MICROCINEMA: Film director Lu Chuan (center) shares his experience of making short films with audience at the opening ceremony of the First International Microfilm Festival of China in Beijing on April 5 (RENG ZHENGLAI)

Stanley Tang, a famous Hong Kong film director and producer, expressed his excitement for the students' innovative microfilms when he attended the festival as a member of the expert panel.

At the event's closing ceremony, Tang said, "On the whole, the storytelling methods of the awarded works are very professional, reflecting the talents of the young generation."

In the festival, an animated microfilm Yuhua Cuo, directed by Beijing Normal University undergraduate Tao Zhiqiang, drew a lot of attention for its delicate picture and touching story. Unfortunately, the film did not win an award because its time length exceeded the film festival's requirements. However, Tao won the praise and support of attending experts. Tang announced, "Tao is a gifted director at such a young age. I am going to invest in his films. Young directors need our support."

"People can watch microfilms at any place at any time," Tang pointed out. "The flexible feature gives microfilms sufficient living room. We don't need to worry about the future of this art form."

But the production of microfilms needs to follow the same principles of big movies. A director should know clearly what he or she wants to express in the film, and then arrange the photography and performers. "If they can do well in microfilm, they might be able to make successful blockbuster films someday," Tang said.

Brief but burgeoning

To further promote the development of microfilms, the First International Microfilm Festival of China kicked off in Beijing on April 5. The event will accept submissions from up-and-coming filmmakers through the end of August. After all submissions are reviewed by an independent expert panel, it will hold an award ceremony on September 28.

According to organizers, the event aims to support talented producers of microfilms and foster a new generation of filmmakers. The event is co-founded by renowned film organizations, such as Chinese Film Association and the Movie Channel of CCTV, bringing professional expertise to the event.

Microfilms can be divided into two main types, depending on their purpose. One is produced as an advertisement, a public service announcement or for the purpose of commercial promotion; the other is a creative work meant to inspire or entertain. Many microfilm enthusiasts don't have the resources of a production company. They rely instead on innovative ideas and fresh imaginations to attract audiences.

Microfilms have a simple plot and storyline due to short time length. The most successful microfilms are often funny or thought-provoking. The format suits the needs of both advertisers and independent filmmakers.

Because of its growing popularity, advertisers have put a new focus on microfilms in recent years. For example, Hong Kong movie star Daniel Wu directed and produced an action microfilm for the automobile brand Cadillac in 2010. Despite its commercial function, it tells a brief but intact story with action-packed scenes in only 90 seconds. The film has the look of a miniature blockbuster, capturing the attention of audiences while showcasing the brand.

Another Hong Kong star, Nicholas Tse, also played in a microfilm for mobile phone brand Nokia. The three-minute movie followed the same formula of a feature-length film. It had all the necessary parts of a movie, including a preview, posters and its own theme song. Successful microfilms are changing the traditional model of advertising.

However, even a microfilm can require big funding. Producers of these short films have not developed a mature profit-making strategy yet. Therefore, few film companies are as eager as individual enthusiasts to make microfilms. Except for commercial advertisements, microfilms cannot make up the cost to investors. In addition to low revenue, microfilm is a relatively complicated work that needs producers to depict a well-developed story that summarizes their thoughts in several minutes with the support of a professional team.

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