Lianya Entertainment Pictures disbanded several 2D animation production teams, and a group of concept artists who had been working there for a decade or two were dismissed.

This news has no waves in public opinion, but people in the industry know that this means that the largest 2D animation company in China has also begun to turn, and the era of 2D animation is really slowly gone!

For a while, some people sighed, some sighed, but no one paid attention to those unlucky people who were "eliminated by the times".

In addition to Gu Xiji, the "inner ghost" who was born in Lianya Entertainment.

Among the "old colleagues" who were laid off, he didn't say that he was familiar with all of them, but he still had a basic understanding, and then he found that Wang Wei was actually right-

Most of them are not the worst, and even the best of them are at the top.

Of course, he didn't rush over to make contact.

First of all, Dunhuang is not needed by everyone; Secondly, not all "old colleagues" are willing to come - to some extent, Dunhuang is even the culprit of their layoffs, and it is strange that they rushed to find the past and did not directly blast people out!

Under Gu Xiji's consideration, excluding those who are particularly stubborn or whose personalities are really inappropriate, Dunhuang finally focused on two people.

"Ma Qingshi, Xu Zhonghe, both of them are senior animation producers and directors, and they are the core of their respective teams, as long as they take them, they raise their arms and shout, I dare not say that everyone will vote over, but most of the backbones are gone." Gu Xiji said.

His work made Wang Wei and others very satisfied.

They don't want to cast a net piecemeal, but want to get a relatively mature team, which can be used when called.

The first is Xu Zhonghe.

He is an honest man who always says "good things can't catch up, and bad things can't be pulled down", and he will only work hard.

The so-called "what you can do is not as good as what you can say", although his directorial level is also ranked first in Lianya Entertainment, he still became a victim of this wave of personnel turmoil.

After watching several of his animation works, Wang Wei knew in his heart -

There are few or no bad guys in his work, and in his words, "I can't make the kind of movie that kills the villain, and even though everyone loves it, I can't make it." I will only create a world of simplicity and peace. ”

There is no shortage of audiences for such stories, but it is difficult to explode, which is probably another reason why he was laid off in the first place.

So Wang Wei gave him a project -

My Neighbor Totoro!

This is an animated film with the theme of nature and the happy time when the Satsuki sisters and Totoro get along in harmony. The style is fresh and tranquil, full of strong family affection, which makes people feel like a spring breeze - it is Xu Zhonghe's favorite theme and style.

Frankly speaking, the box office of this anime is not destined to be a big hit, but the cute image of My Neighbor Totoro has extraordinary charm, and the developed derivatives will be a gold mine.

No one could refuse this elf who would open his eyes wide and show a mouthful of big white teeth when he laughed, including Xu Zhonghe, so he didn't need Dunhuang to talk much to agree to gather people to join Dunhuang - without even asking about the treatment.

What an honest man!

And when it was Ma Qingshi's turn......

Gu Xiji hesitated for a moment before giving an evaluation: "This is a difficult lord to serve!" ”

Speaking of which, the other party can be called one of the most experienced animation masters of Lianya Entertainment, but Gu Xiji is not surprised at all that he was "gifted out".

Because this old man is extremely strict, he speaks without any emotion, "In my opinion, you are all stupid and all rubbish. ”

- This is not only said to subordinates, but also when you disagree with your boss.

Don't look at the boss who usually seems to be very tolerant of him, no, it's really a good time to exclude dissidents, and he is "retired".

This old man is in his sixties, but in Gu Xiji's words, he is incredibly energetic, and he is quite unique in cultivating new people.

When Wang Wei came to the door in person, he saw an old man with gray hair, kind eyebrows and kind eyes, and he couldn't see his temper at all.

Although he didn't directly hit people, he didn't read the script handed by Wang Wei with both hands, and his tone refused without any ups and downs-

"My animation era is over, and today's young people are watching "Toy Story" with advanced technology, and I just want to live a good retirement life of making tea and teasing birds."

Wang Wei looked at the room he was decorating as an animation studio: "......"

Gu Xiji glanced at the animated storyboards scattered on his workbench: "......"

The bad old man is very bad, and only by believing his words can there be ghosts!

