"What is this thing?"
"A Chinese ink-style Transformers animation?"
"What's that?"
Hearing Wang Yu's words, everyone was completely bewildered. They all looked at Wang Yu with confusion.
The first part, "Chinese ink-style," was easy enough to understand – it meant ink wash animation.
But what on earth was "Transformers"?
Li Mo and Zhao Hongxi looked at Wang Yu with doubt. Even Wu Lingling relaxed the "pressure" she was applying to Wang Yu's instep.
"Remember that silly second-generation guy from the competition with the people from Wa Island?"
Wang Yu turned his head and asked Wu Lingling with a smile.
"You mean that Takeshi? The one whose paws got braised like a bear's?"
Wu Lingling covered her mouth, giggling.
"I don't know what that guy was thinking. Full of big talk and easily provoked, always making a fuss. Not at all like those sinister and sneaky Wa Islanders."
"Exactly, that's him. When he was mocking us, he said something like 'Autobots, roll out'..."
Wang Yu couldn't help but laugh, thinking of that guy.
"He called us country bumpkins with no experience back then. He was probably talking about an animation that had just come out in the Sam country. It hadn't been introduced domestically yet, so many people..."
"I looked into it. The general plot is about alien robots that can transform into cars and planes, and their story on Earth."
"What? Aliens? Robots? You believe that? You think it's real?" Wu Lingling said, amused.
The concept of aliens and robots existed in this era, and fantasy was quite popular overseas. Wu Lingling naturally knew about it, but she never imagined that Wang Yu, a simpleton obsessed with engine oil and gears, would believe such things.
"Whether it's real or not is a separate issue, we won't discuss that. My point is, I got an idea from it." Wang Yu waved his hand and then looked at Zhao Hongxi.
"Mr. Zhao, this is what I wanted to ask for your help with. You know I run a car factory. I want to commission a promotional film tailored for my factory.
Just like Sam country's Transformers, we'll use our own national art style, the ink wash technique, to create various vehicles and home appliances that can transform into human figures.
Then, we'll develop various educational and entertaining stories around them, not just simple fighting. They need to have depth and substance. Of course, as the investor, my only request is to use our factory's products as the templates and subtly incorporate our factory's trademark..."
Before Wang Yu could finish speaking, Wu Lingling interjected.
"I get it. You want to use your own products as the protagonists in the animation, like transforming truck robots? Fan robots? Walkman robots, and so on?
Then, as the animation story is broadcast, your products and your factory will become household names? It's like a soft product placement? And a massive one at that!
And even though it's just animation, because of the children's appeal, it can occupy a lot of prime time slots and reach adults, making it more effective than any advertisement!"
After saying this, Wu Lingling looked at Wang Yu with a peculiar expression, the kind one might give an old fox.
Why did this guy remind her of her own father? Always coming up with outlandish ideas from seemingly unrelated angles?
"Wait! Is this considered plagiarism?"
Zhao Hongxi waved his hand. While most people didn't know about Sam country's animation Transformers since it hadn't been introduced domestically, he, as a peer in the industry, had heard of it. It was rumored to be quite popular overseas.
But wouldn't directly copying it be inappropriate?
"How can the work of cultural people be called plagiarism?"
Before Wang Yu could speak, Li Mo exclaimed. Although he didn't understand Transformers much, he grasped Wang Yu's general idea.
"We can adopt and adapt! If they're aliens, we can call them monsters who absorbed the essence of the sun and moon... No, we can't use that later. Let's call them Machine Warriors, or maybe Car Warriors?
Then we'll create all sorts of stories that encourage good behavior and are educational, unlike Sam country's mindless fighting with no technical substance."
Wang Yu was speechless at Li Mo's chuunibyo-esque outburst. Isn't this just like Wa Island's "Huo X" and our "Gao X"?
And can you stop speaking like Kong Yiji? I'm genuinely worried you'll start asking how many ways the character 'qi' in 'Car Warrior' can be written.
However, Li Mo's words made Zhao Hongxi's eyes light up. This was indeed an excellent theme and idea!
Incorporating our national art style and storytelling, combined with this novel creative inspiration, to create a work with both aesthetic beauty and artistic conception. Isn't this precisely what they liked and desired?
Of course, Wang Yu wanting to sneak in some soft advertising for himself was understandable and harmless. He wasn't a pure philanthropist, after all.
"However, I have another question." Zhao Hongxi hesitated before speaking slowly.
"According to your description and requirements, creating an animation isn't a problem, but..."
Organizing his thoughts, Zhao Hongxi said to Wang Yu:
"The time it will take might be quite long, as we can't be crude and must meticulously refine it. But this production cycle... can you accept it?"
Hearing Zhao Hongxi say this, Wang Yu nodded in understanding.
In this era, a good work of art, even an animation, required countless hours of polishing and refinement. It could take anywhere from half a year to three to five or even eight years. This was one of the reasons why the national art film studios declined.
Didn't they see the commercial assembly-line products of later generations? They could churn them out in a few months. The market wouldn't wait for you to slowly brew your masterpiece.
"So, I need to make this clear to you in advance, so you don't find the long cycle unacceptable."
Zhao Hongxi was quite conscientious, laying out all the potential issues upfront. If it were someone else, they'd probably sign the contract and take the money first, regardless of the consequences.
"Actually, this isn't a problem. They can produce and release it in stages."
Wang Yu offered a suggestion.
"We can divide the original story into several parts. For the first part, we can produce three to five episodes. Once they are released, we can then work on the second and third parts.
This will not only save time but also allow us to make revisions based on the reception. And if our film is successful, we can even increase the price... and concurrently introduce new product characters and stories from my factory."
Everyone was stunned by Wang Yu's words.
There was such a method? They could hardly believe he came up with such a multifaceted strategy!
They were so easily impressed! They clearly hadn't seen the television series from Sam country in later generations, where they divided them into 'n' seasons.
Facing their astonished gazes, Wang Yu shook his head with a smile.
"If there are no other issues, we can... come in?"
Wang Yu's words were cut short by a hurried knocking at the door. After a single knock, Han Jun and Feng Daochun pushed the door open together.
"Little Factory Director, there are people from Sam country outside who are asking for you by name, and..."
Han Jun said to Wang Yu, hesitating and looking indecisive.
"And what?"
"And... their expressions suggest they're here to cause trouble."
Han Jun replied.
To cause trouble? When did they provoke anyone from Sam country?