I’m in Hollywood

John Lasseter and Ed Carmore are obsessed with making 3D animation, and they are also in the premonition of the good prospects of this animation form. When they heard that Eric is optimistic about the future of computer special effects, neither of them can think of any rebuttal. reason. After all, the 3D animation that the two insisted on has yet to come to fruition, and Eric's vision for cinema has been confirmed through multiple films.

Having said so much, Eric put the detailed plan in front of Ed Carmore, who also realized Eric's intentions. Although he is now making 3D animations, 3D animations are still a type of computer CG special effects, and when Ed Carmore was first at Lucasfilm, he was responsible for the computer CG scenes in Star Wars . So it's obvious that Eric wants him to run the team.

Of course, John Lasseter also realized this, with a worried expression on his face. After working together for so long, the cooperation between the two has become very tacit. If Eric transfers Ed Carmore to host the digital domain , what about Pixar?

Eric, you have to know that although most of the technical problems of Toy Story have been solved now, Pixar still can't do without Ed...

Eric nodded: I understand your concerns, John, I don't mean to ask Ed to leave Pixar, I just intend to set up a technical team specializing in computer special effects and engineering its software, and Ed does not want to leave Pixar. But a great computer technologist, and more familiar with computer effects than most special effects people in Hollywood, after all, he's been in computer effects more than a decade ago. So I'd like him to be the CTO of the digital space as well. lead the team.

When Eric was talking to John Lasseter. Ed Carmore has been thinking fast in his heart, when he heard Eric's arrangement for him, he began to be moved.

From Eric's plan, Ed Carmore felt Eric's ambition in computer special effects. Although he still had doubts about the prospect of Eric's plan, it did not prevent him from thinking about this Awareness of a huge plan.

Once the development trend of film and television special effects develops in the direction that Eric said, then the digital field, which has begun to focus on computer special effects research more than any other special effects company, will undoubtedly become the industry leader.

What's more, there is also a plan for software engineering of special effects processing solutions. Although this plan will consume a huge amount of human and financial resources, when it accumulates to a certain extent, then the digital field will undoubtedly become the overlord of the special effects industry, and its status is unshakable.

Because when a latecomer entered the field of special effects for film and television, when they faced a special effect problem, but found that the digital field already had special effects software to solve this problem in detail, then they chose to set up a technical team of dozens or hundreds of people. Develop solutions, or buy software directly from the digital realm?

The answer is obvious.

thought for a moment. Noticing the expression on his partner John Lasseter's face, Ed Carmore, who had planned to agree, said: Eric. I hope that this technical research team in the digital field can be headquartered in San Francisco, so that I can Taking into account Pixar, and, although Los Angeles is the home base of the film industry, San Francisco, with its Silicon Valley, can attract the top computer technology talents.”

Eric nodded and said, Of course, this is what I originally planned. Even if the team headquarters is set up in Emeryville, it is possible to be a neighbor with Pixar.

It took a few more hours to simply discuss the details. The specific plan still needs to be negotiated by Stan Winston and Ed Carmore.

After leaving Pixar and getting on the Chevrolet commercial vehicle, Eric was relieved, and another important pawn was dropped.

No one is more aware of the development trend of film and television special effects than him. Computer special effects will become the mainstream of film and television special effects in the future. Even Industrial Light and Magic, which started with model special effects, has also closed down after the new century and created many virtual characters in Star Wars. The model special effects department, and the main focus is on digital special effects.

Moreover, the reason for forcing the software engineering of special effects solutions is not Eric's impulse, but after careful consideration. This plan stems from Eric's understanding of another development trend in the special effects industry.

After the new century, with the rapid development of computer technology, the threshold for entering the film and television special effects industry has become lower and lower, and film and television special effects companies have sprung up around the world. It is getting worse and worse. In order to compete with Hollywood's original special effects giants, other states in the United States, and even other countries outside the United States, have implemented high tax rebate subsidies and other financial support for special effects companies.

Under this cruel competition, the old Hollywood special effects companies went bankrupt one by one.

Of course, Eric can't let the bankruptcy of the digital field in his previous life happen again, and he has no idea of ​​saving the entire special effects industry. As a filmmaker, he is opposed to the special effects company in terms of economic interests.

Eric's plan is to not only maintain the absolute leading position in the industry in the digital field, but also maintain the absolute leading position in the digital field through the accumulation of technology ahead of other special effects companies, as well as the software engineering of commonly used special effects solutions, and finally by selling special effects solutions and special effects software. It is hoped that the digital field can become an oligopoly in the special effects industry and form a technological monopoly.

This kind of idea is not infeasible, because now, computer special effects are just emerging, big-name special effects companies are still nobles in the industry, and film companies want to make special effects movies, there are not many special effects companies to choose from. In this case, There is definitely no shortage of special effects movie projects in the digital field. As long as you are willing to invest, the digital field will accumulate enough special effects solutions.

After ten years, the threshold for the special effects industry will be lowered, and those advanced special effects factories will find that many special effects technologies that need to be developed by technical departments are already mature in the digital field. Then, these companies will definitely choose to buy software and Not to spend a lot of money to develop their own.

What, we don't have the software you want?

Don't worry, we have a strong enough technical team, as long as you pay a suitable fee, the digital field can develop the technology you want quickly and cheaply, which is much cheaper than supporting a technical team yourself, not ?

Like many industries, once a monopoly is formed, it is difficult to break.

In the previous life, ILM originally had this potential, because in the early 1990s, when computer special effects became popular, ILM dominated the special effects industry. Seven major film companies wanted to make movies with excellent special effects. The first choice Always Industrial Light \u0026 Magic. It is a pity that after the success of the Star Wars trilogy, George Lucas has a huge fortune that cannot be spent in a lifetime, and he has no ambition to develop Industrial Light and Magic into a giant. (To be continued..)u