The size can be "tiny", the value can be large, the duration can be "short", and the quality can be excellent.
——How can China’s high-quality micro-short dramas be more favored by the world?
◆Wu Xiang
During the Spring Festival in 2024, a large number of high-quality micro-short dramas that are highly anticipated by the audience will be launched online, among which "Beyond!" "A Juan" is a live-action mini-series derived from the animated film "The Young Lion", "My Way Home is Windy" is adapted from the popular TV series "Go Where the Wind Is", and "Game of Disguise" is the 2023 blockbuster movie " Derived short plays of "All or Nothing"...the "small" size can also be of great value, the "short" duration can also be of high quality, Chinese short plays that are "small but not weak, short but not shallow, and high-quality" have begun to receive With the attention of audiences around the world, many micro-short drama platforms have made the North American market their main overseas destination.
In the past two years, China’s micro-short dramas have experienced rapid growth. According to statistics, the number of Douyin users actively searching for micro-short dramas every day will triple in 2023. There will be 500 micro-short dramas with a playback volume of over 100 million, of which 12 works will have a playback volume of over 1 billion. The daily playback volume of micro-short dramas will increase. doubled. The so-called micro-short dramas are dramas with a single episode that is no longer than 15 minutes and the shortest is even less than 60 seconds. They present plot highlights in a limited space at high frequency, with a strong sense of suspense and compact plots. Many viewers directly call them "cool". drama".
There is no doubt that the emergence of micro-short dramas is a wake-up call for those "water-filled" TV dramas. Coupled with the short cycle, low cost of setting up scenes, low shooting costs, and many opportunities for monetization, micro-short dramas have also given film and television workers more opportunities. Strong motivation. However, due to the rapid development, micro-short dramas once faced a situation of uneven quality. Many dramas only focused on "enjoyment" and often combined conflicting elements such as comedy fantasy, time travel and rebirth, grassroots counterattacks, rich family secrets, murder detectives, etc. Stewed, there is not much nutritional value in the "pot". Some micro-short dramas lack basic values and public rationality. What they sell is anxiety and poisonous chicken soup.
In November last year, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television made it clear that it would increase the management of online micro-short dramas and take detailed measures from seven aspects, including launching a month-long special rectification work. After standardized management, the micro-short drama industry has been transformed and upgraded. A number of high-quality micro-short dramas such as "Escape from the British Museum" and "I Am a Celebrity" use wonderful stories to convey social values, reflect the development of the times, and give the audience thinking and strength. Let the micro-short drama industry gradually gain respect.
Nowadays, Chinese micro-short dramas have begun to move towards high-quality and high-quality productions. At the first Hangzhou Micro-Short Drama Conference not long ago, management departments, creators, experts and scholars conducted in-depth discussions on the dynamic micro-short dramas and reached a consensus on how to promote the high-quality creation and high-quality development of micro-short dramas. Mango TV has launched the "Quality Short Drama Support Plan", and Douyin has launched the Premium Micro Short Drama Cooperation Plan, announcing that it will join hands with a number of media organizations to focus on the three major themes of "Sunshine, Goodness, and Beauty" in the next year. and "to dreams, to youth, to warmth, to revitalization, to national style, to imagination" to create high-quality micro-short plays. The first batch of co-created high-quality micro-short plays will be launched in March 2024.
These plans are aimed at film and television companies, media organizations, MCN organizations and individual creators, providing financial and traffic support for high-quality micro-short dramas, and encouraging more professional media organizations to join in the creation of high-quality micro-short dramas, which will provide a boost for micro-short dramas. Opening up more possibilities for good. Regular film and television actors are entering the scene one after another, bringing many amazing works to the micro-short drama industry. For example, "Full-time Househusband Training Program" starring the well-known actor Liu Yun, "Twenty-Nine" starring Yang Rong, as well as Hong Kong film director Wang Jing, and actor Gao Yalin, famous for his father role Xia Donghai in "With Children", have also officially announced To enter micro-short dramas, film and television companies such as Huace Film and Television, Ningmeng Film and Television, Changxin Media, and Beijing Wonderful have also accelerated the layout of micro-short dramas, transferring the content quality of long-form dramas to high-quality micro-short dramas.
Chinese micro-short dramas that are getting better and better are also constantly exploring overseas markets. In the past, the "main battlefield" overseas for China's long-form videos was the Southeast Asian market, while China's high-quality micro-short dramas have successfully "exported" their content to many countries and regions around the world. For example, the ReelShort team headquartered in Silicon Valley has begun to try a more localized production method, using overseas shooting teams and using European and American actors. While retaining the core of China's popular short drama themes, it combines themes such as werewolves and vampires that are more familiar to European and American audiences. This creates a more localized short play. The European and American-style "down-to-earth" micro-short dramas that have been packaged locally and each episode lasts less than 2 minutes have attracted more and more local users through promotion on social media platforms.
Whether it is a long video or a short play, all excellent works are the result of concerted efforts and careful polishing of all aspects. As the development of micro-short dramas tends to be standardized, this drama format is developing rapidly. More and more outstanding film and television professionals and institutions are joining. Only by constantly exploring new themes, promoting positive energy, telling good stories in small cuts, and improving the quality of content can we bring more quality products to the audience. (Xinmin Evening News)