Less than an hour after the Eleanor Awards ceremony ended, all relevant media received a notice that Huaying Animation was holding a press conference.
As soon as the news was released, it caused a huge stir in the media.
Putting aside the question of whether there is a tradition of holding press conferences in the animation industry, it has been three years since the establishment of Huaying Animation, and even for its most acclaimed "Puella Magi Madoka Magica", it did not hold a press conference. What kind of animation could have caused the usually low-key Huaying to suddenly make such a fuss
"Will the Sherlock Holmes series be adapted into an animation? Or will the Sherlock Holmes series be made into an animated movie?" a reporter speculated.
"It's hard to say, it could be a brand new animation project. However, since Huaying Animation has made such a big splash, it shows how much importance it attaches to it. It looks like we don't have to worry about news during this period."
Not only the media that received the invitation, but also many netizens and fans, as well as Huaying's previous partners in various industries, also cast curious eyes. The last time Huaying Animation held an animation preview was "My Hero Academia". What did they want to announce at this separate press conference
As everyone waited curiously and expectantly, the day soon arrived.
Xingning City, Qinyue Grand Theater.
The organizers had not yet arrived, but the invited media had already filled the venue. Mu Suxing sat in the backstage and took a final look at the animation PV that was about to be played.
"You finished the animation PV in just one week. Are you really human?" Fang Lian couldn't help but complain.
It has to be said that until now, he still finds it difficult to adapt to Mu Xiuxing's speed that is far beyond that of ordinary people. When he thinks that Mu Xiuxing's ability to independently finish "The Gift of the Magi" in a very short period of time is fast enough, his friend's unexpected efficiency in animation production always refreshes his cognition.
Mu Xuxing covered half of his face with his hands, not wanting to answer this question.
… He couldn't tell the other party that the reason why his efficiency was so frighteningly high was purely because he had been very busy recently, and the things he drew from the system mall card pool were basically single-use efficiency potions, right
He doesn't want to be so unlucky, okay
Pretending not to hear Fang Lian's words, Mu Suxing naturally turned the topic back to the focus of the current work: "Okay, now that we are almost ready, let's get ready to go on stage."
Without wasting too much time on opening pleasantries or small talk, Mu Suxing walked from the backstage to the main stage. After briefly welcoming everyone present, he went straight to the point:
"I believe everyone should know the general purpose of Huaying's press conference, so without further ado, let's get straight to the point and take a look at the PV of the animation that Huaying is about to serialize."
As soon as he finished speaking, the lights in the theater went out, and the big screen in front of him suddenly started playing, accompanied by a series of brisk BGMs, and the animated images quickly entered the field of vision of everyone present.
The first thing to come out is naturally the information related to the work.
Shen Tongfang immediately saw the name of the animation that had been kept secret by Huaying throughout the table—
Cells at Work!
The name seems quite novel. At least in all the years he has been watching movies, no matter what form of entertainment it is, this is the first time he has seen something related to cells.
I just don't know the specific content of this animation.
As if understanding his confusion, the animated PV on the big screen also directly narrated the general plot of "Cells at Work!":
The camera starts with a human body perspective commonly seen in medicine, passes through a series of industrial buildings, and finally reaches the interior of an "industrial town". The picture flashes through the people working in different locations one by one, and finally stops above the entire town. The narration is interspersed in it, giving a simple explanation of this so-called "town".
"There are approximately 32.2 trillion cells in the human body, and they are working vigorously today!"
Shen Tongfang's eyes lit up!
This was the first time he watched the PV of an animation and he felt almost amazed.
There is no other reason, the setting of this animation is so interesting!
Over the years, animations have come and gone, and the themes are nothing more than the same few types. Although animations with old themes and good plots are equally interesting, they are still somewhat lacking for these demanding professional film critics.
But Cells at Work! is different.
First of all, the setting of this animation gives people a bright feeling - cells, which are something that everyone has. In other words, it is hard for the audience not to have a good impression of the main characters in the animation when they see it for the first time. Whether the audience likes an animation or not, whether they will continue to be attracted to it, depends largely on whether they will empathize with the protagonist.
Putting aside other things, as a viewer, it is almost instinctive for us to hope that the protagonists in the animation are doing well, right
Especially judging from the animation PV currently released, "Cells at Work!" is obviously telling the story of cells working hard and fighting a desperate battle with the virus for the "town", that is, the health of the owner of this body.
