska, Anna Rohde, Olaf Grunert. Moderated by: Marike Muselaers
11:45 – 12:15 Case Study: Breaking out of Finland. Roope Lehtinen (Fire Monkey). Moderated by: Johanna Karppinen
12:15 – 13:00 Ukrainian Focus: Finance for the Ukrainian Audiovisual Sector. Simona Baumann
13:00 – 13:30 TV Beats Co-Financing Market Award Ceremony
13:30 – 15:30 Masterclass: How To Make Your Series Serial Joachim Friedmann (Internationale Filmschule Köln)
15:30 – 17:30 Masterclass: Co-production and Finance On a Global Market María García-Castrillón
17:30 – 19:30 Masterclass: How to Work With the Streamers Stage 32: Sara Elizabeth Timmins, Ewan Dunbar
10:00 Welcome to TV Beats Forum
10:05 Research report: How global streaming platforms are driving the internalisation of popular TV shows and movies. Amper analysis, Rahul Patel.
10:25 Fireside chat with Dome Karukoski sharing his experience on Film and TV Series directing
10:55 How the cookie crumbles: what are the differences in financing films and TV series Patrick Fisher, Richard Kondal, Matti Halonen
11:45 MIDPOINT TV Launch Project Pitchings
14:15 TV BEATS Co-Financing Market Pitches
15:30 "Coming Soon 1" - presentation of series in production that will premiere in 2022. Focus on Russia Moderated by Petri Kemppinen
15:50 The pubcasters strike back: Interview with Nordic 12 founder Ivar Køhn
16:05 The pubcasters strike back 2: Interview with Baltic Public Broadcasters' heads - how to cooperate in producing high-quality TV series? Marje Tõemäe, Jana Semjonova, Gytis Oganauskas.
16:35 “Hot from the North": the future slate of the Scandinavian flagship DR Sales. Mette Bjerregaard.
17:05 wrap up day 1/ see you tomorrow
17:20 Masterclass by Emmanuel Eckert, Mediawan Role of Distribution in early stages of project development. Pre-registration only
13:00 - 18:00 TV Beats Co-Financing Market Meetings one-to-one meetings
17:00 - 18:30 MIDPOINT Smash Cut Group Meeting
10:00 Welcome
10:05 Catching the wave: Insight on telco strategy. Toomas Ili, Elisa.
10:30 Streamers perspective: Making local (language) stories great again - How to position features and TV series in a rapidly changing market. Piodor Gustafson, Filippa Wallestam, Toomas Luhats and Daria Bondarenko.
11:15 "Coming Soon 2" - presentation of series in production that will premiere in 2022.
11:35 Fireside chat with actor and screenwriter: Differences in writing TV Series compared to film. Kate Ashfield. Moderated by Marike Muselars
11:55 Russia in Focus 2021, in association with Russian Content Worldwide: Fireside chat with Screenwriter and Director. Differences in writing and directing TV Series compared to film from the development stage up to the back end. Pyotr Todorovsky Jr. (Six Empty Seats, Intensive Care)
13:15 Stage 32 - Tool that will rock your story worldwide. How local stories can be developed to appeal to a larger global audience. Stage 32, Amanda Toney, Richard “RB” Botto, Viviana Zarragotia and Ewan Dunbar.
14:15 Case study of "The Paper" - how a Croatian show got sold to Netflix. Nebojsa Taraba, Rose Hughes. Moderated by Marike Muselairs
15:00 Coming Soon 3. Focus on East & Central Europe, "SerIalK!ller" Festival selection Dominika Brana
15:30 Production insight to Film vs. TV Series: From financing to lessons learnt. Evelin Penttilä, Nadia Zaionchkovska, Katharina Suckale. Moderated by Johanna Karppinen
16:00 Case Study: The development of a MIDPOINT TV alumni project "Fractures". Vala Thorsdottir, Kolbrun Anna Bjornsdottir, Eva Sigurdardottir.
