After listening to Chris Wetch's introduction, Sid found that the prototype of the story at this time was still far from the formation of "Ice Age". Pen Fun Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 info But in "Ice Age", the plot of the signature funny squirrel has been designed.

So, "I already know the general progress, and the opening scene of this squirrel is really interesting, but the overall story is still a long time away from taking shape." Sid asked.

"Yes. Chris Wetch didn't hide anything, after all, "Ice Age" was officially launched, and it was only two months after it was acquired by Fire Lion.

During this period, Blue Sky Studio also spent a lot of time and energy moving from New York to California. To be honest, in such a tight period of time, it is quite a good result to be able to achieve the current level.

"Well, so be it. Sid smiled slightly, turned back and snapped his fingers at Justin Lin, who immediately took out a document from the file box that he had already prepared.

"Is this?" Chris Witch replied, confused.

When he opened it, he was taken aback: "This is the script for ...... "Ice Age"?"

"It's just an outline of the story. Sid shrugged, "The last time I heard you about the idea of the Ice Age animals rescuing human children, I came up with a general story line, you can take a look." ”

The synopsis of this story is not long, only a few pages of A4 paper, but these few pages make Chris Wetch's heart flutter. Vivid and interesting characters, interesting plots, tension-filled conflicts, and heart-wrenching twists, it can be said that everything that can attract the audience is in this concise story synopsis.

Oh, and of course, of the three protagonists of Ice Age, the otter named Sid, was renamed Jed by our protagonist Sid.

"This story is simply amazing. Chris Wetch said excitedly after a quick flip through it.

As mentioned earlier, nearly half of the production cycle of feature commercial animation is spent polishing the script, and now Sid has thrown out the story outline, and the quality is still so good. This could not surprise Chris Wetch.

"Well, after all, this article I wrote is just an outline, the specific script and details, and you need to further polish it, and this is not an easy job. Sid said with a serious expression.

In Hollywood, it is not uncommon for a lot of good ideas and good scripts to end up in a bad movie. So Sid doesn't think he'll be able to sit back and relax by drumming out the original script outline of "Ice Age."

"No problem, Boss. Chris Wetch nodded excitedly.

Sid couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he called him, this was the first time Chris Wetch had called him Boss. It seems that the so-called artists really still have to use artistic ability to conquer?, Sid thought with a chuckle in his heart.

But he didn't dwell too much on this issue, "Then let's talk about the next development model of Blue Sky Studio." ”

Sid gestured to the table, and after the group sat down again, Kevin Feige on the other side took out a few new folders, and Chris Waich and Bhullar both got one.

"We've reviewed your previous Ice Age project proposal, and then Shirley (Sandberg's) consent will come down. In terms of budget, we have set an initial target of $55 million. Sid's words made Chris Witch look genuinely happy.

After all, it's a real budget to put them at ease when they get to work, and that's a lot more real than any promise.

The investment of 55 million, although less than the cost of 59 million in "historical" "Ice Age", is also to prevent budget overruns. You must know that making 3D animation is a very expensive thing, and if you don't make a good cost budget, it is easy to follow the old path of "historical" DreamWorks and blue sky.

Moreover, this budget is not too small. You know, when Pixar Studios created the world's first 3D feature animation "Toy Story" four years ago, their budget was only $30 million.

"Okay, great. Chris Wetch rubbed his hands together and said excitedly.

"And Chris (Wage), you have two main tasks now, the first is of course to prioritize the production of "Ice Age", and in terms of script, except for the main story line, the rest of the work will be created by you. Sid said, holding up a finger.

"No problem. Chris Wetch nodded.

"As for the schedule, we have set a release at the end of next year. Sid said in a decisive word.

"A year and a half?" asked Chris Wedge, surprised.

It's not that he has too little time to marvel, but that he has too much time to marvel.

Generally speaking, the production cycle of a 3D animated feature film is about three years, but if the script is set, then the production cycle can be greatly shortened. Just like DreamWorks "History", after acquiring PDI Pacific Digital Image Studio in 2000, in just one year, the stunning 3D animation "Shrek" was launched.

