The Strongest Animator [Rebirth]

Ji Xinrong stared absently at the big black screen in front of him.

As Blue Star's well-known animation film director, Ji Xinrong is also one of the judges for Eleanor's animation awards this time, sitting beside him at the moment is also a well-known figure in the Blue Star animation industry——

Tan Qingyi, professor of Animation Department of Huaijiang University of Fine Arts, judge of Fantastic International Film Festival.

Xia Yongyuan, vice chairman of the Blue Star Artists Association, one of the organizers of the Media Art Festival of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and the three-time winner of the Eleanor Best Animated Feature Film Award.

Zhang Ru, double Ph.D. degree in Director Department and Literature Department of Xingning Film Academy, honorary member of the [-]th Blue Star Art Circle Federation...

In the eyes of laymen, these animation producers seem to have little reputation, and they seldom show their faces in newspapers and magazines. For those who work in the animation industry, these names are well-known. As for the producer, some of the judges at this moment are real old artists.

Ji Xinrong himself is not bad, his animated film has also won the Eleanor Award for Best Animated Feature Film, otherwise he would not be qualified to sit here as a judge, but obviously, no matter how high the box office of his film is, and how good the word of mouth is. Well, there is no comparison with these real artists in front of you.

"In the past few years, there have been so many old faces. I don't know if there will be some unexpected surprises this year." Tan Qingyi laughed.

Xia Yongyuan shook his head: "It's difficult, don't look at the country's strong support for animation this year, the support funds have been sent out, but you don't want to see what the animations on TV are now?"

Most of the people who can sit here are his old acquaintances. Xia Yongyuan has no scruples when chatting now. He sighed: "Commercial animation is getting better and better, but art animation will be more and more difficult in the future. It's getting more and more difficult, this year is just the beginning, and there will only be more capital in the future to make money. Not to mention new faces, the older generation can resist the temptation, and it's good if they don't switch to commercial animation."

When it came to this topic, everyone was a little bit embarrassed for a while.

"Let's not talk about this, the selection time is coming soon, how is this year's works, and if there are any new faces, you will know." Zhang Ru changed the topic and said: "There are not only 20 animated short films sent for selection this year. Is it? Let's finish the review early and make a list of nominations, and there will be animated feature films to be reviewed tomorrow."

As soon as he finished speaking, the big screen opposite happened to light up with a "swish", reflecting a small new world in the dark theater.

The overall duration of these animated short films is actually only 4-10 minutes. Occasionally, when they come across something meaningful, they will deliberately rewind and replay it. From time to time, the judges will discuss a few words in a low voice. Looking at the next one, on average, each short film takes no more than half an hour.

"From the beginning, I knew it was the style of that old guy Lin Hongxin." Tan Qingyi shook her head in her heart: "The art design is still so amazing, it's a pity..."

Xia Yongyuan: "The narrative is still too empty."

It might not be a problem to get nominated, but to win an award... Zhang Ru thought with some regret, I am afraid that his old friend will return disappointed again.

"Let's see the next one."

One, two, three...

As the time gradually approached noon, the efficiency of the judges' viewing gradually accelerated.

"This short film should be Si Hongyi's, right? This little guy, really..." Xia Yongyuan was very helpless: "He learned well from that old guy Lin Hongxin, and his artistic aesthetics are getting higher and higher. I have also learned a lot, and Lao Lin is really harmful."

Xia Yongyuan felt very sorry.

As a leader in the Blue Star animation industry, he is getting older now, and his biggest hobby on weekdays, apart from doing research in new directions, is to pay attention to the growth of Blue Star's newcomer animation director. This Si Hongyi was originally his favorite. One, but now it seems that this young man still has something to learn.

Zhang Ru nodded, feeling extremely helpless.

"It's almost twelve o'clock, shall we go eat after watching another movie?" Tan Qingyi suggested.There are still 10 minutes before twelve o'clock, which is more than enough time for them to watch a short animated film.

"Okay, then watch another one, and we will continue with the rest in the afternoon."

