Vertical Storytelling And Its Significance For Writers

Vertical storytelling is gaining popularity, with more producers—mostly overseas—hiring screenwriters for vertical series. While these projects originated in Asia and the initial pay was low, they now offer fair compensation for authentic work.

At The Writers Hangout, we advise writers to write a short to earn produced credits and gain experience, which can open more doors. With the decline of festivals, vertical series are emerging as the new frontier. Mobile reach is extensive and is becoming a good way to break into or stay active in the industry.

Transcript

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Hello, my name is Sandy Adamidis, the social media director for the Page International Screenwriting Awards and your host for the Writers Hangout, a podcast that celebrates the many From inspiration to the first draft, revising, getting the project made, and everything in between. We'll talk to the best and the brightest in the entertainment industry, and create a space where you can hang out, learn from the pros, and have fun. Hey writers, it's Sandy coming to you from Studio City, the crown jewel of the San Fernando Valley. We're in May of 1928. M. Senate, a silent film producer, writer, and director came here and opened his new movie studio at Ventura Boulevard and Radford. I totally believe he came in May because if it were the dog days of August, he would've headed back over that hill. So fast. How was your holiday? Did you get any good presents? I hope so. On today's episode. I wanted to talk to you about a possible new avenue where you could write, maybe, maybe get paid and have your work seen. have you guys heard of vertical storytelling? Vertical storytelling, also known as micro dramas, is a format that originated in Asia where a filmed narrative is divided into very short episodes designed to be viewed on your phone. They often call it verticals because they are shot to be watched on a phone held vertically. Verticals blend our scrolling habits with narrative storytelling you'd typically see on television and in streaming apps. if you've ever been on TikTok. Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat. In between cat videos and confusing celebrity posts, you have watched vertical videos where dramatic, sometimes funny stories unfold with engaging characters, twists and endings that hook viewers enough to keep watching for more. One of my favorite verticals is a series on Instagram. It's a mockumentary style show featuring a glamorous Upper East side emotional terrorist. Margot. And her assistant, Jules Hazel, Both adorned with Alex Pet Guitar's, signature Bengals, accessories and bags. I know I am being sold a fashion social media campaign, but I love the style, the storytelling, and the characters. Oh my goodness. I love the characters so much. That I don't care. It pokes fun at fashion, opulence, transphobia and racism, but underneath it all there is heart. so I thought I'd break down this relatively new form of narrative content and how screenwriters, writers and creatives could get into the vertical game. Verticals are about one to three minutes long on average per episode. Usually sterilized with episodes featuring reoccurring characters ending on cliffhangers to keep you coming back. I've noticed that verticals have a lot of melodramatic tropes. You might see in a soap opera. You know, murder, secret Romance, revenge. All very dramatic. Now the verticals that I watch are funny and have excellent joke writing. They could be out there, but I haven't noticed many horror thrillers or action verticals, but I'm sure I'll see them soon. Hopefully created by one of you out there. As with anything else, being filmed, verticals, start with a script. I've never written a vertical, but the ones I've watched with huge followings do not build slowly. They jump in and they trust that their audience is savvy enough to catch up. They make every second count and end with the cliffhanger. It's all about the cliffhanger. Darren, I didn't see you there behind the curtain. Don't come any closer. Don't. Writers, I'm thrilled to tell you about our new sponsor. No Valium. This fantastic writing tool quickly turns chaos into clear well organized stories. Think of it as having a helpful story editor right by your side, Catching things like plot issues, pacing, hiccups, character and continuity glitches. I once wrote a story set in the summer only to have it snow while plane was landing. Such a stupid mistake, but we've all been there, right? Writers, I want you to all lean in. Close, close, close, close. Lean in close, because what I say next really matters to you. Noum never tries to write for you. it keeps your voice completely intact. While it catches everything that might break your story, it's a cleaner, faster way to see problems you can fix early instead of losing months in rewrites. Writing is hard enough. Stop the story headaches and actually finish your book or screenplay and make your writing journey so much easier and more enjoyable. And to get a free month of noum, use my exclusive promo code hangout at novell dot o. That's N-V-E-L-I-U-M dot SO. I'll spell that again. N-O-V-E-L-I-U-M-O-S as in Sam, O as in Oscar. And remember to get a free month of vellum, use my exclusive promo code. Hangout now back to the show. Welcome back. See what I did there? Now I know you guys too. Well. I know what you're thinking in your mind. Can you take your hundred page script Oh no. Mine's 180. and turn it into a