The Best Director

Chapter 157 will soon be the Big Three

When "Sweetheart" was officially released, and then Jessica passed her 21st birthday, time stepped into the editing work of "District 9", eating, drinking and sleeping almost in the editing room, making editor Lee Smith a joke Say "we're quarantined". The rough-cut version of the full-text novel (read the novel) "The Ninth District" lasts more than 4 hours, and the current job is to cut it into a 120-minute theatrical version based on the 4 hours and the lens material library.

From the arrival of alien spaceships in Los Angeles, the change of human attitudes; to the whole story of relocation and transformation. More than 800 special effects shots will be evenly distributed, striving to achieve "enjoyable" effects.

The allocation of special effects shots is very important, and it must be considered when creating a shot script. Why do some big-budget special effects movies look flat? For all the money it seems, there's only one or two fights, and the rest is as hollow as a DV movie. It is because its special effects shots are not properly arranged and cannot sustainably stimulate the audience's sensory nerves; while some low-cost productions can be very comfortable and memorable, it is integrated into the story, and the money and special effects shots are used in the right place .

While Wang Yang was working day and night to edit "District 9", the first week ended from May 3rd to 9th, without any surprises, "Spiderman", which opened in the first week, topped the box office with 151 million US dollars , as if a depth bomb detonated the calm sea of ​​summer vacation, it also set a number of North American box office records, including 110 million opening weekend box office, the fastest to 100 million box office (3 days), the fastest to 150 million (7 days) wait.

Ranked second on the weekly list is "Sweetheart" in the second week of screening. Under the almost monopoly market of giants like "Spiderman", it received another 20.58 million US dollars, and the total box office reached 50.22 million. , in line with the expectations of the flame movie. The third place this week is "The Scorpion King" with 8.79 million.

When the new week begins from May 10th to 16th, there will be a large-scale opening of several movies, such as "Infidelity" in Fox's 2617 theaters, Sony's 2687 theaters, directed by Eliza Dushku, The youth school comedy "The Newcomer" starring Zooey Deschanel; and the family animation "Ice Age" in the flame movie 3012 theaters.

In September 1999, Flame Films acquired Blue Sky Studios for US$100 million, and US$65 million was used to produce "Ice Age". At that time, the industry was in an uproar, and many media commented that "Magic Yang is crazy". To be able to play, first of all, the super-long production cycle requires a stable supply of funds, and a feature of CG animation films is that once they lose money, they will be very miserable. Can a small independent company such as Flame Films maintain its blood supply?

There are many companies and studios that can produce CG animation films, because it is not difficult to find animators and technical engines, but how many big companies have been beaten and discouraged by this over the years? 20th Century Fox, which was the first to acquire Blue Sky Studios,

The self-made "Frozen Planet" with a cost of 75 million ended up with a box office of only 36 million worldwide. After this fiasco, Fox directly disbanded its own animation department and has no new animation plans so far.

This is because the market for CG animation movies is elusive. Everyone knows "family, children, comedy", but how to do it? What kind of story, what kind of character, what kind of cartoon image? Maybe you have grasped the taste of the market in 1999, but after a long period of production, the release date has come to 2002. The set that was liked by children in 1999 was outdated and unpopular in 2002. Children can see it Turn your head aside.

Funding, technology, stories, accurate grasp of the market... Only Pixar (co-published by Buvin, a subsidiary of Disney) and DreamWorks can do all of these well.

In May 2000, Disney's self-made "Dinosaur" at a cost of 127 million received 340 million worldwide. Although it was a small profit, it relied more on the effect of the "Disney" brand. "Dinosaur" was criticized by the audience. It also made Disney dare not act rashly, and instead concentrated on cooperating with Pixar. In December 2001, "Jimmy the Genius Kid", produced by DNA Company and invested and issued by Paramount, with a cost of 30 million, currently has a global box office of more than 90 million US dollars. Paramount is no longer working with DNA.

So what about Blue Sky Studios? In the past three years, not only did the rampant flame movie not fall down, nor did it suffer losses or debts, but it was full of vigor and vitality. It continuously released blockbuster movies, invested heavily in the production of low-budget independent movies, and faintly had the taste of becoming the leader of independent film companies; and It naturally has sufficient blood supply to the blue sky, and has also established an I*B technology research and development company.

