How to write a vertical drama script
This is not TV.Episodes run one page.Every one ends on a cliffhanger.
What a vertical drama script is
A scripted series shot in 9:16 portrait and watched on a phone. Episodes run 60 to 90 seconds and seasons run 20 to 100 episodes or more. The format started in China and reached the US around 2023 and 2024.
- Length. 350 to 500 words per episode. One page of screenplay.
- Dialogue. Short bursts. No monologues.
- Frame. Close-ups dominate, so describe faces and reactions, not wide shots.
- Endings. Every episode ends on a cliffhanger. Every one.
The three-block episode
Block 1, the hook (0 to 15 seconds, about 150 words)
Open mid-action. Never open on someone waking up or walking into a room. Hit an emotional spike or ask a question the viewer has to answer.
INT. PENTHOUSE, NIGHT. Sofia stares at the pregnancy test. Two lines. She looks up. Marco stands in the doorway. He is not alone. Behind him, wearing the dress from the gala, is her sister.
Block 2, the escalation (15 to 60 seconds, about 250 words)
Every line raises the stakes, reveals new information, adds an obstacle or deepens the conflict. No scenery, no recap, no pauses.
Block 3, the cliffhanger (last 5 to 10 seconds, about 100 words)
Strong endings raise an open question, reveal a shock, force an impossible choice, or freeze on peak emotion. Weak endings stop on a random line or use fake-outs and dream sequences.
The test: read your last line out loud. Would you tap next at midnight on your phone? If not, rewrite it.
Planning 60 to 90 episodes
Most seasons run five acts: setup (episodes 1 to 15), complication (16 to 30), escalation (31 to 50), crisis (51 to 70) and resolution (71 to 90). Inside each act you juggle an A-story, a B-story and sometimes a C-story.
What sells
Romance, revenge, billionaire romance, supernatural and family drama move the most. Think soap opera with tighter pacing.
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