In recent years, the short drama market in China has rapidly emerged and has risen from a niche content to a mainstream trend. Especially in Zhengzhou, the short drama industry chain is accelerating its formation, becoming an emerging filming destination after Hengdian. Dozens of short dramas are shot here every day, presenting a bustling scene.
At the Jumei Airport Vertical Film Base in Zhengzhou, staff are busy moving around, with lights and camera equipment always ready. This base, covering nearly 20,000 square meters, has various shooting scenes, including homes, hospitals, and courts, greatly facilitating the shooting needs of production teams. This base is not only the main hub for short drama filming in Henan Province, but also attracts many production teams from all over the country, with nearly 500 films being shot, becoming a new benchmark in the industry.
The rapid development of the short drama industry in Zhengzhou is due to its low-cost advantage. Compared with first-tier cities, the production cost in Zhengzhou is reduced by 30% to 40%, attracting many film crews to shoot here. At the same time, Zhengzhou has gathered more than 820 production enterprises and about 30,000 employees, with nearly 100 short dramas starting daily, accounting for nearly half of the national output. Faced with this demand, various film crews are competing for locations and actors, and the shortage of locations has become a common situation.
With the advancement of technology, AIGC (Artificial Intelligence Generated Content) technology has begun to be involved in short drama production, promoting further upgrading of the industry. Through AI assistance, the production cost of short dramas has been significantly reduced, and the creation efficiency has been significantly improved. The previous 11-step production process has now been reduced to just 3 steps, and the monthly production capacity has exceeded 1,300 minutes. This technological change not only improves production flexibility, but also allows more young creators to participate.
The involvement of AI has also made animated micro-short dramas gradually emerge as a new content form with commercial potential. This transformation not only enriches the themes of short dramas, but also expands the market space of the industry. Industry insiders predict that in the coming years, animated micro-short dramas may form a trillion-yuan market, bringing a new growth engine to the short drama industry.
