Restart life

Chapter 305 0302 [They're all experts]

Previously, Breakthrough Animation rented a residential house for its offices, but after Chen Guiliang invested in the company, it finally moved to a proper office building.

When it was founded in 2004, there were a total of 14 people, all of whom were recent graduates or college students.

After the first animated film flopped, five people left. Three new people joined later, bringing the company's total to 12.

Outsourcing, outsourcing, and more outsourcing—many employees have become numb to it all.

If Chen Guiliang doesn't invest, the company will probably be dissolved in two or three years at most.

"Welcome, Mr. Chen, to our inspection." Wang Chenyu greeted him with a smile.

This guy graduated from the Animation Department of Beijing Film Academy. He's a bit slick in his words and actions, but deep down he's actually a bit stubborn.

When asked to outsource the animation for "Future Era," Wang Chenyu always insisted on adding his own personal touches.

Don't ask why.

Asking questions in this way makes them more artistic, more perfect, and more profound.

Some of the personal touches added were quite good, and Chen Guiliang was willing to adopt them.

Chen Guiliang felt like punching someone after seeing some of the personal opinions.

When Chen Guiliang came today, all the employees stopped working.

Among these employees, the majority were graduates from Beijing Film Academy and Communication University of China, which were the best animation schools in Beijing at the time. There were also graduates from Central Academy of Fine Arts, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Renmin University.

"Let's have a meeting together," Chen Guiliang said.

There are only 12 people in total, and each of them is a jack-of-all-trades, so there's no need to exclude anyone.

The company didn't have a dedicated meeting room, so everyone dragged their chairs over and sat down around Chen Guiliang to wait for the meeting to start.

Chen Guiliang asked, "You all want to make animated films."

Everyone nodded silently.

Chen Guiliang then asked, "Do you know the current state of the Chinese animated film market?"

Most remained silent.

The meaning is obvious: everyone knows what's going on, but they still want to give it another shot.

Young people, they won't turn back until they hit a wall.

They've already hit a wall once, but they think it's because they didn't do a good job, so they want to hit it again.

One employee couldn't help but say, "If it's just taking on outsourced work or making children's animation, I might as well just join a game company. With my skills, wouldn't I earn more money as an artist in a game company than in animation?"

Wang Chenyu introduced, "This is Gu Kai, a graduate of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University. He is very skilled in computer technology and also holds a computer science degree from Tsinghua."

The Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University has many majors, and not all of them are abstract.

Gu Kai graduated from the Department of Information Art and Design at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, and also earned a double degree from the Department of Computer Science at Tsinghua University.

This person had also studied 3D animation; if they had gone to a game company, they could definitely have earned a high salary. Instead, they chose to start a business with Wang Chenyu, enduring three years of hardship living in a rented house—something that can only be explained by their dreams.

Another employee said, "Why is our company called Breaking Boundaries Animation? It's to break down the boundaries and barriers of reality! The Chinese animated film industry is indeed not doing well, but that's only temporary. As long as we persevere, we will succeed. The mainstream film market wasn't doing well either, but hasn't it been gradually improving in recent years? The annual box office has been increasing. As the mainstream film market improves, animated films will also improve."

Wang Chenyu introduced, "This is Li Kaixuan, a graduate of the School of Animation and Digital Arts at the Communication University of China. He joined Shanda three years ago. When he heard that we were going to start a business to make animated films, he immediately resigned from Shanda and returned to Beijing."

Chen Guiliang realized that these people were not easy to persuade.

They won't listen to anything I say.

Are you talking about reality?

I have a more realistic option: I'll go directly to a game company, where I can earn even more!
Chen Guiliang approached the issue from another angle: "Have you ever considered that, putting aside the box office performance, your startup project itself has problems? I watched that animated film, and I felt that the production team had too many ideas. They crammed all sorts of ideas and concepts into it, which ultimately ruined the overall structure and plot."

Everyone was silent.

Because what Chen Guiliang said was true.

They also reviewed the situation and concluded that everyone in the company was too brilliant and had too many ideas. Unable to persuade the other party, everyone's ideas were crammed in. The result was an animated film where individual clips looked good, but when put together, they felt severely disjointed.

Wang Chenyu said, "We have already discussed this issue. If we are making another animated film, we will coordinate with each other more carefully."

"Are you sure you can reach an agreement?" Chen Guiliang asked with a smile.

"Yes!" everyone unanimously agreed.

Chen Guiliang said, "I believe it. Do you believe it yourselves?"

Everyone gave an awkward laugh.

Chen Guiliang remarked, "Your team's current state isn't suited for feature films. Even when it comes to making game cutscenes for me, I find you guys too much of an idea. Of course, one thing is undeniable: your technical skills are truly amazing, and the visuals are top-notch. Some of the creative techniques used in the animation shots are simply stunning; otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen you."

One employee said, "Mr. Chen, just tell us directly, what kind of animation do you want us to make?"

Wang Chenyu introduced, "This is Xiang Lei, also a graduate of the Animation School of Communication University of China. He studied traditional Chinese painting before, and he designed the scattered perspective panoramic view in the opening animation of 'Future Era.' It's something most people can't do, and it's rarely seen in Western animation; it requires a foundation in traditional Chinese painting to do well." Chen Guiliang gave a thumbs up: "That animation shot was absolutely brilliant; I truly admire it!"

Xiang Lei smiled shyly after being praised by Chen Guiliang, his shyness mixed with pride and arrogance.