Everyone nodded their heads,

The big screen was turned on again, and with the emergence of unfamiliar scenes in the screen, a string of low-pitched music rang in everyone's ears. Ji Xinrong, who was sitting in the crowd, still kept watching the big screen, with eyes in his eyes. But it showed an extremely complicated expression.

Title: The Gift of the Magi

Original: O. Henry

Director: Shepherd Star

It's hard to tell what kind of animation it is from the title, and the director's name is also quite unfamiliar. It should be a new director.Tan Qingyi thought quietly.

Like Xia Yongyuan, Tan Qingyi is also very concerned about the growth of new directors, and because of this, looking at the strange name on the screen, she felt a little doubt in her heart, but also a glimmer of hope.

For new directors, being able to send animated short films to participate in the competition itself means a kind of recognition, but in most cases, newcomers are always newcomers, and there may be bright spots, but compared to those old fritters that have been immersed for many years , In all aspects, it is still inferior.

Tan Qingyi didn't expect the current animation short film to be a good one - she just wanted to know if this short film could make her eyes shine, even if there was only the slightest surprise, it was still a surprise.

Narrow streets, small storefronts, and women who should also belong here, with clean but outdated clothes.All the plot has not yet officially started, but the director gave a close-up of the woman's long hair at this time.

This is an extremely beautiful long hair, even if it is tied up with a dark brown hair tie at the moment, it will not damage its beauty.

It seems that the next plot of the story should be related to this beautiful long hair?

Such thoughts flashed through her mind, and Tan Qingyi's eyes were fixed on the big screen without blinking.

The woman on the screen is gesticulating with the boss behind the counter. Her expression is sometimes tough and sometimes softened. It was not until the man who looked like the store manager shook her head helplessly that she showed a hint of joy on her face. He took out a handful of change, carefully counted it back and forth twice, and then handed it over.

Ok?

Tan Qingyi sat up straight all of a sudden.

It can be seen from the environment of the characters on the screen that the background of the story should take place in a relatively barren town. The characters in the animation seem to be bargaining for the price of vegetables.

This is no surprise.

To Tan Qingyi's surprise, the animation director narrated the whole plot extremely smoothly through the woman's demeanor and movements when she bargained, as well as the boss's helpless and slightly annoyed expression—and this animation has no dubbing.

Every year for the Eleanor Awards nominations, the animated short films that can be sent to them are partly dubbed awkwardly, and some have no voice, but that is also because these animated short films are full of metaphors everywhere. It's not important, but the short animated film in front of me seems to be telling a short story. Under such circumstances, the audience can instantly understand what he wants to narrate through the screen...

"That's right," Zhang Ru rarely praised: "The switching of the storyboards is very smooth, and the performance is also very exciting. This somewhat complicated plot is described clearly without a single word. This newcomer director is not bad."

Xia Yongyuan didn't speak.

The animation in front of me has just started, so far, this animation is indeed considered to be above the standard, but it will be known only after watching it.

The animation on the big screen continues.

Woman walks out of the grocery store.

The scene jumps to an even smaller apartment, where the woman puts bits and pieces of copper plates on the scratched wooden table and counts them back and forth three times.

She looked at the pitiful few copper coins on the table, with deep shame and pain in her eyes, as if she had confirmed something from the count just now, and now she was no longer as strong and nonchalant as she was outside, when she When she threw herself on the dilapidated couch and began to cry, Tan Qingyi couldn't help but tugged in her heart.

It was a very plain plot, but it was precisely this plainness that made everyone's eyes light up.

"It's very real," Xia Yongyuan finally said, his eyes still fixed on the big screen in front of him: "The details, the details of the animation are so real, it's like..."

"It's as if the person who made this animation has personally experienced it." Zhang Ru took over the words.

Several people exchanged a few words briefly, and then immediately continued to look down, obviously not wanting to waste any time.

The duration of 4 minutes is destined to not consume too much time. As the animation plot progresses step by step, the whole picture of the whole story is also presented to everyone in a timely manner——

In order to prepare a rare and expensive Christmas present for her husband, a woman sells her long hair, which is more beautiful than jewels.

