James Franco Headlines a 50-Episode Shortical Microdrama Under SAG-AFTRA's Verticals Agreement
'Love, Lies & Frank' is a notable crossover of established talent into mobile-first scripted content, and one of the early productions operating under the union's new vertical terms.
James Franco headlines the fifty-episode microdrama Love, Lies & Frank on Shortical, a notable crossover of established Hollywood talent into mobile-first scripted entertainment.
More significant for the industry: the production is among the early projects operating under SAG-AFTRA’s new Verticals Agreement.
The agreement
For most of the format’s history, vertical productions have operated outside union jurisdiction entirely. Performers worked without guild protections, and productions worked without guild obligations. The Verticals Agreement changes that calculus for productions that opt in, bringing union terms into a format that has had none.
A fifty-episode series with a lead of Franco’s profile choosing to shoot under the agreement is a demonstration that the terms are workable at the format’s pace and budget.
The message
For vertical actors, producers and creators, the message is becoming difficult to ignore. Vertical entertainment is not operating outside Hollywood anymore. It is becoming part of it, with the agreements, the talent and the scrutiny that come with that.
The association welcomes the union’s entry into the format. VPAA’s own standards work is designed to complement guild agreements, not replace them: verified credits, production certification and documentation support apply to union and non-union productions alike, and the association’s aim is for the non-union majority of the format to meet a professional baseline whether or not a guild contract is in place.