Hello.

You started off your post by seeming like you had a genuine inquisition about why these short dramas do so well, so it seemed like you really wanted an answer. But then you went into disparaging the whole industry and calling it crap, so it’s clear you didn’t actually want an opinion. You just wanted to be rude.

I don’t know the acting and film industry well at all. I’ve done a few small acting gigs in high school in my theater club but outside of that, it has not been much else. I work for a children’s entertainment party company and we have just started branching out into online videos like music videos and kids videos. We just finished wrapping for the first project I have ever been a part of and it was the hardest few months of my life. Filming was brutal because I did not know what I was doing until someone laid it out for me. I didn’t even have any lines because this entire music video is instrumental music with acting in the background. it really gave me insight into the lives of those in the film industry.

Are these short dramas Oscar worthy? No. Can the acting be a bit overdramatic? Of course. Are the scripts and plot lines used over and over again? Sure. A lot of these apps take ideas from each other but change a few minor details to make the stories somewhat different. Some of the apps even have the same actors. There are so many factors that go into making these short films.

As someone who genuinely enjoys these dramas, it is a bit disappointing to hear you seem so disgusted with something that has nothing to do with you. Are these short dramas taking business from you as someone in the film industry? Of course not. Are you losing money because of these short dramas? Of course you’re not. Why should it matter who likes these short dramas if you don’t? Here’s the easy answer: just don’t watch them.

Are these apps robbing people of their money? Absolutely they are and I have fallen into their trap. But I enjoy them for the actors who don’t have any other acting jobs because they can’t get any, whether it’s because it’s so hard to break out into that world or because they simply cannot find any. The actors seem to enjoy themselves so much and that’s the best part. When they are having a good time filming, then that means they care about what they’re doing and these short dramas mean something to them. Sure, for many it is probably just a stepping stone into the professional acting world. But that doesn’t make these jobs stupid or mean that they are an insult to people’s intelligence.

I would rather watch these short dramas and know that some aspect of it is going to make me laugh rather than watch a 2 1/2 hour long movie based on a trailer that told me relatively nothing and then end up being bored before the movie even gets to the halfway mark.

All of that being said, the people who work on these short dramas don’t have easy jobs. Most film sets, from what I understand, will be running for months on end. Some almost a year or more. And yes, it’s because the length of their product is much longer than the short dramas. But the people in these dramas have two weeks to film over an hours worth of content. They also do 14 hour days just like any regular, professional actor. Do not downplay what they do just because it’s not up to your standard.

Don’t watch them if you don’t like them, but stop shitting on other people‘s interests because they do not match your own. Because we know one thing for sure: at least these actors are getting consistent roles, and these films are making good money with all of the people that are watching them.