So "Ice Age" was produced in a stable and good environment, but what is the difference between Blue Sky and DNA and other small companies, and what ability does it have to share the market share of CG animation films with Pixar and DreamWorks? Did Magic Yang and Flame Movie spend 100 million dollars to buy a toy? All studios are paying attention to this cartoon.

Naturally, 20th Century Fox would like it to be reviled collectively by its audience and lose even its underwear, like Frozen Planet; neither would Pixar and Dreamworks, neither of which wants a new competitor to spring up; Big film studios such as Montgomery and Warner Bros. are all on the sidelines. If "Ice Age" succeeds, it will open up more roads to the success of CG animation films, and let people know more secrets;

No matter how the outside world sees it, Flame Movie and Blue Sky have been going on silently, and the promotion of "Ice Age" has already started. After a long period of negotiations, McDonald's still rejected various cooperation proposals proposed by Flame Films, such as the "Ice Age Package", because McDonald's and Disney are marketing partners, and Disney, as the distributor of Pixar films, did not sit idly by. .

But there is no McDonald's, there are all kinds of promotional methods for a cartoon, and obviously Disney has no power to monopolize the entire United States.

In addition to the normal "poster + TV + event" promotional package, Flame Movie simply found a few different brands with a certain market share to cooperate with, such as potato chips, drinks, and dog food and cat food. Century" cartoon animals such as squirrels, mammoths, and saber-toothed tigers held a number of lucky draws, ranging from a complete set of collectible toys to digital cameras, laptops, and a sports car; and tickets to the premiere.

Wang Yang did not give up the viral marketing of "Treasure of the Town Store". At the end of last year, he asked his Tinder game company to develop a casual game "Ice Age", which was also launched on the Internet in early February this year. Users can Download it for free on the official website. This small game "Squirrel Collecting Fruits", which has a fresh and beautiful interface, is simple to operate but full of fun, has been praised by many netizens since its launch.

Now that all the work has been done, it is time to harvest the fruit. Is the fruit sweet or sour? On May 10, when night fell in North America, "Ice Age" was fully launched in 3012 movie theaters in cities of all sizes.

The dimly lit screening hall, which can accommodate 500 people, was full of seats. The audience burst into laughter from time to time. There were immature children and mature adults. Many of the audience were parents who brought their children to the theater to prepare Have a nice Friday night. And this prehistoric cartoon doesn't seem to disappoint them, and the slogan "The-lest-Event-In-16,000-Years" isn't bragging.

This story mainly tells about the Ice Age full of dangers, because of a sudden abandoned human baby, the kind and bitter mammoth Manny, the food-eating sloth Sid and the ferocious saber-toothed tiger Diego, the three animals reluctantly come together came together to return the baby to his father. But it is not so easy to be a hero. They have to face all kinds of thrills and even conspiracies along the way.

On the big screen, a mammoth sucked a cute baby with its nose, and put him on a high branch on the edge of the cliff. You hum, you brat is quite brave." At this time, the screen changed, and a giant sloth was running fast. When it saw the saber-toothed tiger in front of it, it quickly said: "Thank God, thank God, no... there is Tiger, tiger" it waved back for help and shouted: "Help, help—"

Listening to Sid the sloth's funny and exaggerated dubbing, the audience suddenly laughed again. Many children imitated Sid's movements and intonation, and laughed happily: "Help, help!"

"It seems that she is very happy." In the auditorium, Joe Docter looked at the smiles on the face of his 6-year-old daughter beside him. She shook her feet happily and followed Sid's words. He couldn't help giving a thumbs up to his wife who was sitting on the other side of his daughter, and said, "It's a good choice." His wife Gillian shrugged with a smile. She touched her daughter's blond hair and said, "This is your daughter." s Choice."

An ad for the movie appeared on the package of crisps the family had been buying, and daughter Lorna clamored to see the prehistoric animals.

Seeing that Sid and Diego tricked two rhinos away, and the three animals were about to set off again, Joe Docter was also attracted by the funny and witty stories on the big screen, and praised in his heart: "I didn't expect the flame movie The cartoons are pretty good too. What’s the company called? Blue Sky?”

