Hollywood celebs are getting into microdrama apps
Hollywood celebs are getting into microdrama apps
好莱坞明星纷纷入局微短剧应用
Hollywood’s finest — the people accustomed to massive eight-figure checks and exotic movie sets — are now betting on something much smaller: microdramas. Microdramas are short, scripted series designed to be watched on phones. Episodes typically run just a few minutes, and often feature soap opera-style plots, dramatic twists, and cliffhangers designed to keep viewers watching, and often paying, for the next episode.
好莱坞的精英们——那些习惯了千万美元片酬和异国电影片场的人——现在正押注于一种更小的东西：微短剧。微短剧是专为手机观看而设计的短篇剧集。每集通常只有几分钟，情节往往带有肥皂剧风格，充满戏剧性的反转和悬念，旨在吸引观众持续观看，并经常为下一集付费。
The format took off in China before rapidly gaining traction internationally. Omdia estimates that U.S. revenue generated by microdramas is expected to reach $1.5 billion this year. A growing number of apps have emerged to capitalize, including ReelShort and DramaBox, and even TikTok has entered the market, launching its own app, PineDrama, earlier this year.
这种形式在中国兴起后，迅速在国际上获得了关注。据 Omdia 估计，今年美国微短剧产生的收入预计将达到 15 亿美元。越来越多的应用涌现出来以从中获利，包括 ReelShort 和 DramaBox，甚至 TikTok 也进入了该市场，并于今年早些时候推出了自己的应用 PineDrama。
Now, Hollywood talent is starting to get involved, whether by starring in new series, launching their own companies, or investing in platforms. It’s understandable. Movie studios are looking for cheaper and faster ways to produce content, and many talent and crew are going without work. At the same time, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are capturing an ever-larger share of viewers’ attention, which is turning microdramas into an increasingly attractive new corner of the entertainment business.
现在，好莱坞的演艺人才开始参与其中，无论是主演新剧、创办自己的公司，还是投资相关平台。这不难理解。电影制片厂正在寻找更廉价、更快捷的内容制作方式，而许多演艺人员和剧组人员正面临失业。与此同时，TikTok、Instagram Reels 和 YouTube Shorts 正在占据观众越来越多的注意力，这使得微短剧成为娱乐行业中一个日益具有吸引力的新领域。
Here are some of the most well-known names getting a slice of the microdrama pie. 以下是一些在微短剧市场分一杯羹的知名人士。
James Franco
詹姆斯·弗兰科 (James Franco)
The latest recognizable Hollywood actor to make the jump is James Franco, who stars in “Love, Lies & Frank,” streaming exclusively on Shortical. Franco plays the CEO of an advertising agency that becomes mixed up in crime and werewolves. The premise seems to follow a similar formula to most microdramas, and is packed with outrageously dramatic scenes and a forbidden romance.
最新一位转型尝试微短剧的好莱坞知名演员是詹姆斯·弗兰科，他主演了在 Shortical 独家播出的《爱、谎言与弗兰克》(Love, Lies & Frank)。弗兰科饰演一家广告公司的首席执行官，卷入了犯罪和狼人的纷争。该剧的设定似乎遵循了大多数微短剧的套路，充满了极其戏剧性的场景和一段禁忌之恋。
The project is notable for being one of the first microseries produced under SAG-AFTRA’s new verticals agreement, a union contract specifically for low-budget microdramas. This offers an early glimpse of how the format could create new opportunities for actors and other Hollywood talent. Beyond that, Franco’s involvement has drawn attention for another reason: The project marks his attempt at a comeback following sexual misconduct allegations and a legal settlement in 2021. Variety’s review of the show wasn’t glowing, either, with the magazine writing that the actor “appears to be sleepwalking through his lines.”
该项目值得注意的一点是，它是首批根据美国演员工会 (SAG-AFTRA) 新的“垂直协议”制作的微短剧之一，该协议是专门针对低成本微短剧的工会合同。这让我们初步看到了这种形式如何为演员和其他好莱坞人才创造新的机会。此外，弗兰科的参与还因另一个原因引起了关注：该项目标志着他在 2021 年因性行为不端指控并达成法律和解后，试图重返演艺圈。《综艺》(Variety) 杂志对该剧的评价也不高，称这位演员“在念台词时似乎在梦游”。
What compelled Franco to take on a microdrama gig is anyone’s guess, but his casting is still notable. It’s rare to see a major actor who has made millions and starred in blockbuster projects headline a small series built for mobile screens.
