KOCHI: Can a story be presented visually without breaking the attention of a viewer in the first three seconds? If yes, the medium can translate into clicks and open an opportunity in the field of entertainment. This is the premise behind micro drama aka vertical fiction.
With shorter attention span of audiences, production houses across the globe have been exploring cost-effective storytelling and digital platforms that adapt to changing viewing habits. And vertical fiction appears to be positioning itself as one of the most promising segments in visual media.
It presents stories in a series of videos, but compressed into a few minutes, designed primarily for mobile-phone users who consume content quickly and on the go. Unlike the big-screen or television formats, vertical-fiction videos are shot specifically for viewing on mobile-phone screens -- and, that too in the vertical layout.
Many platforms in the state have ventured into micro drama, anticipating a boom.
According to micro-drama actor and writer Shabeer Ahamed, “Vertical fiction is usually presented as one- to three-minute episode dramas. In Malayalam, romantic comedy is a popular subject matter, while in other languages, including Hindi, crime thrillers dominate. The story has to be crisp, but this must be bolstered with technical and artistic quality.”
A recent release that Shabeer wrote had over one lakh views on Instagram alone. And the numbers have been growing.
Realising the potential, more and more companies are seeking good stories for productions in Malayalam and other South Indian languages. Online platforms such as Kuku TV and Story TV, and even mainstream media companies, are also entering the space.
“It is definitely a challenge to present a love story as one- or three-minute videos, that too in series format. But it opens the door for experimentation. It is a known fact that people these days dislike watching mobile videos in horizontal [landscape] mode. This is the extent to which reels and short-form videos have influenced us. It is this shift in culture that is driving us to invest in micro dramas,” said Ragul Chandran, director of the Malayalam micro drama ‘Honey Bee.’
He said that from a producer’s perspective, micro drama involves minimal expenditure. “We finished shooting an eight-episode vertical drama in five days, that too in a three-floor studio set-up with no confusion over location, lighting, etc. Imagine the kind of opportunities it can open up in the field of entertainment,” Ragul shared.
As a producer, Christopher Joseph, founder of Kochi-based RAS Entertainments, has a different opinion. “It is true that the expenses are lower when compared with films or even short films. But there are still questions over revenue generation. Short fiction has greatly expanded our visibility. But, we are yet to reach a stage where it can be relied upon as a sustainable source of income. Currently, the collaborations resulting from such videos are generating the revenue,” Christopher opined. Nevertheless, he believes the format has a future in entertainment, particularly in the drama segment.
“Social-media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and Facebook have been adapting to the growing demand for short-video content. “Instagram, for instance, as a separate space for series videos, which can be labelled accordingly. As a result, those watching an episode will get the next one automatically,” he added.
For cast and crew, micro dramas are also a stepping stone to bigger formats. Several actors who began their careers in vertical fiction have gone to feature in movies, after their performances caught the attention of filmmakers. “The short-span videos, combined with the quality of writing and the production values, attracted me to the format. I have been watching Korean dramas and anime (Japanese series). Though we don’t have anything of that sort here, I believe that micro drama could prove to be successful in Malayalam with simple, feel-good stories,” said Sreelakshmi, who studies German at an institute in Kochi.