What are Verticals and Micro-Dramas?

Verticals and Micro-Dramas represent a new approach to narrative entertainment, blending society’s smartphone scrolling habits (via TikTok, Instagram Stories, Snapchat, etc.) with narrative storytelling you’d normally see on television and streaming apps.  

But instead of watching one to three minute reels of pets doing funny things and people performing embarrassing or difficult feats on social media apps, viewers can watch dramatic stories unfold, complete with engaging twists every couple of minutes or less that hook viewers enough to watch (and pay) for more.

Here we shed light on this very young yet successful new form of narrative content, and how screenwriters and filmmakers could get into the vertical game. 

A vertical is a term used to describe a short-form series produced in the 9:16 aspect ratio of smartphones. With verticals, gone are the days of having to flip your phone horizontally to watch a series. Episodes typically run on average between one to three minutes (upwards of five minutes at times), with full seasons of a vertical series consisting of anywhere from 20 to 100 episodes.

When viewed from beginning to end, a full vertical series season can resemble either a short film, or a full-length feature, depending on the number of episodes. However, the difference is that the content is consumed in short increments, mirroring how people view social media content and reels while scrolling feed throughout the day and night.

Vertical storytelling originated in China under the term duanju (短剧), primarily during the pandemic era of 2020. By 2024, the new storytelling format had generated over 50 billion yuan, which equates to more than 7 billion in U.S. dollars. Needless to say, the success of the vertical storytelling format on mobile devices in China proved to be highly lucrative. 

Verticals and Micro-Dramas have become somewhat interchangeable terms. Micro-dramas are the more specific core genre of vertical storytelling. Once again, they are one to three minutes long on average, per episode. These types of series are serialized with episodes containing repeated characters and always ending on cliffhangers to keep viewers invested. Because episodes are so short, viewers usually find themselves binge-watching full seasons in a short amount of time.

Sure, binge-viewing is nothing new. But keep in mind that when you want to binge a series on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV, you’re making a time commitment of anywhere from 30-60 minutes per episode - whereas with micro-dramas, you can actually sometimes finish a whole season in that time.

Micro-Dramas rely heavily on familiar and melodramatic tropes that you’d previously find in soap operas and melodramatic television shows - high drama, secret romances, revenge arcs, etc. They are basically the extremely compacted equivalent of modern-day and yesteryear soap operas.

Note: Other genres like horror, sci-fi, thrillers, action, and comedy aren’t as prevalent yet, primarily due to the higher cost of genre productions. However, you’ll surely see more and more creators explore these options. 

As always with visual storytelling, it all starts with a script. However, micro-drama scripts are more condensed and must adhere to the new format’s need for acute efficiency and compacted plotting, given the fact that each episode is only one to three minutes long.

You can’t just write a 100-minute feature and break it into 100- minute-long episodes (or whatever equivalent). Each micro episode must contain its own beginning, middle, and end, along with its own cliffhanging beat to keep viewers binging along.

With each episode, in just a few script pages at most, vertical screenwriters must establish:

• Building Conflict
• Emotional Stakes
• Character Arcs
• Compelling Cliffhangers

Dialogue must also be extremely lean, with each episode carefully calibrated to maintain constant story momentum.

Production-wise, a typical micro-drama series may involve anywhere from an average of 60-80 episodes. Production for a whole season like that usually only shoots for a week or so, using non-union and/or affordable actors to keep the budget down.

Budget-wise, micro-dramas are far less costly, due to the often limited locations and sets. Seasons can be shot with anywhere from $50,000 to $250,000, according to reported budgets. But those with a knack for shooting micro-budget projects, it’s easy to imagine that newcomers with little-to-no money could use friends, peers, and their own smartphones for far, far less. 

The main reason the industry is taking notice of vertical storytelling is the proven profitability. According to reports, in China, revenue from vertical micro-dramas surpassed box office revenue in 2024.

In Western markets like the United States and United Kingdom, reported revenue surpassed $1 billion in 2024. According to most projections, global revenue for the vertical storytelling market could surpass $14 billion by 2027. 

Money is made primarily through vertical storytelling app purchases, ads, pay-per-episode pay walls, virtual coin purchases, and subscriptions.

The industry-leading apps include:

• ReelShort
• DramaBox
• Micro Drama

Other apps exist - primarily from Asia - but expect more and more to pop up as the platform expands.

It’s early enough for Western screenwriters and filmmakers to get ahead of the trend while they can, yes. However, the new format is still in its infancy here, so a direct line to success by writing and producing verticals and micro-dramas remains up in the air. But that’s often a great time to get ahead of the game by exploring the format. How can you do that?

• Download apps
• Watch episodes
• Binge series
• See what goes into each episode
• Research which vertical series are most popular
• Read the comments below each episode to learn about the audience

Time will tell whether or not vertical storytelling is a fad or not. But considering the fact that the format matches a behavior pattern of billions of people (daily hours of smartphone scrolling and short content consumption), it may be smart to consider exploring potential opportunities in verticals and micro-dramas.