By Hu Wenpeng

With the coming of the "micro-" age, "micro-" stuffs are emerging one after another, one of them being micro-film. Leonardo DiCaprio's OPPO endorsement film Find Me and Karen Mok's Route 66 for Cadillac are representative works of micro films. They have been widely acclaimed by internet users since the moment they were published, with continuously climbing click volume and forward volume. On December 10, Sina.com held the first Micro-Film Competition in China National Film Museum, attracting the participation of more than 300 micro films. It offers just a glimpse of the increasing popularity of micro-film.

As the term suggests, the duration of a micro-film is much shorter than a conventional film, ranging mainly from 3 to 5 minutes, with some even as short as less than 30 seconds. Besides that, a micro film has 3 distinctive characteristics: first, being produced by professional teams; second, telling a story using cinematic approaches; and third, extensive distribution through social networks, such as microblogging. Of course, sponsorship is indispensable in sustaining the development of micro-film. At present, the definition of micro-film is not clear yet. However, this online artistic genre accords effectively with the time fragmentation trend of internet users. Moreover, a micro film tends to embody a short and dramatic story. It may become a force that is to be reckoned with in the advertising industry. 

Micro-film has apparent advantages over conventional advertising carriers and channels. Firstly, for a micro film, the cost is low, the production cycle is short, and the release is fast. As is well known to all, the bidding price for TV ad is becoming formidably high. The cost of a prime-time TV commercial can easily go as high as hundreds of thousands RMB or even into the million. Moreover, the State Administration of Radio Film and Television has recently issued the TV commercials ban, which would undoubtedly make TV commercials even costlier. For a micro film, however, the cost is significantly reduced due to shorter film duration, limited input of labor and resources, and distribution on the internet, such as on microblogging. Therefore, people even say a micro-film has a micro-cost. Apparently, this is highly appealing to advertising clients who are particular about cost control.

Secondly, the story and interactivity of a micro film make the consumers happy to view it and forward it, giving continuous bonus points to the image of the client. As the consumption ideas of consumers change, bombarding and repeated advertisements, such as that of Melatonin and the "goat goat goat" slogan that are straightly avaricious, have failed to attract the attention of the post-80 and post-90 generations. A micro film, despite its duration of only a few minutes or even dozens of seconds and its obligation to convey the clients' message, it still manages to tell a thrilling, eye-catching, and memorable story.  

Li Weiran, a well-known advertisement director, once said: "In today's society, everyone likes stories, especially soul-touching stories". In the middle of this year, the highly popular short film Watch A Football Match tells the story of the adventure of a father and a son, both of who are football fans, in watching a football match. The love of the father and son and the love for football touch the hearts of many online viewers deeply. Within 3 days of its release, the film was clicked 10 million times and forwarded continuously on microblogging.

Lastly, the distribution of micro-film on the internet has higher selectivity and pertinence. TV commercials are viewed by all consumer groups. When the product is applicable only for particular groups, there will be wasted input. However, a micro film can be promoted with concentrated efforts in particular regions or among particular crowds based on the internet according the habits and preferences of consumers, further improving the effectiveness and accuracy of the publicity of client's image. Orange Hotel, which has not more than 20 chain stores across the country, made 12 zodiac-theme micro films that target young people. The films rapidly won the hotel the reputation of "good at creating atmosphere" among young white collars.

The development of micro-film has just kicked off. It is believed that with the growth of internet-supported technologies and the new-generation consumers, micro-film will play an increasingly important role in the advertising industry.