(Ecns.cn)--Reading Wei novels (a short novel) and writing a microblog, or Weibo, it seems that China has entered into a "Wei era" where many things have been presented to people in a shorter or smaller format than they used to be.
Now, film lovers, if they have no energy or time for a whole film in the theaters, can choose to watch a "Wei film" or "micro film", one that lasts for only 1 to 20 minutes, yet has a whole story.
What is a Wei film?
An ordinary film usually lasts for 100 to 130 minutes. Yet for a Wei film, the span is only 1 to 20 minutes, but it still tells a complete story like traditional films do.
On December 27th, 2010, the first Chinese Wei film literally translated as "Easy to Trigger" was launched. Acted in by famous Hong Kong movie actor Daniel Wu and his wife Lisa, the film only lasts for 90 seconds. It depicts an unbroken story of how a man succeeds in making a high-tech deal and ships it to his girlfriend after being hunted by his enemies.
Acted in by famous stars and sponsored by the world-renowned auto brand Cadillac, the first Wei film gained praise from industry insiders and viewers on the Internet. The pictures and the content of the story, though short, was as good as a traditional film.
As the film is comparatively shorter than traditional ones, the threshold for making this kind of film is not as high as making a 120-miunute film that usually needs a large investment, good props, and a production team.
Wei films are often displayed via new media, like the Internet and mobile phones, as it is more convenient and easier for people to access, especially young people who like to spend a long period of time surfing the Internet.
Many people who used to have a dream of producing their own film, but lack investments and a reputation to hire stars for their films, now have the chance to make their dreams come true. If the film is really good enough, the Internet will help them attract an audience.
A new favorite in this fast-food cultural time
In the past few months, many actors and film directors have tried their hand at producing or taking part in Wei films. For example, after the success of the film "Easy to Trigger," Cadillac made another capital injection in its second Wei film called "Route 66."
Since its debut on the Internet, the film has received warm welcomes from people, especially professional women, for the leading actress and singer for the film, Karen Mok, presented a sense of confidence to audiences.
The Internet helped Wei films gain viewers at a fast speed. According to an Internet development report, by the end of last June, China had over 485 million web users and about over 40 million users that instead of watching films and TV series through the TV sets, prefer to use the Internet. This has given Wei films a great chance to develop.
In 2010, online video websites like Youku.com and Tudou.com produced their own original series online shows. "The Bright Eleven," an online series by Youku.com gained the website higher click rates and made online TV series a new entertainment form for viewers.
"New media has brought platforms for online series and Wei films," said Li Zichao, a Chinese cutting-edge director. With the quickening pace of ordinary life, people now tend to choose new forms of entertainment and things that can bring a feast of visual impacts.
The appearance of Wei films and online series has filled this gap. By watching these shorter films and series, people who have no time to watch long films are satisfied and they get more visual impacts in a shorter amount of time.
The shorter the better, or not
As the threshold for making a Wei film is low, the quality of these films has varied. "Easy to Trigger" gained praise for its compact plot and excellent visuals, while "Route 66" attracted viewers for the good actress. However, not all Wei films have succeeded like these.
Last May, movie actor Xu Zheng directed a Wei film called "The Birth of a Masterpiece," but failed to please audiences. "The plot is old-fashioned and not related to each another," said a web user after watching the film.
"The development of Wei films is just beginning, and most people now only want to see films with splendid pictures," said an insider. "The new form of film still needs time to figure out a way to develop in a benign way and find out what will kind of themes audiences will like," added the insider.
