My Animation Era

  Chapter 2 "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf"

   Pleasant Goat's achievements need no repeats.

  Although there are many people on the Internet who smeared and ridiculed this work, and even sighed "Fortunately, my childhood was not a happy goat", everyone must admit that this is a successful and excellent animation.

   Of course, that's not the point.

  There are many excellent animations in the original world. As a writer, Gu Miao has many goals to choose from. Why did he think of Pleasant Goat?

  The answer is simple...

  He has no money!

  If you have a lot of cash in your pocket and a top team in the industry, who wouldn't want to make a top-notch "hexagonal" production like "Battle of Two Cities"?

   It's understandable to be shy.

   Among the many successful animation works, Pleasant Goat may not be the best one, but it is definitely the one that saves the most money.

  If Gu Miao remembers correctly, the production cost of the first animation of "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf" in the original world was barely 20 million or so.

   Sounds like a lot.

  However, how many episodes are there in the first part of Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf TV animation including the special episode of "Battle in the Weird World"?

  A total of 530 episodes!

  Such a simple math problem can be solved by elementary school students, and the cost of a single integration is only 40,000 to 50,000 yuan. Based on an episode of 15 minutes, the average per minute... two or three thousand dollars?

   Shockingly cheap.

  Why is the cost so low?

  It may be difficult for ordinary people to understand, but when you think about it carefully, with the flash animation level of the first part of "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf", this cost seems... quite reasonable?

  There are only a few scenes back and forth.

  Although the characters seem to be many, they are all "recyclable" characters, which is quite easy to draw.

  The original painting is quite rough, and the animation effect is not satisfactory. From a certain point of view, it is a little better than "xx story"...

  The animations of the same period, including the animated version of "Journey to the West" produced by CCTV, Pleasant Goat was released a few years later, but the production level of the two is not at the same level.

   But this is not a black spot.

  The original motivation really had no money at the beginning, and it can’t be blamed for their carelessness. Later, Pleasant Goat became popular, and after they made money, they did improve their production standards.

  Pleasant Goat’s animation quality has improved significantly during the period of "The Great War in the Weird World", that is, around 300-400 episodes.

   At that time, the production cost also skyrocketed, so the first part of "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf" spent most of the money on the next one hundred episodes.

  If you have to be serious...

  The cost of the first one or two hundred episodes may be lower than the expected average.

  Such a low production cost, but the benefits are beyond imagination.

   During the most popular period of "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf", it almost occupied the prime time of hundreds of TV stations across the country, and there was no opponent who could beat it at the same time.

  You can make a lot of money just by selling broadcasting rights!

   Not to mention, there are derivatives.

  As a phenomenon-level explosive animation work, the peripheral derivatives of "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf" should not be underestimated. Although the original power has not disclosed detailed data, it is not difficult to estimate that their licensing income has definitely reached the level of "100 million yuan".

   Possibly even higher!

   After all, Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf have tenacious vitality. After they exploded in 2000, they have been active in the audience's field of vision for more than ten years.

  If you don’t make money, can you make so many sequels?

  Give it a go, a bicycle becomes a motorcycle!

  After carefully assessing the production cost and benefits of Pleasant Goat, Gu Miao finally came to an astonishing conclusion: This is not a bike turned into a motorcycle, but a toy car turned into a Lamborghini!

   Is there anything more suitable than Pleasant Goat?

   The two bears in Gou Xiong Ling are not allowed either!

  After all, the start is different. The quality and investment of "Bears" are obviously higher than that of Pleasant Goat, so it is not suitable to be used as the first pot of gold.

"but…"

  Gu Miao frowned.

  Although "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf" is already the best choice for "turning a bicycle into a motorcycle", no matter how cheap the cost is, the initial investment will cost hundreds of thousands, right?

  Recruit manpower and outsource dispatch.

  Animation production is not a "heroic" industry, and it is definitely not as good as "teamwork" alone. In this regard, the company must be hopeless.

  Gu Miao didn't think that if she went to the boss with the proposal of "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf", he would support her.

  There are two main reasons.

  First, Gu Miao offended the real power figures in the company, that is, the director of "Haiwa" and its production team, so the boss would speak up for anyone without even thinking about it.

  Second, the company has no money.

  The failure of the "Haiwa" project has drained the company's available cash flow. The reason why it has not closed down is nothing more than another wave of blood transfusion by the boss.

  Then here comes the problem!

  Without the support of the company, what would Gu Miao use to make "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf"?

   Foreign aid!

  As a veteran in the film and television industry, Gu Miao quickly thought of a solution to the problem, which was to introduce other investors.

  Classic "platter items".

  Whether it is the film and television industry or the animation industry, it is very common to introduce third-party investment.

   Doing this is not only to share production costs and reduce financial pressure, but also to better control risks. It is good to eat alone, but once the project fails, no one will jump off the building with you.

   As for who to invest in?

   Gu Miao has already had preliminary considerations on this issue. If there is no accident, he will visit several toy factories in Jiangchuan Industrial Zone with a planning book.

  The TV station will also ask.

  They are the most suitable investors for the "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf" project. Toy factories can quickly open up derivative sales channels, and TV stations can provide scheduling and review convenience.

  If they can get their investment or sponsorship, "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf" can be said to be half successful.

certainly…

   Before introducing investment in toy factories and TV stations, Gu Miao had to consider a crucial issue.

profit distribution!

   It is also commonly known as "dividing the cake"!

   If the interests of all parties are not balanced, it is fine if the animation is not popular after it is broadcast. Once it becomes popular, it will be endless quarrels and "lawsuit battles".

   Moreover, there are companies too!

  As a well-informed old driver, Gu Miao has been in the film and television industry for so many years. What kind of ugliness in human nature has he never seen?

  He believes that Pleasant Goat will be on fire.

  I also believe that after the birth of this work, his company will have the idea of ​​"picking peaches". When the time comes, his fate will definitely not be much better.

  He didn't want to be the second moose.

  In order to prevent the company from crossing the river and tearing down the bridge, and to prevent a moose-like tragedy from happening to her, Gu Miao needs to make plans in advance so that she will not be powerless to resist when she turns her face.

  (end of this chapter)