"Sold... 1 million units in three months?!" Angela asked belatedly, flipping through the incomprehensible reports in front of her, with a look of surprise on her face.
"Of course!" John Lasseter nodded, his chubby face made him look a little smiling, "I have to admit that Ed did a very good job, he bundled Warcraft and voodoo cards On sale, so everyone can fully enjoy this game for the first time! Of course, there is also a standalone version for those who have purchased a 3D accelerator card."
The girl opened her mouth and closed it again. If it weren't for the last sentence, she would have almost forgotten that discrete graphics cards are not yet popular. They are all IBM branded machines, so fortunately, I didn't say anything, but...
"Honestly, it's rare for a PC-only game to sell a million copies in three months, Chris this guy is amazing, and oh, of course, your script is pretty good," John continued, while Angela closed her open mouth again, because in her mind, the sales of 1 million sets in three months was a bit shabby, and that was "Warcraft"!
But since John said so, it would be better for her not to express her opinion. This is not something she is good at.
Speaking of being invited to attend the Pixar meeting today, it was a surprise. She has only sent a consultant to stay here for a long time. If there is any decision, just support Jobs, then there is obviously more important than the consultant can make a decision today. thing, then what would it be? And can you take this opportunity to come up with your own plan
There's little else to do during this time other than the occasional TV show, the "Friends" cameo won't air until June, the Chanel fragrance ad — Angela's first on TV — as well, the Oscars It has been almost two months since then, and the media public's attention to themselves has basically returned to the usual level, and a mere graphic jewelry advertisement will not set off too many waves.
In addition, learning can also be temporarily relaxed, so Angela took this opportunity to do a lot of things, such as going to the Philidel Children's Charity Hospital affiliated to Diana's foundation to see those sick children, and to promise herself The part of the income from investing in "Titanic" used for tax avoidance is all donated to the foundation!
I have to say that the wings of the butterfly continue to flap, because so far Diana and Dodi Fayed have not had an intersection, which makes Angela somewhat relieved, looking at the approaching time and praying secretly in her heart.
Apart from these things, for
The preparations for the second director’s film have also accelerated. Basically, the filming can be officially started after the summer vacation. Similarly, she also needs to put on the schedule for the other part of the plan. Apple has acquired Jobs’ NeXT and hired him. As a consultant, with Apple's stock price stabilizing and even slightly recovering, Jobs' return as CEO is destined, so if Angela wants to do something, it's best to ask him before he leaves Pixar, as long as he has him There is no problem with supporting so many. But, how can I convince him? And will your fears become reality? Is there a way to get the best of both worlds
At this time, the door to the conference room was opened, and Steve Jobs and Ed Cam walked in in turn.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Steve greeted with a smile, and the two sat down at the long table in turn.
"It doesn't matter, it didn't take long." Angela smiled and spread her hands, "Actually, it's pretty good for me to stay here alone, let John leave his directorial job to accompany me, if the next animation is postponed because of this. That would be bad."
Steve laughed: "It's okay, you can make him work overtime and pay more for overtime."
"Good idea, Steve, I'll leave it to you." Angela nodded sharply for a while, and the three people laughed again with a look of reassurance that you're doing things. After that, the girl asked again: "Okay, then can I know what's the reason for calling me, a person who has nothing to do, to come here today?"
"That's it." Steve handed the folder he brought to Angela, "We unanimously decided to ask Disney to revise the original contract, I think you should have the right to know and make suggestions on this matter. "
Angela immediately showed a clear expression. Pixar signed a contract with Disney to produce feature-length animations as early as 1991, which generally means that Disney invested 10 million US dollars to commission Pixar to produce three feature-length animations, and Disney owns the three animations. Copyright, and only 20% of the box office profits are distributed to Pixar! If Pixar overspends, it will be responsible for the rest, and Disney will have the final say on whether the animation is produced. That is, if the script fails to impress Disney, Disney will suspend the project indefinitely!
Before she became a director of Pixar, the girl knew a lot about this when she did the research, and she also knew that Toy Story almost died and that Michael Sner considered ending the contract - not surprising, think about it His attitude towards animation, thinking about "Mulan" - once the problem is that most of the 10 million funds have been invested and the script was written by Angela, then he gave up the idea.
It can be said that such a contract is really very harsh. Even if Pixar has achieved unprecedented success with "Toy Story", there is still no big improvement in income, but at least it has the capital to make a request to modify the contract.
"You know, I don't understand and don't like to read these." Angela shook her head and pushed the folder back, "Just tell me your plan directly, you know, I have always supported you. "
"I have to say, you're the cutest collaborator I've ever met." Steve shook his head and laughed.
"You mean that every CEO will like me, right?" The girl raised her hands with a smile, and the playful movement made the three men present lost their minds for a while, and finally Steve coughed dryly: " In fact, at noon on Tuesday this week, when I had lunch with Mike, I had a preliminary exchange of opinions with him. He proposed that the number of animations produced should be increased to 5, and the box office share could also be increased to 35%, but the others will not be considered. , On this point, his attitude is very tough! And our bottom line is that the box office share is increased to 30%, the animation copyright must belong to us, and the copyright of peripheral products can be waived when necessary!"
