60-Second Storytelling Is Cinema Too
Is it Though?
Let Youth Write Youth Stories: Part 2 – 60-Second Cinema
Because we need stories that haven’t been told—written and performed by people living in the middle of it.
We often blame the slow decline of long-form movies in theatres on short attention spans or the convenience of watching at home, where you can pause or skip at will. At the same time, short-form content became not just accessible, but artistically compelling. Creators learned to work within the limits of reels and shorts—and suddenly, we had alternatives to traditional films with impressive writing, music, acting, and cinematography.
What we got wasn't just viral clips. It was storytelling.
Some Instagram creators now run ongoing series with recurring characters, soundtrack choices, cinematic shots—and each “episode” is just one minute long. But it works. That limitation becomes the hook. You follow to keep up, just like you’d binge a show.
Take one of my favourite examples: @eavesdrop.png.
Christian Sullivan, Kaleigh Bleu, and Nicolas Alayo are the creators, writers, and actors of this Instagram-native series. The writing is sharp, fresh, and unlike anything else on your feed. It doesn’t feel like it’s trying to go viral—it feels like it’s trying to tell a story. They’re now onto Season 2. Yes, they’re committed to making Instagram your new OTT platform.
Or take @danaandthewolf, creators of “The Poly Couple.” Their series plays with form in clever ways—incorporating influencers into storylines, setting up a fake podcast within the show (how meta), and looping their original music into scenes to guide audiences toward the work they truly want to be known for. They’re building layered, multiverse-style worlds out of 1-minute clips.
Why does this work?
Because so much of our content is already shaped by the same logic. We used to have “guy on the street” interviews—now we have “therapy-style” confessional interviews. Product reviews became “get ready with me” rants. Everything is a bite-sized moment trying to say something bigger. These story-driven accounts flip that logic and use it to tell fictional, intentional, emotionally resonant narratives.
They also feel raw and personal. There’s no big production house, no gatekeeper. The creators often wear multiple hats—writer, actor, director, editor—and what you get is something totally unique to them. It’s not a studio product. It’s a self-authored world.
These are new stories. They’re not coming out of a pre-approved mould of what works or what sells. They feel like the early indie film era of the internet, except it’s playing out in reels and Shorts.
And if you need proof that this form is booming—just look at ReelShorts, an app that’s amassed over 6 million followers by producing bite-sized dramas. Some call them ridiculous, even lowbrow—but people can’t stop watching. The formula is fast, dramatic, absurd, emotional—everything compressed into 30-60 seconds. It’s a wild commentary on what our brains crave right now.
What a fascinating time to be in love with movies—and to watch them break and rebuild themselves in real time.