Microdrama
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A filming style characterized by close-up camera work focusing on the reactions of a single character. countable, uncountable
"...he also attempts to show how editing causes audience "identification" with the image and allows for the subtler "microdrama" of realism; and leaving editing aside, he sees the expressive possibilities in the "panorama" or long-take, shots — all of which goes well beyond the "make-it-strange" aesthetics of the Russians."
- 2 A very short film clip or acted scene. countable, uncountable
"But, by far the most important of these genres is ritual microdrama. Deftly interweaving plot, narration, and theme, microdramas create a special kind of fiction which often literally depicts the transformations which the other three only imply."
- 3 A dramatic interaction or event of very short duration. countable, uncountable
"Gay Charles spectated the microdrama with a sagacious and equivocal eye. He'd seen it all. Well, he hadn't seen Not Mrs Crackety's headscarf blow off, but he could quite well imagine what it might look like."
Example
More examples"...he also attempts to show how editing causes audience "identification" with the image and allows for the subtler "microdrama" of realism; and leaving editing aside, he sees the expressive possibilities in the "panorama" or long-take, shots — all of which goes well beyond the "make-it-strange" aesthetics of the Russians."
Etymology
From micro- + drama.
More for "microdrama"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.