Vertical Micro-Dramas: Storytelling for the Smartphone Moment

Skilled storytelling for vertical micro-dramas is the key to mastering a trend that is now reaching the German-speaking film industry and marketing sector.

What few people know: I have been working with vertical storytelling and native smartphone content formats since 2012 — at a time when this approach was still widely dismissed.

Unlike classical audiovisual formats, vertical micro-dramas follow no fixed rules. They require a deep understanding of mobile dramaturgy, audiovisual grammar, and emotional compression.

Storytellers and media professionals who truly master this specific language remain rare in the German-speaking market.

At the same time, the form and its genres offer substantial potential — for both fictional and factual narratives, as well as for formal experimentation.

Vertical micro-dramas demand condensed storytelling while enabling a flexible content manufactory, with fluid narratives that can be developed further across media.

They reach large and diverse audiences — first and foremost on the smartphone: across generations and social milieus, many of them active and fully engaged in everyday life.

Their vertical, pointed dramaturgy enables “binge-biting”: one or several short episodes can be consumed anytime, anywhere, directly on the smartphone — ideally with headphones.

Every second counts.

Close-ups and emotionally charged moments draw viewers in. Music and sound effects create intimacy, set rhythm, and introduce precise narrative ruptures.

In our first TOP:Talente e.V. workshop on vertical micro-dramas, held under my direction, we consolidated current knowledge, explored genres, developed stories, and produced initial clips — ranging from documentary cartoons and fictional dramas to horror scenarios and journalistic reportages.

I welcome conversations with producers, editorial teams, and recruiters who want to further develop vertical micro-dramas in the German-speaking market and turn them into successful productions.