Gu Xiji coughed lightly: "I remember, you once said that doing animation is the most interesting thing you have ever done in your life, and it is impossible to give it up." It's too boring to retire now and do nothing. ”

Ma Qingshi had an expression of "I'm old and I've forgotten everything".

Wang Wei said without hurrying: "Even if you don't talk about your interests, are you willing to be swept out of the house by Lianya like this?" ”

Ma Qingshi showed a mocking expression: "What if you are unwilling? I'm an old man now, I don't have the strength or energy, and I don't even have a few years to live, if I die halfway through, am I willing? ”

Who doesn't know that the creation cycle of animated films is even longer than that of live-action films!

The production cycle, which often starts at four or five years, not only makes the financial returns of investors unbearable, but also puts the creators in a huge physical and mental challenge.

Gu Xiji was speechless.

After all, it's really impossible to say whether the creation cycle of an animated film is a little longer, or whether this old man can live a little longer.

Wang Wei said amazingly: "Even if you die halfway, it's better than dying without doing anything." ”

Gu Xiji's eyes widened!

Ma Qingshi stared at Wang Wei for a long time and smiled: "You, a junior, are quite appetizing to me, but it's a pity that I'm really old." ”

Wang Wei didn't care about his "relying on the old and selling the old", and continued: "Okay, if you don't want to make animation, you can help us train some new animators." ”

Ma Qingshi squinted and said disdainfully: "I doubt that your newly established studio has the ability to train new people?" ”

"Newcomers need to sum up experience in repeated failures in order to grow and sharpen, and the financial volume of a studio must be a box office hit to survive, where is there room for mistakes to cultivate newcomers?"

Wang Wei said calmly: "With Dunhuang at your back, don't you have the backing of trial and error?" ”

The old man said even more disdainfully: "Dunhuang, it's still far from the volume of the five majors!" ”

"Yes. However, newcomers with excellent creativity may not necessarily get the opportunity to try and make mistakes in the Big Five. Wang Wei glanced at Gu Xiji and said meaningfully.

"What's more, the global box office of "Toy Story" has now reached 1.2 billion, and I can't hide it, I'm still good at making money."

Ma Qingshi choked, and then snorted: "It's full of copper smell, go quickly, don't pollute my Qing Xiu." ”

Hey, old man!

Talking about ideals, he thinks you are not strong enough; When it comes to making money, he thinks you're full of copper stench.

Gu Xiji gave a look - let's just say that he is difficult!

Wang Weichai, he is angry in his heart, put aside this anger!

Normal communication can't be communicated, so he had to release a big move-

"I know that you are not only a master of animation, but also a master of art, proficient in oil painting, Chinese painting, sculpture, drama, etc., so you have made achievements in ink animation, shadow puppet animation and even puppet animation."

"But as special effects technology continues to evolve, these forms of animation may disappear, do you really want to watch it?"

Ma Qingshi finally turned into a stinky face and glared at the two juniors - isn't it true that you guys made 3D animation that put traditional animation in danger of being eliminated?

"It's not us, it's the times! Even without us, the tide of technology will not stop, and traditional animation will eventually take a back seat. Wang Wei spread his hands and said.

"If you deserve to be eliminated, why are you coming to me?" Ma Qingshi didn't have a good airway.

"Let's see, what exactly did we do for the animation?" Wang Wei said calmly.

Ma Qingshi was stunned.

……

After all, Ma Qingshi couldn't resist his curiosity and came to the Dunhuang Animation Studio where he was "retired".

He originally thought that the animation assembly line production system that Lianya Entertainment could produce its fist products stably and on a large scale was the most advanced system in the industry, and probably only Disney could match.

Now, seeing Dunhuang, a rising star, I really dare not assert it.

"We have set up a series of specialized departments in our studio. For example, there is a light and shadow processing department, and the team's sole responsibility is to use computers to create light and shadow. There is also a department dedicated to skin, hair and water......"

Back on his own turf, Gu Xiji immediately trembled.

Ma Qingshi observed intently.

Although the format has changed, there are many creative challenges, and 3D animation and 2D animation are in the same vein.

For example, you need to create every detail of everything that the audience sees!

For example, when shooting a live-action movie, you don't have to think about where the wind comes from, just take a camera and shoot it outdoors, the trees will appear in the frame, the leaves will also appear in the frame, and the wind that rustles the leaves will naturally be reflected in the picture.