Chen Guiliang said, “You are all very capable and have a lot of ideas. This is your strength, but it is also your team’s weakness. You lack a person who can make the final decision, and you lack a leader who can suppress the ideas of the members.”

Wang Chenyu was very embarrassed.

He's nominally the CEO of an animation company, but his relationship with his employees is more like that of brothers. If his brothers have ideas, he can only guide them, not forcibly suppress them.

Pressuring him won't work unless he can persuade the other party.

Chen Guiliang continued, "So, if you don't want to break up and still want to continue making animation, this kind of team can't make feature films. Once you make a feature film, your internal problems will inevitably be exposed. It's best to make episodes that are only a few minutes long, the shorter the better. If someone has a new idea, then make an episode specifically for them."

"A few minutes per episode? Are you suggesting we make children's animation?" one employee sneered.

Wang Chenyu then gave an introduction.

Chen Guiliang retorted, "Who says we have to make animation for children? Can't adults watch it?"

No one spoke again, waiting for Chen Guiliang to give specific advice.

Faced with this group of thoughtful and stubborn experts, Chen Guiliang didn't dare to say anything about "Boonie Bears".

If you say it out loud, you'll be 100% looked down upon.

Asking them to make an animation of "Those Things of the Ming Dynasty"? Or asking them to make "Those Things of That Rabbit Year"? That's impossible too.

Because both "Ming Dynasty" and "That Rabbit" are primarily narrative-driven, they don't place much emphasis on visuals and camera work. Therefore, they don't showcase these individuals' technical skills and creativity.

If they were really going to do that, they might as well continue outsourcing CCTV's "Stories of Chinese Virtues".

Chen Guiliang said, "Two ideas, you can choose for yourselves."

"The first idea is to reinterpret 'Journey to the West' from the perspective of a grassroots monster. I'll tell you the first story, which is called 'The Little Monster's Summer.' There was a pig monster living at the very bottom of society whose entire life consisted of eating, sleeping, and patrolling the mountains..."

"The second idea is a world of insects. There are two insects, Little Yellow and Little Red, who live in the sewers. Gum, sausages, and aluminum cans falling from the gaps in the manhole covers are all mysterious gifts that fall from the sky..."

"Both of these ideas are suitable for all ages. And each episode is short, so you can experiment as you like. Whoever has an idea or concept can turn it into an episode, and everyone else will fully cooperate."

"I will only allow you to make feature films when you fully understand how to compromise and tolerate, and when you know how to cooperate with others. If anyone feels that the film does not meet my expectations, they can resign directly."

Xiang Lei, who has a background in traditional Chinese painting, said first: "I think we should choose the first one. There are countless monsters in Journey to the West, and we can also design countless ordinary little monsters. The pilgrimage story is just their life background; they have their own joys and sorrows. This animation series is not about the pilgrimage, but about reflecting the lives of modern people."

Gu Kai, a Tsinghua and Peking University graduate specializing in 3D animation, said, "I choose the second one. A group of insects living in the sewers can also be a microcosm of human society. Moreover, it can be more exaggerated, more childlike, and more dramatic than directly depicting humans."

These guys made their choices one by one: 7 people chose the first option, and 5 people chose the second option.

Then they started arguing amongst themselves, completely forgetting about Chen Guiliang.

Wang Chenyu was extremely embarrassed.

His team is problematic. They're all highly skilled, and they usually get along very well, laughing and joking around, but they start arguing endlessly when work issues arise.

Chen Guiliang only told the story of "The Summer of the Little Monster," which set the tone, and they were free to make up the rest of the stories.

"Larva" is even simpler, with each episode lasting only two or three minutes, allowing for complete creative freedom.

In fact, Larva is more suitable for the market.

Each episode is very short, allowing for flexible broadcasting, and is more acceptable to children. It's entirely possible to collaborate with television stations.

The series of folk monster stories based on "Journey to the West" are long-form animated short films, each episode lasting twenty to thirty minutes. If broadcast on a children's channel, each episode would have to be split into multiple parts.

The scene erupted into chaos, and Chen Guiliang had no choice but to step in and make the final decision: "Here's what we'll do. First, we'll make 'Summer of Little Monsters' as an animated short film, which can even win awards at film festivals and fulfill your artistic aspirations. Then we'll make 'Larva' and collaborate with major TV stations to broadcast it. When you have more time and new ideas, we'll make a second episode of 'Grassroots Monsters'."

No one objected to this method.

Wang Chenyu followed Chen Guiliang out of the company: "President Chen, I'd like to hire a few more people. After all, we still need to create the cutscenes for 'Future Era'."

“Go ahead and hire, but don’t let the total number of employees exceed 18 for now. Once you can make money without relying on outsourcing, then come back and talk to me about expanding,” Chen Guiliang said.

Wang Chenyu solemnly stated, "Larva will definitely make money."

The fact that Wang Chenyu could say such a thing proves that he understands the market; he just doesn't want to cater to it.

Chen Guiliang is involved in social networking sites, gaming companies, and has also invested in video websites, music websites, and animation companies. This isn't just him dabbling in things randomly; it's part of a strategic business plan.

All of these things can be integrated in the future.

They might even need to find a suitable opportunity to invest in and open a film and television company. Film and television copyrights will be too expensive in the future, to the point that video websites can't afford them; it's more cost-effective to invest in and produce their own films and television series.

As we left the Breaking Boundary animation, a gust of wind carrying sand and dust swept in.

Damn, another sandstorm is here!

(End of this chapter)