Chapter 129: Preparing for the Turbo Snail

  Chinatown, Los Angeles, USA.

  Meng Huan Ying Ye company, newly renovated second floor conference room inside.

  Along the long conference table, Yi Feiyang sat at the head, then on both sides were Fat House Treasure, Rabbit Bill, Fat Jack Black, photographer Cindy, lighting engineer Charlie, makeup artist Miqi, and some of the top executives who had recently joined this side. In addition to these people, on the opposite side of the conference table were two new members of Dream Film Industry, one was Mike, the head of the computer special effects department, and the other was John, a computer animation designer. They were all top-notch talents hired by Yi Feiyang at high salaries.

  The female secretary brought up the coffee and placed it in front of everyone. Yi Feiyang picked up his cup, took a light sip, and then said: "Alright, I've gathered you all here today mainly to announce the production of our company's next play..."

  "Congratulations, boss! You're finally going to film a new movie!"

  "Yes, we have been waiting for a long time!"

  "What genre is it? Is it a horror movie?!"

  "My goodness, I think it's a porn movie!"

  ……

  A group of people made various guesses.

  "Alright, stop guessing blindly." Yi Feiyang said, putting down his coffee.

  Everyone listened to him speak and fell silent, waiting for him to announce the answer.

  Being stared at by so many pairs of eyes, Yi Feiyang felt a sense of satisfaction as if he was the boss, no wonder those who like to be in power enjoy being looked up to, this feeling of being watched is just great.

  "Before I announce the answer, take a look at this first." Yi Feiyang snapped his fingers crisply, and on the conference flat-panel screen above, a slide of a small animal appeared.

  Round shell, shiny head. Two big eyes like antennae, and a smiling mouth, anyone can recognize that this is a snail. To be exact, it's a very cute cartoon snail.

  Yi Feiyang glanced around at everyone and smiled, asking: "Does everyone know what this is?"

  Everyone burst out laughing at once, how could they possibly not know?

  Fat Jack first spread his hands and smiled: "Of course, boss. Although I don't like eating French food much, I also know that there is a dish called 'French snail casserole'. Damn it, thinking of this dish, now I have an appetite... Who's going after work? But remember, AA payment when settling the bill."

  Exams, dead fatty, all you know is eating!

  "But this little snail is quite special..." Chubby continued, stroking his chin.

  It's easy to be proud of oneself when one has succeeded in understanding something.

  "It's just...the head is too small, how much more is needed to steam a plate of it?"

  Yi Feiyang spat out a mouthful of coffee.

  Hopeless foodie!

  "Besides eating, you can't see anything else?" Yì Fēi Yáng asked.

  Fat Jack scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, "Cough cough, let's just discuss the matter at hand, Big Brother. You suddenly release a snail without giving any explanation, which really tests everyone's imagination."

  "Alright, does anyone else have a different opinion?" Yi Feiyang was too lazy to bother with him.

  "I do! I do!" exclaimed Bunny Bill, his hand shooting up eagerly.

  "What about you? What did you see?" Yì Fēi Yáng asked directly.

  "I can see why it's so popular, first of all, this little snail is very cute, specifically its cartoon-like appearance makes it lovable. It's the kind of thing that kids would fall in love with at first sight. Secondly, look at how silly and goofy it looks, just like this idiot next to me..." pointing at Jack who had just eaten a whole pizza by himself, "so it becomes even more adorable, silly and interesting... you can say. Such little creatures are naturally likable. Oh, it's truly a gift from the creator."

  "Finally, and most importantly, this gift that the Creator has given us, is something that you, our great leader, have personally brought out, so it must be a treasure. What kind of treasure it is, we can't guess if you don't tell us, but someone as wise and powerful as you, with such exceptional talent, would never do anything without a reason. So I believe this small snail must carry an unparalleled secret, yes, it must have a very wonderful story, let's look forward to it!"

  Rabbit Bill talked a lot in one breath, seemingly said a lot, but after careful consideration, he didn't say anything at all, and just gave Yi Feiyang a high hat.

  Yi Feiyang cried and laughed at the same time, clapping his hands loudly, "Shut up, you guys should take a look first before talking!"

  The slides flickered and changed rapidly, transforming into snails, racing cars, tracks, drivers... Before long, everyone realized that these things were becoming more and more interesting when combined.

  Looking at the changing pictures, Bunny Bill didn't find it hard to guess the intention and asked: "Boss, does that mean you want to make an animated film about snails and racing?"

  Yi Feiyang smiled and said to everyone: "Why not?"

  Yi Feiyang's words made everyone almost faint!

  My God, this is too crazy!

  Originally thought to continue shooting horror movies, pornographic films, and even everyone exercising their imagination, guessing that he would shoot war movies, martial arts movies... but never expected it to be an animated movie!

  From being a human film to becoming a non-human film, isn't this crossing degree too big?!

  Everyone was shocked by Yifei Yang's sudden decision, staring blankly in amazement.

