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Hard: Upper intermediate level and above, B2 and above 

Introduction

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1      Streaming video platforms have given filmmakers massive budgets and allowed them to make creative and artistic films and series free of the restrictions of cinema or broadcast time slots. But, maybe, just maybe, not everyone wants a three-hour long work of creative genius. Minute-long micro-dramas are taking the entertainment market by storm.

2     Perhaps most people are looking for something that they can squeeze into their everyday life. Micro-dramas cater perfectly for this need. It's not just that you can watch them on your phone, they're made for it. They're shot in vertical format, so you don't even have to turn your phone round to start watching. Series are split into as many as a hundred short episodes, so they can fit into any spare downtime that you have.

3     For this to work, it needs a new kind of programme. US tech company Quibi tried to use traditional Hollywood stars, and collapsed in less than a year, taking $1.75 billion dollars' worth of investment with it. Chinese start-up companies took a different approach, focusing on low-cost production and using analytics data and AI analysis to identify exactly what gets the audience to start watching, and then how to make the next episode feel unmissable.

4  Billionaires, breakups and bust-ups: those are the key themes that get the audience watching. There isn't much room for nuance or slow-build character development in a micro-drama, but what is needed is drama. Rather than a subscription model, monetisation in the world of micro-dramas is often based on a freemium model. You can see enough episodes to get you hooked for free. But you need to buy credits to find out how the story ends. This means that dramatic cliffhangers are a commercial tool.

5 These dramas are increasing in popularity around the world. There is also great potential to make money from advertising as audiences are highly engaged. After China, the US has become the biggest micro-drama market. Could it be that soon most of the drama we watch is on our phones in those minutes we find between our other daily tasks?

Questions

1. Match the headings to the paragraph.

Paragraph 1 _______
Paragraph 2 _______
Paragraph 3 _______
Paragraph 4 _______
Paragraph 5 _______

a. Made for daily life
b. Small budgets used well
c. A growing trend
d. From high-budget epics to minute-long micro-dramas
e. Social media success
f. Maximum drama

2. Choose the correct option based on the content of the article.

1. Streaming platforms have provided filmmakers with a large number of resources.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given

2. What does 'they' refer to in the following sentence? Micro-dramas cater perfectly for this need. It's not just that you can watch them on your phone, they're made for it.
a. phones
b. audiences
c. micro-dramas

3. What has AI analysis been used for?
a. identifying competitors
b. writing longer scripts
c. finding ways to keep people watching

4. Realistic characters are needed for micro-dramas to succeed.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given

5. Micro-dramas are always free for viewers.
a. True
b. False
c. Not given

3. Use the words in the box to complete the summary of the article.

Micro-dramas 1) _______ for the need to fill short breaks in our daily life. Each episode is carefully designed to feel 2) _______. Every instalment ends on a 3) _______ to make sure people come back for the next one. This ensures that the audience stays 4) _______. Producers' 5) _______ strategy is to only let people see the final episodes if they buy credits.

analytics
cater
cliffhanger
format
hooked
monetisation
unmissable

Vocabulary 

time slot
a specific period of time for something

take … by storm
become very popular very quickly

downtime
free time to relax

start-up
a new company or business

analytics
data to understand patterns or results

unmissable
so good or important that you should not miss it

bust-up
a serious argument or breakup

nuance
a small but important difference or detail

slow-build
developing gradually over time

monetisation
making money from something

freemium
a business model where basic use is free but extra features cost money

hooked
very interested or unable to stop

cliffhanger
an ending that creates suspense

Answers

1.    Match the headings to the paragraph.

Paragraph 1 d) From high-budget epics to minute-long micro-dramas
Paragraph 2 a) Made for daily life
Paragraph 3 b) Small budgets used well
Paragraph 4 f) Maximum drama
Paragraph 5 c) A growing trend

2.    Choose the correct option based on the content of the article.

1. a. True.Streaming video platforms have given filmmakers massive budgets and allowed them to make creative and artistic films and series free of the restrictions of cinema or broadcast time slots.

2. c. The pronoun 'they' refers to micro-dramas as it is talking about the way that they are made.

3. c.Chinese start-up companies took a different approach, focusing on low-cost production and using analytics data and AI analysis to identify exactly what gets the audience to start watching, and then how to make the next episode feel unmissable.

4. b. False.There isn't much room for nuance or slow-build character development in a micro-drama, but what is needed is drama.

5. b. False.You can see enough episodes to get you hooked for free. But you need to buy credits to find out how the story ends.

3.    Use the words in the box to complete the summary of the article.

Micro-dramas cater for the need to fill short breaks in our daily life. Each episode is carefully designed to feel unmissable. Every instalment ends on a cliffhanger to make sure people come back for the next one. This ensures that the audience stays hooked. Producers' monetisation strategy is to only let people see the final episodes if they buy credits.

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