News

It will constitute one of the parts of the first digital edition of the Seriencamp Conference (October 30-November 15, 2020).

You can expect various workshops, Seriencamp TV with panel discussions (details coming soon) and PITCHPOOL – a unique platform for upcoming serialized projects, designed for creators, producers, broadcasters and distributors from Germany, Europe and beyond. The call for applications is open till September 4, 2020.

How does it work? What is its aim? Who will benefit from it? We chatted with the Co-Founder and Artistic Director Gerhard Maier and Anna Katharina Brehm, the Content and Production Director of the Conference.

What was the initial motivation behind the idea of creating PITCHPOOL?

Gerhard Maier: When thinking about how an online edition of Seriencamp in this incisive year could look like, we quickly realized that we had to rethink some of the mainstays of the festival and conference. Simply transferring what worked as a physical event to an online platform would not work. We found that without any physical restrictions, the virtual setting would offer great possibilities for new formats like PITCHPOOL. Mostly we wanted to create a platform that on one hand offers writers and producers more creative freedom when presenting their project, and that on the other hand is effective and intuitive to use for anyone looking for projects.

How exactly will that work?

Anna Katharina Brehm: Submissions are open now until September 4th – after that a selection of around 50 projects will be selected who then have four weeks to prepare a three minute long video pitch. That video together with all relevant information regarding the project will then be featured on PITCHPOOL. In look and feel PITCHPOOL will work like the streaming services most people are used to. So registered users looking for new series projects will be able to browse, filter and search all projects from October 30th onward for two weeks. When a project piques their interest, a virtual meeting for more in-depth talks can be set up with the click of a button to connect both parties.

Are there any unusual requirements for the applicants?

Anna Katharina Brehm: The requirements for the first round of submissions are what you usually submit at a call for projects: a short logline, a synopsis and depending on the production stage a project bible for early stage projects up to bible, script sample and financial plan for advanced stage or co-production projects.

The more unusual requirements – namely creating a three minute long video – are then for the projects who are selected for PITCHPOOL. But here everything is allowed: you can film yourself pitching with your classical pitch deck, you can recreate pivotal scenes from with LEGO-figurines or  you can create a short mood trailer. The only limitation – apart from the maximum three minute duration – is your imagination.

What would be its main benefit for creators with projects / commissioners / producers?

Gerhard Maier: In a year where many creators used lockdown to develop their projects and ideas while at the same time the opportunities to actually pitch have become severely limited, I think one of the main benefits is to actually be able to present your work and to connect with other professionals.

For commissioners PITCHPOOL offers the possibility to get to not only filter quickly along the parameters of what you are actually looking for while giving you the tools to work very efficiently and to connect with writers and producers.

Anything else you would like to add?

Gerhard Maier: When talking to some of the creators we presented the idea to, we found out that the need to „fight the format“ of the three minute video helped immensely: you look at your project from a new perspective when you have to distill your idea into a concise presentation.

To then give the freedom to present your project in any manner you think is best offers a lot of new possibilities to break the mold of the usual on-stage pitching situations.

Check out Seriencamp’s promo video & follow Seriencamp on Facebook to get all the news.