Reference News Network on December 20** Hong Kong's "South China Morning Post" ** published a report on December 15, entitled "How Artificial Intelligence Helps China's Micro-Short Drama Impact the West", and the report is compiled as follows:
There are many ways to tell a story, but in an online world where new digital technologies can be quickly adopted, micro-skits are steadily attracting loyal fans, especially from the United States and Europe.
These short, tight-paced mini-dramas are hard to resist.
While most mini-dramas are still filmed by live actors, artificial intelligence has begun to enable producers to "manipulate" and change the age and appearance of actors.
In fact, some of the more popular short dramas that show European backgrounds and the faces of European actors were filmed and produced in China Film and Television City, with Chinese actors participating, the source said.
Some of the short episodes have more than 50 episodes. Some of these works have been hugely popular in the global market, keeping audiences coming back with compelling stories, unexpected plot twists, and irresistible narratives.
Chinese companies are leading the way in script writing and drama production for short dramas. Some studios usually hire European and American actors in order to attract audiences.
There is a micro-short drama ** platform is reelshort (a product launched by an overseas subsidiary of a Chinese company - this website note). In November, it topped the entertainment app charts in the U.S. App Store for the first time, surpassing TikTok and other apps for a while.
Producers of micro-short dramas have found that for Western audiences, simply adding English subtitles to Chinese mini-dramas does not appeal to them. When the producers began to use Western actors, adding elements such as werewolves and vampires to the plot, their work began to resonate.
Visual engineer Ye Jingfei said the process of converting popular series from Chinese to English was complicated.
First of all, the producers need to use AI translation software to replace the subtitles and dubbing. Then use AI face-swapping technology to make the characters in the play look like Western actors. AI technology has also made it possible to change the skin color, age, and ethnicity of the characters in the play.
"Currently, the cost of filming a short drama with a foreign actor can exceed $150,000," he said. In comparison, it is produced by artificial intelligence, and the cost is about $100,000. ”
However, technology has its limitations, and the quality of AI-generated content is uneven.
With the booming business of micro-short dramas, Ye Jingfei said he hopes to open offline training courses in Hengdian Film and Television City to teach face and dubbing replacement techniques. Located in Zhejiang Province in eastern China, Hengdian Film and Television City is one of the world's largest film and television shooting bases and the production of most of China's short dramas.
The popular Chinese mini-drama could become a new wave of exotic entertainment that challenges the cultural dominance of Hollywood films.
According to anonymous industry sources, even professional Hollywood actors are now starring in these mini-shows as more capital is injected into the industry.
Ye Jingfei said: "This success is a testament to the deep insight and resource accumulation of Chinese enterprises in content operation. This is a new concept for exporting Chinese intellectual property overseas. (Compiled by Hu Jing).
*: Reference message.