China News Service, Beijing, March 7 (Liu Yue) Actor Ning Jing's words in a variety show have once again caused heated discussions about "micro-short dramas".

　　"I paid to watch more than a hundred episodes of those ridiculous short dramas. They are really awesome!"

　　Tranquility is not an exception.

At a time when Hengdian has become a "vertical store", myths about "earning 100 million from a short drama" abound. The entry of famous directors such as Stephen Chow and Wong Jing has added to the brutal growth of micro-short dramas. fire.

　　Behind the scenes of "shooting in seven days and breaking 100 million in eight days", the new format formed by micro-short dramas has attracted close attention from entertainment practitioners and has become a hot topic during the National Two Sessions in 2024.

  Zhao Dongling, deputy to the National People's Congress and former deputy artistic director of Shandong Film and Television Production Center, talks about micro-short plays.

New video in picture source

The barbaric growth of micro-short drama

　　In just a few years, micro-short dramas have exploded.

　　According to the "2023 China Micro-Short Drama Market Research Report", the short drama market size in 2023 will be 37.39 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 267.65%.

In 2023, "The Son-in-law Wushuang" leveraged 100 million recharges at a small cost; in the beginning of 2024, the daily recharge volume of "I Was a Stepmother in the 1980s" exceeded 20 million online.

　　From the counterattack of the coward son-in-law to Cinderella falling in love with the boss, this type of micro-short drama with a tight rhythm and constant entertainment has become a new generation of "trendy fast food".

  Poster for the mini-series "I Became a Stepmother in the 1980s"

　　In this regard, Zhao Dongling, a representative of the National People's Congress and the former deputy artistic director of the Shandong Film and Television Production Center, said in an interview with a reporter from China News Service that the key to the popularity of micro-short dramas lies in the creator's keen grasp of the audience's emotional and refreshing points.

The emergence of micro-short dramas will have an impact on traditional film and television dramas. Screenwriters of long-form dramas should face the challenge head-on and strive to write better scripts.

　　Zhang Kaili, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, held the same opinion.

She emphasized that short plays and TV series should have their own merits.

Short plays are both a challenge and a push for TV dramas.

TV dramas must strengthen themselves, become bigger and better, and develop together.

　　In addition, Zhang Kaili revealed to the media that in this year's proposal, she will recommend promoting the healthy development of the film and television micro-short drama industry, strengthening the creation of realist themes in micro-short dramas, and setting up relevant award mechanisms to make "large traffic" become "positive energy."

Micro-short plays radiate the cultural tourism industry

　　“When you come to Shanghai, why don’t you try Bao Zong’s steamed rice and pork ribs rice cake at the Peace Hotel!”

　　"Flowers" made Huanghe Road the "top stream" in Shanghai, and "Hurious" accelerated the "turbulence" of cultural tourism in Jiangmen, Guangdong. The combination of film and television + cultural tourism has already become a breakthrough in the cultural tourism industry.

　　Compared with film and television dramas that often cost hundreds of millions in investment, micro-short dramas have low costs and short production cycles.

Local cultural tourism has been testing the waters frequently. Fuding City in Fujian Province has launched short dramas such as "Mountains and Seas in Fuding", Shanxi Province has launched "Spiritual Journey", and Chongqing City has launched "Temperature".

  Tourists take photos in front of the Peace Hotel.

Photo by China News Service reporter Tang Yanjun

　　Wang Liping, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and vice chairman of the China Television Artists Association, pointed out that micro-short dramas should not only tell good stories but also integrate culture and tourism.

Successful micro-short plays often integrate regional characteristics and exciting stories, leaving a deep impression on the audience.

　　She said that with policy support and technological development, creators have more opportunities and challenges, and they need to work hard to create more influential and lasting works to achieve the transformation from internet celebrity to long-term celebrity.

Get rid of the bad and keep the good, tell more and better Chinese stories

　　Barbaric growth is often accompanied by mud and sand.

　　Since its birth, there have been many micro-short dramas with good reputations: "Escape from the British Museum" triggered a craze for cultural relics protection; "Twenty-Nine" showed the charm of professional women; "Snow on the East Side" made its mark with oriental aesthetics...

　　However, the uneven quality of micro-short dramas has always been a pain point in the micro-short drama industry.

In November 2023, the "Black Lotus Advancement Manual" was removed from the platform within a week of its launch.

　　Subsequently, WeChat issued an announcement saying that it "exaggerates bad values, confuses concepts of right and wrong, and destroys the good ecology of the platform."

Since then, the three major short video platforms WeChat, Douyin, and Kuaishou have taken action one after another and removed many illegal works.

  Screenshot of WeChat announcement

　　One removal, one wake-up call.

A "fast food" micro-short drama that runs all the way is easy to take shortcuts and go astray in creation.

"Edge" themes seem to easily gain traffic, but the damage to the industry ecology is irreversible.

　　Feng Yuanzheng, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that short plays are "trendy fast food" and the vitality of new things has always yet to be verified.

Art requires "quality", and "quality" requires time.

　　Zhang Yiwu, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a professor at Peking University, said bluntly that as a popular industry, there are irregularities such as plagiarism in the micro-short drama industry.

Special agencies should be established to strengthen supervision, coordinate with multiple parties to conduct special rectifications, and provide more services for the industry's shortcomings and problems.

　　Micro-short dramas have always been regarded as "technology and hard work" in the film and television industry - they can make a meal, but they are not delicious.

When the market calls for "more nutritious" works to appear, micro-short dramas should also be upgraded in quality, move towards high-quality products, and strive to transform from "Internet celebrity" to "long-lasting popularity".

　　Only by getting rid of the bad and retaining the good can we achieve great results.

I believe that in the future, micro-short dramas will be full of vitality and tell more and better Chinese stories.

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