But in the anime, there are no trees, no leaves, and certainly no wind that rustles the leaves, everything has to be created.

And 3D animation is more challenging than 2D animation -

For example, skin.

In 2D animation, people may only focus on the color of the skin; But in 3D animation, skin is one of the most difficult things to make an art of, with so many details involved, including skin tones, hair, scars, folds, and lines, and it's very difficult to capture the changes of light on the skin — without taking care of these details, the skin is like a colored eraser.

Gu Xiji also said frankly: "These are all problems found in the creation of "Toy Story", and they have not been solved well. ”

Ma Qingshi immediately understood that the first 3D animated film was dedicated to the story of toys, rather than animals or humans, for a reason—the toys were made of plastic, they had a well-proportioned surface, no skin, and even if many elements were missing, they didn't look very conspicuous.

"There are so many details to deal with, and we need to develop the relevant technology, but we will solve it eventually." Gu Xiji's words revealed a certain indescribable confidence.

Ma Qingshi knew where his confidence came from.

For example, the specially developed hair modeling simulation software in front of him – well, he couldn't read it, but he knew what it was ultimately trying to create – that each hair had its own form, so real that it would make up for the smooth texture of the touch.

This is a challenge that has never been encountered in the creation of 2D animation, but Ma Qingshi feels a sense of ...... Intimacy!

- because he is also a "detail controller"!

This reminded him of the time when he went to the beach to collect wind, observe the seascape, figure out how to paint the waves, and even visit the underwater world in order to vividly present the waves; In order to vividly present the fighting scene, he made a special trip to observe the drama for three months to learn martial arts and refine the character movements......

This familiarity dispelled some of his resistance to 3D animation.

- He doesn't think 3D animation is a naked offense to imagination like many animators, but after all, he was "smashed his job", how much good he has to say, heh......

However, Ma Qingshi also somewhat understood why he was dug up by Lianya Entertainment, but instead of strictly guarding it, Dunhuang had the intention of "digging the foot of the wall".

——Because Dunhuang Animation Studio has formed a 3D animation R&D and production system.

As long as it is not collapsed by large-scale digging, the system will evolve rapidly along the planned route; Then it will attract more talents, and the stronger the stronger.

Then he didn't understand even more - Dunhuang has already revealed the number one player in the field of animation in the new era, why do you want to recruit these "people who can't keep up with the times"?

At this time, Wang Wei answered: "Because I have some stories, I think it might be better to use traditional animation to express them, so I need the help of you animation masters; It is also because animation has been born for a hundred years, the forms are rich and diverse, and it has entered the 3D era, if there is only one art form, it will be too boring. ”

——Although Wang Wei doesn't want to admit it, his current perception of animated films, especially 3D animated films, is actually shaped by American aesthetics: realistic special effects created by 3D means, happy and cute characters, and the connotation of the film with the theme of love and peace.

It's not just him, in another time and space, influenced by Hollywood animation, creators from other countries are also mass-producing American-style 3D animated films.

That's the terrible shaping power of culture!

But in this time and space, it shouldn't be only American animation that is popular!

After all, there is no fault line in the originality of domestic animation, even if it is a relatively marginal animation form such as ink animation and paper-cut animation, which is unique to the nation, it has always been inherited.

However, having a legacy does not mean that it can be given a new life in the new era.

To be honest, Wang Wei didn't know how to give them a new lease of life, but he knew that the first thing was-

"None of us can fight against the times, but we can choose to reconcile with them. Traditional animation may not be able to integrate with 3D animation, but you traditional animators can't always hold a posture of resistance. ”

Wang Wei behaved like an outright idealist at this moment:

"I can give you the opportunity to do what you want to do, although it may not be profitable;"

"I can give you stories and allow you to express different style pursuits, even though they may ruin my story;"

"I can provide you with the most advanced technology in the industry, allowing you to integrate more art forms, although it may well be a niche trend......"

"Just join us!"

Ma Qingshi was silent for a moment before he spoke: "You capitalists are the best at drawing cakes, don't think that I will easily believe your rhetoric...... What about the bread prepared for me? ”

"Spirited Away? What weird names? ”

……

Sorry, it took me a whole day to get dizzy, only a late one~~~

(End of chapter)