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Dan Villegas on vertical filmmaking: 'Let's embrace it'
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Dan Villegas is embracing a new era of storytelling through vertical short films, a format he believes filmmakers should begin studying as audiences continue to consume content on mobile devices.
Known for his work in traditional cinema, the director admitted that shifting from widescreen filmmaking to vertical framing came with major adjustments, particularly when it came to blocking scenes and composing shots.
“Mahirap siya sa start,” Dan said.
“Sanay tayo sa widescreen format ng TV at pelikula, so ibang discipline talaga ang kailangan sa vertical.”
GMANetwork.com and other entertainment media interviewed Dan during the premiere of his new vertical series Cheese the One last Friday, May 8, at Cinema76 in Quezon City. The four-episode short film was produced by Eden Cheese.
For Dan, one of the biggest challenges was rethinking how scenes are staged within a tighter frame. Unlike conventional filmmaking, where two-shots and wider compositions can naturally carry emotion and movement, vertical storytelling demands tighter, more deliberate framing.
“Parang ise-second-guess mo lagi yung sarili mo. Minsan kailangan mong mag-close-up agad kasi hindi nahuhuli ng frame,” he explained.
“Again, sobra ako nasa learning process right now. Pero na-excite kasi ako, parang gusto kong pag-aralan kung paano magkuwento sa ganitong format.”
The award-winning director also believes vertical storytelling is more than just changing screen orientation. According to him, the shorter runtime significantly affects pacing, editing, cinematography, and even writing.
He explained, “Hindi lang din kasi yung format niya being vertical, it's also the length na parang you have to have a certain kind of pace.
“So not only for the director, but also I think for the editor and for the cinematographer as well because the frames have to be eye-catching and since nga we're used to the widescreen format, iba yung disiplina niya.”
He also noted, “Iba ang pag-edit ng malaki, ng widescreen, na nandoon lang yung attention mo sa parang screen. Parang, 'Pupuutol na ba ako?'
“Kasi, di ba, sa malaki, puwede pa siyang mag-linger pa rin nang konti, parang makapasok yung music, tutuloy yung luha niya, ganyan.
“Pero dito [sa vertical], parang dahil alam mong limited ka ng one minute, two minutes, parang cut na ba ako?”
Talking about Cheese the One, scriptwriter Juan Miguel Sevilla seconded Dan's thoughts on creating vertical shorts.
He related, “Talking to Dan when we were conceptualizing the whole story, wala kang time really to pahingahin yung story. You just really have to catch the juiciest, the most sensational parts of the tropes that we are used to.
“Kaya there's really... parang ano siya, in terms of economy of storytelling, you really have to keep the mood kung ano yung very recognizable and very universal themes. We went for those right away.
“Kaya makikita mo siguro yung mga tropes, yung mga themes that we went with, parang pang two seasons, pang three seasons in four minutes. So, ganyan yung philosophy behind it. Let's keep really pushing it at a breakneck speed. It is the philosophy behind it.”
Embracing change
While some filmmakers remain resistant to the rise of vertical content, Dan sees it as a natural evolution of cinema rather than a threat to traditional filmmaking.
“I'm open to change,” he said.
“Kasi yun nga, parang sa research, ito na yung pinapanood ng mga tao especially kapag downtime, sa traffic, di ba?
“So parang bakit natin i-embrace? Kasi as a filmmaker naman, kaya ka naman nandito kasi gusto mong magkwento. So regardless of kung saan, parang pwede naman dun. Why not? Let's embrace it.
Still, the director clarified that he does not believe vertical storytelling should replace traditional cinema. Instead, he sees both formats coexisting depending on the type of story being told.
“Sa akin kasi, puwede kasing mag-exist both at the same time kasi may mga kuwentong I think babagay para sa isang vertical at may mga kuwentong babagay para sa isang 16x9 or 2.35. So let's embrace [it]. Nandito na siya, e, di ba? So, pwede natin galingan.”
He also compared the current transition to the industry's earlier shift from film to digital, recalling how many creatives initially resisted technological changes before eventually adapting.
“Parang ano siya eh, alam mo yung transition dati from film to digital, nagpalit ng format. Di ba ang daming resistant sa paglipat, nagkaroon ng purists sa pag-shoot sa pelikula, sa film? Di ba yung mga iba naman, let's embrace change.”
Despite the learning curve, Dan said the experience excited him creatively because it pushed him to rethink everything he knew about visual storytelling.
“I think kung titingnan mo sa isang aspeto, masaya siya kasi bago siya. Wala pa talagang na-set na rules. Hopefully, sabay-sabay natin matutuhan kung paano pa ma-improve itong genre na ganito ng paggawa ng pelikula o pagkuwento,” he concluded.
