How vertical dramas are reshaping Hollywood’s job market

When Lilly Lion graduated from the prestigious American Film Institute in June 2024, she was anxious about her prospects.

“It was pretty rough,” Lion said. “The job options were bleak.”

She had enrolled in film school because she wanted to be a director. The movies that inspired her were independent dramas like the films of acclaimed French director Céline Sciamma. But leaving film school, she needed to take whatever job she could find.

“I needed work fast or else I was going to move back to Oregon," Lion said. "And I knew a lot of people working in the vertical world, a lot of the AFI producers.”

That’s how Lion found herself doing second assistant director and script supervising work on sets for micro dramas like Flash Marriage to Mature Tycoon and Pregnant Heiress Pampered by Five Uncles.

Lilly Lion, 30, graduated from the director’s program at American Film Institute in June 2024. In a tough job market for film production, she found regular work in the emerging market of vertical shorts.

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James Chow

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LAist

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What is a micro drama or vertical short?

Vertical shorts or micro dramas are shot vertically to be optimized for watching on a phone. Each episode is usually one to two minutes with a series lasting 20 to 100 episodes.

These shows are available on specific micro drama apps like Reel Short or Drama Box, and they’re designed to be binged.

“The best way I can describe them is basically soap operas for the TikTok era,” said Robert Steiner, media analyst for Luminate, an entertainment industry analytics company. “Very low budgets, huge episode counts, and  the most common subplots of these shows are ‘I secretly married a billionaire’ or ‘my secret life as a werewolf.’”  

Vertical shorts first took off in China around the beginning of the pandemic and have since spread globally. The growth of revenue for the industry has been massive over the last year. In January of 2024, micro dramas made $23 million; this January, $122 million.

What's the impact on the job market in L.A.?

According to Rolling Stone, there are an estimated 30 to 40 vertical shorts productions a month in L.A. These jobs are not as coveted as union jobs. They pay less and can have grueling shooting schedules.

But for Lilly Lion, the recent AFI directing grad, she’s been really grateful to have work at all.

“The benefit of working on a vertical is that they're happening all the time,” Lion said. “They're always employing. As a director and as a writer, I'm able to keep really fresh.”

Lion says most of the people she works with on these shoots are also recent grads who are trying to get their feet in the industry's doors.

And Lion is feeling more hopeful about her career now than she was a year ago.

 “ I'm in a place where I can shoot my next short film, and I'm currently editing a music video,” Lion said. “I feel a lot better now than when I graduated on an independent level. I can't speak for the industry though.”

Are micro dramas the future of Hollywood?

“I don't think micro dramas are going to be winning Emmys anytime soon,” said Steiner, media analyst for Variety. “But I do think it would be unwise for the mainstream industry to look down upon this corner of the industry. If this growth continues, it's only up from here.”