Mobile video is a big deal, but you dont need me to tell you that.
Instagram launched IGTV in 2018, and is pushing creators toexplore whats possiblefor mobile video.
Netflix introduced vertical30-second previews, and is now experimenting with mobile-first features likevibrating movies.
![[Best of 2019] Chinese vertical dramas made for phone viewing show the future of mobile video](https://img-cdn.tnwcdn.com/image?fit=1280%2C720&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2019%2F07%2F51.png&signature=2357294cbd41fe734a6e04b5501acc97)
Spotify is releasingvertical music videos.
Snap is delivering plenty of premium mobile video content with itsSnap Originals,andhasmoreon the way.
But compared to traditional videos which have been aroundsince 1895, mobile video is still a newborn baby.
And for new parents, a good way to learn parenting is to look at what others are doing.
Vertical dramas are what Chinese producers call their scripted content made especially for vertical mobile play.
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Soon after, iQiyi, a production company under the other Chinese giant Baidu, released the slice-of-life sitcomUgh!
(;Shenghuo dui wo xiashoule)in the same year.
Smaller players have also entered the vertical playing field with more modestly-scaled productions.
A notable example isMr Yan Dong!
Whats remarkable about vertical drama is that its not just any scripted content cropped for a vertical aspect ratio.
These shows are specifically imagined for the mobile screen from the ground up.
This is evident in three features they all share.
Super short episodes
An episode in a vertical drama is typically between two and five minutes.
Theyre written to deliver each plot-point or punchline as quickly as possible.
Vertical is treated as a genre
The great majority of vertical dramas released so far have a comedic dimension.
Both of these elements are a great fit for mobile.
Just as television has properties that suit certain content better than feature films, so does vertical mobile video.
Namely, the medium is good for a lot of intense, fast-paced, and personal moments.
But it also allows each moment on screen to contain more information.
This results in a visually fragmented viewing experience that is nonetheless fluid and dynamic.
We can also consider the mobile screens form factor.
The large film screen, through its overwhelming size, attempts to immerse the cinema-goer in another world.