If the previous content is nothing, giving up the copyright of peripheral products makes the girl frown, how can this be thrown away? ! Although the overseas box office of "Titanic" reached 1.2 billion, the profit was not much, but Fox still made a lot of money! Why? Movie peripherals! Sometimes the movie earns far less than the peripherals, especially the animation peripherals! That's a big cake!
"Do you have to give up the movie peripherals?" the girl asked with a frown.
"It depends on the negotiation situation, and animation copyright needs to be given priority." Jobs knew what she was thinking, and he didn't want to hold the peripheral in his hands, but it was nothing compared to the lifeblood of Pixar.
Angela also knew this, and stopped entangled in this section. After thinking about it, she asked again: "Then can we get rid of Disney after the contract expires and do it alone?"
"That's fine, but it's definitely not the best way, trust me." Steve Booth shook his head.
The girl was a little disappointed, but didn't say anything more. She really didn't understand in this regard, but this seemed like a good opportunity. She had supported him unconditionally for so long, and it was time for him to support herself. Anyway, as long as there was a Benefit…
"Steve, have you considered..." Angela put her hands on the long table and said, mulling over her words, "Do you want to establish a film department belonging to Pixar? I'm talking about the live-action film department!"
This suggestion made the three men present froze for a moment.
"Live-action film department?" Jobs frowned and tapped his fingers on the long table, somewhat unable to guess her intentions.
"Yes, the live-action film department!" the girl repeated, looking at Steve with bright eyes, "We can start with low-budget movies, you and Ed's business operation plus my script, we can try it, I I think my data should be able to explain the problem, and the use of CG by Pixar itself is also an advantage. The appearance of "Titanic" clearly shows the position of CG technology in live-action movies in the future. You've done CG for this, haven't you?"
Angela finished speaking in one breath, and then silently looked at the three men, Steve and Ed were both lost in thought, while John flashed a look of displeasure. It's not surprising, Steve and Ed are both businessmen, as long as there is profit, they will consider the feasibility of things, but John joined Pixar because of his passion for computer-generated 3D animation, and he naturally has an instinct for live-action movies. conflict, but this is not what the girl is worried about.
"However, there is a question that makes me hesitant." Angela spoke again slowly, "We all know that live-action films and animated films are two different things, so I am very worried about the impact of the establishment of the live-action film department on the animation department. !"
Whether it was Steve, Ed, or John, they all looked at the girl in surprise, not knowing what she was trying to say.
"Why should I invest in Pixar? Against my father's objections? Because you started in the late '70s, and your persistence in failure after failure touched me! As I said in that Fortune" interview That way!
I love Pixar, and I love the spirit it conveys: tireless work, hands-on style, inspiration from both sides, and an unconventional personality! I love the environment - even though I don't work here, I love the corporate culture of being down-to-earth, and that's what keeps Pixar going! If the establishment of a film department destroys the atmosphere, then I would rather not! "
Angela looked at them sincerely, except for the first sentence, the other sentences came from the heart, Pixar is like a large amusement park, full of strange toys and strange employees, any ordinary animator can Come up with ideas for discussion, even the cafeteria has fun food.
It is this atmosphere that produces such touching classics as "Finding Nemo" and "Robot Wall-E". The girl once thought about whether to give them the script of "Shrek" or "Ice Age". to make it, but when she really understood the environment and atmosphere of Pixar, she immediately dismissed the idea. Pixar's animation has its own growth experience, and now it is slowly starting to shine. If you are not careful, it may make this beautiful The light has become distorted, so Angela's sentence "If the establishment of a film department destroys this atmosphere, then I would rather not" is definitely not just talk!
"Wow, that's what I heard..." John took off his glasses and shook his head. He smiled and looked at Angela, gesturing with both hands for a while but not knowing what to say.
"This is the best compliment." Ed helped him to say it, and he was also emotional.
"Actually, it's not impossible." Steve, who supported his face with one hand, said suddenly, it seemed that he planned to support Angela, and the other three suddenly looked at him.
"We only need to arrange the film department in another place, not with the animation department and the game department, and the staff turnover of the film department is relatively large, and it does not require many fixed employees, and it does not take much time to manage. Steve explained, then looked at John: "What do you think, John?"
"I'm fine!" John said, waving and laughing.
Angela breathed a sigh of relief, and was slightly excited for a while. It was great to have their support and solve that trouble, although Pixar was not the only option—she could sign up for a new film and television company, anyway, "Titanic" 》 earned her more than 100 million - but starting at 50 is better than starting from zero, if what Steve said is okay, then you are one step closer to your established goal! Thank goodness!
"Thank you very much," the girl smiled slightly. "If possible, I think we can start preparations as soon as possible. My script has been prepared for a long time."
"So soon?" Ed was a little surprised. Looking at Angela's smile without saying a word, he frowned again: "It looks like you did it on purpose? So... "
Speaking of which, he slapped his head soberly: "God, shouldn't you be talking about the script that was widely circulated in the hands of major film companies before?!"
"What script?" Steve asked now.
"A script that is very suitable for showing Pixar's technology!" Angela smiled and was about to enter an explanation, when the phone in her handbag suddenly rang, the girl had to smile apologetically, and then went to the corner to take it out to answer.
"Annie? It's me, what's the matter... Mom... something happened?!"
slap! The phone fell to the ground!