Chapter 542: A Few Things About the Meeting

Chapter 542: A Few Matters from the Meeting

It was now early November, and nine months had passed since the founding of Xizi Pictures. During this period, three self-produced animated films had been put into production, but none had reached completion, let alone made it to the silver screen. They had, however, acted as agents for the release of quite a few films; after all, backed by a massive platform, they could not afford to pass up the revenue that was rightfully theirs to make.

Under the umbrella of Xizi Pictures lay Xizi Animation Studio, which, alongside the deeply collaborative Shanhai Animation Studio, operated with a distinct and specialized division of labor. The technical staff across these two entities alone now exceeded five hundred people. When accounting for other partnering studios and outsourcing outfits, the total workforce grew immense, and this vast multitude was currently dedicated entirely to the simultaneous production of the three animated films.

The first wave of personnel had already returned, including those dispatched by Shanhai Animation Studio to Japan to assist in animating "The Extraordinary People of Shanhai," as well as those sent to apprentice and work at Pixar. They, too, had plunged into the production of these three animations.

The initial fruits of their team-building efforts were beginning to show, and future investments in this area would certainly not be meager.

At present, the progress of all three animated films was quite satisfactory. The fastest among them would finish production before the next summer vacation, with a possible summer release; if things moved a bit slower, it would target the National Day holiday, and at the absolute latest, they would strive for a New Year's Day premiere.

Even if a film was delayed until the New Year's slot, the calculated production cycle would be roughly eighteen months. For an animated feature, this was a standard duration, but if one scrutinized the actual quality of the production, it was undeniably fast. The primary reason, ultimately, was that their funding was genuinely sufficient, ensuring that no gears would grind to a halt due to financial friction. In this regard, they had caught up with Hollywood's animation production standards; indeed, even in Hollywood, Pixar included, not every film enjoyed a budget grand enough to burn without care.

To be frank, even though the other two major shareholders of Xizi Pictures, Penguin and Station 8, were considered wealthy and powerful, they still felt a twinge of panic when faced with the extravagant investments proposed by Meng Fan. However, this anxiety was alleviated not long after, for a simple reason: an animated film had exploded at the box office, shattering records with a gross exceeding five billion yuan.

Fact once again proved that in the Chinese film market, any work of sincere dedication possessed the potential to reap an unimaginable harvest. The domestic market harbored a vast, yearning audience for local animated films.

From Big Fish to the Great Sage, and then to Ne Zha, this truth held unbroken. Worth mentioning also was the Boonie Bears series, which, with its consistently stable quality, had always returned excellent rewards at the box office.

Upon witnessing—or rather, seeing the emergence of—this box office "miracle," some executives within the upper echelons of Xizi Pictures harbored hopes of rushing out a film to harvest early profits. Ultimately, however, these notions dissolved into nothing. They were professionals within the industry, all too aware of the consequences that followed when one blindly jumped onto a passing trend; the local science fiction film that had immediately followed a massive domestic sci-fi hit not long ago stood as a textbook warning. Furthermore, the prevailing inclination at Xizi Pictures was to play the long game, nurturing a reputation for quality, while placing far less weight on immediate gains.

Aside from Xizi Pictures’ self-produced animated films, there was also the "Three Films in Five Years" plan in collaboration with Pixar. The progress of the first film was faster than anything on the domestic side, and the first item on today's agenda concerned this very project. In addition to the management of Xizi Pictures, staff members from Pixar also participated via videoconference.

The conclusion reached through their deliberations was to slate the release for after the Spring Festival period; after all, no matter the nature of the collaboration, this film simply could not find a berth within the crowded Spring Festival lineup itself.

This release date would be a week earlier than the North American premiere, a circumstance that was no longer considered a rarity.

With the schedule finalized, the discussion turned to the film's promotional and distribution strategy. In this arena, Meng Fan essentially held no say, choosing to remain silent as an outsider who lacked expertise.

The second item of the meeting pertained to the approval of projects for the coming year. Beyond feature films, Xizi Pictures—by virtue of its subordinate animation studio and Shanhai Animation Studio—would also take charge of producing and distributing a portion of animated series. The meeting tentatively decreed that next year, three projects (or seasons) of animated series and one animated feature film would enter the production phase.

The most critical underlying reason for this expansion was that the current "productive capacity" of both Xizi Animation Studio and Shanhai Animation Studio was in a state of surplus.

The final item on the agenda was also the most momentous of the entire gathering: it concerned the Second Shanhai Animation Festival.

The date was set for February 22nd, identical to the inaugural festival. With just over three months remaining, it was time to enter the preparatory stage.

Because the Shanhai Animation Festival was deeply intertwined with both Penguin and Station 8, and given that Xizi Pictures was now the largest animation film company in the Chinese industry—even if it had yet to yield a single finished product, its sheer scale and reputation made the title undeniable—Xizi Pictures served as one of the hosting organizers. Thus, the preparatory meeting was brought directly to their halls. The only difference was that after the first two sessions concluded, a number of other industry professionals filed into the room to join the deliberations.

The first Shanhai Animation Festival had been an immense success, yet by all accounts, it had certainly suffered from moments of chaos. Because the organizers had underestimated the festival's draw—or rather, Meng Fan's personal influence—at its inception, far too many surprises and temporary crises had arisen. For this second iteration, order would undoubtedly be maintained with a far firmer hand, and its scale and various dimensions would surpass the first.

Employing the same selection mechanism as before, the evaluation was split into two parallel tracks: one for ordinary netizens and another for industry professionals.

When the results of this meeting emerged, the most significant divergence lay in the festival's duration, which was extended to a full week. During this time, it would host numerous galas and events, including the opening and closing ceremonies, the awards presentation, a grand cosplay gathering, and an anime music concert.

What followed was the coordination of various departments to arrange the venue, compile the guest list, and manage rehearsals. Another vital step involved inviting animation professionals, relevant manufacturers, and merchants to establish an Animation Festival Management Committee to take dedicated charge of the affair.

The scale of the first festival had been sufficient to crown the Shanhai Animation Festival as the largest of its kind in China; this time, they intended to elevate its status even higher.

...

"Well? How do you find this place?"

As the meeting drew to a close, Meng Fan met up with Xing Tage, who had been wandering about the premises.

"How do I find it? You're already running the largest animation film company in China; what right do I have to judge?" Xing Tage laughed.

Meng Fan asked, "Are you interested in joining, then?"

Xing Tage froze for a moment, then reflected that his small, private thoughts could never truly escape Meng Fan's eyes.

Meng Fan continued, "How about I arrange for you to be an assistant casting director?" He arched an eyebrow. "Your favorite role."

Xing Tage rolled his eyes. "Cut the nonsense. Am I the kind of person who needs to use official privilege to pull that sort of thing?" He paused, then laughed and cursed, "Besides, this is a damn animation film company! Who am I supposed to offer the casting couch to as an assistant casting director? The voice actors? They’re all vocal monsters; I certainly couldn't handle that!"

Meng Fan burst into hearty laughter. Walking side by side with Xing Tage, he stepped out of Xizi Pictures and headed toward the Damei Studio. In a sincere tone, he said, "We just greenlit three animated series projects today. One of them is a romance anime. Would you be interested in joining the screenwriting team? The director and writer already attached to it is Director Liang Chun, whom you admire greatly. When we were chatting earlier, he mentioned 'A Guide to School Romance' to me, and even asked about its plot and other details..."

How could Xing Tage fail to understand Meng Fan's good intentions? He punched his friend lightly on the shoulder and said, "If it's possible, I'd like to start as his writing assistant."

(End of Chapter)