--- --- # Micro-dramas a screen saver for film world  _This content was paid for and prepared by China Daily, an official publication of the People's Republic of China. The TIME editorial and advertising departments were not involved in the creation of this content._ Actress Ashlynn Judy from California performs in a micro-drama. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY By WANG XIN When he was growing up, Galim Gaisin wanted to be an actor — a dream he has today realized not on large cinema screens, but in short serial dramas played out on smartphones. After featuring in a commercial for earphones four years ago, the career of the 27-year-old Canadian, who lives in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has taken off. Most of his success can be attributed to the China-birthed cultural phenomenon of micro-dramas, the short 1- to 2-minute films made for vertical viewing on social media devices. In early October, at O.M Studio’s production base in Shanghai, Gaisin filmed a new micro-drama aimed at the North American market. The male lead in that production, Gaisin estimated the total number of microdramas he has done so far is around 30 — including Chinese and English ones. “The Chinese micro-drama market is developing so rapidly and growing so big, and the whole production process is much more developed. It is quite an experience to film short dramas in China. It is much more like a real movie set, where there is a huge crew and everybody knows what they are doing,” said Gaisin, describing the Shanghai film crew as a precise and efficient “machine.” He said he enjoys the freedom of filming micro-dramas, which is different from movies and TV series. There is less pressure on the actors who have more leeway to be creative. “It is much more loose in a good way,” Gaisin said. Gaisin is not the only overseas performer starring in micro-dramas. Ashlynn Judy, 25, flew from Los Angeles, California, to Shanghai for the filming, marking her first trip to China. “I never thought I’d get to come to Shanghai and it’s amazing. Getting to act and work on set full-time has been so wonderful and what I’ve wanted to do for so long. It’s definitely a plus to get to visit a new city and experience new cultures and meet the people,” she said excitedly. “It’s been a life-changing experience for me — busy, fun and really great,” she added. Originating in China, vertical short and micro-dramas are taking the world by storm. According to a recent report released by London-based technology research and advisory firm Omdia, micro-dramas — short, serialized stories typically running around two to three minutes per episode — are projected to generate $11 billion in global revenue by 2025. The Chinese market constitutes a major part of worldwide revenue, but big expansion is expected in the United States, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil and Thailand. In the first half of this year, the U.S. has led international markets outside China in revenue generation and downloads of micro-drama apps, according to a global market report released by advertising intelligence platform SocialPeta. The growth is being driven by a strong consumer willingness to pay, a high business value, a mature entertainment consumption environment and high-income levels. After the U.S.; India, Indonesia, Brazil, and other regions in Southeast Asia and Latin America have led micro-drama app downloads in the first half of this year. The increased downloads are mainly due to the high availability of the internet and large groups of young people demanding relaxing micro-dramas that cater to a fragmented, fast-paced life, the report said. The rapid growth of app downloads also indicates the massive opportunities in a number of sectors associated with the booming trend. Gaisin and Judy are booking jobs nationwide and around the world, and experience a surge of pride when their relatives or friends randomly recognize their performances on mobile phones and TVs. Many of the leading global micro-drama apps such as ReelShort, DramaBox, ShortMax, FlickReels and StardustTV, were developed by Chinese companies. In addition to the apps, Chinese players are behind almost every aspect of the industry, from script creation studios, production companies, filming bases, marketing channels, IP distributors and advertisers to platforms. Snapchat, with nearly 1 billion active monthly users, is hoping to help Chinese micro-dramas further expand, especially in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. “We estimate that currently there are about 300 Chinese micro-drama apps in international markets, mostly in the stage of capturing users,” said Other Zhang, general manager of SanShengWanWu Media, one of the leading micro-drama production companies in China that produced the overseas hits Heartbeat Alert and Contract Marriage Before Election. Yang Zhidong, founder and CEO of O.M Studio, said his company is constantly expanding its international team with actors, scriptwriters, directors and operators from diverse backgrounds. “When we are talking about Chinese micro-dramas going overseas, we are not referring to one certain product, but to the whole industry chain,” Yang said. 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