'Episodic', the series to discover the talent pool of Catalan audiovisual

L'Hospitalet de LlobregatBreaking into the industry is one of the biggest challenges for film or audiovisual communication students from various training centers and universities in the country. Opportunities are not many, and you need to be prepared to seize them on the fly. This summer, however, 38 students have experienced what it means to debut with a professional project by shooting Episodic, a new anthology series powered by the Barcelona City Council and Betevé, the municipal public television, and produced by Serielizados. The young people have participated in all phases of the creative process, from script development, direction, production, cinematography, music, art, or editing, among other technical and creative departments.

On a hot July day when you'd rather be by the pool than fiddling with cameras and lights, the team fromEpisodic, entirely made by students, is preparing to shoot a new scene for the series at the Poliesportiu Municipal Sanfeliu, in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. This is the setting where all the fiction takes place, which is an adaptation ofArchimedes' principle, one of the most popular works by contemporary playwright Josep Maria Miró. The series cast features renowned actors such as Albert Salazar (Mad for Molière), John Esteve (Amades Department), Anna Ycobalzeta (Merlí) and Iván Morales (Have breakfast with me). The direction is in the hands of the trio formed by Ainhoa Lastra, Andrea Morales, and Carlos R. Haro, all three students, as the project rules dictate.

Morales and Haro are ESCAC students and assure that the series is a challenge because it is their first co-direction. "From the beginning we bet on working on all the pre-production together. Doing all the meetings, rehearsals and the feedback of script together and agree on everything very much. We had a lot of connection and there was a moment when we were three people, but a single brain: we had a very panoramic vision of the whole project," says Haro. They explain that, despite being an adaptation, they have been able to make the story their own and, for example, have added new characters that did not appear in the original work. Archimedes' principle deals with themes such as fear, distrust, and human relationships through the story of Jordi, responsible for a children's swimming group who is accused of having an overly affectionate attitude towards one of the children.

Both note that they are very aware of the difficulties of the career they have chosen. "It is a very difficult and, at times, very fierce world. Betting on film directing is a very difficult job because there are many people. The technical resources that exist now allow everyone to make films and that it has become very democratized, but at the same time they make us many. It is a day-to-day job, of making projects and betting on yourself," reflects Haro.

Although it is true that the technical team is a debutant, the cast is made up of already consolidated actors. How is it for these performers to work under the orders of directors who are just starting their professional careers? "At first I was quite scared, but we started working and I was surprised. Besides, everyone is very involved and everything works perfectly, almost better than with a professional team, I'm amazed by the bravery they have. I think big directors, as they start working for platforms, end up stagnating and take fewer risks, and conversely, you see these young, super-motivated directors who place the camera in places I had never seen it before," explains Albert Salazar. He points out that he has also noticed differences in the way actors are directed. "We rehearsed for many hours; they are very clear about what they want and have tools for directing, which is not usually the case. I think this was a leg that was limping in universities and now they have put the focus on it: they come out very prepared and give you directions that serve you as an actor, and that used to be difficult to happen," he remarks.

The students who participated in the filming come from La Salle-URL, the University of Barcelona and the University of Lleida through their Screenwriting Master's degree, Pompeu Fabra University, Blanquerna-URL, ESCAC, SAE Barcelona, ECIB, ESMUC, Tecnocampus, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and Bande à Part Escola de Cinema. To make the selection, the universities made a first selection among the candidates who applied for the competition and, subsequently, the project initiators evaluated each student's portfolio and conducted a personal interview. The result of the work of this group of chosen ones can be seen in the autumn of 2026: it will premiere on Betevé and will be the series that will close the Serielizados Fest, which will be held in Barcelona from October 19 to 28.