We are delighted to announce a partnership with ReelShort, who has optioned the first three books in the Hidden Legacy series. The Nevada trilogy is coming to a very small screen.
What is ReelShort? ReelShort is a platform that produces video designed to be viewed on your phone or tablet. The episodes are short, usually 1-2 minutes each, but there will be a lot of them, about 60-80 per book. This format is often called vertical drama, because you swipe up on the phone to get to the next episode. ReelShort is based in Silicon Valley with production hubs in LA, Atlanta, and New York.
We are very excited about this development. We do not have a date for you at this point, so more to come.
A small warning: screen adaptations often fall apart before ever getting released. We are, however, optimistic, because ReelShort reached out to us, and they seem to be very enthusiastic about this project. We expect this to be completely over the top in the most hilarious of ways.
AI usage
ReelShort is a wide platform. They produce their own content but they also license existing content from other markets. Some of these licensed dramas are AI.
We have it in writing that ReelShort will be hiring all HUMAN talent for this production. Meaning no AI actors will be used for human roles in this adaptation.
Explanation of AI usage and Ilona Andrews, Inc. stance
Everything that follows in this section is our opinion and views and does not reflect ReelShort’s policies.
Vertical dramas are very popular in China. It is a $15 billion dollar market.
According to China’s National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) and the China Netcasting Services Association, over 90% of recently released vertical micro-dramas rely heavily on generative AI.
Here is a Youtube video from Today.
This is Xu Peng, one of the talented Chinese actors who has now retired from acting at the age of 30.
His roles dried up because China shifted to AI in a microdrama market. You can read the full article at CNA Lifestyle. He now sells vegetables, which is a great job as well, but that is not why he went to an acting college.
We do not want to see it happen in US. Kid 2’s friend is an actress, who is currently in LA, and she says that a lot of studios drastically scaled back the number of projects. There are fewer and fewer roles available already.
For these reasons, we strongly insisted on no AI replacement of human actors.
Why the distinction of human?
We have to be realistic. AI is horrible for environment, but right now it is a relatively inexpensive way to generate special effects. One instance where it can be used to a good effect is in potentially dangerous scenes featuring animals.
We are not going to link it here, but one of the Soviet era films has a scene that deeply scarred Ilona as a child. The film was released in 1966, and in it, a horse attempts to walk down the stairs, falls, and breaks her leg. They left it in.
We do not oppose the use of AI for scenes where animals could be potentially injured.
First? Also, I had no idea reelshorts are a thing. I hope the project will be realized!
First!
I’m irrationally excited about this, given that I usually get the newsletter on – in my time zone – the next day! Thank you for allowing AI to spare animals from potential harm. I watched the Horse Whisperer as a child and the horse’s injuries depicted there, which weren’t real, scarred me.
Oh, that sounds really interesting! It’s hard to imagine such short little scenes but I’m sure I’ll watch them. Thanks for insisting on human actors.
I know you don’t discuss numbers, but can you give a very generic idea of sales in China if you sell there at all? Like sales are “fine”?
Actually, if sales in China were “fine” you’d probably retire the day after Maggie 3 was released. That’s a huge market.
We do not have a presence in China. We do not expect to make any money there.
Translations of our work are available in Taiwan from Gaia.
Wow! An unexplored universe. Thanks for the answer.
Squeal!!
My spouse is a non reader who is locked into those 2 minute tik toks that tell a story like reel shorts so even though video content is not my cup of tea I’m still kind of excited about this. Maybe we’ll finally be able to talk about my favorite books!
Maybe they can hire Xu Peng to play Stephen Jiang!
That’s an awesome idea if they do Catalina’s books
Very cool! I watched on of these on accident back in my TikTok days and it was very compelling. And your logic on the AI usage makes sense, not that you need my individual approval! I appreciate it, though.
I went down the rabbit hole of vertical drama addiction a while ago. Lol. The dopamine hits are real, it is explaining the companies can make so much money. Having said that I still indulge once in a while I’m just more selective. Lol. I will definitely check out the hidden legacy series but I will wait until each book is complete – they really get out on the cliffhangers and I am not a patient person. Lol. Good luck with this new adventure.
Very excited for this. I love the Baylors
I’ve never watched anything like that before. Are they purchased where they can be watched over and over again or is it pay per watch?
It’s more like you can watch one, adds, 2 or 3 and then adds and adds, and tomorrow again, and they end always on cliffhanger, and you can pay if you want no adds. But don’t if you can get through the adds.