16:45 Baran bo Odar: From The Silence to Dark. Patterns of Convergence from Cinema to Netflix. Dirk Hoyer.
17:15 Award ceremony of MIDPOINT TV Launch & Co-Financing Market projects
17:45 Wrap up and good-bye!
19:00 Coca-Cola Plaza. Roskino presents "Happy End". Screening + Q&A with actors
10:00 - 11:00 S32: Masterclass on pitch deck preparation with Ewan Dunbar. Pre-registration only
11:00 - 12:00 S32: Masterclass on TV series financing with Viviana Zarragoitia Pre-registration only
10:00 (EET) Welcoming words by Wendy Mitchell, Marge Liiske and Jevgeni Supin
10:05 – 10:25 How Has COVID Impacted Global Production?
How Has COVID Impacted Global Production? // Leading analytics company Ampere Analysis shares new research about how the pandemic has influenced film and TV shoots in Europe and beyond in 2020, and what the forecast is for 2021. Guy Bisson, Research Director, Ampere Analysis
10:30 – 11:15 New Solutions: Producing and Co-Producing in the COVID Era
Producers from across Europe discuss how they have had to adapt their productions to meet pandemic safety measures, as well as how they have found new solutions to financing and co-producing in 2020 and beyond. What are the practical measures that producers should follow to shoot safely in this new era? Riina Sildos, founder, Amrion Productions; Peter Possne, Head of Production, Film i Vast, Gareth-Ellis Unwin, Head of Film and Animation, ScreenSkills UK. Moderator: Wendy Mitchell
11:30 MIDPOINT TV Launch 2020 - Season Finale Pitching
Presentation of the nine graduating projects of the TV Launch 2020 program, the so-called “Season Finale.” This session will introduce exciting series in development coming from Central and Eastern Europe, which have gone through intense training in the past few months under the mentorship of renowned tutors and experts. Moderator: Katarina Tomkova
12:30 -13:30 Lunch break
13:30 -14:15 Script Pool Tallinn Pitching
Presented for the third year, Script Pool Tallinn presents the pitches of five hot TV projects that have been nurtured in partnership with MIDPOINT.
14:30 – 14:50 Fighting for gender equality with the Geena Davis Institute
What are the latest trends in female representation in films and TV; where are the bright spots and what work still needs to be done? Madeline di Nonna, CEO, Geena Davis Institute, in conversation with TV Beats moderator and co-curator Wendy Mitchell.
15:00 – 15:20 The Appetite for Female-Led Content
Filippa Wallestam, EVP & Chief Content Officer of Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT) discusses the trends for female-led content in Sweden and the Nordics, as well as what kinds of projects NENT is championing. Filippa Wallestam, NENT
15:30 – 16:15 Baltic Women: What’s New, What Next?
Producers and broadcasters from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania look at the strides being made for women in the local film and TV industries, and suggest the next steps to be taken. Pille Rünk, a producer at Estonia’s All Film; Eva Brazdžionytė, Women in Film and Television Lithuania, Arta Ģiga, producer, Latvia’s Red Dot Media; Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė, General Director, Lithuanian Radio and Television (LRT). Moderator: Wendy Mitchell
16:30 – 17:00 How to Talk to Global Streamers?
