Xiaoning Chang (Beijing Normal University).
Recently, a short drama app called "ReelShort" has swept the app store ** charts in many countries and regions. Surprisingly, the content of these plays is exactly the same as the narrative mode of the domestic short drama "The Domineering President Falls in Love with Me", except that the actors have become European and American white faces, and the themes are also werewolves, vampires, etc., which are more familiar to their locals. The driving force behind the production and distribution of these works is a Chinese company called "Crazy Maple". Skits that have become popular on Reelshort include, but are not limited to, "Never Divorce a Secret Billionaire Heiress" and "Fated to My Forbidden Alpha", etc., and the amount of money that the platform absorbs is even higher than the authoritative stream by spending money to unlock it** The monthly subscription fee for the platform Netflix is higher.
On the other hand, in China, since 2020 became the first year of micro-short dramas, popular short dramas have emerged one after another, and with the blessing of its creative advantages such as short shooting cycle, low production cost, and storyline patterning, the micro-short drama industry has shown a blowout and rapid development. Whether it is the prevalence of domestic short dramas or the explosion of overseas short dramas, behind this phenomenon, the essence is the prevalence of micro-narrative. Micro-narrative is a new type of discourse expression that mainly depends on the new ** platform and echoes the informatization and mediating process of the current society. Micro-short dramas are the film and television industry's response to and increase micro-culture. This kind of "micro" covers three dimensions: one is the dimension of time and space, and the volume of one or two minute episodes can allow the audience to do it anytime and anywhere in the fragmented life gap outside the playThe second is in the first dimension, the production of micro-short dramas does not need to be too professional and authoritative producers, and the creative advantages of small cost and small volume can allow all kinds of self-leading platforms and grassroots classes to cross the production threshold;The third lies in the content dimension, the media attribute of the equal participation of the new ** platform makes the expression of the drama more network and civilian than that of regular dramas.
The Economist said: "Reelshort represents another conquest of the United States by Chinese cultural exports. There are two main reasons why the "wind of short dramas" can be "blown to Europe and the United States" after being set off in China. On the one hand, it lies in the solid foundation of online literature and short dramas, which have allowed European and American audiences to immerse themselves in virtual worlds such as martial arts legends and urban romances, and have rich experience in the creation of short dramas in China to provide fertile soil for the localization of short dramas in Europe and the United StatesOn the other hand, it is the refreshing experience brought by the plot, and the reversal plot points such as "The Heroine's Counterattack" and "The Boss Arrives" are not limited to countries and regions, and the audience will buy it in order to continue to secrete dopamine;Finally, but it should be noted that the reasons for the popularity of micro-short dramas at home and abroad are not completely consistent. For China, many plots of short dramas have become familiar to the audience with all kinds of "Mary Sue" old routines, even if the plot is incoherent, it can be automatically completed under the drive of the audience's familiarity, which is the "intertextuality" rooted in the network field, that is, the linkage effect generated by the correspondence between different textsBut for the European and American markets, this is a fresh drama staged, "Sebastian" in the story world that does not match their local context to present love and hatred, that is, the transition and grafting of the high-cultural context represented by the traditional culture of the East to the low-cultural context of the modern Western society, so the buyers of the European and American markets will be more visually and perceptually stimulated than the domestic audience.
In the final analysis, behind this industry storm that has swept the world is the victory of capital. The concept of "consumer society" put forward by French sociologist Baudrillard, the current world is a huge consumer window, any cultural symbol can be regarded as a commodity**, and the micro-short dramas produced by the assembly line have become a huge piece of delicious cake in the film and television industry. It can transcend social class and status, geographical space and boundaries, and become a wealth code that can be shared by the whole world. This is undoubtedly not conducive to the long-term and benign development of related industries, and the dilemma of "bad money driving out good money" has begun to emerge.
The prevalence of micro-narrative is the result of the integration of multiple reasons such as social trends, cultural transformation, and capital intervention, reflecting the cross-section of social development and closely related to popular culture. This year, the Douyin short drama "Escape from the British Museum" has been out of the circle on the whole network, allowing practitioners, creators and audiences to see more possibilities for micro-short dramas. At present, more and more micro-short drama production institutions and platforms have also focused on traditional culture, intangible cultural heritage skills and other themes to create a number of excellent works. Therefore, we can realize that no matter what kind of narrative expression, the content creation of literary and artistic works must stick to the original intention and adhere to the heritage. Short plays exported overseas can also try to combine with local traditions and cultural customs to achieve the unique advantage of adapting to local conditions. No matter how dreamy and beautiful the consumption landscape bubble brought by the low production cost, the foundation of traditional culture must stand tall, and the helmsmen on the cusp of the industry, in addition to actively becoming the pioneers of overseas layout, need to be the leader of literary and artistic creation, the guardian of the root of the nation, and the bearer of social responsibility.