[Film Industry's Short-Form 2] Direct Production, Vertical Cinema Screenings... The Challenges Continue

Showbox Creates Short-Form Content, Lotte Cinema Premieres Vertical MoviesOfficial: "Short-form is a business with independent growth potential."Short-form content, which seemed unlikely to blend with the film industry, is gaining attention as a new business area, establishing itself as an independent form of content across the film industry. The photo shows "Father's Home Cooking," which met audiences in a vertical cinema format. / Lotte EntertainmentAs the short-form market rapidly grows, its influence is expanding beyond mobile platforms to the entire film industry. Will this trend help it become a new growth engine for the stagnant film industry? delves into the background of short-form growth, the film industry's perspective on it, the possibility of coexistence between short-form and the film industry, and the future direction of the film industry. [THE FACT|Reporter Park Ji-yoon] Short-form content, lasting from tens of seconds to a few minutes, and films with running times of around two hours, with their contrasting grammars of vertical screens and horizontal screens, are meeting. This is because short-form content, which seemed unlikely to blend, is gaining attention as a new business area, establishing itself as an independent form of content across the film industry.First, Showbox, a distributor and investor that has produced numerous blockbuster films such as "The King and the Clown" and "Assassination," has entered the short-form market. Following the announcement of short-form drama production in December last year, they expanded their business by signing business agreements with short-form drama platforms DramaBox and Beaglew.Subsequently, in June, they signed a joint content production contract with global platform Lilshort, and in September, they launched Shortbite, a label specializing in short-form dramas, with plans to release about 20 short-form dramas by the second half of this year. Next year, four films, one series, and four short-form productions are scheduled for release.Showbox has observed the tremendous growth of the short-form market and confirmed its business potential in the process of forming new content distribution and revenue models. They consider it a new content domain with its own production methods and consumption structures, not just a scaled-down version of existing films or dramas.Accordingly, Showbox is jointly producing short-form dramas utilizing Lilshort's IP and expanding its collaboration scope to original content in the future, combining domestic content production capabilities with overseas platform distribution networks. Furthermore, based on the planning expertise accumulated through film and drama production, investment, and distribution, they plan to secure competitiveness in the short-form market, broaden the scope of genres and subjects through Shortbite, and accelerate the acquisition of global distribution networks.Showbox is producing various short dramas by launching Shortbite, a label specializing in short-form dramas. / Work PosterIn this regard, a Showbox official told , "We view the short-form business as a strategic business expansion to respond to the changing content consumption environment and secure new growth opportunities. The film industry has a structure with high volatility in performance due to theater box office results, so we aim to build a more balanced revenue structure by expanding our business areas to dramas and short-form content while maintaining competitiveness in film investment and distribution."He added, "We believe the short-form business has independent growth potential not only by diversifying the risks of the existing film business but also by discovering new creators and IPs and expanding touchpoints with global viewers."Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the stage for short-form is no longer limited to mobile platforms. Currently, Lotte Cinema is showcasing Lezhin Entertainment's short-drama platform Lezhin Snack Contents to audiences.Director Lee Joon-ik's short drama "Father's Home Cooking," who presented films like "King and the Clown" and "The Book of Fish," was the first to be featured. It was first introduced at the "Platform Special Exhibition: Short-form Cinema" at the 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, and then screened at Lotte Cinema in September as a 146-minute work completed by connecting 61 episodes, each about 2-3 minutes long."Father's Home Cooking" maintained the unique grammar of short-form, where short episodes are watched consecutively, but it was presented as a single, continuous story without any interruptions in the theater. By screening the vertical format directly on the screen, it offered a viewing experience distinct from traditional theatrical films.Following this, Lotte Cinema will present "Gwangahn: The Prince's Woman" (directed by Jo Ba-reun), which was previously provided in episode units through Lezhin Snack, as a single, continuous work without episode divisions, starting on the 18th.Lotte Cinema is showcasing "Gwangahn: The Prince's Woman" (left) and "Father's Home Cooking," short drama platform Lezhin Snack Contents from Lezhin Entertainment, to audiences. / Lotte EntertainmentThis move aligns with the recent trend of cinemas strengthening their core competitiveness through the introduction of special halls and improvements in viewing environments, while also expanding the scope of screening content to include performances, lectures, concerts, and sports. The focus is not on replacing existing film screenings or utilizing idle space, but on expanding the formats and genres of content to provide new entertainment to audiences and diversify the reasons for visiting movie theaters.In response, a Lotte Cinema official explained, "We expect to create new opportunities for movie theater visits by providing a differentiated immersive experience unique to cinemas to audiences familiar with mobile content. The screening of various content, including short dramas, in theaters is meaningful in that it expands touchpoints not only with existing movie audiences but also with new content consumer groups."Of course, the results of these expectations are not immediately apparent. The official stated cautiously, "As it is still in the early stages, rather than judging specific audience influx or the effect of linking to general movie viewing, we are focusing on the significance of broadening audience choices and enhancing the value of the theater viewing experience through diverse content."As briefly mentioned earlier, film festivals have also begun to embrace short-form as a new creative area. The 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, by showcasing "Father's Home Cooking" along with "Death of My Beloved," "Wind Up: The Movie," and "After School Exorcism Club: Girls' Night," actively embraced new media and technologies such as OTT and AI (Artificial Intelligence) films, expanding the festival's territory by attempting to attract newly emerging new media formats.So, how are audiences viewing this?Ms. A, a woman in her 20s who watched "Father's Home Cooking," said, "At first, I doubted whether I could immerse myself in a vertical video at the cinema. Honestly, I wasn't immediately immersed when the movie started." She added, "However, the story was warm and the actors' performances were so good that at some point, I naturally became engrossed. In some scenes, even though it was a vertical screen, the actors' faces filled the screen, which was actually good."However, some viewers found it difficult to adapt to watching vertical videos in a theater. Ms. B, a woman in her 20s, said, "The movie was fun, but for some reason, I found it difficult to immerse myself until the end. I regret that I wanted to watch it in the format of a regular theatrical film." She continued, "If vertical cinemas continue in the future, audience interest will likely vary depending on the fun and completeness of the work itself." [Entertainment Desk | ssent@tf.co.kr]jiyoon-1031@tf.co.kr[Film Industry Also Embraces Short-Form 1] From Daily Life to the Content Industry... How Has It Developed?