Short Drama Competition "Shodora Awards 2024" Awards Ceremony

The Showdra Executive Committee is accepting submissions for the short drama competition until Wednesday, January 31, 2024."Shodra Awards 2024"The awards ceremony was held in Tokyo on Thursday, April 25th. The ceremony featured actresses Haruka Fukuhara and Megumi Hata, film director Shinichiro Ueda, and visiting researcher at Nikkei BP Research Institute Hideo Shinada, and was moderated by freelance announcer Kasumi Mori. The final results were announced, the awards were presented, and a talk session on the theme of "vertical short dramas" was held.

Fukuhara said she had never heard of short dramas, but when she started watching after filming was confirmed, she found herself captivated by the fresh feeling. The actual filming was a one-person performance. She said she was conscious of speaking her lines quickly and approached the filming with a sense of tension for the one-take performance. Meanwhile, Hata also put in a lot of effort into creating something that only a one-person performance can offer. Looking back on the filming, she said, "I tried walking around different places and playing with candy so the images wouldn't get boring."

The winner of the Creator Award was Suzuki Asayo. The announcement was made by Shinichiro Ueda, the film director behind the hit film "One Cut of the Dead." When asked why she was selected, Suzuki commented, "I was captivated by her completely unpredictable originality and the unique worldview that only Suzuki can create." Suzuki then revealed her feelings, saying, "I never thought the day would come when a video I didn't even understand would be shown on such a big screen."

The "Performer Award" was awarded to Ozeki Reika, Kuramoto Ryuhei, Kana Kane, and Tsuji Kanon. Arata Iida, General Programming Director of Asahi Broadcasting Corporation Television, presented them with the right to appear in a terrestrial television drama and a commemorative trophy.

Next up was the "Rumor Damage Cloud Award," presented to Takamichi Tencho/Minna no Takamichi. This award was created with the support of Brand Cloud, a company that deals with reputational damage. Chairman Ihara Masataka reflected, "Our company deals with cases arising from misunderstandings and misconceptions, such as reputational damage, so Minna no Takamichi's work, which focused on misunderstandings, was fantastic." Takamichi Tencho said enthusiastically, "This is the first award I've received in my 19 years as a comedian. But I couldn't have made it here alone. I want to continue to liven up the TikTok world."

The "Buzz Award" was awarded to "Everyday We're Shy," which has been viewed 2250 million times. They were awarded 200 million yen in prize money, support for the production costs of their next work, which will be distributed on the Showdra account, and a commemorative plaque. Toyoda Luna, who appeared in the drama, said, "I want to continue to work hard to liven up the video industry."

The overall Grand Prize winner was "Umigame Gokko." Asahi Broadcasting Corporation's Iida explained the reason for the selection, saying, "Unlike television, which requires clarity, short dramas allow viewers to get excited through the content, with mysteries and foreshadowing. In that sense, Umigame Gokko's work was extremely good." Ryoma Tanizawa, who appeared in the drama, shared his feelings, saying, "The number of acting jobs decreased dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that's when I started the creator group 'Gokko Club.' I'm honored to receive such a wonderful award for the work I'm enjoying filming every day." Yui Ouchi, who also appeared in the drama, shared her enthusiasm, saying, "We're a company of creators, so I felt a desire to create a work that can reach so many people. I want to continue creating even higher quality works."

In the talk session that followed, Hata Megumi, Ueda Shinichiro, Shinada Hideo, visiting researcher at Nikkei BP Research Institute, and freelance announcer Mori Kasumi took the stage to discuss the theme, "The Future of Vertical Video."

When asked why short dramas have grown so rapidly in the first place, Ueda said, "Anyone can become a contributor using the most familiar device at present, a smartphone. Social media gives instant feedback from users, so motivated and talented young people are able to express themselves, which users evaluate, and then young people express themselves again... I think this cycle has been created." He also said that even busy people can watch it in two or three minutes, and that the characters feel closer to them on a portrait screen, which may also be related to this.

The conversation then turned to the production side of short dramas, with Hata commenting, "At first, I was confused because the tempo was faster than regular dramas or movies." Hata responded, "I realized once again how important a sense of tempo is, and how important it is to draw the viewer in to find the story interesting within the first few seconds."

When asked by announcer Mori, "What exactly makes a video go viral?" Ueda replied, "I feel like videos with lots of comments get a lot of views." He shared his own opinion that videos that make people want to say something about familiar themes like job hunting or matchmaking tend to get more views. Shinada also responded, "Information is something that makes you want to share with others, and the value of that information lies in sending what you want to say to others. I think there are many creative ways to create it, rather than a story with an introduction, development, twist, and conclusion."

He continued, "The truth is, even professionals haven't seen the potential of short dramas. If young people continue to create them, the market will expand and they will be able to make money. From now on, we will make more and more new connections, and if we can connect them, it could become a big business." Ueda also commented that he believes the future of short dramas will be created by everyone here. Hata said, "I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to see so many of your wonderful works, and I hope we'll have the opportunity to work together in the future."

What is Shodra?
We live in an age where anyone can enjoy making and sharing videos.
On TikTok, unknown talents are
Something that professional creators would never think of.
Create exciting content with innovative ideas,
It entertains many users.

Actor, director, producer.
Maybe you aren't called by that title yet.
The skills required to make TV dramas and movies
I'll probably learn it from now on.

We are a place where these gemstones can shine as they are.
Meet the next stars
We want to create the future of entertainment together.

Just add a hashtag to your TikTok post.
Your daily life of enjoying video creation,
This will be the first step towards achieving your dream of becoming a top creator.

●Shodra Awards 2024
https://www.showdrama24.com/

●Shodora TikTok account
Please search for "Shodora" on your TikTok account.

●Shodora and other SNS accounts
◇Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/showdrama_24/
◇X (formerly Twitter) account https://twitter.com/showdrama_24
◇YouTube account https://www.youtube.com/@SHOWDRAMA-dw4ty

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on May 25, 2024 by Mai Wakao, a third-year student at International Christian University