On the same night.
The news spread all over the world.
"A Hollywood animation company gets acquired!"
"Zhang Ye announces that he'll make an animated movie?"
"Zhang Ye forces his way into Hollywood!"
"A Chinese celebrity may fall from the international B-list rankings!"
"An animated movie? An unwise choice! "
"Is his confidence inflated? Or has he lost his mind? "
"A Chinese celebrity has gone crazy again!"
…
China.
On Weibo.
"What the fuck!"
"Quick, watch the news!"
"An animated movie? Isn't it supposed to be a live-action movie? "
"The company acquisition failed and only managed to acquire an animation company."
"But they still can't make an animated movie. Has Zhang Ye ever made an animated movie before?"
"Uh, he really did make one before. Have you guys forgotten? Before he went to prison, The Legend of Qin swept away all the Japanese animations. Wasn't that directed by Zhang Ye? "
"But that's a domestic animated movie, not a movie!"
"Motherfucker, this fellow is crossing over again!"
"This fellow can't stay in the same industry for more than three months!"
…
The United Kingdom.
"Holy shit!"
"He's really going to make an animated movie!"
"Is he really going to make an animated movie?"
"Although animated movies are also a genre of Hollywood movies, the audience is very small. Even if the best Hollywood director were to make it, the box office earnings wouldn't be that high. What's more, this is going to be his first movie after making his way into Hollywood? A person who has never made a Hollywood movie before? "
"What's he trying to do?"
"Who knows!"
"This person is always going down the 'wrong path'!"
…
Japan.
"An animated movie?"
"Ah, don't tell me this fellow is going to make a movie called One Piece?"
"Could it be the movie version of Naruto?"
"You guys are overthinking things. Those comics of his have already been canceled."
"Yeah, don't you guys understand this fellow well enough? He's not that kind-hearted! "
"Let's see what he's up to this time."
…
America.
At the Directors Guild.
"Hahahahaha!"
"I'm dying of laughter!"
"Wilson, did you see that?"
"That fellow has really gone to film an animated movie!"
"He's seeking his own death!"
"I really admire his courage."
"Hollywood movies are the best in the world, but Hollywood animated movies are the exception. That Zhang Ye fellow has chosen a dead end."
"There's going to be a joke."
…
The next day.
Morning.
Star Moon Corporation — this was the translated name. The company's main business was the production of animated films. It was considered a veteran company in Hollywood, but its scale was not big. Originally, animated film companies were in the lower reaches of Hollywood. Star Moon Animation Company had not been doing well in the past few years. The three animated films that they had produced in a row only earned US $18 million, US $17 million, and US $2 million at the global box office. Even among all the animation companies in Hollywood, they were still in the middle. When they were on the verge of bankruptcy, they were sold to the China Group.
In the company.
Qian Haitao walked in front. "I'll show you around first."
Zhang Ye said, "Alright."
Ha Qiqi looked around and said, "This place isn't small."
Zhang Zuo nodded. "The atmosphere is indeed different."
Little Wang muttered, "So this is a Hollywood studio?"
Before they came, they had also heard that Star Moon was an average company, so they did not have any expectations. However, after coming here, they realized that this was not the case. This kind of company could only be considered as a small movie company in Hollywood? What would the top Hollywood studios be like?
As they walked, Qian Haitao introduced, "This is the company's headquarters. There aren't any other branch offices here. The office work, animation production, and editing will all be done here. I've already reassured the staff. A few of the higher-ups have already left, and the two animation directors have also left as well. As for the remaining technical staff, I've retained them. I wouldn't dare to say that they're the best in the industry, but they're still a professional Hollywood animation production team. Although I don't want to admit it, the Hollywood animation team is indeed much more professional than our domestic animation team. Their equipment is also the best, so you can rest assured about this. I've also left you the manpower and rations.
Equipment.
Technology.
Distribution channels.
All of these were what Zhang Ye needed the most. He could pull people over to film Wolf Warrior 2, and he could pull people from his studio to film Man vs. Wild, but he couldn't do it for an animated movie. Be it him or his studio's staff, none of them were in this line of work. Not many of them knew how to make an animation, so Zhang Ye needed the most professional team to bring out the script and images in his mind in the form of an animation.
Zhang Ye asked, "Who's the person in charge of the company?"
Qian Haitao kept looking over. "Here, he's here."
A white man strode over and said with a smile, "Boss."
Qian Haitao said, "Let me introduce you. This is Mark Foran."
Zhang Ye put out his hand. "Hello, I'm Zhang Ye."
Mark Foran shook hands with him. "Of course I know you. Hello, Zhang."
Qian Haitao said, "Mark Foran is an old friend of mine. He was the one who pulled the strings for the acquisition this time. For this new project, the two of you will have to work together and discuss everything. If there's any disagreement," he looked at Mark Foran, "Let Teacher Zhang make the decision. There's no need to ask me."
Mark Foran smiled and said, "Understood."
Zhang Ye smiled. "Don't, let's just discuss it."
Qian Haitao said in amusement, "Come on, you've invested more money into this project than I have. If there's really any decision, I'll have to listen to you. So you'll have the final say on the project and I'll cooperate with you. I've already promised you this before I came to Hollywood, so I'm a man of my word."
Zhang Ye nodded. "Alright."
Qian Haitao asked, "Have you thought of what genre to shoot?"
Zhang Ye said, "I need to understand the market first."
Mark Foran said enthusiastically, "I have information on all the Hollywood animated films over the years here. You can get any animation you want. There are videos and CDs."
"That's great." Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Let me do some research first."
Mark Foran asked, "Which films have you watched? I'll get someone to bring over the ones you haven't watched. "
Which ones had he watched?
Zhang Ye felt a little embarrassed and said, "Bring them all over."
Little Wang burst out laughing.
Ha Qiqi rolled her eyes.
Zhang Zuo also knew what was going on.
How could they not know what Zhang Ye was up to?
Mark Foran was taken aback. "But that's too many. Aren't we supposed to pick out those that you haven't watched before and that are worth studying?"
Zhang Ye gave a sheepish laugh. "Actually, I haven't watched any of them before."
"Ah?" Mark Foran was dumbfounded.
Zhang Ye explained, "I don't usually have time to watch movies."
The group of foreign employees around them were also stunned!
What?
You haven't watched any of them before?
Fuck! You haven't even fucking watched a single Hollywood animated film before, yet you dare to make an animated film?!
At this moment, everyone at Star Moon Animation Studios felt an unprecedented sense of despair. What kind of director had the Heavens sent them this time?!
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