From LA soundstages to Shanghai studios, microdramas are rewriting how stories are made
French-Taiwanese producer Vincent Wang and line producer Kyle Vertin talk while filming ‘Love Through All Seasons’ at the Wrensmoor Castle in California. Photo: AFP
In a faux castle perched above Los Angeles, cameras are turned sideways, lights are harsh and dialogue is fast. A small crew squeezes into a bedroom to film a raunchy affair scene while a Chinese producer watches closely.
It looks like Hollywood, but not quite. This is the new world of "vertical dramas" - algorithm-driven, smartphone-sized soap operas filmed at breakneck speed and consumed in one-minute bursts.
Once dismissed as kitsch imports from China, these micro-serials have exploded into a multi-billion-dollar industry, merging technology, global production and internet addiction.
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