\n\tCheap, kind of, and janky, sure, but these undeniably addictive shorts \u2014 bite-sized episodes that are meant for mobile, vertical viewing \u2014 have become a veritable lifeline for actors, writers, producers and directors who are desperate to break into an ever-exclusive industry. Apps like the Crazy Maple Studios-owned ReelShort are providing a constant stream of opportunities right here in Los Angeles for folks who don\u2019t mind working on non-union projects with titles like \u201cSleep with Me Mortal!\u201d and \u201cRuthless Mafia Daddy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tOn any given day, a majority of the casting calls on Breakdown Services are for short-form dramas that can be accessed by consumers via free (until its time to subscribe) apps.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThey\u2019ve exploded,\u201d explains Skyfire Artists manager Ryan Luevano of micro-dramas. \u201cHere\u2019s the thing, they\u2019re profitable, right? And these companies that are making them have a system and they make them quick. They shoot quickly and shoot efficiently. When I\u2019m looking for work for clients daily, I would say verticals make up 60% of the work that is currently out there. Without them, there would be 60% less opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAnd the pay isn\u2019t shabby. Leuvano said he recently booked a client on a feature for $150 a day when most verticals for supporting characters start at $300 a day. Leads can earn upwards of $1,000 a day. And if you are someone like Drews, you can earn a steady stream of cash by working exclusively for ReelShort.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI\u2019ve met a lot of wonderful people. We make a lot of wonderful connections,\u201d says Drews, who is SAG eligible because of a previous film role. \u201cYes, I would love to do SAG work, but there isn\u2019t anything right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tFor director Anthony Fanelli, who helmed the ReelShort vertical that stars Drews, making micro-dramas offers a \u201ccollaborative atmosphere\u201d that is rarely mired in delays, especially on the post side. And since the scripts are \u201cvery meticulous from a marketing standpoint in terms of what is going to hook the audience,\u201d Fanelli knows exactly what is expected of him. <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThey\u2019ve been keeping me pretty busy and the goal, and as of right now, is that this is what I\u2019m doing for the foreseeable future, unless fans such don\u2019t like me anymore,\u201d says Fanelli, who\u2019s already done several minis for ReelShort.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-deadline-2019\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\tDirector Anthony Fanelli, left in baseball cap, directing a ReelShort micro-drama.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLynette Rice\/Deadline<\/p>\n
\n\tBesides the upside of decent pay and working in Los Angeles, micro-dramas operate in relative anonymity, meaning a lead role in a cheesy vertical with themes of forbidden love, murder or betrayal aren\u2019t likely to be on the radar of film and TV producers. In fact, when Deadline assembled a recent roundtable of Emmy-nominated casting directors, none of the participants had even heard of verticals. <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cNo one [in the industry] is watching these things,\u201d observes one longtime acting coach, who encourages her junior clients to consider doing them as a way to get their feet wet. \u201cActors can do any many as they want. It won\u2019t impact their careers unless they\u2019re doing something super smutty and it becomes a problem later on if they get a job with Disney.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThe downside, of course, is the quality the scripts, many of which are written by younger writers straight out of film school. (ReelShort also maintains an in-house stable of writers, a plus for newbies looking for full-time gigs).<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThe stories are outrageous, and the dialogue is very two-dimensional,\u201d admits Luevano. \u201cThis isn\u2019t Shakespeare, but it\u2019s also not what it\u2019s about. It\u2019s the modern-day soap opera. They\u2019re written for Gen Z, and they\u2019re consuming them on TikTok and Instagram and all these other platforms. Actors forget that we only have the film and television industry because of commercials. That\u2019s how television started. It was a means to get commercials to people. It\u2019s all commodity.\u201d<\/p>\n