The breakdown is here:
https://www.reelshort.com/fandom/how-much-does-reelshort-cost-01-25-1a2b555/
and here:
https://www.reelshort.com/fandom/reelshort-subscription-01-25-1a2b555/
Basically: the viewer can watch ads to get coins, or pay for them by buying in packs or subscribing. Buying coin packs can get expensive. I’ll email you.
So happy that House Andrews are taking a stance on AI. Even though I do not use AI, I see it’s pervasive presence all over the internet.
I will keep an open mind, and look forward to this.
I have the real short app, I watched some serial romance, but it is vary short indeed and I don’t have the patience. Amazing happy coincidence, and it is with actors, very very over the top ridiculous, but it is kinda mesmerizing. I didn’t know they are doing books. Good luck with it!
I learn so many alternative media things by your blog! Thanks as always for all your stories and universes.
I could see AI being a good option for constructs like Cinder, or the giant crocodile-horse, rhino, and tiger in Wildfire. Constructed actors are such divas.
I’ve never heard of this but it sounds super cool! Is it like an app? Whatever I’m here for it whenever it comes out 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻!!
Interesting! I’m eager to see this when (if) it gets made! Never heard of them before; not surprising as I haven’t (yet) gotten into webcomics and such. I view them as a potentially dangerous distraction, and I’m already too easily distracted. But I will definitely make time for Hidden Legacy in any format!
Very excited for House Andrews, I hope this is a lucrative path for you!
how funny! I recently just found the vertical drama rabbit hole and it’s been like 2 weeks and I’m watching two or three a day lol. I can’t wait to see what they do with these books!
thank you! glad to see my favorite authors have similar values to mine!
my question is and it’s super low in issue or priority. is what does the paywall per episode going to look like? I’ll go look at reeltshort myself BUT I hope it’s not too expensive. in my very limited experience usually the first couple episodes are free then after that it’s cost per episode and it can really add up depending on who is doing it.
looking at it if you don’t do VIP, and you buy all your coins which you buy at the smallest increment 525 coins for $4.99 and 60 coins an episode and don’t watch ads it’s 30-50$ ish dollars a book.
Wow. This is huge. Fingers crossed it all works out the way you envisage. I am so happy for you! And good on you for insisting on human actors. 👏
Congratulations on potentially conquering a new format!
Congratulations! Fingers crossed is work out
I am all good for AI for certain magical animals and in dangerous situations for real animals – and humans for certain stunts. Great stance to have!
I’ve fallen into the short story AI trap and always feel dirty afterwards. So thank you!
Good luck with this new format.
This sound quite promising! I hope the adaptation is reasonably true to the story. Looking forward to trying it.
Thank you for opposing AI. I don’t care how cheap it is to use, I strongly oppose putting people out of work. I’m willing to pay extra to keep jobs! I don’t care what industry we’re talking about.
I have seen some ReelShorts (and others of that ilk) on TikTok. I got to the point where I stopped watching those AI dramas because I noticed a marked violence toward women – a LOT of slapping, hitting, punching, kicking, humiliation, even murder, etc. – that made me very uncomfortable. Additionally, the depiction of women characters seemed to run along the whore/madonna axis: the heroine was often portrayed as very honorable, morally pure, long-suffering, stalwart, innocent, generous, kind, inventive, intelligent, etc., and the villainess (there is always at least one and often two, a younger and an older version) is portrayed as oversexed, manipulative, scheming, cut-throat, bloodthirsty, murderous, and SHRIEKING. (So much shrieking!) And the men don’t always fare a lot better. A lot of the male characters (an overabundance of which look and sound like Henry Cavill, Lee Pace, and Jeremy Irons) seem too stupid to live and willing dupes and partners of the “scheming women.” There were a few I saw I really liked, but like I said, in general they did start to feel subversive and dangerous to me as a woman living now in a time of increasing sexism and misogyny.
All that being said, OF COURSE I will watch any ReelShort of the Hidden Legacy series!!! Are you kidding me?!?! Wheeee! And since I have great confidence in the source material, I feel positive that the final product will be true to the Hidden Legacy story and characters.
I love verticals and have a hard time finding non-ai ones these days. Thank you for your stance and contract language 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤️
oh now THIS, I am excited for!
I don’t listen to audio books–I am very visually dependent so audios just don’t work for me. But THIS?? Yay!!