Joyful laughter resounded in the projection halls of 3012 cinemas. Both adults and children became more interested in watching the show, and found it more fun and engaging. The theater where the premiere was held was no exception. Both ordinary audiences and critical film critics who wanted to enjoy the movie were all amused, smiling and fascinated, as if they had returned to the prehistoric ice age.

In the middle of the front row of the auditorium, the main creators of "Ice Age" sat, Lan Tian and director Chris Wedge, co-director Carlos Saldanha; voice actors Ray Romano, Dennis Leary, Jack Black and others; there are also celebrities invited to come to help out. As an investor and popular idol, Wang Yang also joined hands with Jessica to attend. Everyone is handsome and beautiful in suits and evening gowns.

"Hahaha." Hearing the chuckles in the theater and looking at the lovely pictures on the big screen, Jessica thought of something and couldn't help but glanced at Wang Yang next to him, and said, "This is for our daughter." As a gift, the animation of Blue Sky Studio will accompany her growth and let her have a wonderful childhood." If Juno really came to this world, he will be three years old now, so he can just sit among them and watch it together as a family laugh together.

Thinking of that beautiful picture, she suddenly laughed and looked at him happily. Will he call his daughter "Baby? Sweetheart? Or..." Wang Yang noticed her weirdness and asked, "Why? Is there something dirty on my face?" Jessica shook her head and smiled, looked back to the screen, and said with a smile: "No, nothing."

Wang Yang smiled. He was very happy to see that "Ice Age" made the audience so invested. It can be said that this cartoon has achieved a good result. Chris Wedge whispered excitedly: "Chris, maybe we should think about the next plan of Blue Sky Studios."

"Oh?" Chris Wedge was startled when he heard the words. Now the movie has just been released, and the first scene has not been finished. It is hard to say what kind of results he can achieve. Although he is confident, he is also worried that this will The second "Frozen Planet". In that case, it is very likely that Flame Films will undergo major layoffs, and Lan Tian will return to a small studio that produces TV commercials and animation special effects...

That's really not what he wants to see, so recently, he couldn't sleep well at night, and had the same nightmare several times, and the newspaper wrote: "Flame Films announced the sale of Blue Sky Studios at a low price." But now this young man has already said the next step? And it doesn't look like a joke. Chris Wedge wondered uncertainly: "You said the next CG animation movie?"

"Of course, is Lantian still in the catering business?" Wang Yang laughed out loud, which immediately attracted the curious eyes of Jessica, Carlos Saldanha and others around him. He said apologetically, "I'm sorry." Lowering his voice, he said to Chris Wedge again: "I think it's time for Blue Sky to expand. 500 people are really too few, because we will be producing two films at the same time."

Chris Wedge was surprised again, two more? Even if "Ice Age" can be a big success, it doesn't mean that Blue Sky Studios won't mess up any movies from now on. No company dares to say that, so every plan is cautious, and now...he stretched out two With one finger, he asked, "Two parts?"

"Well, yes." Wang Yang nodded, and the way to make the snowball grow quickly is to throw money, as much as "Ice Age" earns, put it into Lantian's account to start a new plan. He pondered for a while, and said: ""Ice Age" will be made into a series, 2345... until it should end, "Ice Age second plan, well, I don't know, but we can all start thinking about it." gone."

Seeing his serious expression, Chris Wedge finally confirmed that this was not a joke, and this young man never joked in this regard, he couldn't help but let out a "wow", and his whole body was full of excitement, saying: "Two? Do you know why I didn't go to Pixar for the two films? Even if I can become a partner? Because I just don't want CG animation to be monopolized by anyone. But Pixar wants to do this now..." He was suddenly full of confidence in the future, and said with a smile: " Monopoly? Not Pixar, not DreamWorks, not Blue Sky."

"This is cool." Wang Yang patted Wei Qi on the shoulder with a smile, looked at the mammoth and other animals on the big screen, and said, "Soon there will be the Big Three."

Jessica next to him has been hearing their conversation, and can't help but smile sweetly. Will everyone still call him "crazy"?

