Editor's Note: The key path to refining online micro-dramas lies in the exploration and cultivation of realistic themes. Currently, the creation of realistic micro-dramas is thriving; however, notable shortcomings remain in theme excavation, character development, value propositions, and artistic expression. Creators should build upon their existing strengths and delve deeper into societal realities, focusing on pressing social issues to uncover authentic and vivid stories and characters that showcase the spirit of the times and social changes. This article is published in the August 2024 issue of China Television.

With the explosive growth in the number of online micro-dramas in China and the continuous expansion of the market scale, how to advance towards quality creation has become a growing concern among creators. Whether examining the history of audiovisual art or focusing on the laws of artistic creation, enhancing the excavation and cultivation of realistic themes while continuously reflecting on social life, showcasing the spirit of the times, and telling compelling Chinese stories should remain key directions for micro-drama creators. Over the past year or two, a significant number of realistic micro-dramas have achieved breakthroughs in both quantity and quality. Works such as Twenty-Nine, Let's Go, Ajuan!, Hello, Dear Passengers, and A Dream Under the Starry River have all achieved positive reception in terms of content quality and audience acclaim, demonstrating creators’ focus and commitment to realistic themes.

However, it is essential to recognize that not all works set against a realistic backdrop exemplify the spirit of realism. In genres like "dominant CEOs," "warriors," and "son-in-law," while many stories are contemporary, they often exaggerate the various conflicts present in reality, leading to narratives that gradually diverge from real life through continuous plot twists and conflicts. In this sense, even though enhancing the excavation of realistic themes has gained recognition among creators as a vital pathway to quality micro-drama, it is still necessary to summarize and analyze the current development status, existing issues, innovative pathways, and contemporary value of realistic micro-dramas to provide references and insights for creators.

Poster for Let's Go, Ajuan!

01

The Development Status of Realistic Micro-Dramas

According to the National Radio and Television Administration, online micro-dramas are defined as “network literary forms with a single episode lasting from several seconds to around 15 minutes, featuring a relatively clear theme and main storyline, with a more continuous and complete narrative.” Currently, online micro-dramas mainly fall into two categories: the first type generally runs for less than three minutes and attracts audiences through “flow investment” in “mini-program” dramas; the second type features episodes ranging from three to fifteen minutes and includes landscape and portrait-oriented micro-dramas launched on key online audiovisual platforms. This article primarily focuses on the latter, examining the development status of realistic micro-dramas.

(1) A High Number of Registrations Indicates a Clear Trend Towards Quality

Realistic themes have always been mainstream in Chinese film and television creation. As micro-dramas enter the public eye, they showcase a clear thematic focus while accelerating market expansion. From April 2023 to May 2024, as evidenced by the registration announcement of key national online micro-drama plans (see Table 1), realistic micro-dramas encompassing urban, rural, youth, public security, and other genres accounted for a significant proportion of registrations, with urban-themed works alone representing over half in October and December 2023. This suggests the potential of realistic themes in micro-drama creation.

 Table 1: Statistics on National Key Online Micro-Drama Planning Registrations from April 2023 to May 2024

In terms of specific creation, the trend towards quality in realistic micro-dramas is also evident, with some works achieving certain levels of ideological value and artistic quality, gaining social recognition. For instance, among the 15 online micro-dramas selected for the National Radio and Television Administration’s 2023-2024 “Quality Creation and Broadcasting Project for Online Audiovisual Programs,” a large proportion are realistic themed, including 1818 Editing Department, Keep Going!, Hello, Dear Passengers (Season 2), The Wind on My Way Home, Ma'am Chaoyang Moves Forward, and The Great Matters of Life: Goodnight Subway. In the first three batches of recommended dramas for the “Travel with Micro-Dramas” creative initiative released by the National Radio and Television Administration, many creatively novel and high-quality realistic themed micro-dramas were also selected, such as Love in the Tea Garden, Love in the Waking Smoke, The Night of Reunion, The Story of the Judicial Office, and Breaking the Fraud Trap. The support and recognition from management organizations demonstrate both acknowledgment of current quality creations in realistic micro-dramas and a certain degree of guidance for creators' future directions.

(2) Expanding Scope: Showcasing the Richness of Social Life from Multiple Perspectives

In recent years, as market competition intensifies, creators are continuously exploring new themes to meet diverse market demands and audience tastes, resulting in a deeper excavation of realistic themes. For instance, Twenty-Nine, Small Perfection, and Full-Time Stay-at-Home Husband Training Plan revolve around the dilemmas and challenges women face in marriage, family, and the workplace, albeit with different focuses. Flying Youth, Riverside People, and Little France Town portray youthful groups striving for modern Chinese ideals from various angles under the overarching theme of rural revitalization. No Cases at the Police Station, Fire Investigators, and The Temperature of Doctors focus on police officers, firefighters, and medical professionals, presenting occupational characteristics through engaging narratives. Works like Facing Challenges and Hello, Dear Passengers (Season 2) depict the lives of everyday people such as programmers and ride-hauling drivers, expressing diverse life experiences in contemporary society. Let's Go, Ajuan! tells the story of a young person from a small town opening a lion dance studio in a big city, creatively blending character growth with the heritage of lion dance, thereby providing a new practice for the “dual innovation” of China’s excellent traditional culture. These realistic micro-dramas reflect the social realities through a lens of vivid observation and heartfelt care, allowing audiences to gain inspiration and insights from ordinary people’s stories.

