# Short Cuts (TV series)

Short Cuts was an Australian children's television series that first screened on the Seven Network in 2001. The 26-episode series was aimed at teenagers. It was financed by the Australian Film Finance Corporation and Burberry Productions. The series was subsequently repeated on the youth-oriented network ABC3 in March and April 2011.

## Premise

Short Cuts depicts a group of students in a media studies class facing the challenges of growing up and using a camera to express themselves for their schoolwork.

## Location

The series was filmed at Fitzroy High School in the inner north of Melbourne.

## Cast
### Main / regular

* Alex Tsitsopoulos as Ross Papasavas
* Gemma Bishop as Sophie Bennett
* Damien Bodie as Oscar Coxon
* Katie Barnes as Fiona Frischmann
* Alexander Cappelli as Kurt Winters
* Leah De Niese as Ruth Hartnell
* Lucia Smyrk as Anna Klopfer
* Dylan Gray as Tim McQuilten
* Joel Gray as Tom McQuilten
* Matthew Green as Gordon Long
* Kym Osborne as office guy

### Recurring

* Katerina Kotsonis as Mrs Papasavas, Ross's mother
* Marcus Eyre as Aaron Winters, Kurt's father
* Alex Konis as Laz Papasavas, Ross's brother
* Bruce Spence as Mr Coxon
* Jane Hall as PC Demmler (2 episodes)
* Louise Siversen as Mrs Bartlett (9 episodes)
* Marieke Hardy (writer of the series) as Josephine Coxon (2 episodes)
* Johnny Lockwood as Hippy
* Denise Scott as Mrs Coxon (4 episodes)

### Guests

* Angus Sampson as DJ
* Brett Swain as Glenn
* Lisa Aldenhoven as Mrs Frischmann

## Episodes

One series of Short Cuts was filmed, and comprised 26 episodes.

## Season 1 (2001)

| Episode | Airdate | Prod. Code | Title |
| 1 | 15 July 2001 | 101 | Action! Oscar and the rest start school on the first day. Fiona and Ruth want to make a video of Laz Papasavas however Fiona embarrasses herself and no longer speaks to Ruth. |
| 2 | 16 July 2001 | 102 | Wheels on Fire Ross wants someone to film his soccer match after school and asks his mate, Sophie, to help him out however they end up fighting because Ross accidentally tips her out of her wheelchair. |
| 3 | 17 July 2001 | 103 | Money or the Box Ruth and Fiona finally make amends after their fight when they go to an International Oyster gig. Ross is no longer able to blackmail Oscar due to him knowing his little secret. |
| 4 | 18 July 2001 | 104 | Au Naturel Mr. Long gets the whole class to do a nature video after Ross disses Anna's nature video in front of the class. |
| 5 | 19 July 2001 | 105 | Crash and Burn The twins, Tim and Tom witness a car accident and videotape it thinking it is funny to put sound effects as well however, Sophie doesn't find it funny since she lost her dad in the accident that put her in the wheelchair. |
| 6 | 22 July 2001 | 106 | Home and Away Laz Papasavas is moving out of home for three weeks and Ross is enjoying the smothering by his mum until she takes it too far. |
| 7 | 23 July 2001 | 107 | Wonder Twins Activate Oscar is sick of the twins bullying him all the time and decides to take action. Ruth also wants some attention from Kurt by making a personal video of him at home which ends in disaster. |
| 8 | 24 July 2001 | 108 | Burn, Baby, Burn Ruth's mum makes her go on a diet with her because she thinks she is gaining weight. Little does she know that she's pregnant. Ruth however breaks the diet by eating food from her friends. |
| 9 | 25 July 2001 | 109 | My Funny Valentine Kurt is jigging school ever since Ruth's video and he needs to hand in his video assignment. His next door neighbour, Mrs. Green volunteers to be his subject even though he hates her. |
| 10 | 26 July 2001 | 110 | The Grass Is Greener Kurt is still making his video of Mrs. Green however doesn't finish it due to Ross using the video camera to film Fiona's ballet lessons. |
| 11 | 29 July 2001 | 111 | Super Geek |
| 12 | 30 July 2001 | 112 | The Thrill of the Chase |
| 13 | 31 July 2001 | 113 | A Fete Worse Than Death |
| 14 | 1 August 2001 | 114 | Anarchist's Convention |
| 15 | 2 August 2001 | 115 | Eye of the Tiger |
| 16 | 5 August 2001 | 116 | What a Feeling |
| 17 | 6 August 2001 | 117 | Every Vote Counts |
| 18 | 7 August 2001 | 118 | The Night of Nights |
| 19 | 8 August 2001 | 119 | Splitting a Tom |
| 20 | 9 August 2001 | 120 | Mummy Dearest |
| 21 | 12 August 2001 | 121 | Party on, Rhys |
| 22 | 13 August 2001 | 122 | Fight the PowerThree of the students are involved in a protest. Oscar gets arrested after he tries to save his mum and sister from getting arrested. Sophie feels strongly about the cause and claims to have gotten arrested to seem tough. Kurt gets pulled into it by his father after the bass player for his band was in a skiing accident, he was very embarrassed. |
| 23 | 14 August 2001 | 123 | Cops & Robbers |
| 24 | 15 August 2001 | 124 | Survivor |
| 25 | 16 August 2001 | 125 | As a Row of Tents |
| 26 | 19 August 2001 | 126 | Cut |

## Awards

Marieke Hardy won an Australian Writers' Guild Award in 2002 for Short Cuts.