Experienced film and television lawyer Christoph Fey will guide the audience into the dos and don’ts of negotiations and communication with global streamers, explain how to manage expectations, to be aware of potential decisions and to follow best practices. Christoph Fey, Co-founder and Attorney, Von Have Fey
17:00 Wrap of the first day
10:00 – Welcome to TV Beats Forum second day
10:05 – 10:35 Case Study: STRANGER THINGS
Netflix’s global hit STRANGER THINGS shot its fourth season in Lithuania and we hear from leading local production company Baltic Film Services about the challenges and triumphs of the shoot. Gary Tuck, producer and managing director, Baltic Film Services. Moderator: Tom Grater, International Film Reporter, Deadline
10:45 – 11:15 Spotlight Elisa Estonia
Estonian telecom offers an update on its Estonian content investments, including a preview of new Estonian crime thriller LINE OF FIRE. Toomas Ili, Head of TV Content Acquisitions, Elisa & Martin Algus, screenwriter. Moderator: Wendy Mitchell
11:30 - 12:15 Germany: Serious about Series
Meet Germany’s hottest screenwriters as they delve into their creative processes and talk about creating exciting shows that cut through the noise. Aron Lehmann, creator, The Last Word, Jana Burbach and Judit Anna Banhazi. Moderator: Wendy Mitchell
12:30 - 13:00 Case Study: DEUTSCHLAND 83
We go behind the scenes of hit German spy series DEUTSCHLAND 83 with the show’s producer and co-creator Jörg Winger. He will talk about lessons learned from the show’s screenwriting and production to its global release. Jörg Winger, creator of Deutchland 83. Moderator Tom Grater, International Film Reporter, Deadline.
13:00 -13:45 Adaptation vs. Co-production: Russian - Scandinavian case
Producers and showrunners of Russian TV series – adaptations of internationally acclaimed Scandi Noir series, and Russia settled TV series acclaimed abroad, and Scandinavian TV producers and showrunners discuss the most efficient possibilities of cross-countries collaboration. There are several adaptations of Scandi TV series in Russia but there is no one co-production. Even TV series which includes Russian elements in the story (for example, Finnish “Sorjonen”) are not made in co-production. Is it too complicated for the producers or is not efficient? Lars Blomgren, Head of Scripted EMEA, Banijay; Matti Halonen, Executive producer, Chairman of the Board, Fisher King; Piodor Gustafsson, Head of Scripted for the Nordics and Baltic, TV4 Media; Yulia Sumacheva, Executive producer, WeiT Media; Irina Sosnovaya, Producer, Showrunner, Yellow, Black and White
Moderator: Petri Kemppinen, the founder of P1 Kemppinen, seasoned expert of international film and TV content
14:00- 14:30 Ukraine Focus: Film.UA
Ukrainian production powerhouse FILM.UA discusses their global crime thriller HIDE AND SEEK, new series THERE WILL BE PEOPLE, animated series HRAFN ACADEMY, and new international co-productions. Kateryna Vyshnevska and Olesya Lukyanenko. Moderator: Wendy Mitchell
14:45 -15:15 Russia in Focus: Yellow Black & White and Rentavideo studio
Russia’s booming independent studios will talk about production in Russia and best practices to co-produce with Russia. Also, they will give an insight to fresh titles from their slates including SHERLOCK: RUSSIAN CHRONICLES and PSYCHO. Alexey Kiselev, Producer and Cofounder, Rentavideo; Irina Sosnovaya, Creative Producer, START, Yellow Black & White
15:30-15:50 Russia in Focus: 1-2-3 Production
Meet the creative team from Moscow-based 1-2-3 Production, creators of the new Russian dramatic thriller DEAD MOUNTAIN – THE DYATLOV PASS INCIDENT, inspired by the mysterious disappearance of a group of hikers in 1959. Director Evgeny Nikishov & producer Valery Fedorovich of 1-2-3 Production Moderator: Egor Moskvitin
16:00 -16:45 Case Study: HAUSEN
The MIDPOINT TV Launch 2016 graduates and the HBO Europe Award winners, Anna Stoeva and Till Kleinert, will talk about their journey on the recently released show and TV Launch alumni project, Hausen. Anna Stoeva and Till Kleinert. Moderator Katarina Tomkova.
16:45 – Wrap up of TV Beats Forum
TV Beats Forum 2019. Photos: Aron Urb
In 2019 TV Beats Forum took place for the second time including various discussion panels, keynote interviews, presentations and workshops, as well as crossmatching events with other Industry@Tallinn activities. The two-day event was moderated by Wendy Mitchell and Kathleen McInnis.
