Riding on the adage that there’s ‘nothing new under the sun’, let’s delve into formats before because this ‘new’ genre has a lot in common with stories we’ve seen before.
In the scrabble to find the next, big, money-making shiny thing, the film industry is turning its sights to so-called vertical dramas…film…series. It doesn’t have a definitive, recognisable name as yet.
The name, vertical drama (to use the 1994 Ronseal advertising slogan) ‘does exactly what it says on the tin’. The format shapes up as short episodes of narrative, which have been optimised to be viewed primarily through mobile phones. Also, with its penchant towards fast pacing, tight camera shots and cliffhangers, you’d be forgiven for thinking that these are just soap operas for mobiles.
Riding on the adage that there’s ‘nothing new under the sun’, let’s delve into formats before because this ‘new’ genre has a lot in common with stories we’ve seen before.
Webseries. We were introduced to these in the UK from around about 2012-ish. They too were episodic, contained cliffhangers, employed those tight shots, had quick turnovers and were (initially) made on the cheap.
For black British producers, these short form stories delivered a much needed slice of Black British life that was persistently left out of mainstream telly. They were in response to black creatives continually being shut out of television commissioning and so they went ahead and made the shows they wanted to see about and by themselves.
These shows found a home on YouTube with titles that included, Venus Vs Mars (Baby Isako/ Victor Adebodun), Brothers With No Game (Leon Mayne), Ackee & Saltfish (Cecile Emeke), Housemates (Monuque Needham), All About The McKenzies (Samuell Benta), Concealed (Sandra Koree) and Dear Jesus from the late Danielle Scott-Haughton.
Sadly, these didn’t last long and by around 2018/19, most had either been ingested by the large media organisations (such was the case of Venus Vs Mars and Sky), or were never heard of again. Some of the reasons for this hints at ownership, licensing and what you sign up to in contracts. Also, even though they were often cheap to make, they required consistency, then paradoxically, income to sustain the making thereof. Then came the 2018 financial crash and of course…lockdown.
Fast forward to the early part of 2024, a little known account named, ReesaTeesa (real name, Tareasa Johnson), spilled her personal life, for all to see on the influential platform, TikTok. That black app, still currently owned by ByteDance (TikTok’s ownership and operations in the USA is still under question) is a notorious ‘town-square’ for those that feel the urge to bare the contents of their soul. In a gripping 50-part series, which Reesa called, Who TF Did I Marry???, released on Valentine’s Day of the same year, we gathered round said public square to hear how Reesa’s then husband (who Reesa called Legion) ‘did-her-wrong’. It was delicious, salacious, juicy gossip and we were hooked. We came back not for the contents of this soul, but we liked the way this story was told. At about 500 minutes, many of us could relate to Reesa’s story of romantic mishaps in its short bursts lasting around 10 minutes or so. Reesa’s account struck TikTok gold, gathering over 400 million views in a little over three months. Last we heard, Johnson is signed to the talent agency, CAA. It remains to be seen whether or not her story will become a show, with many thinking that she should be knocking on Tyler Perry’s door, (or the other way round?).
None of this would be of much more than a historical footnote if it wasn’t for the unchartered territory we’re in right now with the film industry as a whole.
So what could you do as a filmmaker if you want to delve into these vertical dramas, or even just add another layer of storytelling to your work? Take notes from history from those who’ve done the work before. Observe previous pitfalls from these productions.
- Understand the format before writing
- Develop stories that suit episodic narratives
- Write for vertical, not wide shots
- Keep in mind that these stories will often be viewed via mobile phones
- Have a quick production turn-around
- Edit for retention – you don’t have to have perfect editing
- Build your audience (as part of your marketing in pre-production) by using engaging social media, using bts, teasers, cast interviews etc.
- Consider story or cast spin-offs
- Build events around your series
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