She happily went through the shops and selected a white gold bracelet for her husband that matched his gold watch.

Finally, as the young woman with short curly hair sat at the battered wooden table, the returning husband looked at him with an extremely odd expression on his face.

"The turning point is coming." Tan Qingyi whispered.

"The gift in the title should refer to the platinum watch chain, right?" Zhang Ru said, "It's time to reveal the deep meaning."

Xia Yongyuan stared at the screen tightly without speaking.

Soon, the animation revealed the reason why the husband looked weird—the young husband handed a paper package to his wife, and the woman deftly uncovered the rope. Glittering on.

Xia Yongyuan's heart moved slightly, and a certain guess emerged in his heart.

Sure enough, when the wife joyfully took out her Christmas gift and took out the beautiful platinum watch chain, wanting to see how the watch chain would look on the gold watch, the young man fell down on the couch with his hands under his head, Slightly smiled.

The screen immediately flashed back to a few hours ago——

In the gray picture with the color of memory, the wife sold her long hair in exchange for a delicate platinum watch chain, and ran home happily.At the same time, the young man gently rubbed the gold watch in his pocket, handed it to the pawnshop calmly and calmly, and then bought the complete and beautiful set of hair combs when he passed by the Broadway window.

After a brief memory, the picture became clear again.

A young woman in an apron stood in the kitchen, frying steak that was rarely served as dinner on weekdays. Outside the window, in the backyard with extremely low visibility, a gray-white cat flicked its tail and jumped off the fence of the same color.

"The Gift of the Magi" is over, but everyone present has not been able to recover for a long time.

To put it bluntly, a few of them are experts in art animation. You can judge the quality of a short animation with just a few glances. However, the animation in front of you seems to be like its own plot at first glance. The same is plain and ordinary, but Xia Yongyuan and the others can see the special features of this animated short film at a glance.

- It's too real.

At their level, it is actually very difficult to be moved by any animation, because they themselves are experts in animation, whether it is storyboarding or narrative structure, they are very familiar with the rhythm and structure of the animation. The foreshadowing is well known, so how can you be moved by the emotion created like that?

However, "The Gift of the Magi" is different.

The animation is so realistically portrayed.

It is this plain and real atmosphere and details that make them subconsciously feel worried and bitter about the life of the hero and heroine in the film——

The most touching thing in the world is the most helpless and powerless reality that can pierce your heart with a feather arrow when people are caught off guard.

Reality is what really touches people's hearts the most.

"I love the animation script, the twist at the end is very interesting," said one of them.

"The film and television style is also quite good. It should be hard work. The overall performance is also very brilliant. It's hard to believe that it is the work of a new director."

A few sporadic people exchanged opinions, and then they were surprised to find that the big bosses in the same industry did not say a word. Xia Yongyuan stared at the big black screen for a while, then suddenly pressed the control button in his hand, and the animation immediately Rewind to the beginning of the story.

A new director's work, but how many bosses can't help but watch it a second time?

Several people were astonished, before they could figure out why, Xia Yongyuan over there read it for the second time, lowered his head in thought, and Tan Qingyi started again.

The third time, the fourth time, the fifth time...

After watching the short animation five times, finally no one tried to go back and watch it again.The rest of the people looked at the big screen that had returned to darkness in surprise, and then at the big brothers who were silent.

You know, even Lin Hongxin's animation short film just now, these highly respected judges only watched it twice, but the animation work in front of me has been played on a loop for a full five times!

Looking at the time again, it was already ten past twelve, but the few people who suggested eating after watching just now remained motionless, as if they were still remembering the plot in the animation.

Zhang Ru closed his eyes, then opened them slowly: "Very powerful."

"If it weren't for the fact that this scene is indeed an animation, I would almost suspect that these two protagonists are performed by the actor and actress," Tan Qingyi said: "The architecture, costumes, movements, demeanor, and the performance of the characters are too exciting. Director, I'm afraid I can't do it."

Xia Yongyuan's evaluation is short and powerful: "The animation script is very good, and the director's level is also fully worthy of it."