没人知道是什么促使弗兰科接下微短剧的工作，但他的出演依然引人注目。很少看到一位赚取数百万美元并主演过大片的重量级演员，会去领衔主演一部为手机屏幕打造的小型剧集。
Issa Rae
伊萨·雷 (Issa Rae)
Issa Rae may be one of the most natural stars to embrace the microdrama boom. She created and starred in the 2011 web series “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,” which helped launch her career. In May, Issa Rae’s company Hoorae Media partnered with TikTok’s new PineDrama app to launch “Screen Time,” a thriller about a double date that takes a dark turn when a mysterious person hijacks the television and starts forcing the couples to confront their secrets.
伊萨·雷可能是最自然地拥抱微短剧热潮的明星之一。她曾创作并主演了 2011 年的网络剧《尴尬黑人女孩的冒险》(The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl)，这帮助她开启了职业生涯。今年 5 月，伊萨·雷的公司 Hoorae Media 与 TikTok 的新应用 PineDrama 合作推出了《屏幕时间》(Screen Time)，这是一部惊悚剧，讲述了一场双重约会因神秘人劫持电视并强迫情侣们面对各自秘密而变得阴暗的故事。
The series quickly became a breakout hit, gathering nearly 75 million views in its first week and becoming the top-performing vertical series on TikTok and PineDrama at the time. It later surpassed 150 million views.
该剧迅速走红，首周观看量接近 7500 万次，成为当时 TikTok 和 PineDrama 上表现最好的垂直剧集。随后，其观看量突破了 1.5 亿次。
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
杰西·泰勒·弗格森 (Jesse Tyler Ferguson)
“Modern Family” star Jesse Tyler Ferguson is also getting into the business with “Theater Kids Vs. Zombies,” an upcoming musical comedy for vertical storytelling platform aTwist. The premise is pretty much what the title suggests: A group of theater students finds their high school overrun by zombies, and realizes their best chance of survival is to put on a musical.
《摩登家庭》(Modern Family) 明星杰西·泰勒·弗格森也通过《戏剧小子大战僵尸》(Theater Kids Vs. Zombies) 进入了这一行业，这是一部即将登陆垂直叙事平台 aTwist 的音乐喜剧。剧情正如标题所示：一群戏剧专业的学生发现他们的高中被僵尸占领，并意识到他们生存的最佳机会就是排演一部音乐剧。
Ferguson’s entry could be significant, as this series doesn’t sound much like the romance and soap-opera formulae that dominate microdramas, instead leaning into comedy and theater-kid culture.
弗格森的加入意义重大，因为这部剧听起来并不像主导微短剧市场的浪漫和肥皂剧套路，而是更倾向于喜剧和戏剧社文化。
Taye Diggs
泰伊·迪格斯 (Taye Diggs)
Not only did Taye Diggs star in a microdrama, he’s getting more deeply involved in the business, too. In January, Diggs was announced as the star and executive producer of “Off Limits & All Mine” for platform CandyJar. He plays a widowed mogul who becomes involved in a forbidden romance with his best friend’s adult daughter.
泰伊·迪格斯不仅主演了微短剧，他还更深入地参与到了这个行业中。今年 1 月，迪格斯被宣布担任平台 CandyJar 剧集《禁区与全属》(Off Limits & All Mine) 的主演和执行制片人。他饰演一位鳏夫大亨，与好友的成年女儿陷入了一段禁忌之恋。
More notably, Diggs has launched his own mobile-first, vertical storytelling platform, Microhouse Films, which aims to give filmmakers greater control over how they produce and monetize their projects. Eight projects were included in the platform’s debut launch, including “Tides of Temptation,” a series created in collaboration with Lifetime. The move is significant because instead of just jumping on the microdrama trend, Diggs is now helping build the space itself.
更值得注意的是，迪格斯推出了自己的移动优先垂直叙事平台 Microhouse Films，旨在让电影制作人对项目的制作和变现拥有更大的控制权。该平台首发推出了八个项目，包括与 Lifetime 合作制作的剧集《诱惑之潮》(Tides of Temptation)。此举意义重大，因为迪格斯不再仅仅是追随微短剧潮流，而是开始参与构建这一领域本身。
Kim Kardashian
金·卡戴珊 (Kim Kardashian)
Kim Kardashian’s involvement highlights another way celebrities are entering the market. While the celebrity hasn’t starred in a microdrama yet, she has already put money behind the business, investing in GammaTime alongside her mother, Kris Jenner, and other angel investors.
金·卡戴珊的参与凸显了名人进入市场的另一种方式。虽然这位名人尚未主演微短剧，但她已经向该行业投入了资金，与她的母亲克里斯·詹纳 (Kris Jenner) 及其他天使投资人一起投资了 GammaTime。