SAG-AFTRA has become the latest Hollywood union to acknowledge the rise of verticals.
The performers’ union stated on Monday that a contract specifically tailored to the booming microdrama format would be forthcoming by the end of the month. This “Verticals Agreement” will cover projects that have budgets of under $300,000, in keeping with the typically small budgets and tight turnarounds of these made-for-mobile titles.
SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin called verticals an “exciting new space” in a statement. “This fast-evolving format is catching on and we are here to support our performers as they pursue their craft and engage this new business model,” Astin said. “By offering a contract that is tailored to the unique needs of these projects, our union is meeting the moment. As the business of verticals experiences substantial growth, so too will our relationship with the producers.”
Filmed in portrait mode, “verticals” are serialized stories that are often divided into increments of one to a three minutes. The most popular verticals platforms at the moment, like DramaBox and ReelShort, for the most part offer romance stories that are on the soapy and melodramatic side — with titles like Fake Dating My Rich Nemesis and Claimed By My Ex’s Alpha Brother.
Budgets for projects on ReelShort tend to fall under $300,000, as The Hollywood Reporter has previously reported.
As underemployed Hollywood workers have increasingly turned to these microdramas in the absence of traditional entertainment opportunities, unions have begun to take notice of the space. Crew union IATSE is exploring the possibilities. The Writers Guild of America West, which told its members in September that the projects could be covered under its contract, is also on it.
For burgeoning actors, verticals have recently offered the chance to gain on-camera experience in a tight job market.
“This agreement works for the realities of these productions — their pace, their budgets, and their creative ambitions, while upholding the union’s core standards of actor protections,” SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said in a statement. “This agreement works for the realities of these productions — their pace, their budgets, and their creative ambitions, while upholding the union’s core standards of actor protections.”
The new agreement arrives as traditional Hollywood is attempting to make inroads in the format. Just last week, Fox Entertainment announced it had taken an equity stake in verticals company Holywater, which incorporates AI in its production process. Veteran media exec Lloyd Braun, formerly of ABC and WME, has entered the space with a new company MicroCo.
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