  Yi Feiyang couldn't help but find it amusing that one sentence from him had "scared" everyone.

  Although I am the boss of the company and have direct decision-making power, if everything is "I say goes", how can a company work together in harmony? How can others take their work seriously? Any decision must have a reason, at least to convince others to agree, and in the conference room, everyone plays the role of an investor, so I must use a business perspective to tell everyone that this is feasible.

  So Yifei Yang and others waited until everyone had not yet asked, and actively explained, "Firstly, this decision is not impulsive, but after my careful consideration. The main reasons are as follows."

  Yi Feiyang paused for a moment, then continued: "Firstly, although we have no experience in making animated films, our newly established computer animation design studio can take this shoot as a kind of exercise. Only those who have been on the battlefield are good soldiers, and only by closing the door to create something new can one achieve success. Secondly, don't worry too much about technology and funding. Although I've decided to direct this film, I won't drag the whole company into it. I'll find a movie company to cooperate with, and we've already reached a preliminary agreement - that's Paramount!"

  "Paramount? Are we going to work with Paramount?" Everyone started discussing it without realizing.

  It's worth noting that while Disney has long been the dominant force in Hollywood animation, Paramount Pictures is not far behind. Paramount has always tried to occupy a place in the animation market and its most powerful weapon is the "DreamWorks" animation company behind it. In the future, Paramount acquired DreamWorks and was responsible for the release of all DreamWorks animated films, producing a series of popular and critically acclaimed animated films such as Madagascar 1-3 and Peanuts.

  Let's talk about DreamWorks again. Every time they release an animated film, it's always the "dream" of the audience, but for Disney, it's their "nightmare". The animated films produced by DreamWorks are known for their realistic images, and their technology in animal hair, skin and skeleton can be said to be one of the top in the industry.

  With the support of Paramount, DreamWorks today can perfectly produce exquisite and realistic images with a strong sense of texture in terms of animation design, including engines, renderers, modeling and mapping. It can be said that in terms of animation technology, as long as Paramount is involved, it's equivalent to having DreamWorks on board, making it absolutely worth collaborating with.

  As for why Paramount cooperated with DMG, there are three main reasons. Firstly, the director of this animated film is Yi Feiyang, and Yi Feiyang is currently the most popular person in the industry. Almost every one of his films has become a legend, which makes Paramount look forward to his new works. Secondly, among the seven major Hollywood film companies, Disney has Disney Animation, Fox has Fox Animation, Sony has Sony Animation, but Paramount has not yet established its own animation company. However, DMG took the lead in establishing an animation design studio, which made Paramount feel very interested and wanted to explore the road and see how easy it is to make animated films. Thirdly, and most importantly, although Paramount cooperates deeply with DreamWorks, DreamWorks is not a very obedient child, and Paramount urgently needs a new partner that can replace or even surpass DreamWorks, and DMG is undoubtedly the best choice. The reason is simple: compared to DreamWorks, which has already grown up, DMG is just starting out and appears easier to control.

  That's why Paramount is willing to work with DreamWorks to start shooting an animated film.

  Paramount's participation clearly surprised the members of DreamWorks, who couldn't help but ask: "Is Paramount really willing to cooperate with us?"

  "Yes, we need to work together and develop this animated film. They have the funding and experience in making animated films, so cooperating with them will only bring benefits, not drawbacks. Moreover, I've already thought it through - while filming this movie, our company will also produce a low-cost horror film as insurance, in case the animation takes too long and we don't have any new movies released during a good time slot. Why did I say that? Because the horror film is like buying insurance for the animated film! Horror films are our company's golden signboard, aren't they? Lastly, why make an animated film? Because the market for animated films will definitely become one of the most competitive areas in the future. What we're doing now is just warming up for that. Remember, a company needs to look far ahead and not be stingy about short-term gains or afraid of taking risks. As the Chinese saying goes, 'wealth and honor are found in taking risks' - that's the principle."

  "These are the reasons why I decided to shoot this animation, if you have any unclear points, please ask." Yi Feiyang asked for everyone's opinions democratically.

  "I have a question," said Gao Jiaobao, raising his hand, "about how much investment will this animated film require?"

  Yi Feiyang smiled, "Originally, we would have needed at least 40 to 50 million, but with Paramount's cooperation, we only need to invest around 30 million... Of course, investing this money is not just for filming, more importantly, it's to learn the animation production technology from them! Hmm, how should I put it, even if this film really flops, we can just consider it as tuition fees!"

  Fat boy Gao Jia Bao is depressed, his mother, this tuition fee is too expensive! However, he still shut up and didn't oppose.

  But Fatso didn't know that the 30 million Easy Fly mentioned had actually been discounted by a factor of n, and the previous life's play had cost $135,000,000, with production costs being astronomical. The reason is that computer-made special effects consume time and labor... far more than the actors' performance fees... Hollywood blockbuster 3D special effects are made by supercomputers. The authenticity of special effects lies in the processing of ambient light, which is the most important aspect, and the application fee for supercomputers is very high.

