If we could travel back just 40 years to 1985, when 4:3 ruled television screens and we were barely getting used to 16:9 in movie theaters, the idea of experimenting with narrative formats and aspect ratios would have seemed absurd.
Now do the same mental exercise and go back only 10 years: smartphones and personal cameras were everywhere, YouTube was still a kid, and most professionals looked down on short-form content for social platforms, seeing them as a toy for people who “just point and shoot without any art.”
Both moments have something in common. We’ve lived through a radical shift in access to technology, knowledge, and—crucially—ways to monetize storytelling. What once felt foreign to professional creators has completely transformed how we relate to vertical, short-form video.
How has the smartphone changed the way we watch?
Denying the smartphone’s impact on audiences—and therefore on the entire audiovisual industry—would be like trying to cover the sun with one finger. We now carry a full screen in the palm of our hand, and today 75% of all video consumption happens there (Embryo, Vertical Video Stats).
No surprise, then, that the natural way we hold the phone gave birth to the vertical format—the most comfortable way to watch full-screen. Yes, you can rotate the device, but who standing on a bus or grocery shopping actually enjoys doing it? 94% of users keep the phone in the same orientation, even when the content was shot for landscape (Embryo, Vertical Video Stats).
Vertical is not just an adaptation. It’s a different way of telling stories.
Those who truly understand this medium take full advantage of its constraints: new framing, new rhythms, and discovering which genres work best within the time and space limits that audiences actually want on their phones.
Just as we learned that cinema and television each demand their own visual grammar and pacing, we’ve now discovered the same for mobile-first content.
This is not a minor detail—especially when many creators with established channels still believe it’s enough to crop their horizontal pieces to 9:16, ignoring that the narrow screen and one-handed use require an entirely different language.
To produce high-quality micro-episodes (average length: 1 to 4 minutes per chapter in series), you still need a proper script, shot list, storyboard, and camera movements designed specifically for the 9:16 frame—the most common mobile aspect ratio.
And let’s be crystal clear:
Shooting vertically does not mean shooting with a phone.
Today, there are vertical productions made with professional cinema cameras, anamorphic lenses, and top-tier crews. The format doesn’t dictate quality; narrative intention and craft do.
Latin America: Fertile Ground for 9:16
With our production company we’ve worked in places where basic sewage or electricity are luxuries and fiber-optic internet doesn’t exist—but almost everyone has a smartphone. This is not just Colombia’s reality; it’s shared across Latin America and proves the massive reach a well-made vertical product can have when it respects its audience.
Countries like Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina are already producing original vertical micro-series, narrative branded content, and educational projects designed exclusively for mobile. Examples include *Última Canción* (Colombia), a series told entirely through WhatsApp, and the vertical work of Los Notros (Chile) for TikTok and OTT platforms. A genuine ecosystem is emerging where short-form seriality, instant emotion, and mobile-native aesthetics are key to capturing audiences.
New Opportunities for Creation and Funding
This shift is also reshaping monetization and distribution models. In China, a pioneer of the micro-drama format, the vertical industry was already generating $5 billion annually in 2023, with strong growth expected. Digital platforms, public funds, and training programs are now recognizing “vertical format” as a legitimate production category—not a byproduct of horizontal content. This opens real doors for creators, production companies, and institutions willing to bet on mobile-first.
In Colombia, calls like Smartfilms, MinTIC, Cocrea, and Cali en un Reel are increasingly supporting vertical and digital projects focused on innovation and impact.
At the latest MIPCancún, ReelShort established itself as the leading vertical fiction platform in the region. In just one year in Latin America, it has released nearly 40 original titles produced in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina (with Peru and Spain coming soon). The company has learned fast that global hits don’t automatically translate, so it now prioritizes romantic stories tailored to local tastes. Most importantly, it has created an entirely new industry that forces writers and directors to master the 9:16 language and is actively opening doors to co-productions with Latin American producers.
Bottom line: vertical is no longer a trend—it’s serious business and a concrete opportunity for the region.
Studio AYMAC: Betting on Mobile-First
We’ve chosen this path not as a reaction to algorithms, but as a deliberate commitment to building new forms of connection, representation, and sustainability in contemporary storytelling.
Got a story that only works in vertical?
That’s exactly what we’re looking for at Studio AYMAC: mobile-first projects with their own authentic language.
Write to us today. We want to produce it with you!
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