King of Hollywood-Chapter 229 - 228 The So-Called Dream

Chapter 229: Chapter 228 The So-Called Dream

Chapter 229: Chapter 228 The So-Called Dream

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“Besides creating special effects and logos for some film companies, we also have a relatively small gaming department that outsources work for some game companies. However, the most important thing is the animation we’re producing for Disney. Back in ’91, we signed a contract with them for three 3D animations, and we’re currently working on the first one, but we’ve run into some problems,” Camor explained to Adrian one by one, handing various documents over to him.

“What kind of problems?” Although Adrian already had a good idea, he still asked calmly.

“Disney’s CEO, Michael Eisner, isn’t optimistic about computer animation, so he’s contemplating canceling the project. The executive working with us, Cowles, is trying to find ways to persuade him,” Camor said, glancing at Adrian. “I think, you have a good relationship with Disney, maybe you could try to convince Eisner.”

“What’s your opinion?” Adrian pondered for a moment, turning to look at Rast, Stanton, and the others.

“We think the same,” after exchanging glances, Rast spoke up, “We’ve put a lot of work into this, we’ve drawn several boxes of conceptual papers, the script is quite complete, and we’ve already produced several clips. If the project is canceled now, it will be a major setback for our studio’s development.”

Very persuasive, these guys are indeed not to be underestimated. Adrian flipped through the documents for the first animated film that Rast had handed him, saying to himself. Looking at the concept art in his hands, especially the cowboy and the spaceman toys, he smiled slightly.

“Here’s what we’ll do,” after thinking for a few minutes, Adrian began, “I’ll talk to Michael, but I won’t convince him to support the project; I’ll persuade him to terminate the contract as soon as possible, even if it means waiving the penalty fee.”

“Why?” Stanton immediately asked, his chubby face full of anxiety.

“Alright, Andrew, let’s hear out Adrian first,” Camor quickly made a ‘calm down’ gesture, Rast gave him the same look, and then all three turned to Adrian.

Adrian smiled appreciatively at Camor and Rast, crossed his hands on the table, and spoke with a relaxed smile, “I’ve looked over the contract briefly. To produce three animated films with a budget of 10 million dollars, where all ancillary rights belong to Disney, and Pixar doesn’t get more than 25% of the box office revenue… Gentlemen, do you realize what this means?”

The others didn’t speak but stared intently at Adrian, especially Camor, who seemed to have realized something.

“My plan is to dissolve this unfair contract with Disney, and then I will invest 10 million dollars in the production of this animated film. You can focus all your energy into making the animated film you want to create, and then I’ll arrange for the distribution and release,” Adrian said with a light laugh.

The group exchanged glances again, excitement evident on their faces. They momentarily forgot that Adrian was the chairman of AC Media! Although not as massive as Disney, it had its own comprehensive distribution channels, the implications of which no longer needed to be stated. Coupled with Adrian’s expression of strong support and complete trust in them, excitement and enthusiasm were the natural responses.

“I think that won’t be a problem,” Camor responded immediately, managing to control his emotions well.

But the others were not so composed, Stanton was the first to punch the air and shout, “That’s fantastic, Ed! This is the best news I’ve heard all year!”

Considering his earlier questioning, this was very much in line with his forthright temperament.

“It seems we’ve got ourselves another fine boss,” Rast said as he removed his glasses, then jokingly asked Stanton, “By the way, Andrew, which Ed are you calling out to?”

Stanton paused for a moment, then the others burst out laughing.

After talking for a few more moments about the studio and the animated film in production, Adrian got up to leave.

“I have a movie to shoot in New York, so I can’t delay too long,” he explained, then patted Camor on the arm, “In any case, I’m leaving everything related to Pixar in your hands, Ed.”

“No problem, Ed.” Camor nodded his acknowledgement, then both of them fell into a thoughtful expression.

“I think the title is fantastic, don’t you?” Rast nudged Stanton beside him with an elbow as he looked at Camor and Adrian with a chuckle and asked.

“Indeed, not bad. I believe it’s necessary to popularize it.” Stanton, who had calmed down, also showed a smile.

Adrian shook his head at them, turned to leave, but then turned back as something occurred to him, “By the way, find some time to fax me the screenplay of the animated film and the overall concept. You all know, aside from being a director I am also a screenwriter. Though animated films and live-action films may differ, I can still offer some advice.”