When all the 90-minute videos were screened, there was thunderous applause in the theater with more than a thousand spectators and guests, covering up the brisk soundtrack. The credits rolled up on the screen, and Wang Yang, Chris Wedge and others stood up with applause, and turned to thank the fans and audience. After the roll of the credits roll ended, the flame movie and the blue sky logo picture appeared on the big screen again. Under the beautiful idyllic scenery of Taobao women's clothing Tmall Taobao mall Taobao women's winter clothing jacket m, moths and butterflies danced happily, Fly to that blue sky.

"This is a good movie for all ages, bringing together many cute prehistoric animals, which makes people shine." - "Washington Post"; "If you always complain that its story is thin, then you will Missing a very funny movie full of wit and joy." --Michael DeCuner, The Movie Menace; "It won't surprise you with jaw-dropping surprises, but it will warm your heart and I strongly recommend it." A recommended thumbs up" Richard Roper, the famous film review program "Ebert※eper".

After the release of "Ice Age", movie fans and film critics all came out one after another to give their own evaluations on the Internet and in various media. IMDb's rating users quickly rose to five figures, with an average score of 7.8, a score that can be called a classic; while Rotten Tomatoes has included more than 160 movie reviews from the critics, with a freshness of 80%, and praises everywhere.

"Lovely, warm, touching, funny, and humorous." These five words typed by the "New York Times" are the key to the praise of many film critics. They generally believe that although the technology of "Ice Age" seems rough, the story is also a bit old-fashioned It is weak and lacks deep meaning. Generally speaking, "it is not a competitor in the league with Pixar and DreamWorks", but the characters are cute, the dialogue and dubbing are very funny and funny, and it brings warmth to people. "It is a pleasant and friendly game. family journey."

And the 20% of film reviews that are classified as rotten are just magnifying the shortcomings of technology and story.

"Visually unappealing, unbearably dull story, no surprises, just some cheap laughs." --Jim Rhine, Sacramento News-Review; "I hate to say Ice Age doesn't have pretty graphics , but the bad thing is that it has no story, it doesn't really tell the life and story of the ice age animals." Alex Sander, "New Times"; "It's almost in the primitive stage of digital technology, is this really a CG movie ? Prehistoric CG movies?" Jeffrey Jon, "Windows on Movies."

It is well known that the technology of Blue Sky Studio is rough, which is why no one was interested in acquiring it back then, and why Flame Movie was ridiculed for "thinking it was a treasure" after spending 100 million yuan; some people say that the clichéd comedy story is warm and humorous, while others say it is dull Boring... If you only read the 20% of the movie reviews, it seems that "Ice Age" is dead, worse than "Frozen Planet", it is a movie that will be swept into the trash can immediately.

But what about the result? With 7.8 points and 80% freshness, there is no false moisture, and everything is reflected in the box office. With these "primitive technology" and "cheap laughter", "Ice Age" madly received 51 million box office this opening weekend

No matter what the critics say, the hearts of the bosses of many film companies are a little twitched. They now know that Magic Yang and Flame Movie "really found a treasure." This is another horse that will be extremely dazzling Big dark horse.

When the week from May 10th to 16th came to an end, "Ice Age" really slapped those who once satirized "100 million bought a toy" and accepted 627 second in a week bit. The top spot continues to be "Spider-Man". This superhero blockbuster sweeps the third place this week is "Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones", which held a small-scale premiere. 30.14 million box office.

In the third week of screening, "Sweetheart" took another 12.03 million at the box office, and the total box office reached 62.25 million; Those below the first place are even more horrible, most of them only have a box office of one million or hundreds of thousands.

This is not surprising. People who watch visual effects blockbusters choose "Spider-Man". "Century" is the best choice; young people who want to watch youth idol movies all buy tickets for "Sweetheart", "The Newcomer"? Is there any magic Yang? No, but there is a leading lady in "Idle Hands" and a big supporting role in "High School Musical" in Zooey Deschanel.

The achievement of "Ice Age" naturally excited Flame Films and Blue Sky Studios; it also highlighted Fox's bleakness in CG animation films. Die-hard fans of Flame Films on the Internet dug up the news reports of the year, What Fox spokesman James Finn said: "It's a pity that Blue Sky didn't join Fox, but we have an excellent animation department. "Frozen Planet" will be launched next year..."

What is the final global box office of "Frozen Planet"? 36 million.