Alza brings vertical to the cinema

New York City's first microdrama film festival, Alza, took place October sixteenth through eighteenth. Founded by former Tribeca Festival chief operating officer Pete Torres, it showcased vertical screen stories on cinema screens.

What is a microdrama?

Microdramas are short-form vertical videos designed for mobile phones. At Alza, full-length features like director Jerry Bradford's Pride and Prejudice adaptation were cut into short episodes for microdrama apps.

The strange cinema experience

Watching vertical content on massive cinema screens created jarring jump cuts and abrupt soundtrack changes. Shorter series like Blood Surfer and collections like disability rights activist Lachi Music's Glam Struts worked better.

Platforms push vertical to TV

Instagram and Vurt have rolled out dedicated smart TV apps to keep vertical video viewers on their couches. Disney Plus, Netflix, and HBO Max are experimenting with feeds of vertical clips.

The audience at Alza

Many festival attendees were middle-aged women. Screenings were not packed, but viewers laughed and gasped at steamy romance-forward dramas, with festival staff encouraging people to sit at the front.

GammaTime targets women viewers

GammaTime, founded by former Miramax CEO Bill Block, designs its microdrama library to appeal to women at different times of day. The platform offers easy watches, rom-coms, and spicier content for evening viewing.

Block on daytime TV viewers

Bill Block said daytime TV viewers have migrated to microdramas and social media. He described the new viewing pattern as people watching at the office, at home, and late at night.

“They're at home, too, but this is the new daytime, the new 5, 6PM, and the new 10PM plus.”

GammaTime's marketing edge

GammaTime has outsourced much of its marketing overseas. Block credited partner Slava Mudrykh and his customer acquisition, AI, and marketing teams in Tel Aviv as the brains of the operation.

Paskowitz wins but expresses doubt

Director Salvador Paskowitz, who cowrote The Age of Adaline, won Alza's best director award for his ninety-minute comedy Layover. He expressed skepticism about microdramas as a viable career path for filmmakers.

AI threatens the industry

Paskowitz said companies like ReelShort and DramaBox went too far with AI. He criticized American companies entering the space, saying there is so much nebulosity and nobody actually watches the stuff they are making.

“There's so much nebulosity in this space, and it just seems like a lot of times, nobody actually watches the stuff they're making.”

The slippery slope of AI

Paskowitz warned that using generative AI in film production erases the human element. He produced Layover traditionally and opposes hybrid productions because studios cut corners and audiences notice.

“That idea sends chills through my body because it starts with 'Let's replace that tree, let's replace all these buildings, let's replace all the background work.' And then at some point, it's 'Look, we've come so far. Let's just replace all the actors.”

Real people behind the content

Most projects at Alza starred human actors who seemed proud of their work. Despite concerns about AI and production values, real people are making these microdramas and sharing them with audiences.

Block's dark joke about decline

Bill Block jokingly said the rise of vertical content is all part of the decline of the West. Block and Sullivan stressed he was not being serious, but the comment reflected concerns about the industry.

“is all part of the decline of the West.”

The uncertain future of verticals

Vertical microdrama production has become a multibillion-dollar industry. Yet their cheesiness, lackluster production values, and formulaic stories do not make them feel ready for mainstream acceptance or red carpet treatment.