BHD Media Company, a private communication, film production, and distribution business, is a pioneer in launching a short drama series app called Dshorts.
According to an article published on Sixthtone, an online publication published by Shanghai United Media Group, the super-short streaming series has become very popular in China, especially with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The duration per episode is around two minutes.
AI-powered tools can assist in the creation of special effects, generate scripts and dialogue, and even create music. Thanks to AI, mythological and science fiction stories, which require high technical skills and large budgets, have become easier to implement.
Chen Kun, a producer of mini dramas in China, said that AI could reduce production time and costs by 75 percent. The stages of film production that once took as long as six months can now be completed in just two months.
According to statistics from Chinese distributors, short films in the country generated approximately US$5.58 billion in revenue in 2023, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the box office market revenue. This figure is expected to reach around US$13 billion by 2027.
In Vietnam, short series are also growing strongly. BHD Media Company pioneered in producing mini dramas. Mr. Nguyen Phan Quang Binh, a representative of BHD, said that there are many companies producing short films in the domestic market. However, Vietnamese and Chinese short series have significant differences, such as film length and the number of episodes.
Currently, films on the Dshorts are available in Vietnamese, English, Spanish, and Chinese. It is expected that 17 more languages will be added in the coming time. Dshorts has attracted nearly 60,000 subscribers from various countries, including the United States, Canada, Indonesia, and Cambodia.
Overcoming challenges
The market demand is huge, but the production of mini dramas faces many challenges, especially in the production. Director Phan Nguyen, who has a lot of experience in making short films, stated that most directors are traditionally trained to make a video shot horizontally. Therefore, they face difficulties in shooting a movie vertically.
In addition, telling a story in just about two minutes while ensuring it is engaging and concise, maintaining a fast rhythm and pacing in film, and capturing the audience's attention is not easy for any director, he added.
The biggest challenge is the script. Due to the extremely short duration, the story must get straight to the point. Therefore, there will be something that is illogical in a movie. It requires a good script, director Nguyen Minh Chung said.
According to director Nguyen Phan Quang Binh, the crew can shoot 10-12 episodes of a mini-series. The average cost of producing a film can be VND400 million for 20 to 30 episodes, equivalent to a 45-minute TV episode.
Regarding the competition in the super short dramas, director Nguyen Minh Chung said that although it is not yet very popular in Vietnam, audiences have already had the opportunity to become familiar with films imported from China. He believes that the market will be bustling with more super-short streaming series.
This trend will help create a new ecosystem and stimulate producers to develop more movies featuring Vietnamese cultural identities, director Nguyen Phan Quang Binh said.
According to director Timothy Linh Bui, super-short films will provide opportunities for young filmmakers who have little chance to tell their stories. He believed that this kind of film would inspire young people.
