IMDA & TikTok team up to develop S'pore microdrama expertise, both tracks may involve AI

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and social media giant TikTok have partnered up to create a new programme aimed at developing expertise in microdramas.

According to a press release by IMDA, this new initiative will equip media professionals with the skillset to conceptualise and produce 50 to 100 microdrama episodes and bring them to market.

It is a part of IMDA’s Digital Content and Capability Development (DCCD) programme launched earlier this year.

The first run of this programme will only be applicable to professionals from 20 accredited media companies.

IMDA has said that future editions of the programme may be expanded to a wider pool of applicants.

Microdramas are short, fast-paced series designed to be viewed vertically on smartphones, with each episode running from one to three minutes.

According to IMDA, microdramas and other short-form vertical video content have rapidly grown popular, with the global market projected to generate $150 billion in revenue this year.

Two tracks

The programme will last six to nine months, in which participants will learn microdrama storytelling techniques from TikTok and their partners.

These techniques and skills include vertical content production, cliffhanger design, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Two tracks will be made available to participants.

The first is a live-action track, focusing on content filmed with live actors and real sets which may be supplemented with AI-augmented content.

The second is an AI-enabled animation track, which focuses on animated content generated using AI. Participants will learn, among other things, prompt engineering, character consistency planning, and Seedance 2.5, an AI video generation tool by TikTok's parent company ByteDance.

Participants will also be onboarded onto TikTok's wider content ecosystem, learning the full life cycle of content creation from delivery to distribution to audience engagement.

They will also receive bespoke consultancy to help their content reach global markets.

Yvonne Tang, the Assistant Chief Executive for IMDA's Media Industry Group, said that the partnership is an "important step towards building a vibrant, globally competitive media sector."