Contract Marriage Micro Drama
A contract marriage micro drama is a vertical series about two people who sign a one year marriage on paper, with clauses and an expiry date, told in short episodes where a clause is read aloud and then broken. In Ziztu you start from the episode 1 brief below and see the price of every shot first.
Updated
The look, in real frames
The middle and right pictures are real frames made in Ziztu; the left is a concept poster. The genre is bright and domestic: apartments, daylight, white and linen, and a paper on every table. The contract is the star prop, so plan an insert of it in every episode.
How a contract marriage micro drama works
- The contract writes the plot. Each clause is a rule, and each broken rule is an episode.
- An expiry date is a clock. One year, thirty days notice, a deadline before an inheritance: the viewer counts down with them.
- Performing in public. They must act married in front of family, friends and an ex. Performance is where the first real feeling leaks out.
- A clause nobody wrote. The last rule, the one that is felt and not signed, is the story the viewer is waiting for.
- A witness who doubts. A grandmother, a sister, a lawyer who asks one question too many.
Write the contract: nine clauses that make plot
Each clause sets something up and gives you a scene when it breaks
| Clause | What it sets up | When it breaks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. One year, no extension | The clock | The last episode, when one asks for more time |
| 2. Separate bedrooms | Proximity without intimacy | A storm, a sofa, a shared blanket |
| 3. Affection in public | Performance | A kiss that was meant to be fake |
| 4. No questions about the past | A secret | A photo found in a drawer |
| 5. Both attend family dinners | Witnesses | A toast that goes wrong |
| 6. Money stays separate | Trust | One pays a bill without telling the other |
| 7. No guests at the apartment | Privacy | An ex appears at the door |
| 8. Either may end it with 30 days notice | An exit | A notice is served, and regretted |
| 9. The last clause the lawyer insisted on | The hook | Read aloud in episode 1; understood in episode 9 |
Pick a clause for each of the first nine episodes and the season plans itself. Keep the contract on one page and show it in an insert, large enough to read in two seconds.
The shape of a season
A contract marriage season is a list of broken rules. Ten episodes is a good first run:
- Ep 1The signing. The clauses, the witness, the first act of performing.
- Ep 2The grandmother. The first dinner, and the first lie.
- Ep 3The public kiss. For the camera, and not only for the camera.
- Ep 4The ex. Someone from the past appears at the door.
- Ep 5The question. The clause about the past is broken.
- Ep 6The fight. A real one, over a fake marriage.
- Ep 7The care. An illness or an accident forces tenderness.
- Ep 8The notice. One of them serves the thirty days.
- Ep 9The last clause. The lawyer's line is understood.
- Ep 10The new contract. A second paper, with one clause.
Four cast archetypes
The example, a signing, needs four faces. Make a character sheet for each one and one for the contract itself.
June Okafor, 28
The bride on paper
- Look
- Shoulder-length braids, a cream blouse, a small gold stud, a bag full of papers.
- Voice
- Bright and ironic.
- Wants
- The money for her mother's clinic.
- Hides
- She read the whole contract twice.
Adam Lindqvist, 31
The husband on paper
- Look
- A grey suit, light brown hair, a careful watch, a wedding ring still in its box.
- Voice
- Polite and precise.
- Wants
- His grandmother's house.
- Hides
- He wrote clause nine himself.
Grandmother Harlow, 78
The witness who doubts
- Look
- A lilac coat, a silver cane, white hair pinned up, sharp eyes.
- Voice
- Warm and impossible to lie to.
- Wants
- To see him happy before the house is sold.
- Hides
- She knows it is a contract.
Mr. Singh, 55
The notary and lawyer
- Look
- A brown suit, a bow tie, half-moon glasses.
- Voice
- Calm and exact.
- Wants
- Everything signed correctly.
- Hides
- He has seen this clause before.
Episode 1, shot by shot: Clause Nine
Contract marriage episode 1 has one job: sign the paper and end on the first time they must perform. The episode below is an example written for this page, not a finished film. It runs 31 seconds in 8 shots, and the credits are the clip prices at 768P from Ziztu's rate card.
