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“You’ve got the juice,” I wrote in big letters and underlined it twice in my Independent Film Forum notes. Your girlfriend likes the product. Asked for advice for filmmakers trying to break in, Alexander Ullom (Director, it ends) reminded us to stay firm in our creative vision and remember that “you have the juice.” It’s something that often gets forgotten between pitch meetings, networking notes, and an endless sea of scripts waiting for approval. The takeaway from digital-focused panels at the Film Independent Forum was that these filmmakers weren’t waiting for permission from studios and executives. They knew they had something and they carved out a way to convey it to their audience.
The Vertical Storytelling panel featured Wendy Calhoun (Executive Producer; Rookie Feds, empire) This meant experimenting with new formats. “empire Standing on a classical stage lion in winterSet in the world of hip hop with Shakespearean succession stakes. It felt fresh to reinterpret a familiar classic into a primetime broadcast drama full of pop culture. Microseries plays in the same sandbox,” says Calhoun, who also produces and directs the microdrama.
On ‘Breaking the Big Screen’, moderated by Missy Laney (film and TV producer), we heard from a generation of filmmakers who have enjoyed the opportunity to learn, experiment and publish in real time as part of the ‘YouTube Generation’. And part of real-time publishing is nearly instantaneous audience feedback. Digital creators have the ability to meet their audiences where they are. This means you can literally give people exactly what they are asking for. If you listen. This does not mean that you should ignore your inner compass, but rather that you should trust yourself enough to listen to your audience without losing sight of what is true to yourself.
Vivian Wang (writer; Sleeping with a Billionaire Enemy, Alpha King’s Mistake) tells you that your vertical audience is looking for direct entertainment. She is humbled and empowered by the knowledge that she does not create art on her own. “We are creating for the audience and we know what they want,” Wang said, adding that people are looking for relaxation and entertainment after a long day. “People aren’t looking at things on their phones to learn lessons.”
But people is I’m watching. Lunar Ticks, the bilingual writing team co-founded by Wang, has surpassed one billion views across the series they have written and localized in about three years. According to ReutersAbout 66 million monthly active users in the U.S. watch microdramas, and the format generated $1.5 billion in revenue in the U.S. this year. It’s no surprise that more and more traditional Hollywood players are moving over to mobile platforms. But beyond the earning potential, this format gives storytellers the opportunity to quickly connect with their audience. This is something all digital creators have in common. Katy Fishell (comedy writer, cartoonist) captivated an entire generation with her ability to turn ideas into ideas on the drive home. cartoons on social media Just a few days later.
While traditional development cycles can span years, categories move from page to launch in a matter of months. (The average cycle from ideation to release is said to be 3!) Tiffany Yvonne Cox (Writer/Director, Mr. Mr. Right Leave it to Right; actor, reasonable doubt) spoke about going to “your own school” and not waiting for perfection. Cox independently created her own vertical series to make herself famous, and currently writes and directs microdramas in between appearing on broadcast TV shows. For the most part, I have no intention of giving up on the horizontal world. The categories are simply the latest platforms.
Now that YouTube is approaching its 20th anniversary, it’s hard to remember when it became a new platform. But there was a time when a thick line was drawn between digital creations and traditional Hollywood creations. These days, during awards season, it’s almost expected to see an Oscar winner eating hot wings on the Internet. And from 2029 academy awards Streamed on YouTube. I ask half-jokingly. Could TikTok be next?
Dawn Yang, Global Head of Entertainment and Microseries at TikTok, spoke about how TikTok offers a unique viewing experience. “We’re giving you a new way to watch with people who aren’t part of your social circle but like the same content you do,” Yang said. And viewers don’t just scroll – they stay. research Omdia What we see is that vertical platforms outperform streamers in terms of mobile engagement. “U.S. users now spend more time per day watching microdramas on mobile apps than watching Netflix, Disney+, or Amazon Prime Video on their mobile devices,” the report states.
With data like this, I wonder what an “intrusion” looks like. The consensus on both panels was that no one really knows anymore because things are changing beneath our feet. In the digital age, art can move at the speed of technology. By the time you finish reading this article, you will have 10 new formats available for download in the palm of your hand. That said, even if the panel audience had no idea what was inside the house, they still wanted advice on how to break in. Advice ranges from “Make a movie with your friends” and “They’ll find you when you’re ready” to Mark Duplass’ “The cavalry is not coming.” The speech is essential viewing.
Panelists also touched on bad advice. When making his first film, many people thought of Nicolas Curcio (writer; play house, chlorine), “This is your one-shot.” But Curcio disagrees. Contrary to Eminem’s song, he said, “You want to do your best, but you can never succeed just once. There are millions of stories of people who didn’t get it right.” [on the first try]But later it worked out.” Other overrated industry advice included focusing on securing an agent or manager first. The panelists widely agreed that having representation is great because it gets you in the room, but it doesn’t guarantee the job. Focus on making your material something you can trust. This is it YouTubers who made horror movies this summer It has begun. He made something he believed in, built an audience, and then followed it all the way to the box office.
While the YouTube panel focused more on the transition from social platforms to the big screen, vertical storytellers were more interested in how the mobile screen itself could become a destination. We’re not there yet, but many vertical producers, like Elizabeth Dell and Hernan Lopez, envision a world where microdramas reach the same cinematic level as television. Before David Lynch made it twin peaks (1990), People said television would never get there either.
PS: What is a microdrama? Check out the last of us movie independent article Find out more about what they are, where they come from and why they are here to stay.
Find the full panel discussion on Film Independent’s YouTube. here.
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