During the Spring Festival this year, a micro-short drama "I Became a Stepmother in the 1980s", which took only 10 days to shoot, became a "wealth creation myth" with a recharge of over 20 million yuan on the day it was launched. At the same time, the new business formats spawned by the craze of micro-short dramas have become the focus of heated discussions on the Internet.
micro-short drama, the full name of online micro-short drama, refers to " single episode length from tens of seconds to about 15 minutes , with a relatively clear theme and main line, a relatively continuous and complete storyline", in It is also often called "vertical screen drama" and "mini program short drama" in the industry.
In November last year, the anti-fraud micro-short drama "Strangers" was launched in Ningbo. Yongpai information map
Compared with traditional dramas, the biggest feature of micro-short dramas is that they are short. In these extremely condensed short plays, every frame strives to catch the audience's attention and stimulate everyone to keep "getting hooked" and unknowingly recharge to watch. While
micro-short plays have become a powerful tool for "making money every day", they are also accompanied by labels of "extreme", "unfashionable" and "vulgar". So, has Ningbo, which has a global film and television industry base of “one city, two parks, and three bases”, entered the micro-short drama track? How to support the healthy development of micro-short dramas?
"High traffic" turns to "high quality"
"Zhaoxiangshan ancient costume time travel short drama actor, 10-day start-up period on the 22nd..." In these two days, Li Xiaowei, the "group leader" of Xiangshan Hongyi Film and Television Culture Media Studio, Busy recruiting extras for short plays in WeChat Moments. Since last year, micro-short drama production teams have begun to pour into Xiangshan Film and Television City. For Li Xiaowei, high-frequency "recruitment" has become the norm.
Li Xiaowei recruits actors in WeChat Moments.
Li Xiaowei's busy figure is just the tip of the iceberg in the popularity of micro-short drama filming in Xiangshan Film and Television City. Data shows that in 2023, Xiangshan Film and Television City will receive 366 filming crews per year, among which the number of micro-short drama crews continues to rise.
"Xiangshan is the place where my dream began!" Yang Tele, head of film and television culture at Nuodian (Xiangshan), has led the team to film "Back to Ancient Times to Be a Rich Man", "Back to the Republic of China to Be a Young Marshal", "Big Shanghai" " and other micro-short dramas, 80% of which became Internet hits.
As more and more crews move in, opportunities for actors to act are also increasing. There was once a person who went from being an ordinary extra with a daily salary of 100 yuan to becoming a "leading male" with a daily salary of 2,000 yuan. "Standing at the forefront of the industry, becoming famous overnight is no longer far away." Li Xiaowei said that micro-short plays have given many young actors the hope of "getting ahead".
However, the plot of "changing one's fate against the will of heaven" through micro-short dramas does not happen very often. Nowadays, most extras are still facing the dilemma of being eliminated after the industry upgrades.
"Recently, the requirements for recruiting extras for micro-short dramas have become higher and higher. In the past, there was no height limit, but now men are required to be over 175 centimeters tall." Li Xiaojian, the "group leader" of Xiangshan Michu Film and Television Culture Studio, kept telling investors The upgraded cast requirements were a huge headache.
Highlights from the filming of the micro-short drama "I Have a Mysterious Prop Library". Photo provided by the interviewee
The trend of upgrading micro-short dramas to high-quality products has already appeared , and screenwriters at the front end of the industry chain of the film and television industry are often the first to sense it.
"Compared with the previous earthy plots, today's scripts will tell stories in a way and logic that are more acceptable to the public." Wang Juan, who works as a screenwriter in Xiangshan, said frankly that the original crude script could be completed in 7 days, but now The micro-short drama constantly improves the quality of the script, and it takes one month from revision to completion.
"Small productions" have "strong support"
The rapid rise of the micro-short drama market has brought new opportunities to the Ningbo film and television industry. Why has Ningbo become a "strong magnetic field" that attracts film crews to gather projects?
is first of all cost advantage.
"Micro short dramas are small investments and small productions, and their costs must be calculated minute by minute." Li Xiaowei calculated an account for reporters: the housing cost of a crew member in Hengdian is about 100 yuan. The surrounding areas of Xiangshan Film and Television City only cost 50 yuan, and you can save 50% of your budget on accommodation alone.In addition, the crew's dining and venue costs in Xiangshan are relatively low in the industry, which can save the crew a lot of money.
Secondly, the film and television industry around Xiangshan Film and Television City is relatively mature , and the scale advantages of film and television industry clusters with high industrial relevance and strong supporting capabilities are becoming prominent.
706 Film and Television Mass Entrepreneurship Center. Photo provided by correspondent
"706 Film and Television Mass Entrepreneurship Center" has introduced post-production, art setting, film and television accounting, film and television production and other companies to settle in. The crew can connect multiple businesses in one stop, which is convenient and trouble-free. "Relatively speaking, Xiangshan Film and Television City is more complete in terms of talents, film and television equipment, and scene facilities. In Xiangshan, I can say that for the drama that will start shooting tomorrow, the art and scenery and costumes will be in place immediately." Yang Teller said.
Furthermore, Ningbo has unique advantages in film and television scene resources , which provides a wealth of shooting locations and background choices for the production of micro-short dramas. From ancient buildings to modern factories, from landscapes to urban street scenes, we can meet the diverse needs of photographers.
Shooting scenes at Bodi (Ningbo) Modern Film and Television Base.
relies on local advantages to attract more crews to shoot in Ningbo. Some film and television people have sensed the broad "money prospects" of the new business model behind micro-short dramas.
"Cooperate with platforms across the country to provide a production base and creative platform for the filming of micro-short dramas. This is a business we are following up on." In the plan of Dai Ting, the head of Bodi (Ningbo) Modern Film and Television Base, the base Further cooperation with the micro-short drama mini program platform has been put on the agenda. Behind this is a huge profit potential: if we serve 300 micro-short dramas a year, the industry scale will reach 100 million yuan.
"Micro short dramas" hide "big possibilities"
"The current short drama market has differentiated into two models, namely boutique dramas and commercial dramas." Now, Wang Juan has begun to work hard to develop the screenwriting work of boutique dramas, and has been labeled Different from the commercial dramas labeled as "unfashionable" and "unnutritious", quality dramas can be "short drama + live broadcast", "short drama + tourism", "short drama + intangible cultural heritage", "short drama + IP", "short drama + specialties" etc. form .
At the beginning of this year, the General Office of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television released the "Travel with Micro-Shorts" creative plan, actively guiding the integration of micro-shorts with traditional culture, tourism resources, and offline economy. Its essence is to use popular micro-short dramas as a medium to effectively drive local attractions to "go out of the circle".
Shooting scenes in Xiangshan Film and Television City. Photo provided by correspondent
"We can see that more and more 'national team' players are doing micro-short plays, which will bring a new trend to the standardization and sustainable development of the industry." Wang Juan's comments on high-quality dramas The development is very promising.
"Short Play+" brings unlimited imagination to micro-short plays in terms of form, while cultural overseas expansion can expand more possibilities for short plays from the spatial dimension.
"With the increasing popularity and competitiveness of short plays, Chinese short plays have gradually emerged in overseas markets, forming a mature profit model and becoming an important model for cultural exports. " He Zhenbiao, Professor of Media and Law School, Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University It is believed that China’s short dramas show the maturity and sustainability of its business model and the diverse charm of China’s film and television creations. He suggested that in the process of building a cross-border e-commerce platform and strengthening international cooperation, Ningbo can use short plays to enter the international market, conduct cultural exchanges with overseas audiences, and enhance international influence.
Source: Yongpai client
