Super Zoo-Chapter 613 - 608: Disney’s Golden Partner
Hollywood has a mature film industry system, where the production of a movie operates like a finely-tuned machine, each link managed by dedicated personnel, each person on the assembly line performing their assigned role.
Out of respect and awe for capital, the producer representing the investors’ interests is, whether in name or in practice, the most authoritative person on the entire crew.
Clark Spencer is a famous producer in Hollywood and a top-tier producer at Disney, known for blockbusters such as "Animal Utopia," "Wreck-It Ralph," and "Winnie the Pooh," and renowned for his near-exacting high standards.
Upon hearing the two directors’ request, Spencer’s first reaction was to refuse without hesitation.
The film’s preliminary work took two and a half years, with the screenplay being revised no less than nineteen times before finalization. Now, to replace all of the ’actors’ was simply unacceptable.
Spencer was aware that Disney had once been interested in collaborating with Huaxia, using some real animals in the shooting, but that was only a part, a finishing touch so to speak, not a necessity in Huaxia’s terms.
If all the actors were to be replaced now, it would not only mean that a significant portion of the initial investment was wasted, but it was quite possible that the other party would also demand a share of the box office— trained animals were a rare resource, entirely in the sellers’ market.
Strictly speaking, ’directing’ animals to act would mean a collaborative filmmaking relationship.
If those animals were unable to perform adequately, it would be necessary to revert to the original plan with computer-generated effects, which would delay the film’s completion and incur substantial additional costs.
Director Howard’s considerations were from an artistic and film standpoint, which was completely out of sync with producer Spencer’s; it was hard to convince Spencer.
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It was then that Moore’s role became apparent; with just two reasons, Spencer was moved.
First, the investment would not be wasted and might even be reduced.
The film’s planned budget was 200 million US dollars, with over 60 percent allocated to production costs such as storyboarding, 2D rough creation, 2D character design, 3D character design, modeling, texturing, lighting, animation, rendering, and other technical tasks. Using real animals for filming could save at least half of that budget, meaning the total investment would not increase but decrease instead.
Second, the market prospect would be better.
Some audiences had already seen genuine animals performing in "Terror Animal City." The North American market had a considerable enthusiasm for films shot with real animals. Who would want to see fake ones after seeing the real thing? Of course, this presupposes that the real animal filming must also be vivid.
Besides, the Huaxia market was an unignorable piece of the cake. Having a Huaxia company involved in the shooting and production and featuring Huaxia animals as the main cast would be the best advertisement. It would definitely open up the Huaxia market effectively, saving a large sum in promotional expenses.
"Mr. Spencer, there are significant differences between the Huaxia market and Western markets. Although Huaxia’s economy has quickly taken off, it’s been a short time, and after nearly a century of humiliating modern history, the people of Huaxia still have strong national sentiments. On one hand, they have a strong national pride, refusing to let their nation and ethnicity be harmed, while on the other hand, they unavoidably admire the West. Using their own words, they have a fascination for foreign things. Once our movie includes a Huaxia creative team, it will give all Huaxians a sense of pride and achievement. I’m confident that even if the movie isn’t great, it will still achieve remarkable box office results in Huaxia," Moore said.
"Such contradictory feelings, they seem to care a lot about how others perceive them," Howard said with a shrug.
"Howard, I need to remind you to watch your mouth. Business is business; I’m simply analyzing from the perspective of maximizing commercial interests. Just as we Americans always fantasize our protagonists as superheroes who save all of humanity, every country has its less flattering side. If they were English, I’d exploit their presumptuous arrogance; if they were French, I’d target their trite romance; if they were Japanese, I’d use their inherent inferiority complex; as for Koreans... oh, never mind Korea, that’s a piece of land without commercial profit, where seeds won’t bloom," Moore said.
"Alright, Moore, you watch your mouth too. If you keep going, you’ll offend the whole world," Spencer interrupted the two artists’ endless chatter: "You’ve persuaded me, so I will persuade the board. The board will probably send a negotiation team to Huaxia to contact the other company, and one of you should go along to confirm that their animals can indeed perform the shooting tasks."
"I’ll go," Howard said.
"Remember to bring me back some good tea leaves; that stuff wakes you up better than coffee," Moore said.
...
"It looks like you’re not just a capable person, but also a bringer of good fortune," Suming said to Cai Liming with a smile.
Yesterday afternoon, Disney Film Company’s headquarters called, expressing their hope to collaborate with Taoyuan Film and Television Company on a movie entirely starring animals.
The title is Zootopia, translated into Chinese as Animal Utopia or Animal City.
Alternatively, following the style of Terror Animal City, it could be named ’Crazy Animal City’.
From the call, it was clear that the other party was sincerely interested this time, as they would send a professional team to Yangchuan City for negotiation and inspection. Suming agreed without hesitation; their previous negotiations with Disney’s Xiangjiang Branch had fallen through, but it was hardly an enmity, at most it was a minor displeasure. Besides, in business, there are no permanent enemies, and collaborating with a veteran big company like Disney is a surefire way to profit, as long as luck isn’t too unfavorable.
"Rather than it being my luck, it’s more like the earlier Terror Animal City opened up the situation. Although it didn’t make money, it earned reputation and attention, placing Taoyuan Company in the sight of the Western world," Cai Liming said.
"What has entered the Western perspective is not Taoyuan Film Industry yet, but merely the animals. The outcome of the upcoming negotiations will determine if Taoyuan Film Industry can enter the Western view," Suming remarked.
Cai Liming had a wealth of experience dealing with the overseas film circle, and Suming left the specifics of the negotiation table conversations to him, only laying down a few principles.
First, Taoyuan Film Industry is not just assisting with the shooting, nor simply renting out animals, but collaboratively producing the film;
Suming was confident about this point. A collaborative film production meant the movie wouldn’t be ’imported from abroad’, there would be no need to vie for the annual import quota, and the revenue-sharing would be according to domestic film standards, which was advantageous to both parties.
Second, personnel from Taoyuan Film and Television must be involved in the entire production, occupying at least an assistant director’s position. Taoyuan Company had the right to send people to learn in every aspect of the production process, even if it meant sacrificing some profits.
It’s better to teach someone to fish rather than just giving them fish; it’s essential to cultivate a film and television production team of their own, and Disney is the best teacher for that. If Wang Jin’s expertise is at most at the level of the seven disciples of Quanzhen, then Disney Film Company is surely among the top masters.
————Divider————
Here’s something, my editor reminded me that there are many chapters that need to be revised from earlier on, and the reasons, well, you all know...
There are quite a few places that need changes. Some parts are easy to modify just by adjusting paragraphs and wording, but some plot changes can be troublesome and may require whole chapters to be reworked, which means a significant amount of work.
Starting from today, I’ll make those changes until they’re approved. During this period, I’ll try to ensure updates as much as possible; they might be less frequent, but I won’t stop updating.
I hope everyone can understand. Writing novels is about having fun and making a little money; there’s no need to stress myself to the point of needing coffee. Safety first, safety first~~
