Yamile Vaena: “Vertical dramas require a new language, fast and bold” [video]

On June 14, 2025, during the second public screening evening organized by the Studio Phocéen association in Paris, Mexican screenwriter Yamile Vaena shared her author's perspective on the narrative upheavals brought about by vertical fiction.

A writer since childhood, rewarded for her first youth stories, Yamile Vaena has explored all formats: short stories, novels, advertising, audio, series, podcasts... before becoming one of the most prolific screenwriters in vertical drama. Her series (A Bride for the Devil, Teach me, touch me, The Alpha's Mate That Calls Wolf...) are among the most viewed on the MyDrama platform , where she is also a consultant and showrunner.

A new narrative language

In her talk, Yamile Vaena talks about how she learned to completely rethink her writing to move from novel to screenplay, then from traditional screenplay to vertical series. "When you write a novel, you develop the characters with words. In a screenplay, you tell the story through actions. But in vertical writing, you have to condense everything into a few seconds." She compares this constraint to the arrival of Twitter and its 140-character messages, which forced writers to get to the point. She says it's a fascinating exercise that has transformed the way she conceives of plots and characters.

The urgency to capture attention

With the influence of TikTok and short-form formats, speed has become a key to success. This constraint forces screenwriters to adopt a more direct pace. And this opens the way to new genres. While romance still dominates, thrillers, comedies, and psychological dramas are gaining ground.

Breaking down prejudices about verticals

When she started writing for these platforms, Yamile faced doubts from her peers: "People asked me why I was leaving feature films for this. But today, it's vertical formats that are evolving, that are gaining momentum. That's where it's happening." She also discusses her current work with producers who are investing in ambitious vertical series, with a demand for narrative and production quality: "It's a new field of innovation."

Intervention to be discovered below.

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