China News Service, Jinhua, September 16 (Reporter Yin Peiyao) Take off your daily clothes, put on costumes, and stand in front of a professional set to listen to the director's instructions, movements, and dialogues... This is not a professional studio, but a new short drama shooting experience project launched by Hengdian Film and Television City in early September.
Recently, reporters from dozens of media visited Hengdian Film and Television City to have an immersive experience in the filming of micro-short dramas. Different from the previous observer interview mode, this time the reporter stood in front of the camera and observed the development and changes of the short drama industry at close range.
On-set experience: Reporters walked into the camera and experienced the industrialization of short plays firsthand
The "China Online Audiovisual Development Research Report (2026)" shows that as of December 2025, the number of short video users in my country has reached 1.074 billion; the average daily usage time of micro-short drama users has reached 129 minutes.
Nowadays, shooting short dramas is no longer exclusive to professional actors. "Amateurs" who have no acting foundation and no camera experience can complete the complete process of makeup, screenplay, and filming in just a few dozen minutes as long as they are willing to try. From watching short plays to acting in short plays, a new cultural trend is taking shape.
Reporters from different media gathered in front of the short play set of Hengdian Film and Television City to collaborate on a "rebirth scene". Several reporters who participated in the filming said that the on-site staff were very professional from the early stage presentation to the camera layout, which made people feel the shooting atmosphere of a mature crew. Even if they forget their words, they will be reminded, so there is no need to worry about embarrassment.
While experiencing different roles, it also triggered everyone's in-depth thinking about this industry.
Lightning News reporter Yu Xingtao said, "This is my first time visiting Hengdian and my first time shooting a short drama. It makes me truly feel that the local film and television industry system is relatively mature, which also provides strong supporting capabilities for the production of micro short dramas and horizontal screen TV series."
Qianjiang Channel reporter Song Mengyan said with emotion that after experiencing it once, she can understand why everyone is willing to come to Hengdian to participate in the filming of short dramas.
From the screen to the camera: an experience, a glimpse into the iteration of the short drama industry
From being initially criticized by netizens for being shoddy and full of routines, to now reaching the public and becoming high-quality, the short drama industry is undergoing a profound iteration.
On September 1 this year, with the official implementation of the new version of the "Measures for the Development and Management of Micro-Short Dramas", new regulations such as AI labeling, hierarchical filing, content red lines, and quality guidance came into full effect, which means that short dramas have completely bid farewell to the wild growth and entered a new stage of standardization, quality, and specialization.
Most reporters believe that Hengdian’s popular experience model of “ordinary people filming short dramas” is exactly the epitome of industry changes.
First, short plays are no longer assembly-line fast food content, but are becoming a new type of "culture + tourism" project that the public can participate in, experience, and co-create. At present, the number of people who have experienced the short drama shooting in Hengdian has exceeded 2,000. During the peak period, hundreds of tourists come to experience it a day, and the customer base covers parents and children, young people, and seniors. Among them, "shuangwen" and palace themes are more popular.
Second, behind the National Studio is the complete sinking of the logic of content production. The staff explains the drama step by step, uses professional lenses, and quickly edits the film... The short drama industry has formed a mature, efficient, and replicable production system. This is why short dramas can be quickly mass-produced and widely disseminated, becoming one of the most popular content forms among the public.
Third, the industry trend is quietly changing from chasing traffic to chasing quality. With the improvement of supervision and user aesthetics, routine and template-based short dramas have gradually fallen out of favor, and audiences no longer only pay for the pleasure.
From assembly line production to universal experience; from barbaric growth to high-quality standardized development, when more ordinary people enter the studio, understand creation, and even participate in content production, people have reason to expect that the short drama industry will develop in a healthier and more diversified manner through standardized governance and public co-creation.
