Some micro-short dramas starring Xu Yizhen
By chance in 2023, newcomer Xu Yizhen, who was still sending resumes and auditioning for roles in Beijing, came into contact with micro-short dramas for the first time. After
, the gears of destiny began to spin faster. Whether it was a micro-short drama or Xu Yizhen's career as an actor, he began to "surge". In one year, he filmed many hit movies. For example, after being online, he quickly recharged over 1,000 yuan The 10,000-yuan "Oops!" "The Empress Comes to Work", "After the flash wedding, Mr. Fu's waistcoat can no longer be hidden", the 24-hour top-up revenue exceeded 20 million yuan, etc.
In these episodes of more than one minute each, Seo Ye-jin is a daughter of a boudoir, a queen who travels to modern times, and a counterattack queen... As a young actor born in 1995, Seo Ye-jin gained a lot of fame for her micro-short dramas. She has many fans, with nearly 2 million fans on Douyin alone, making her the leading actress in the micro-short drama industry.
Recently, the reporter had an exclusive conversation with Xu Yizhen and listened to this Chongqing girl talk about her path to micro-short dramas.
I studied acting at Zhejiang University of Communication.
I studied acting at Zhejiang University of Communication when I was in college. When I was studying in school, we would have a WeChat group similar to the announcement group. On weekends, wherever actors were needed, we would go to investment materials. For example, when I participated in "Actors Please Take Your Place," I was selected by investment materials.
I arrived in Beijing after graduating in 2020, delivering materials everywhere, and constantly meeting with groups to audition for roles. In 2021, I filmed six or seven dramas, but most of them were not broadcast. The ones that were broadcast were "Her City", "The Sun Is With Me" and some online dramas.
's entry into the micro-short drama track was an accidental opportunity. In March 2023, a senior called me and said that there was a short drama to be filmed and a female lead was needed. He asked me if I wanted to give it a try.
That was the first time I heard about micro-short dramas. After trying out the scene, the other party thought it was pretty good, so we decided on it.
In terms of performance, actors in long-form dramas require themselves.
I remember that the short play was called "After Rebirth, I Was Pampered by a Scumbag's Rival." Before joining the group, I learned a little bit about micro-short dramas, and external reviews were not very positive. They said that the plot of micro-short dramas is very good, but the performances of the actors are very exaggerated and routine.
When I was reading the script, I communicated with the director whether some of the plots and characters could be slightly modified.
In terms of performance, I still create according to the requirements of a long-running drama actor. I don’t want stylized or exaggerated performances. I follow the plot and try to make everyone feel that these are the characters around me and they are real.
This drama was only filmed for 8 days. After the filming was completed, I watched the finished film and was quite satisfied with it. Later, this drama became a hit after it was released, and then I collaborated with this team on several dramas, all of which were hits.
Many people think that in micro-short dramas, the actors’ performances are not that important, as long as the plot is bloody and exciting. But as actors, only we understand the ups and downs. Because the plot is fast-paced, there will be a cool moment every minute, or there will be a big ups and downs every three minutes, so the requirements for actors are actually quite high. Every time I finish filming a short drama, I feel very tired. I will definitely take a rest and adjust to let myself escape from the role, so that I can devote more energy next time.
Everyone is pursuing quality more and more
There are many differences between shooting micro-series and traditional film and television dramas.
In the field of long-form dramas, I may need to spend one or two months or even longer to participate in the filming and get used to everyone. But now we don’t have this time, and the time for preparation and shooting has been compressed, but it is very challenging to achieve the same effect.
I was very uncomfortable with it for a while at first because the hours I had to go to work every day were too long. The short drama is in a hurry. Today's task is not finished, so we have to work overtime to film it. I usually go to put on makeup at six or seven in the morning, and usually shoot until after 10 o'clock in the evening. There are also many times when I finish work in the early morning. For example, in the first few dramas I filmed, I shot 100 episodes in eight or nine days, and the work intensity was relatively high every day.
From last year to this year, I have filmed nearly twenty short dramas. I have seen the industry becoming more and more popular, and I have also seen many changes in the industry.When I first entered this field last year, many people did not recognize micro-short dramas. However, starting from the second half of last year, many film and television practitioners who did not recognize micro-short dramas in the past also joined in, and everyone's pursuit of quality has become more and more intense. The higher the price, the more quality products are pursued.
In the past, when shooting, there may not be much need for scenes, so I would shoot on the roadside or on the street. But things are different now. The audience will pay attention to the scenes, props, costumes, etc., and their aesthetics will also improve. If there is no progress, they will get tired of aesthetics.
On the other hand, our script readings are becoming more and more in-depth and professional. In the past, only the male and female protagonists might participate, and it didn't matter whether other characters participated or not. Anyway, the scale was small and there were not many lines. But now we will spend about two days reading the script, discussing and revising it, and the second male, second female, and other supporting actors will join in. After I get the script, I will also spend more time communicating with the director and screenwriter, such as getting involved in the script creation in advance and putting forward some ideas to make the characters more fleshed out.
is currently not considering live streaming. After
entered the field of micro-short dramas, it was fortunate to be recognized by many viewers and also heard a lot of doubts and criticisms.
For a long time, many people said that my performances were relatively homogeneous and that everything I performed was the same. I also analyzed this matter and sought the opinions of many people around me, including friends who make traditional films and TV shows, and friends who make short plays. We discussed this issue with everyone.
Perhaps because the themes of the micro-short plays are similar, everyone feels the same. This is actually a topic that I need to delve into and improve on - how to better perform the same type of situations but with different characters.
Many people ask me about the future of micro-short dramas, whether I have thought about making a long drama, whether I have thought about live streaming, etc. Although I entered this track by accident, I feel that this industry has a lot of room for development. I will not give up short dramas, but that does not mean that I will only make short dramas. As long as there is a suitable opportunity for long-form dramas, I am very willing to work hard.
As for live streaming, I don’t reject it, but it is not my current focus. I still hope to be a calm actor and continue to work hard on the road of acting.
Chengdu Commercial Daily-Red Star News reporter Qiu Junfeng
(Source: Chengdu Commercial Daily)
