Sunset Studios looks to produce small dramas with the debut of permanent sets designed specifically for the vertical format.
The Hudson Pacific Properties-owned brand announced the launch of the collections, developed in partnership with vertical studio Knockout Shorts, at Sunset Las Palmas Studios on Tuesday. Sunset Las Palmas offers a courthouse, apartments, restaurants and a hospital, all adapted from previous productions of major studios.
The sets are designed to accommodate small dramas and traditional film and television productions, according to Sunset Studios, in a move that signals the rise of small drama filming in Los Angeles but also widespread uncertainty about its future.
“These permanent sets are intended to remove friction from the production process,” Sean Griffin, vice president of sales at Sunset Studios, said in a statement. “Creators can walk onto a fully-built, fully-lit, high-quality set and start filming right away, while also enjoying the infrastructure and support provided by leading Hollywood studios.”
Knockout Shorts Studio, based in Los Angeles, is one of many recent startups trying to make inroads by curating small, low-budget, fast-paced dramas. The studio has produced projects including The most eligible heiress, Chains are included and Country of the heart For Drama Box.
The goal of the groups was to “empower creators with speed, flexibility and production value,” said co-founders Matthew Kuo and Chris Crema. “These kits are designed to serve the next generation of storytellers and established productions looking for efficiency without compromising on quality,” the duo added.
The move is notable for Sunset Studios, which has hosted major film productions including… La La Land, High Fidelity, X-Men and I love you, man over the years, but it has not been immune to the recent decline of major studios in content production and significant cost-cutting. like Hollywood Reporter It was recently reported that Netflix — currently an anchor tenant of Sunset Studios — is in final talks to purchase the Radford Studio Center land for approximately $330 million. If this deal goes through, there could be a significant change in the streamer’s footprint in Los Angeles, even as their leases on the Sunset Studios buildings are currently extended through 2031.
Vertical production has its own specific production needs. They tend to shoot in only a few locations to keep costs low and look for striking images (like colors and wallpaper) as well as interesting floors and ceilings on sets, CandyJar executive producer Kelly Ann Parker recently said. THR.
Sunset Las Palmas isn’t the first studio to host a mini-drama, and it likely won’t be the last. In 2025, said Wes Bailey, CEO of SirReel Studio Services THR That verticals “went from something that never happened to something that probably represents somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 percent of the shoots” on his audio platforms. He added, “It may reach more than 50 percent.”
