Instagram gets in on the scripted series game with Shield 5

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Can't say I saw this coming; Instagram unveiled their first exclusive scripted series today which will either prove to be the first of a new generation of micro-television or a cautionary tale of what happens when a photo-sharing app decides to become Netflix. Instagram's new series, which goes by Shield 5, will run throughout the month of February with one 15-second "episode" debuting each day accompanied by a photograph that will also be an intrinsic part of the story.

You can check out the first episode of Shield 5 below.

Shield 5 stars Christian Cooke (Magic City) as John Swift, a security driver who is "arrested for his involvement in a diamond heist and subsequent death of a colleague. Determined to prove his innocence, he finds himself on the run from both the police and those he believes have framed him. Embroiled in a perilous game of cat and mouse, he tries to evade capture long enough to uncover the truth." It will be interesting to see how Shield 5 will be received and, perhaps more importantly, if it will inspire more of what Instagram calls "social cinema."

Do you see a future for social cinema?