Schedule:
09:00-09:30 Registration & Coffee
09:30-09:45 Introduction
09:45-10:30 KEYNOTE – WHEN LOCAL GOES GLOBAL
Global media consultancy K7 Media will unveil their new report on the latest trends in global drama from the perspective of European producers. This keynote presentation will showcase some of the hottest dramas from Europe, and identify recent co-production and partnership models across the region. Girts Licis (Head of Strategy, K7 Media)
10:30-11:15 FIRESIDE CHAT: It All Begins with a Story
The panel focuses on the importance of a story over visual effects and explores the work of scriptwriters and directors of the series by focusing on the rights and obligations of both sides. Nikolaj Scherfig (screenwriter), Moderator: Wendy Mitchell
11:15-11:45 Coffee break
11:45-12:30 CASE STUDY: ALL THE SINS
A deep dive into the making of Finnish crime drama series All The Sins, co-created and directed by Mika Ronkainen. We follow the project from pitch to screen, including what the plans are for season two. Kris Taska (Producer, Taska Film), Ilkka Matila (Producer, MRP Matila Rohr Productions ), Laura Kuulasmaa (Executive Producer for Original Programming, Elisa Corporation), Merja Aakko (Scriptwriter) Moderator: Wendy Mitchell
12:30-13:00 ELISA’S OUTLOOK
Leading communications company Elisa unveils its new spy thriller Reetur, which is the first Estonian original VOD series produced by Elisa. With this series and others, how is Elisa impacting the market in Estonia, Finland and beyond? Martin Algus (Writer), Toomas Ili (Head of TV Content Acquisitions, Elisa), Toomas Luhats (Head of Acquisitions and VOD, ERR), Moderator: Wendy Mitchell
13:00-14:00 Lunch break
14:00-14:45 FIRESIDE CHAT: Smart Music Licensing*
Music publishing and synch licensing expert Prof. Dr. Christian Baierle lays out the world of licensing, agreements and contractual contexts that are relevant for film and TV composers and film production music departments alike.
This session will explain the various licensing concepts for music in film and TV and will tell the audience what works, how to license smart and how to avoid risks and how to even gain back from licensing costs. There will be a strong emphasis on production music and its value for both composers and film production companies. Prof. Dr. Christian Baierle (CEO of ROBA Music Publishing) Moderator: Michael Paert
14:45-15:30 CASE STUDY: Jussi Jaakonaho – Tolerance of “music nationality” within Film and TV scoring*
With a vast range of visual styles and cultures within the film industry, the understanding of “nationality” within a film score often results in a generic approach. Finish composer Jussi Jaakonaho explores this nuanced thought process – often overlooked, and discusses how much local flavour a film score can tolerate. Moderator Michael Paert.