Although Blue Sky Studio was originally limited by resources such as talent, it obtained technical support from MacGuff Special Effects Company and an outline of the script written by Sid himself. Blue Sky Studios will make great strides in both technology and creativity in the foreseeable period.

So the development cycle of up to a year and a half seems a bit long?

"Yes, but this long time certainly didn't just allow you to make Ice Age. Sid smiled and flipped to the back of the file, and Chris Wetch and Bhullar opened it.

"Two-film merger?" Chris Wedge said curiously, the title.

In the three major animation studios around 2000.

The original Blue Sky Studio, due to the limitations of scale and manpower, had the lowest output among the three, with only 9 animated feature films. It belongs to the way of working after each part is completed, and then the next part is started.

DreamWorks animation, on the other hand, has always been quite chaotic.

Because whether it is Spielberg, who is a director, or Katzenberg, who is a manager, the way the film studio works has left a clear mark on them. Therefore, for a long time, DreamWorks Animation has not only dabbled in 2D animation, but also pioneered 3D animation, and even represented several clay animations from Aardman Studio in the United Kingdom.

These animated feature films vary widely, from highly successful examples such as "The Prince of Egypt" and "Shrek" to extremely unsuccessful ones, such as "Into the Golden City" and "Wandering in the Land of Rats." Of course, there are also a number of anime that are barely breaking even, such as "Shark Story", "Outside the Fence" and "Guardian League".

Katzenberg's strategy of casting a wide net and catching more fish has invested heavily in and released a variety of animated feature films, so DreamWorks has the highest production of the three, with as many as 32 feature-length animations. But because of this, the operating costs of DreamWorks Animation soared, and the profits could not fill the financial gap. In the end, the Big Three of DreamWorks separated, and DreamWorks Animation was acquired by the up-and-coming Lighting Entertainment.

Sid's favorite has always been the king of 3D animation, the development strategy of Pixar Studios - two-film parallel system. Of course, Sid doesn't know whether Pixar's development strategy is called this name, but the essence of the method is the same.

――――――――――――――――――――

"In the middle of next year, when the production of Ice Age is in full production, I need you to assemble a second project team to develop our second 3D animated feature film. Sid explained succinctly.

"Before Ice Age?" Chris Witch didn't expect Sid to be so confident.

"Not bad. Sid nodded, "We're going to build a progressive development strategy and form a second team to develop a second animation halfway through the development of Ice Age." This allows us to release new animated feature films every one to two years. ”

"Just like Pixar!" Chris Witch finally understood Sid's intentions when he heard this, after all, he was also a close friend of John Lazart (Pixar's director), and he had heard about Pixar's way of working. Before, it had been difficult to exert his strength because of lack of resources, but now that Sid took the initiative to ask for it, of course he was willing to do it.

"Okay, no problem. Chris Wetch nodded excitedly, "We can start recruiting new members early next year, so that they can not only exercise their abilities in the "Ice Age" project, but also have a preliminary run-in." ”

"It's good for you to control these aspects, after all, you are the director of Blue Sky. Sid nodded in agreement, "You can coordinate with Shirley (Sandberg) for the specific content." ”

"On the technical side, MacGuff needs some permanent people here to help Blue Sky. Sid turned to look at Bhullar.

"Okay, there's no problem with that, Boss. Bhullar nodded calmly in agreement.

Blue Sky Studio's technical strength is still too weak, but it is impossible to improve its capabilities in this area overnight, so it is almost inevitable that MacGuff will send personnel from France to be stationed in Blue Sky. After all, with the production of different animated feature films, there will be endless technical problems.

It's like Pixar's amazing fur effects in Monsters, Inc., the dreamlike underwater world in Finding Nemo, and the post-apocalyptic world in Robots.

"Yes, that's good. Sid nodded slightly, "But Bhullar, you must know that I am not here for the sake of Blue Sky Studios today. There is one more important matter with which I would like to consult with you. ”

"What's going on, Boss. Bhullar asked without humility or arrogance.

Sid smiled and asked, "Have you heard of a novel called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone?"