China's largest studio backlot Hengdian World Studios is leveraging its resources to capitalize on the booming vertical drama trend sweeping the country, attracting an increasing number of vertical drama crews with an optimization of its sets tailored for the genre.
The backlot has welcomed more than 600 vertical drama crews in the first quarter this year, more than half of last year's total 1,100 crews.
Huaxia Cultural Park, a production base for costume dramas in Hengdian, now hosts dozens of vertical drama crews every day.
"Both the sets and our costumes are becoming increasingly refined. The industry is clearly maturing toward higher production quality," said actor Xia Jinmu.
"Hengdian [now] offers more supporting services and access to massive pools of extras and crew. It's truly a treasure trove for short-form production," said a vertical drama director named Gao Bo.
Huaxia Cultural Park has dozens of specialized sets for various vertical drama genres, and it plans further upgrades to meet growing demand.
"Beyond our costume and modern sets, we're seeing growing demand for virtual production stages. We'll be investing in virtual sets for vertical dramas in the second half of this year," said Shen Tuhang, staff of Huaxia Cultural Park.
China's largest studio backlot adapts to vertical-screen trend amid micro drama booms