15:30-16:00 Coffee break
16:00-16:30 FIRESIDE CHAT WITH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
How has this leading channel evolved since its beginnings and what does the future hold? How do National Geographic executives see the future of non-scripted factual series and science programmes? Sille Ruus (Marketing and PR manager for Baltics, Fox International Channels) Moderator: Kathleen McInnis
16:30-17:00 KEYNOTE: TRENDS IN DRAMA FINANCING AND CO-PRODUCTIONS
A look at how European and international TV series are being financed in 2019 and beyond, and why co-productions are essential. How is the rise of the platforms impacting TV financing and production? Marike Muselaers (Co-CEO; Lumier) Moderator: Wendy Mitchell
*In collaboration with Music Meets Film
09:30-10:00 PRESENTATION: THE BALTIC ADVANTAGE
A look at how shooting in the Baltics offers low cost and high efficiencies. The presentation about successful TV dramas from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will be followed by the launch of a new print publication about working in the Baltics. Ilmar Raag
10:00-11:00 PITCHING SESSION: Script Pool Tallinn finalists pitch their projects
Script pool jury: Benjamin Harris, Kamila Zlatušková, Dominic Schreiber
11:00-11:30 Coffee break & networking
11:30-12:00 FIRESIDE CHAT: ICELAND HEATS UP
The tiny nation of Iceland punches above its weight in the creative industries, and TV drama is the latest sector to see an international boom. Leading Icelandic producer and production services company Truenorth discusses the changes in local TV production and co-production and offers a case study of the first Icelandic Netflix Original series, The Valhalla Murders, which will launch in January. Kristinn Thordarson (Head of Production) Truenorth David Oskar Olafsson (Producer and Director) Moderator: Wendy Mitchell
12:00-12:45 CASE STUDY: CHERNOBYL
The groundbreaking HBO series Chernobyl has put Lithuania on the map in a new way. Lineta Miseikyte, the Lithuanian producer of the award-winning show, shares her experience and lessons learned from this international co-production. Lineta Miseikyte (producer, Baltic Film Services) Moderator: Kathleen McInnis
12:45-14:00 Lunch break
14:00-15:00 DISCUSSION: BRAVE NEW WORLD
With the TV landscape changing rapidly month by month, what do the experts predict will happen in the next five years? What place will linear TV have compared to the rise of the platforms? How will this distribution evolution affect finance and production? How long can this golden age of scripted drama last? Lily Sheroziya (Marketing Director of TV-3 and PREMIER Studios), Benjamin Harris (Writer and Producer), Girts Licis (Head of Strategy, K7 Media), Laura Kuulasma (Executive Producer for Original Programming, Elisa Corporation, Acquisitions Executive, Elisa Viihde) Moderator: Wendy Mitchell
15:00-16:00 DISCUSSION: EASTERN PROMISES: TRENDS FROM RUSSIA AND UKRAINE
This panel of experts examines how the market is evolving in Eastern Europe, looking at co-production opportunities, political sensitivities, and the performance of linear TV in comparison to other platforms. Lily Sheroziya (Marketing Director of TV-3 and PREMIER Studios), Evgeni Nikishov (General Producer of TV-3, Head of PREMIER Studios), Igor Mishin – Vice President of MTS Media , Maria Grechishnikova (VP, Sales, International Projects, Star Media) Moderator: Kathleen McInnis
16:00-16:15 Coffee break
16:15-17:00 CASE STUDY: CALL CENTER
An exclusive sneak peak at the TV3 and Premier Studios drama series Call Center. The creators talk about creating content specifically for the Russian VOD market. Natalya Merkulova (Writer and Director), Alexey Chupov (Writer and Director) Moderator: Katleen McInnis
17:00-17:30 CASE STUDY: THE FEED
This panel offers a sneak preview of the new Amazon Prime series The Feed, a London-set psychological thriller from The Walking Dead writer Channing Powell. Learn about how this production as set up with Studio Lambert, Liberty Global and All3Media. Laura White (Acquisitions Executive – Scripted, all3media international) Debra Bergg (Sales Manager, all3media international) Simon Lewis (Producer) Moderator: Kathleen McInnis
Script Pool TV 2019 Awards
Global Screen Award (5000 euros)
The third Script Pool Tallinn competition prize is provided by the leading international sales & distribution company Global Screen GmbH.
Winner: The Deep, written by Lauri Lippmaa
The Deep also received a The Hypewriter Award – an official invitation to the following year’s final eight to the Hypewriter International Series Pitch Forum in June 2020 in Budapest. The winner’s pilot episode will receive € 110 000 production support.
The selected projects 2019 for the TV drama category
The Jury of Script Pool TV 2019
Kamila Zlatušková – Independent TV producer from Czech Republic
Dominic Schreiber – Global Drama Executive at leading independent drama producer and distributor, Reel One Entertainment.
Benjamin Harris – writer and producer