Between MIPFormats and SMALL WORLD. BIG IDEAS: unlimited creative ideas

TV formats ideas pitchings are very popular in the international television industry. And while the finalists of SMALL WORLD. BIG IDEAS are preparing to present their ideas to the international jury in Kyiv (April 19, in the course of FORMAT SHOW Spring Edition) and hope that Small World IFT will turn their ideas into international formats. We offer you an overview of MIPFormats International Pitch finalists. The event was held on April 3 in the course of MIPTV (Cannes, France). The contest was backed for the second time by all3media International, with a €5k cash prize and €15k of help to develop the format into something ready for pitching to broadcasters.

After visiting numerous conferences, screenings and pitchings, we can say that the ideas submitted for participation in SMALL WORLD. BIG IDEAS contest are not only trendy, but also are as decent as MIPFormats International Pitch ideas: they are creative and have the potential to travel the world. Сome to FORMAT SHOW Spring Edition and see them for yourself. In the meantime, have a look at our overview of the pitching at MIPTV.

Hero or Zero by Tani Productions & TV (Israel)

It’s a studio-based game-show with six contestants standing in a structure made from one ‘1’ digit and six ‘0’ digits – $1,000,000 – with the contestant standing inside the ‘1’ having to beat the others and collect their zeros to win $1m by answering trivia questions. Besides the contestants, one ‘0’ is occupied by a general knowledge “Genius” who is the last barrier between the final player and the prize.

Keep Up With the Neighbours by Pernel Media (France)

It sees a household competing in a neighbour’s house with a series of price estimation tests, winning the neighbours’ belongings if they guess the prices right. If they don’t, the neighbours cash in – and they are also watching the process from afar.

The Call by Phonebox Productions (UK)

It’s a game-show based around phone calls: one contestant has five friends and family members who they can call for help when answering questions – those people are locked into soundproof phone boxes. The key is whether they make “the right call” each time. The show will spawn apps, a Facebook game and merchandise of all kinds, hopes its creator – including an app for playing along with the show live, interacting with their own friends.

Toss & Turn by The Concept Collective (USA)

It involves people pranking their partners with a camera crew bursting in to their house in the middle of the night while they’re asleep. The drowsy contestant then has to answer trivia questions and complete brain games, in order to win a cash prize of $25k. “Wobbles and quirks of the relationship” – their disagreements – will be used to design the rounds, meaning the show will be an original set of challenges every time.

XYZ by Liraz Casting and Y Circus (Israel)

This is a game-show based on the fairground claw-machines where you have to grab stuffed animals. Except here, the claw is a celebrity being manipulated to get prizes – money hidden inside big stuffed animals – by the contestants, who are the celebrity’s friends, answering personal questions about them during the game. And there’s also a tank of “green disgusting slime” that they can be dropped into.

The MIPFormats audience voted for XYZ as the People’s Choice Award (its authors are circus actors by the way), but when the jury returned to deliver their verdict, this year’s MIPFormats International Pitch winner was also XYZ! 

In the meantime, preparation for the final round of SMALL WORLD. BIG IDEAS contest is in full swing. It will be held on April 19 in the course of FORMAT SHOW Spring Edition. The winner will get a contract with Small World IFT (US) and accreditation for MIPCOM – the largest international market of audiovisual content (Cannes, October 2016).

Learn more about FORMAT SHOW Spring Edition – follow the news on www.mrm.ua and Facebook.