1979 Golden Age

Wang Shuchen is a veteran of Shanghai Animation Film Studio and has directed or participated in countless classics of the studio.

He stayed in the planned economy group, and worked on the original paintings one by one according to the original pace, paying attention to the artistic standards, earning a fixed salary every month, and producing an average of more than ten minutes of work every year.

That’s right, more than ten minutes.

The quota for Shanghai Animation Film Studio was compressed to the minimum, and on average, it was this length of time. Those young people who did the work for them made money, and Wang Shuchen was also enthusiastic, but he still persevered.

That afternoon, he was suddenly called to a meeting.

When we got to the meeting room, we saw that all the key members of the team were there, and they were all confused.

The factory director Yan Dingxian and a young man walked in. We all knew him, the famous Chen Dugong!

"snort!"

Wang Shuchen snorted softly. The group that stayed behind had a lot of opinions about Chen Qi. They thought it was because of him that Shanghai Animation Film Studio was split into two and became more and more bourgeois.

"Hold an impromptu meeting!"

Yan Dingxian sat down and started to speak: "Comrade Chen Qi came to visit today and brought a task from the Ministry of Truth.

I want to make an animated feature film, so I want to discuss it with you. Comrade Chen Qi, can you tell me more about it? "

"good!"

He took over the conversation and said directly: "The name of this animated film is "Kung Fu Panda". As the name suggests,

It's a combination of pandas and kung fu. The background is in a place called Peace Valley—""

Balabala gave an overview of the story.

No one said anything.

Cartoons are a place where imagination can be used. It is common to anthropomorphize animals, and pandas are not uncommon. But I have never heard of pandas + kung fu. Kung fu, of course, involves fighting!

When I think of fighting, I think of "Havoc in Heaven", that was a monkey.

The monkeys were light and agile, and with the Journey to the West as their foundation, it was no problem for them to fight. But they couldn't imagine how a chubby panda could fight.

“Ahem!”

Yan Dingxian coughed twice, meaning that you should stop keeping silent and talk!

Wang Shuchen sighed, but still showed his support and asked, "Comrade Chen Qi, can you tell me more about your specific needs?

For example, how long is it? "

"90-95 minutes!"

"ha!"

Someone couldn't help but laugh: "Do you know how much cost, energy, and time it takes to make a movie like this?"

Chen Qi was modest and cautious, and said, "I really don't know much about the production process. Let's discuss it today. Should we start with the original painting?"

With his attitude, everyone was reluctant to be sarcastic, so Wang Shuchen explained: "Generally, we should first solve the script.

Then the character design and scene design, the creators have to go to various places to collect inspiration, followed by original painting, animation, filming, etc. ”

"I'll work on the script, and we'll discuss the design together. How many original paintings do you think we'll need?"

"It's hard to say now. We drew 70,000 original drawings for 'Havoc in Heaven', and your idea is probably about the same."

"No, no! The smoothness of 'Havoc in Heaven' is not enough. I want the smoothest one!" Chen Qi said.

"So that means hand-drawing at full frame rate (24 frames per second)?" Wang Shuchen was shocked. This was a huge workload.

"Sure! Then do we use film? Is there a difference in quality?"

"Of course! Only by using high-quality celluloid film and imported pigments can the color saturation and image stability be best. Unfortunately, we have too little funds. I have never felt that kind of effect before—"

One person was mumbling, his voice getting smaller and smaller, until he finally gave up in frustration.

"No problem, I'll use the best! What else?"

"Woolen cloth-"

The other person smiled and asked tentatively, "Since it is kung fu, the action design is the top priority. How do you want to design it?"

"I can find the best martial arts instructors and the best Kung Fu stars to demonstrate for you on the spot and help you complete the design. How about Li Lianjie + Yuan Heping? There is a star in Hong Kong called Sammo Hung, who is chubby and very flexible. You can also call him."

Chen Qi simply said in one breath, "For recording, we will use the most advanced stereo recording technology! For music, we will use a fusion of Chinese and Western music, and symphony music is no problem. We can invite great musicians to do it. In short, I will leave the technology to you, and I will take care of everything else."

"How did you consider this budget?" Yan Dingxian couldn't help but ask.

"Is 5 million enough? If not, increase it. If you are short of manpower, go find someone. I just want a world-class animation."

“Is there a limit to the production cycle?”

“Is 4-5 years enough?”

Wow!

Everyone gasped for the dumplings.

Let's compare: "Book of Heaven and Earth" was a 1983 film, 90 minutes long, cost 800,000 yuan, and took 3 years to complete. "Kung Fu Panda" started with 5 million yuan, 90-95 minutes, and took 4-5 years to complete.

Since its establishment, Shanghai Animation Film Studio has never fought such a lucrative battle!

All the members of the remaining group were very excited. The more they looked at Chen Qi, the more they liked him. It turned out that the supervisor also loved art!

Yan Dingxian was about to agree, but Chen Qi waved his hand and said with a smile: "I promised my guarantee, and in return, you have to meet my requirements. Let me be frank, I am not giving you 5 million for nothing to fulfill your artistic dreams. Your mission is to make my movie well. Do you understand?"

■

The words were rough but the truth was there. Yan Dingxian and Wang Shuchen looked at each other and nodded, "It's natural!"

"good!"

"The theme of Kung Fu Panda is 'growth and self-realization', and some Eastern philosophy is appropriately incorporated.

Use pandas, kung fu, food, landscapes and other elements to show a certain Chinese culture, but do not deviate from the theme, and do not make random changes to it, and do not add your own ideas to it! "

The works of Shanghai Animation Film Studio may look like cartoons, but they actually contain a lot of meaning.

For example, "Huluwa" and "Black Cat Sheriff" contain many political metaphors.

When this was mentioned, everyone looked a little unnatural.

Chen Qi ignored them and continued, "I made Kung Fu Panda for two reasons: first, to earn foreign exchange through export, and second, to send a message to the world. Through pandas, we want to show our own country: we are cute, we have many cultures, and we can fight but we love peace.

If anyone deviates from this core idea, don’t blame me for being rude! ”

..

When everyone thought of the various rumors and methods about him, they felt more and more uncomfortable, but they couldn't refuse. After all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime training opportunity.

Chen Qi never doubted the technology of Shanghai Animation Film Studio; it just lacked money.

He was only worried that his ideology wouldn't keep up.

4-5 years later, it was 1990-1991. Everyone knows what kind of public opinion environment the country faced at that time. That is why he prepared "Kung Fu Panda" in advance. Pandas are the best diplomatic ambassadors and the best publicity ambassadors in entertainment works.

Panda diplomacy, plus the dinosaurs that ambushed earlier.

He has to export a national image to the outside world.

Moreover, in 1990, the Asian Games happened to be held in Beijing, and the mascot of the Asian Games was the panda.

We actually have a panda star named Bas, who performed in the United States and was very popular. These can be bundled together to create this panda IP.

(There is also... in the evening)