LOS ANGELES.- In a fake castle on a Los Angeles hilltop, a small film crew huddles in a bedroom and films a sex scene under the watchful eye of their Chinese producer.
Welcome to the fascinating world of series verticals, a multi-billion dollar industry that has revolutionized hollywood in just two years. The key: fictions generated by algorithms, designed to be viewed on a smartphone in addictive 60-second episodes.
They are like “soap operas with cocaine,” says French-Taiwanese producer Vincent Wang.
With its plots about werewolves or billionaires, budgets of just a few hundred thousand dollars and ultra-reduced filming schedules, this format is radically transforming—and, according to some, saving—a sector in crisis.
“In 30 days we can put together a series. Hollywood takes two years,” says Wang. “Who represents the future?”
Arised in China In the 2010s, initially recorded by amateurs and shared on TikTok, vertical series quickly attracted large companies, seduced by their viral potential and low cost.
They currently represent an $8 billion industry.
In the United States, the genre is dominated by Asia-based platforms such as ReelShort, DramaBox and FlareFlow, which hired filmmakers and actors who were unemployed due to constant budget cuts in Hollywood.
“I honestly believe this is the future,” says actor Zachary Shadrin, speaking to AFP during the filming of “Love Through All Seasons.”
“Toxic”
Like many of his Los Angeles colleagues, Shadrin was skeptical at first.
Vertical series are infamous due to the frenetic pace of filming, sometimes completed in as little as five days, but also for their obsession with abusive relationships and violent male protagonists.
“Personally, I find it toxic,” says the actor.
However, she agreed to star in “Love Through All Seasons” on the FlareFlow platform, a “tender” romantic comedy about relationships between people of very different ages.
“It’s not something I’ve seen often in this format,” he explains, adding that he hopes the quality of the scripts will improve.
Several actors who participated in this type of production told AFP that they were pleasantly surprised by the professionalism they noticed on set.
“Sometimes we make fun of some completely ridiculous dialogue,” admits actor Nicholas McDonald. “But everyone takes it with humor and treats it with great professionalism. Because there is money involved.”
The producers say they are not trying to compete with HBO and Netflix, but with TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
The business model of these platforms is simple: they broadcast the first mini-episodes for free and then ask viewers to pay to watch the rest.
Thus, each episode, even if it lasts just a minute, must contain its own plot twist to keep viewers in suspense with simple stories that generally resort to clichés.
“The audience gets hooked right away without having to think too much,” explains Weiyang Li, director of “Love Through All Seasons.”
Producers carefully analyze audience data to identify successful formulas, allowing them to produce dozens of similar series in just a few months.
According to FlareFlow screenwriter Qu Zhiyuan, filming often begins even before the scripts—sometimes inspired by Chinese versions and developed with artificial intelligence—are finished.
The vertical format, designed for smartphone screens, further reduces costs by adjusting the frame around the actors, thus minimizing the need for sets and technical equipment.
While vertical series remain most popular in Asia, the booming US and European markets are more lucrative.
After years marked by studio closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, strikes and tax incentives that push productions elsewhere, this format has become especially attractive in Hollywood.
“I can quit my side jobs to pursue acting. It’s great!” says McDonald, who estimates that 80% of the auditions he attends are for these types of shows.
The vertical series “are coming to light,” he says.
