Hanyu is a young creator who has been active in the field of North American short drama in recent years. Born in Shenzhen, Guangdong, Hanyu has been passionate about film and television art since childhood. In 2017, she went to Los Angeles to study abroad, and studied for a undergraduate degree in film and television production at the Los Angeles Center for Design, majoring in directorship, and graduated successfully in 2021. Afterwards, she continued to pursue a master's degree in film and television production at Chapman University and received her MFA degree in 2024.

Transformation from traditional film and television to short drama field

Hanyu's career began during her undergraduate studies. She worked as an editorial assistant in multiple film and television production sites and participated in short video shooting. Between 2017 and 2020, she began to get involved in the creative logic of self-media and vertical screen content. In 2021, despite the industry winter hit by the epidemic, Han Yu still completed the filming of his first feature film "This is Water" and served as a producer, officially entering the independent film and television field.

Since 2023, Hanyu has begun to focus on the production of "short dramas on overseas" and has gradually gained a certain influence in this field. After graduating from graduate school in 2024, she joined Loomlight Production House and produced a number of skits and commercial advertising projects for overseas markets, committed to creating more localized and diversified North American skits and advertising content.

From the epidemic situation to the rise

Hanyu's independent film and television career has not been smooth sailing. In 2021, the new crown epidemic swept the world and the film and television industry encountered an unprecedented cold winter. Globally, many traditional film and television projects are facing suspension, and overseas markets are particularly affected. At this time, Hanyu not only had to deal with the downturn in the industry, but also had to overcome the competitive pressure in the domestic film and television industry in the United States. Especially as a foreign creator, he faced great challenges in job hunting and gaining a foothold.

However, it is in this dilemma that Hanyu discovered the huge potential of the short drama industry. "At that time, I was thinking about how to continue to develop in my professional field and make breakthroughs," she recalled. With the shrinking of the traditional film and television industry, short dramas have rapidly emerged as an emerging form of content and have become the new favorite of the audience. Short dramas not only meet the current fragmented content consumption needs, but also attract the attention of a large number of young audiences with their fast, compact and strong plot characteristics.

"At the beginning, everyone looked down on us who did short dramas. Many actors and crew members regarded this work as a play. Until this year's rise of short dramas allowed us overseas Chinese film and television workers to see new opportunities." Han Yu continued, "It is no longer a fast-selling and low-quality work, but has gradually become an important direction for mainstream content consumption." Therefore, Han Yu decided to transform and devote himself to this emerging field, becoming a member of the short drama industry in Los Angeles.

Innovation and Exploration: The Future

Hanyu is currently focusing on the production of short dramas on overseas trips. Despite facing the high labor costs and strict shooting rules and regulations in Los Angeles, she and her team are still exploring how to produce high-quality works under a limited budget. She also specifically mentioned that in cooperation with customers on different platforms, the team has continuously explored the tastes of overseas audiences and tried innovative shooting techniques and editing concepts. "We began to move our traditional film and television production ideas toward advertising production, using lens movement and music to ensure that the work can attract audiences in the first few episodes," she said.

Nowadays, more and more professional talents in the trade union system, including photography, art, makeup and other aspects, have actively contacted me and expressed their hope to join the production of short dramas. Although the shooting pace of short dramas is faster and more intense, and the salary cannot be compared with traditional film and television unions, the team atmosphere of short dramas has attracted many people. Our team’s working environment is more equal and flexible, reducing the class pressure in traditional film and television, and adding more cohesion and creative vitality. "The team atmosphere of short dramas allows everyone to express their creativity freely, and the cooperation is closer and more enjoyable." I said, "This not only brings a new creative experience to practitioners, but also symbolizes our hope for the future of the industry."

Breakthrough and Innovation: Leading the Short Drama " A Trade of Hearts "

Among the many short drama projects she has produced, "A Trade of Hearts" is one of the most memorable works. This romantic fantasy short drama with the theme of Chuangxing breaks through the routine of traditional domineering dramas and introduces the mysterious element of divination, breaks the traditional plot mode, and brings a refreshing feeling to the audience. Hanyu serves as the producer in this work. The biggest challenge she faces is how to localize this unique setting and plot so that it not only meets the fast-paced requirements of short dramas, but also retains the core charm that attracts the audience.

"We added divination elements to this work and created a brand new character, giving the plot more layering and cultural depth," Han Yu recalled. She admitted that this innovation not only gave the originally limited Domineering dramas a new vitality, but also attracted a large number of fans and audiences of vertical screen short dramas. Many people post on social platforms to share their impressions and express their love for the story through tags. Especially the romantic style of Korean drama presented in this work makes the short drama visually present a unique feature.

Through this short drama, Hanyu successfully attracted a large number of viewers who love romantic and fantasy themes, and promoted the diversified development of vertical screen short drama styles. She believes that the breakthrough in the short drama industry is not only about innovation in content, but also about the liberation of expression. Such innovative ideas provide more possibilities for short drama creation

Short film " You Can Never Go Home ": The Power

Hanyu's independent short film "You Can Never Go Home" was also screened at the Oxford Film Festival in Mississippi in February this year. The film tells the story of a young woman’s struggle with identity in a conservative family, exploring the LGBTQ theme. After the short film was screened, the audience said that the film truly reflects the contradictions and conflicts they experienced in their families, especially the differences in value between generations. Some viewers said the work gave them the courage to try to repair a relationship with their parents.

"This screening experience has made me more determined to create works with social significance, and has also made me deeply feel the communication power of images." Han Yu said.

Looking to the future: Opening up a new path

Hanyu's story is not only the struggle of a young creator, but also represents the huge potential of the emerging short drama industry. Under her leadership, more and more talents have joined the production of short dramas, continuously promoting the construction and development of the short drama ecology. Hanyu is full of confidence in the future and is committed to continuing to explore more diverse and local short drama content to promote the further development of this industry in the North American market.

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