Furthermore, regarding style and expression techniques, realistic micro-dramas are continuously exploring diversification. Creators are not only continuing to showcase humorous styles but have also introduced elements of suspense, reasoning, romance, and traditional culture in their works, expanding the interpretative space for micro-dramas and allowing for more profound discussions about real-world issues. For example, The Wind on My Way Home and Love in the Waking Smoke emphasize regional characteristics and cultural depth from the “micro-drama + cultural tourism” perspective, extending the micro-drama’s influence and providing new pathways for the mutual promotion and development of the micro-drama and cultural tourism industries. In terms of expression techniques, Seven and Two Lives, as the first domestic micro-drama to adopt virtual technology, creates an immersive environment through XR virtual filming, enhancing audience viewing experiences and demonstrating the potential of new technology to empower realistic themes.

Poster for Seven and Two Lives

02

Existing Problems and Innovation Strategies in Realistic Micro-Dramas

Currently, while certain achievements have been made in the creation of realistic micro-dramas, issues such as thematic homogenization, character stereotyping, and shallow themes still persist. Many audiences experience aesthetic fatigue due to repetitive plot patterns and rough production quality. Additionally, the thriving micro-drama market has attracted more capital and professional institutions, intensifying market competition. Thus, whether from the perspective of the inherent needs of industrial development or from the changing spiritual and cultural needs of the audience, transforming and upgrading realistic micro-dramas is an imperative.

(1) Existing Issues

As realistic micro-dramas rapidly develop, the issues of content similarity and distortion in some works have gradually garnered industry and public attention. Overall, the phenomenon of similarity in realistic micro-dramas mainly arises from two aspects: firstly, a significant number of micro-dramas originate from online literary works, which often share similar content, leading to micro-dramas that display minimal differentiation; secondly, the unique production and broadcasting mechanisms of micro-dramas have, to some extent, provided a breeding ground for similar works. The distortion issue in micro-dramas primarily stems from some creators blindly pursuing market trends, either catering solely to the sensory pleasure of audiences or neglecting the inherent patterns and authentic representation of life in the quest for quick-output productions. Specifically, the problems of content similarity and distortion in realistic micro-dramas are manifested in aspects such as theme selection, character development, and realism in expression.

Firstly, popular themes remain relatively singular, and issues of blurred focus in industry dramas are still prominent. Although in the past two years, the scale of creation and the number of quality realistic micro-dramas have shown significant growth, there remains considerable room for improvement in thematic diversity overall. Especially with highly viewed and consistently chart-topping works, most still focus on marriage and love themes, exploring homogenized stories within subcategories such as “reconciliation” or “love after marriage.” Simultaneously, some industry dramas lack clearly defined focuses; although some works appear to expand the thematic territory, they employ vague and gimmick-based approaches to address social contexts, or they superficially introduce trending topics related to their industry without deeply exploring industry characteristics or reflecting on relevant social issues.

Secondly, an excessive focus on the so-called “internet feel” results in exaggerated and distorted character portrayals. The ability to create “credible” characters within small-scale works is a critical measure of micro-drama quality. In recent years, some realistic micro-dramas have fallen into a “vicious circle” with character creation, excessively exaggerating to enhance the so-called “internet feel.” For instance, one micro-drama portraying the love experiences of young couples consciously addresses the underlying real issues behind their quarrels, but its dialogues mainly consist of humorous “punchlines,” with performances that come off as too exaggerated. While this creates a densely humorous comedic effect, it undermines the reality and credibility of the themes presented. Furthermore, the fast consumerism model within the industry causes many micro-drama creators to adopt a hasty and profit-driven mentality, failing to connect deeply with the “capillaries” of social life and neglecting to unearth the “thousand faces” of characters. Consequently, a flood of stereotypical and labeled characters emerges. According to a survey conducted by the China Youth Daily at the end of 2023, 50.9% of respondents identified the main issue of online micro-dramas as the similarity of story and character settings. ^② The stereotyping of character portrayals often renders realistic micro-dramas unable to fulfill the mission of reflecting social realities and addressing audience concerns, making it challenging for viewers to achieve emotional resonance and value recognition while watching.

Thirdly, there is a lack of a realistic spirit in presenting real society. In recent years, some micro-dramas, under the banner of “reality,” have flourished on various video platforms, yet their main plots remain entirely disconnected from real life. Instead, they exhibit extreme narratives featuring exaggerated portrayals of situations that are nearly impossible in the real world, intensifying conflicts and igniting tensions through continuous coincidences and twists, leading to emotional climaxes. For example, certain micro-dramas depicting family disputes intentionally magnify family conflicts and emotional turmoil while presenting a distorted picture of members engaged in malicious calculations. This deviates from mainstream values. Additionally, some creators have exaggerated the creative methods typical in idol dramas, presenting a life distorted through a “filter.” The emergence of these creative issues ultimately arises from a failure to balance the pursuit of traffic popularity with the authenticity of life experiences, excessively chasing trends and resulting in works that lack genuine connection with reality, diminishing the depth and significance that realistic themes are meant to convey, which turns the works into “electronic pickles” that audiences can watch without engagement.