Very short videos are changing the film industry

In a film set in China, a 69-year-old actor plays the role of a wealthy head of a family.

In “Grandma’s Moon,” actor Zhu Jian celebrates his birthday with a lavish dinner party. And a big surprise awaits him: one of the workers at the party is his granddaughter.

But there is another big surprise.

“Grandma’s Moon” is not a movie or even a television show. Instead, it is a series of short videos, a so-called microdrama. Creators shoot them vertical for easy viewing on mobile phones. Every Consequence is only a few minutes long.

Most people who watch Grandma’s Moon are middle-aged workers and retirees. Zhu said these viewers no longer go to the cinema. He added that it’s as easy as “holding a cell phone and watching something whenever you want.”

Microdramas use storytelling methods such as Hook And Plot twists to keep millions of viewers away from their mobile phones. And this one audience are very willing to pay more.

The cliffhangers at the end of each episode are crucial to the success of microdramas. Cliffhangers pique the viewer’s interest and leave them wanting to see more. The audience will have to pay for the next episode to find out what happened.

Changing the industry

Reuters news agency reports that China’s microdrama industry is worth $5 billion. Microdramas are made quickly and with little money. The first episodes are often free. But to watch the entire microdrama series, viewers may have to pay money to watch additional episodes.

Experts say microdramas are successfully competing with the Chinese film industry.

The microdrama leader is the app Kuaishou. The app was responsible for 60 percent of the top 50 Chinese microdramas last year. This information comes from Endata, a company that deals with media.

Douyin is owned by Internet technology company Bytedance, which is also popular among microdrama fans. Other Chinese social media apps like Xiaohongshu and YouTube competitor Bilibili have announced plans to make more.

Microdramas are now spreading across the United States.

“China discovered this audience first,” said Layla Cao, a Chinese producer based in Los Angeles. Hollywood, she says, hasn’t done it yet.

Popular Storylines Narration Techniques

Microdramas are successful not only because of their storytelling methods but also because of their interesting plots.

Many popular microdramas for Chinese audiences tell stories Revenge or achieve a higher social level status. Your popularity happens at a time when you are making money and changing your status in China is difficult. Youth unemployment is also high.

The microdramas often feature “people who are lower class one day and become upper class the next day…” said one 26-year-old Screenwriter. Writing under the name Camille Rao, she recently left a low-paying job in the traditional film industry. Now she writes microdrama stories for American audiences.

Criticism of microdramas

China’s Communist Party has been critical of microdramas. Between late 2022 and early 2023, China’s regulator, the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA), removed 25,300 microdramas.

In June, the Chinese government began requiring some creators to register microdramas with the NRTA. The regulator did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Actor Zhu added that the plot was often unreal or exaggerated; “…so that it gets people’s attention and a big audience wants to see it,” he said.

Zhu said he loves classic films like “Casablanca.” And like many other cinephiles who work on microdramas, he believes they have limited artistic value. He said, “I see it as fast food…”

However, loyal fans of microdramas have a different opinion.

Huang Siyi is a 28-year-old customer service representative. She enjoys watching romantic microdramas because “the acting is good and the male and female leads are good looking.”

She adds that it’s easy to get excited about microdramas.

Explosive growth

Microdramas can be made with little money. The amount of money needed to produce them can range from $28,000 (200,000 yuan) to $280,000 (2 million yuan), market research firm iResearch reports.

In the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, makers are making “Grandma’s Moon” with little money and little time. The show was shot in just six days.

As microdramas become more popular, actors’ earnings have also increased.

Many Chinese microfilm producers are eyeing Western markets.

Microdramas designed for the West are often produced by production and acting teams in Los Angeles and filmed on location. The stories are in English and are often about wealth, cheating partners, etc Wonder.

One of the apps that spreads microdramas in the West is called LoveShots. In one of his latest microdramas, a paralyzed A woman miraculously regains her ability to walk. Then she comes in and finds that her husband is cheating on her.

I’m Andrew Smith. And I’m Anna Matteo.

Antoni Slodkowski reported this story for Reuters with additional reporting from Tingshu Wang and Xiaoyu Yin. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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Words in this story

vertical -adv. straight up or at a 90° angle to a horizontal surface or line

Consequence -N. an event that is part of a longer story or life, but which is considered complete in its own right

Hook -N. a device that attracts attention, especially when playing music or writing

Plot twist -N. literary technique that brings about a radical change in the direction or expected outcome of the plot in a work of fiction

audience -N. a group listening or watching (e.g. at a play or concert)

Revenge -N. to take revenge for an injustice

status -N. Position or rank in relation to others

Screenwriter -N. a writer of screenplays and often directions for a story being prepared for film production

Wonder -N. an extraordinary event that is seen as a sign of God’s supernatural power

paralyzed -adj. immobilized or unable to act

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