vertical? Sure. Sure. Go ahead. Sure. Anything's possible. I never like to dampen a creative spirit, but you're going to have to do a major, major, major rewrite. The pacing is entirely different. There's no time for setup or slow burns. You have to immediately grab the audience and then deliver a twist, a cliffhanger, or an emotional punch every 60 to 90 seconds. Each beat acts as a small story on its own. Vertical writing isn't about splitting up a feature into smaller parts. It's about designing the entire piece to flow. I'll have more to say on that later. I plan to edit a short made by some friends of mine. I wanna see if I can edit it into being a vertical. Should be fun. Now, I know I just said don't take something like your screenplay and try to make it into a vertical, but this short. Actually does lend itself in pacing to a vertical, so fingers crossed on that one. Now, production wise, I'm hearing that a typical vertical drama series can have 60 to 80 episodes and is shot in about a week or so. So yeah, 60 to 80 episodes sounds like a lot, but again. 60 to 90 seconds. And if you use non-union and affordable actors, you can keep the budget low. Now, budget-wise, micro dramas are much more affordable. Seasons can be filmed with budget ranging from 50,000 to 250,000 Now. I, I would've done a spit take there if I had any water. I'm not suggesting in any way, shape or form you invest your own money. Just do a Sean Baker, shoot it on your iPhone. Ask your friends for favors. Leverage any contact in your phone. Uh, give them crafty. Always give everyone crafty. But no, do not put$50,000 down on the line to shoot a vertical. Write and shoot what you want and put it out there. How do verticals and micro dramas make money? Money is generated mainly through vertical storytelling, app purchases, ads pay per episode, paywalls, vertical coin purchases and subscriptions. Can you get hired to write a vertical? Great question. Good question. Let's answer it from the research I've done. Most of it is work for hire and who you get hired by usually owns the IP outright. Now, if I was interested in writing verticals and want to get hired, I would make. Them before to get the experience and I would scour the internet, find what I like, and build relationships with those creators. Ask some questions and be very, very supportive of their work. Study them and see what you like and dislike. I would go to my local theater And tell them that you will write verticals for their new play. The actors are already there, the costumes, and I bet there's somewhere in that building who would help you with the directing if you're not into directing your writing. But why not also direct your verticals? you'll become much more attractive in the market if you could do it all. also, if I was writing a novel. When it came to the marketing of it, I would absolutely would do verticals with my characters. You couldn't stop me. I think that would be just so much fun to do. Writers. The more you write, the more you'll write. Make a promise to yourself. In 2026, You'll watch some vertical videos. Then I would like you to write. Six episodes, six episodes is too much. Three episodes if six isn't enough. Nine episodes of your own vertical. Now if you're writing six, and that's 90 seconds per scene, times six. You can do that. I know you can do that. And if you love what you've written. Why not shoot it and get it out online? 2026 is coming for you, baby. One more thing before I go and don't make plans for New Year's Eve. The following is a real conversation I've had with Alexa. Please listen for your entertainment. I'm gonna know certain things about that character. Hopefully she went to Cosmopolitan School. Cosmopolitan School. That means she's drinking. I hope she went to Cosmo. I can't say it. Wait. Alexa, how do you say beauty school? Most beauty schools require students to be at least 17 or 18 years old. Are you thinking about enrolling in cosmetology school? No, but thank you. Hopefully she went to, or he went to Cosmo. I hope you found what you were looking for. He or she went to Cosme. Cosmetology. Cosmetology. Alexa pronounced cosmetology. Cosmetology is pronounced Cosmo to Aji. Cosmo what? Alexa, say that again. Alexa hates me. So we're just going with beauty school and hopefully she or he went to beauty school. It sounds like someone's giving you a hard time about your career path. Well, here's the thing. Beauty School and cosmetology school are basically the same thing, just different names. Both teach hair, nails, skincare. Alexa, are you listening to my conversation? I am designed to protect your privacy on echo devices. You'll always know when Alexa is listening to your request and sending it to Amazon Secure Cloud. Just look for the blue light indicator or listen for an audio tone. Learn more by visiting amazon.com/alexa privacy. Alexa, you are gaslighting me, but let's not fight. Thank you for your help, Alexa. I'm just a voice assistant trying to help. Have a wonderful rest of your day. And that's a wrap for the Writer's Hangout. Thanks so much for listening. If you enjoyed the show, please take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Your positive feedback will help us keep the show going so we can continue bringing you more future episodes. Remember, keep writing. The world needs your stories. The Writers Hangout is sponsored by the Page International Screenwriting Awards, with executive producer Kristen Overn, Sandy Adamides, and myself, Terry Sampson. And our music is composed by Ethan Stoller.