"This performance is really amazing." Zhang Ru said with a wry smile: "To be honest, if I didn't know this director at all, I would have wondered if he had observed my life. There are a lot of micro-expressions and The movements and the psychology shown are exactly the same as before."

Because I understand, I am worried.

"It's impossible for such a director with such a level to not be famous at all?" Tan Qingyi asked, "Have you heard of Mu Su Xing?"

After a brief silence, someone finally said, "I know this person."

When Ji Xinrong saw the dozens of gazes cast on him in an instant, his heart suddenly became more complicated.

As a judge, he understood their feelings at the moment—after all, as the person who finished watching "The Gift of the Magi" very early, Ji Xinrong privately watched this animated short film no less than a hundred times. The more frightened I became.

To be honest, what happened between him and Mu Suxing at Xingning University of the Arts before was really a festival, especially in "The Little Prince", it was a joke. Ji Xinrong was very embarrassed, and Mu Suxing Naturally, it can't be said that he has a good impression. Even because the other party has lost his mind and switched to commercial animation, Ji Xinrong actually has a bit of hatred in his heart.

He still doesn't have a good impression of Shepherd Star, but the principle of being an animation producer prevents him from speaking hypocritical words.

Good is good, bad is bad.He will not criticize "The Little Prince" maliciously because the director of "The Little Prince" is a shepherd star. shoe.

"He is a fresh graduate of Xingning University of the Arts. He is 22 years old this year. The "Little Prince" was his work. In addition, he also opened an animation company by himself and directed two popular commercial animations. Qi's Gift" is his graduation project." Ji Xinrong said, and found himself unexpectedly calm.

"22 years old?" Xia Yongyuan glanced at him in surprise: "Are you sure?"

Tan Qingyi was also a little surprised: "How can a 22-year-old young man who has never experienced hardships and goes smoothly can produce such a real work as "The Gift of the Magi"? Are you kidding me?"

Or, the real director of this animation is actually someone else?

Thinking of this, Tan Qingyi's beautiful eyebrows immediately frowned.

"I know why he made a work like "The Gift of the Magi," Zhang Ru, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said, "No wonder I always feel that the scenes and buildings of this animation are familiar. This director should be I went to Zijing Town to observe it on the spot."

"Bauhinia Town?"

"A remote mountain town," Zhang Ru explained briefly: "I have a friend, and the shooting location of the new movie happens to be Zijing Town. The male protagonist, unfortunately, the other party is an animation director, and he also came to Bauhinia Town to collect materials. I didn't think much about it before, but now it seems that it should be the animation director."

Xia Yongyuan suddenly became interested: "You mean, in order to make this animation well, he specially went to a small town in the mountains to collect materials and observed it in depth?"

"It should be like this," Zhang Ru nodded, and added: "According to my friend's report, this animation director should have worked hard in this area, so the details of this animation are handled so touchingly."

As soon as he finished speaking, several people looked at each other with obvious joy in their eyes.

At their present stage, what kind of honor, money and these things are no longer what they are looking for. The blue star animation industry as a whole is so sluggish and low. They have been looking forward to a few talented and motivated people. New director, can you be unhappy to see someone who is both talented and down-to-earth all of a sudden?

As for the other party who has done commercial animation?

Since this rookie director is willing to travel thousands of miles to a backward rural town to observe and collect materials for his graduation project, he is obviously serious about animation and can calm down. Does commercial animation have a great influence?

The doubts in his heart were resolved, Xia Yongyuan also felt relieved, he said with a smile: "It seems that this time we are auspicious words from Sister Cheng Tan, and we have found a treasure."

-

"It should be clear, right?" Zhou Yurui couldn't help urging.

As the animation producer of "Flying Birds", Zhou Yurui never thought of using this method to hype things up. It was also the marketing team's idea that things would develop to this point. Just being stepped on the head by another person.

It's obviously his work, why should it be put on another director's head?

Didn't he say that a commercial animation director knows what art is?What is Art Animation?

