These mini movies are long-form stories, usually rags-to-riches or revenge scenarios, that are broken down into one minute-long episodes. At the height of the drama, it leaves viewers on a cliffhanger and they have to pay more to keep watching. And it works! The industry is booming – according to Reuters (article), it's raking in $5 billion a year! Actors are getting paid up to $280/day for lead roles and providing jobs for extras.

Although, in the Chinese market the stories focus on upward mobility and unorthodox familial dynamics, U.S. market veers more toward fantasy stories, making them harder to pull off for independent creators. But stories about werewolves and vampires could become more accessible on lower budgets with the developments in generative AI. This makes us wonder if this style of Chinese creativity is going to start influencing Hollywood.

Speaking of fantasy, if you are tired of waiting for the “A Court of Thorns and Roses” franchise to actually get made, you can start using any of these AI tools to come up with your own fan-fiction now that these programs are getting better at fantasy (click to watch this example).

Micro-dramas on a vertical screen is a $5 billion industry in China. No, we are not kidding!

Watch the gothic and artistic style of “Beatrice,” an AI short.

The poetic and haunting “Beatrice” is a hyper realistic piece that exemplifies how AI can be used to convey emotion and a variety of styles – not just explosions and mind-bending visuals.

It is a short film made with Runway, Adobe and Midjourney, and was a finalist for Gen:48 an AI film festival. In order to encourage more filmmakers to embrace AI, Runway announced (Hollywood Reporter) that they will offer grants (ranging from $5,000 to $1M) to those who want to use their product.