The Unbearable Mediocrity of Microdramas
A new festival devoted to vertical-video series tries to make a case for the format.
In a single weekend in October, the AMC theater off of New York City's Union Square transformed into a small red carpet, hosting a unique event - the Alza Festival, the first major theatrical event in the United States devoted entirely to microdramas. These vertical dramas, also known as "verticals," are series created to be watched upright on phones, complete with promotional cocktails, exclusive merchandise, and industry panels.
Microdramas typically run 60 to 90 minutes, split into easily digestible episodes, mimicking the scrolling behavior of users on platforms like TikTok. Despite their popularity, many are considered mediocre, featuring wooden performances and clunky stories. The Alza Festival showcased various microdramas, including "Reunion Island," a thriller about reality-dating-show contestants facing mysterious, murderous challenges.
While the format has grown into a global industry, generating $14 billion in revenue this year, the constraints of the microdrama format, such as cliff-hangers and vertical architecture, were evident. Some industry experts argue that the vertical format is a necessary adaptation to meet the changing viewing habits of audiences, but the question remains whether the product championed at the Alza Festival is a durable innovation or a lucrative dud.
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