Life in the Light and Shadow of Chinese Entertainment

Because he had drunk too much yesterday and went to bed early, Wu Yang didn't go back to sleep after waking up.

Instead, he went straight to his study, turned on his professional special effects computer, and began browsing character models produced by domestic special effects companies.

Because they had answers to refer to, these special effects companies were very efficient and submitted their work in just 20 days.

Each monster model is designed based on the 86 TV series "Journey to the West", but the details are different.

Wu Yang was also looking at the details, making sure they matched the concrete image in his mind.

The ability to bring something to life is the foundation of a successful director; without this ability, one cannot do the job of a director.

Before filming even began, the moment I received the script, the corresponding images immediately came to mind.

It's a bit like daydreaming, but much more detailed. It not only needs a background and figures, but also a matching color scheme and style.

Only when a scene appears during filming that doesn't match what you've envisioned can you articulate the problem in a meaningful way.

It is precisely because of the vivid imagery that we can refer to the scenes when directing the actors.

Wu Yang was very satisfied with the character modeling. Although domestic special effects teams started late, their software and hardware were also left behind by Hollywood.

But when it comes to learning ability, no matter who we compare ourselves to, China is the strongest!

Whether it's the figures or the architecture, with the reference answers provided, they all met Wu Yang's basic requirements.

However, each team has some flaws in handling details, which is a hardware issue, and Wu Yang understands this.

Pei Le contacted a total of 7 companies, which are also the 7 existing special effects companies in China with more than 50 employees.

As for those who work independently or have fewer than 10 people in a studio, they are not included in the invitation.

It's not that they lack ability, but rather that the team is too small, while Wu Yang's workload is too heavy.

……

As the morning sun shone on the earth, Wu Yang finally selected a special effects company to collaborate with.

This special effects company is called Beifei Vision. It was founded in 07 and specializes in biological effects and virtual scenes.

The character and building models he designed are very consistent in both style and color.

Without comparison with other special effects companies, Wu Yang would not have noticed this difference.

Compared to other visual effects companies, whose work often results in a disorganized, piecemeal mess, Beifei Visual is definitely better.

After replying to Pei Le's email, Wu Yang first shut down the computer, then looked up at the window.

I suddenly felt a strong sense of dizziness, which was a side effect of watching special effects for a long time. I closed my eyes and rested for a while before I felt better.

After getting up and stretching, Wu Yang first went to the dining room and saw that the aunt was already making breakfast. Then she went back to her bedroom to wash up.

"Get up, Auntie has already made breakfast, Peach should be here soon."

After washing up, Wu Yang woke Liu Yifei up.

"Hmm... what time is it?"

Liu Yifei, still half-asleep, let out a big yawn.

"It's almost 8 o'clock." Wu Yang smiled and smoothed Liu Yifei's hair.

"You're not allowed to drink so much anymore. You have no idea how worried I was last night!"

Having regained her composure, Liu Yifei looked at Wu Yang in front of her, especially noticing the bloodshot in Wu Yang's eyes.

His eyes were full of heartache, but his mouth was uttering warnings.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Hearing Wu Yang's assurance, Liu Yifei got up with satisfaction, washed up, and went to the restaurant chatting and laughing with Wu Yang.

After breakfast, Liu Yifei went to the city center to participate in a business event.

Wu Yang then went to the studio to discuss the preparatory work with the behind-the-scenes team.

Shooting a special effects movie involves a lot of pre-production work, which can be broken down into roughly three steps.

The first step is creative planning and script design, determining the film type, theme, and style.

The second step is to sort out the story's plot. By analyzing details such as character growth and key events, we can determine which plots need to be enhanced with special effects, such as monster transformation effects and the presentation of the Taoist priest's and monster's magical powers.

The third step is to clearly indicate the location, duration, and specific requirements of special effects shots in the script, such as the color of flames and monster transformations, and to design details such as shooting angles and lighting.

Pei Le led the team to be responsible for the first step, Wang Hui led the team to be responsible for the second step, and Zhang Qiang led the team to be responsible for the third step.

Three behind-the-scenes teams worked simultaneously, and because of the standardized workflow, the work was busy but orderly.

When Wu Yang drove alone to the studio, this was the scene that greeted him.

Although the studio has been upgraded to a company, it is a pity that it cannot move into the current film and television base.

Reconstruction will have to wait until "Journey to the West: The Love Story of a Fallen City" is completed, which will take at least another 3 years.

To allow for a three-year buffer period, Wu Yang and others could only work in the studio.

The studio is only 70 square meters in size, designed so that the 33 people can work without disturbing each other.

Li Chunxia racked her brains, first using soundproof glass to divide the 70-square-meter open-plan room into 6 independent areas.

There are three behind-the-scenes teams, each with its own 18-square-meter cubicle containing 10 workstations.

Then, the reception desk at the entrance occupies 2 square meters, and on the side of the reception desk, an 8-square-meter equipment room has been partitioned off.

The remaining 6 square meters were partitioned into an office, furnished with two desks, a sofa, and a coffee table.

Because Wu Yang was often away filming, Li Chunxia had the office to herself most of the time.

"Good morning, Director Wu."

Upon seeing Wu Yang, the receptionist immediately stood up to greet him.

After working for more than a year, Zhang Lan, who was originally somewhat insecure, became more confident.

As a veteran of the studio, Zhang Lan lived a very comfortable life. Her monthly salary not only increased from 3000 to 5000, but she also received a year-end bonus of 3 yuan.

While it can't compare to the behind-the-scenes team, it's more than enough to outperform today's urban white-collar workers.

At least Zhang Lan is very satisfied and cherishes this job.

"Good morning. Could you please have Pei Le, Wang Hui, and Zhang Qiang come to my office?"

Wu Yang left a message and then went into his office.

A short while later, Pei Le and the other two knocked on the door and entered one after the other.

Wu Yang began to coordinate the work progress with them, while also raising new questions and suggestions.

During the process, various financial expenditures needed to be signed. In the afternoon, the contract was signed with Beifei Vision, and new requirements were put forward.

It wasn't until he got off work and returned to the manor that Wu Yang had time to check today's newspapers and online news.

Because "Love is Not Blind" earned money even before its release, coupled with the success of the previous two films.

Wu Yang was not worried about the box office at all, especially after reading the news in the newspapers and online.

They were completely relieved, simply because the stock was performing well at the close of trading today.

With the boost from the film's box office and positive reviews, it has successfully broken through the bottleneck, closing at 83 yuan.

In just one day, Wu Yang and Liu Yifei's net worth increased by 3000 million yuan!

With such great news, no wonder Wang Changtian called at noon to invite me to lunch.

Wu Yang declined, citing being too busy, but Wang Changtian directly ordered three tables of food to be delivered to the studio.

Now that I see the stock price soaring, I understand why Wang Changtian did this.