Clause Nine: episode 1
| Shot | What happens | Size | Camera | Line | Length | Credits at 768P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A pen scratches a signature on the last page | Insert | Static | No line | 3 s | 30 |
| 2 | A notary's office: a long desk, June and Adam seated apart, afternoon light | Wide | Static | No line | 4 s | 40 |
| 3 | Mr. Singh reads the last clause aloud | Over the shoulder | Static | Mr. Singh: "Clause nine: neither party shall fall in love." | 4 s | 40 |
| 4 | June hides a small smile | Medium close-up | Static | No line | 3 s | 30 |
| 5 | Adam answers, certain | Medium close-up | Static | Adam: "That will not be a problem." | 4 s | 40 |
| 6 | The door opens and Grandmother Harlow comes in with her cane | Medium | Static | No line | 4 s | 40 |
| 7 | Grandmother looks from one to the other | Medium two-shot | Static | Grandmother: "Kiss. As you would if it were true." | 5 s | 50 |
| 8 | June and Adam look at each other and lean in | Medium close-up | Slow push-in | No line | 4 s | 40 |
8 shots31 seconds310 credits for the clips, about $3.72 on Starter
Clause nine is read in shot 3 so the viewer holds the rule before it can be broken. The grandmother enters in shot 6 and makes them perform in shot 7, and the episode stops as they lean in. The paper is the star insert: a pen in shot 1, and the contract on the desk through the scene.
Hooks and last shots to borrow
Ways to open
- She signs a marriage like a lease.
- "Clause nine." Nobody laughs.
- A grandmother who wants proof.
- A ring bought for the contract.
- Two toothbrushes, one bathroom.
Ways to end
- A clause read aloud.
- A signature on the wrong line.
- An unexpected guest at the door.
- A kiss that was not in the contract.
- A notice of thirty days.
Write the last shot first. If you can see it, work backwards; if you cannot, the episode is not ready. How to write a micro drama cliffhanger.
The look
- Bright, domestic light. Daylight apartments, white and linen, wood and plants; the opposite of a thriller.
- A paper on every table. Plan an insert of the contract in each episode, large enough to read in two seconds.
- Two-shots with space between them. Early episodes keep a gap in the frame, and the gap closes episode by episode.
- Warm interiors, cooler offices. The notary and the lawyer scenes are cooler, so home feels like the thaw.
Mistakes that sink a contract marriage series
- A contract with no consequence. Each clause must cost something when it breaks, or the rule is only decoration.
- Too many clauses. Nine is plenty. Every clause you cannot use in an episode is noise.
- The first kiss too soon. Put it in episode 3, and make it for the camera first.
- No outside witness. Family, an ex or a lawyer must watch, or there is nothing to perform for.
- Instant love. Break the rules slowly. The viewer is waiting for the clause nobody wrote.
Start this in Ziztu
Make Clause Nine: start from this brief, then change anything.
A live-action vertical contract marriage micro drama, episode 1: June and Adam, two strangers, sign a one year marriage contract at a notary's office so Adam can inherit his grandmother's house. The notary reads clause nine aloud: "Neither party shall fall in love." Adam's grandmother walks in without warning and asks them to kiss. End as they lean in.
40 free credits, no card: write the script, cast your characters, draw the storyboard and hear the voices. Video starts at $12. You see the price before every generation.
Keep going
- AI micro dramas the hub: examples, genres and how to make one.
- Micro drama genres to compare all eight genres.
- CEO romance micro dramas when the husband on paper is also the boss.
- Micro drama series bible template to write the clauses down.
- Micro drama script template to write the signing scene.
- AI micro drama ideas for more plots in this genre.
- How to write a micro drama cliffhanger for the last shot.
- Micro drama script template to write the episode on paper.
Frequently asked questions
What is a contract marriage micro drama?
A contract marriage micro drama is a short vertical series about two people who marry on paper for a reason such as money or an inheritance, with clauses and an expiry date. Each one to two minute episode reads or breaks a clause and ends on a hook. Ziztu makes them from one idea.
How many clauses should the contract have?
Nine is plenty. One clause per episode of the first nine gives the season its plan: a clock, separate rooms, public affection, no questions, family dinners, money, privacy, an exit and a last clause that is the hook.
How do I make a contract marriage micro drama with AI?
Copy the episode 1 brief on this page into Ziztu, rename the people, let the Director plan the shots and make a character sheet for each of the four cast members. The 31 second plan above costs 310 credits for the clips at 768P, about $3.72 on Starter, before retakes, voices and music. The 40 free credits cover script, cast and storyboard; video starts at $12.
When should the first kiss happen?
Around episode 3, and for the camera first. A kiss in episode 1 spends the genre's tension. The clause nobody wrote, the real feeling, should wait until the second half.
Is a contract marriage the same as a fake relationship?
They overlap. A contract marriage has a signed paper with terms and an end date, which gives you clauses to break and a clock. A fake relationship is usually looser.