  To sum it up, 3D special effects are very expensive!

  But this time, Yi Feiyang didn't plan to make it into 3D or 2D, just the simplest ordinary animated film.

  First. No time!

  Secondly, no money!

  Thirdly, I don't have that kind of energy!

  What Yifei Yang wants to do is to tell the story of "Turbo" completely, and make his own "golden sentence" a golden signboard for DreamWorks Animation, so he spent 3 million yuan, which made him very painful. The degree of pain is not weaker than that of Gao Haibao.

  "I also have a question," said Rabbit Bill, "You just mentioned that you want to make a horror movie, so who is the director of this film?"

  Yes. Everyone knows that the opening shot of Dream Illusion Entertainment is horror, and now Yi Feiyang wants to make an animated film, so he can't be the director anymore. So who will take on the responsibility of being the "savior" director?

  Bugs Bunny, Fat Jack, even the photographer Cindy, and a few guys who had transferred from ToP all showed their eager eyes.

  Yi Feiyang smiled. "I've already thought this through, I'll be the producer for the new play, and let Bill direct it. Last time you were my assistant director, you worked very hard from start to finish, but in the end all the credit went to me, so I owe you one... Fatty Jack, don't be discouraged, come help me work on this animated film. I heard you've done voice acting before? I need someone with your skills by my side... The others won't be idle either, there will be plenty of things for all of you to do soon, so everyone needs to be mentally prepared, a big battle is about to begin."

  It goes without saying that Yi Feiyang is going to be the producer. With his temperament and on-site directing ability, he is absolutely the "top emperor", no matter who the director is, they are just nominally the "number one hand", in fact, they are still errand runners, and even if everyone earns money, it doesn't mean anything. Therefore, everyone shut up and continued to listen to his arrangements.

  "Now, let's get down to business and study this play called 'Turbocharged Snail'."

  "Hey, look at this little snail on the screen! It's not just a cute snail, it's also a crazy speed racing driver! What does a racing driver represent? Struggle, effort, and challenging everything that seems impossible! They are heroes. So our movie is about how this little snail becomes a racing hero."

  Everyone laughed and it was a very interesting story. Of course, there is no controversy on this point, snails are indeed cute and are an excellent animation element. Moreover, connecting the slowest one with high-speed racing cars, the huge contrast and impossibility are the biggest selling points.

  Fat Jack, who had already been appointed as an assistant by Yi Fei Yang, looked at the screen with a thoughtful expression and asked: "Boss, what kind of movie do you want to make? An inspirational animation like 'The Lion King'?"

  "Yes, it's a motivational animation, and its theme is that sentence I mentioned before: no matter how big your dreams are, they're not too big; no matter how small the person chasing their dreams is, they're not too small." Yì Fēi Yáng smiled and continued, "However, this motivational drama will be built on a comedic foundation, which means it'll be in a family-friendly mode. Only then can the animation we produce catch all audiences!"

  Yi Feiyang said these words, but what he was thinking in his heart were a few unconventional dark animations from his previous life, such as "Corpse Bride" and "Coraline", both of which were classified as USA-PG, not suitable for children to watch or requiring parental guidance. This would inadvertently lose many viewers and put pressure on the box office.

  Don't think that Yi Feiyang is too concerned about the box office, Dream Factory is not a wealthy company now, it's hard to support a group of people, Yi Feiyang himself is not a billionaire, what he does now must "look at money", otherwise, no one will sympathize with him even if he starves to death.

  Listening to Yi Feiyang's words, Fat Jack and Rabbit Bill both nodded in agreement. He continued: "Having laughter is always delightful for people. As long as the animation is filled with laughter, it will be suitable for family viewing, young people dating, or watching alone, and then it will be a success."

  "Please remember, animation is originally a fairy tale, try to be less preachy. All the morals we want to tell the audience should be conveyed in a light-hearted and interesting way, which also serves the story."

  "Alright, I've basically said everything I wanted to say. Does anyone else have any questions?" Yi Feiyang scanned the room.

  The entire conference room was silent, with no one making a sound.

  "Guys, trust me," Yi Fei Yang pressed his hands on the table and said decisively: "As long as the story is good, as long as it's a good movie, no matter how difficult this animation is to shoot, it's all worth our trying, creating!"

  After a pause, Yi Feiyang finally said: "And, any movie, any attempt has risks. If you always think about the damn risk, would anyone still make movies?" His voice gradually grew louder, "Exams, movies are originally high-risk, if you're afraid, then why not just go sell KFC!"

  Everyone burst out laughing at the same time, looked at each other in surprise, and Bunny Bill raised his hands, smiling and saying: "I have no objection, I completely agree."

  Fat Jack Black also said: "I don't think the market will be so fragile."

  "Cindy nodded and smiled: "Wow, a snail that can race? That's cool!""

  Seeing everyone throw away their worries and concerns, Yifei Yang couldn't help but reveal a face full of excitement and smile, saying: "So, from now on, let's start sprinting like this snail!"