China’s ultra-short dramas will enjoy long-term success

By Nicole Fan, 1843 intern, The Economist

“Cut!” barks the director, and chaos erupts at a film studio in Los Angeles. Actors rush off to change their costumes, while crew members scramble to arrange new props. It is only the second day of filming and they have already crammed in a week’s worth of cliffhangers. Filming a micro-drama, the latest new-media format to emerge from China, is just as fast-paced as watching one. “It’s soaps on steroids,” a scriptwriter explains.