Seeing more and more people praising the Shepherd Star in different ways, while still blowing "Birds", saying that the feeling is still a bit worse than "The Little Prince", Zhou Yurui, who has always been proud and arrogant, was almost not caught. I was so angry that I was half dead!

Fortunately, this time, the marketing company finally gave him a satisfactory answer: "Okay, you can go to Weibo to clarify."

Finally waited until this moment.

Zhou Yurui immediately posted on Weibo. If he clarified, someone from the team would write it for him in advance. When it was time to post it, he remembered the unhappiness just now, and changed his mind temporarily, and sent the manuscript to him for public relations. He deleted it completely, and posted another Weibo instead.

Zhou Yurui V: Thank you very much for your love for "Asuka", but I am the producer of this animation. No one would want their work to be assigned to someone else's name. I hope everyone will stop using "Asuka" Bundled with other directors, thanks.

"I really like "Asuka", the picture is really great! Confess to the director!"

"I feel sorry for a wave of directors. The work I have worked so hard to be assigned to someone else's name, and it has been on the hot searches like this. It's miserable. It's really too miserable. No wonder some people have always said that "Asuka" is not as good as "" "The Little Prince", dare not be done by the same person at all."

"Eh? Didn't everyone say that "Asuka" was made of Xingxing's vest? What's going on here?"

"What else could be going on? Some people are exhausted. They can't do it themselves. They just need to take over other people's titles to have fun. I'm really convinced. Can't you just make his commercial animations? It's necessary to come out and jump around like this. Bully newcomers? Really drunk."

"To be honest, I think "Flying Bird" is much better than "The Little Prince". The former has something to say, while the latter is simply moaning without illness. The whole plot is inexplicable, and the picture is just good-looking. So high."

……

The trend of the entire Weibo has changed too fast. Seeing the sudden change in the style of comments, many fans of Shepherd Star are simply baffled. They don't think that "Flying Bird" is better than "The Little Prince", but that the picture of "Flying Bird" is really amazing , and the director is also a director I like, so I happily blew a rainbow fart.

Results now? ? ?

What the hell?

As soon as these words came out, not to mention the fans of Musu Star, even the black fans were angry——

Sweet Wine V: Black Shepherd Star is fine, after all, he is now more like a businessman focused on making money than a so-called animation producer.But to hack his work, sorry, no. Is "Bird" comparable to "The Little Prince", don't you have any idea?You also said that Mu Su Xing took your name. To be honest, I can’t stand it anymore as a black fan. I’m afraid this is not the worst time Mu Su Xing has been hacked, right?

The two sides made a lot of noise about this, but as one of the parties involved, Shepherd Xing seemed to know nothing about it, and didn't come out to comment on it at all.

Just when the sailors intentionally or unintentionally brought the topic to the direction of "Xing Musu is guilty of guilt, so he didn't say anything and didn't show up", a series of completely unexpected news suddenly exploded on the Internet——

Xingning News V: Congratulations to Mr. Musu Xing's work "The Gift of the Magi" for being nominated for this year's Eleanor Best Animated Short Film Award, congratulations! @ pastor star

Wait, didn't you say that Musu Xingjiang was exhausted?So what happened to the Best Animated Short Film award?

Knowledgeable fans began to get busy with popular science with fans who didn't understand. The Eleanor Award for Best Animated Short Film is such a prestigious award. Although the onlookers don't know much about it, the Eleanor Award is well-known in the film and television industry. It is still clear that since this animation director can get nominated, he is obviously not an incompetent person.

The rest of the people were dubious. When they doubted the accuracy of the news, the series of messages that followed made them completely shut up.

Tan Qingyi V: Young people are formidable. @ pastor star

Zhang Ru V: Someone asked me why I nominated a director in the field of commercial animation. I think this question itself is very strange. If a director can keep his heart and not be affected by the external environment, then he can make money through animation What does it matter?His talent is still there, he can still calm down and make animations that really touch people's hearts, and that's enough.What is frightening is that some people seem to be obsessed with art and animation, and claim to be an artist, but their hearts have already been devoured by the bugs of desire, and there is nothing left. This is the saddest thing.

Xia Yongyuan V: I like serious young people.