After leaving Pixar Studio and getting into his car, Adrian finally breathed a sigh of relief, letting go of his tension completely. Today’s agenda had mostly reached his desired goals; now all that was left was to wait for Pixar to evolve on its own.

He closed his eyes and gave it some thought—other than considering how to offer suggestions for revisions to the screenplay, it seemed there was no need to intervene any further. Oh right, the game department could be disbanded. What he needed was a studio purely for producing computer animation, nothing else. The programmers could be relocated to the R&D department—Pixar had its very own modeling software—of course, if they wanted to continue making games, they could merge with Silicon & Synapse.

Speaking of which, Silicon & Synapse also should have changed its name by now. If someone else registered the name Blizzard because of the butterfly effect, that would be quite amusing.

Shaking his head, Adrian redirected his thoughts back to focus on how to make the other party accept his suggestions. The current screenplay for the animation was quite different from what he knew; although it was also a story about toys, Cowboy Woody was an unpleasant, sarcastic character who only mocked others, and Buzz Lightyear was a simple-minded hunk who didn’t even have that name. Although he believed in Rast and his team’s capabilities, the screenplay probably wouldn’t be popular if it stayed like this.

Better to point out the issues first, then listen to their opinions. That’s what Adrian was thinking, stroking his chin. Right now, the most important thing was to sever the contract with Disney as quickly as possible, before Cowles could convince Eisner otherwise. What a joke, the most profitable part of animated films was the revenue from their related merchandise. Just thinking about how much profit Disney’s merchandise generated told you everything. In fact, this was true for all films, except for those with extraordinary box office returns; the majority of profits came from video sales.

And yet Disney signed such an onerous contract with Pixar, treating Pixar purely as a tool. This showed how little Jobs had invested his attention. Now that it was in Adrian’s hands, how could he possibly tolerate most of the profits being taken by Disney? Especially since his own hands held a mature and efficient distribution network. Sure, in distribution he might fall slightly short compared to Disney, but not when it came to promoting and generating excitement. By the time this animated film was finished, he should also…

Stretching comfortably, Adrian pinched the bridge of his nose and shifted his thoughts to management.

Ed Catmull’s capabilities were beyond question. Although Jobs had always provided the studio’s funding, without his management and planning, Pixar would never have grown to its current scale despite a lack of funds.

He had begun working in technology at Disney during his time at Industrial Light Magic, but after forming Pixar and realizing he wasn’t as skilled as Rast and the others in this area, he switched to management and was quite successful. Adrian remembered clearly that even though Jobs had always held the title of CEO of Pixar, it was Catmull who always took care of the management work.

Pixar’s amazing achievements were not unrelated to its distinctive corporate culture, and this culture could not have been built without Catmull’s contributions.

If there were still people in Hollywood who held onto their dreams and struggled for them no matter the failures, then 90% of those people were at Pixar. There were too many temptations there, too many who came with dreams but ultimately succumbed to reality. But Catmull, Rast, and their colleagues had persevered. While this had much to do with their single-minded focus on technology, the fact remained they had held fast and created a unique corporate culture all their own.

A flat hierarchy, fun-filled workspaces, and cheerful, energetic exchanges—these were the reasons why such exceptional animated films like Finding Nemo and Wall-E could emerge, something other studios could not replicate. Even if they were given those ideas, they couldn’t produce animation like Pixar.

Therefore, Adrian held a measure of respect for them. The word “dream” can sometimes be sacred, though some people have pedestrian dreams—such as dreaming of eating and drinking their fill every day—and yet others have dreams teeming with passion, like Rast and his colleagues striving to develop computer animation.

These dreams largely represent humanity’s yearning for beauty, but they are also extremely fragile and can easily shatter at the slightest touch. For once you stoop to any means when searching for your dream, it’s no longer a dream; all that’s left is naked desire, just like Adrian’s various acts of copying and plagiarism.

Of course, Adrian never denied his own desire. Although no one knew he had copied and plagiarized, if he couldn’t even admit this to himself, pretending it was still a dream, then he would be nothing but a hypocrite of the highest order. Life indeed cannot escape hypocrisy, particularly in high society where it is an essential skill. But if a person is so hypocritical they can’t even acknowledge their own desires, then they are nothing but a thorough failure.

That’s why he maintained a level of respect for Rast and his colleagues. That’s why he would not overly interfere in Pixar’s development. That’s why he would nurture their growth, allowing them to realize their dreams. (To be continued. If you wish to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters there, support the author, support genuine reading!)