When you think about how the various cells in the animation work in an orderly and hard manner to ensure the health of their owners, it is easy for the audience to develop a liking for the characters in the animation.
At least Shen Tongfang now has a feeling that he can't control himself -
Oh my god, the white blood cell is so handsome. It turns out that he is the one who has been helping me resist foreign viruses all along! Oh, this macrophage girl is so pretty! The contrast is so cute! Wait, let go of that platelet! She is mine!
… No, it seems that we don’t need to rob this, right? Shen Tongfang thought belatedly. Isn’t it just a cell? Who doesn’t have a cell in their body
In less than two minutes, the PV of "Cells at Work!" was finished.
The content of the pv is relatively simple. After all, it is just a brief introduction to the background setting and the characters. However, even so, it is enough to amaze the animation media people present. Combining cells with animation is a novel and bold idea. Moreover, judging from the pv, this animation is obviously not just a wolf in sheep's clothing.
There was silence in the audience.
The notebooks that many people brought were still blank. During the PV playing, they were so focused that they didn't have time to watch it, let alone take notes. Now that the PV has ended, it is difficult for them to come back to their senses, let alone write reviews.
Taking in the reactions of the crowd, Mu Suxing smiled and began to introduce: "As you can see, Cells at Work! will be one of the next animation projects of Huaying. The animation is adapted from Akane Shimizu's manga of the same name, Cells at Work!, and tells a story that takes place inside the human body."
"In addition, in order to ensure the professionalism of the medical issues involved in the animation, "Cells at Work!" has specially hired Professor Li from Xingning Medical College. During the production of the animation, Professor Li will serve as a professional consultant to ensure the professionalism of "Cells at Work!" to avoid unnecessary misleading to the audience."
Shen Tongfang's heart moved slightly, and when he looked at Mu Suxing on the stage, his feelings became complicated.
Although Mu Xiuxing did not say it explicitly, the subject matter and the uniqueness of this animation are already there. Even a fool can see that "Cells at Work!" is by no means a simple commercial animation designed to please the audience. If I must say it, with the participation of authoritative medical figures from Xingning City, combined with the plot of the animation itself, this is a serious popular science animation!
But then again, can an ordinary science animation be as attractive as "Cells at Work!"
Just when everyone thought that the purpose of Huaying holding a press conference was to promote "Cells at Work!", the lights in the venue suddenly dimmed again.
Shen Tongfang subconsciously raised his head and looked at the big screen in front of him.
The first thing that sounded was a weeping and plaintive flute sound.
Along with the sound of the flute, the picture on the big screen changed instantly: the water of the river was rippling, the breeze was blowing gently, the bright moon was rising from behind the rolling mountains, and as the camera fell into the endless starry sky above, the people on the boat were drinking in the curling white mist, and suddenly they knocked on the side of the boat and sang slowly.
Wait, this picture...
Shen Tongfang stared at the big screen in front of him in doubt - unlike the previous "Cells at Work!", this animation was obviously an ink painting. The whole picture was full of the unique lightness and Zen of ink landscape painting, and every stroke seemed to be full of a certain romantic poetry.
poetry
As if realizing something, he exchanged glances with the reporter who came with him, and they both said in unison: "Red Cliff!"
That’s right, this seemingly plotless ink painting actually has the same plot as the “Red Cliff Fu” that everyone here is very familiar with and has memorized countless times in their early years!
What does this mean
"After much discussion, Huaying has decided to cooperate with Xingning Academy of Fine Arts and Xingning Art College to produce a series of art films based on famous historical works in the next three years. The forms of expression include but are not limited to ink painting, puppets, paper cutting, etc. In addition, we have also specially hired the famous Chinese painting master Mr. Zhang Hongyuan and the oil painting master Mr. Wu Chun..."
Shen Tongfang felt goosebumps all over his body.
The schools and names mentioned in Muxuxinghua are all well-known in the industry in Xingning City. Every one of them has a recognized master-level artistic attainment!
There is no doubt that this animation series is obviously pure art animation... No, with so many masters joining in, it is not an exaggeration to say that Huaying intends to create a work of art!
And this is exactly why Shen Tongfang was shocked.
Thanks to Huaying's leading role over the years, the environment for commercial animation has improved significantly, but artistic animation is still in a cold winter.
The reason is simple - if commercial animation at least has the hope of making money and making back the investment, then artistic animation relies purely on the producer's love for the work.
Not only that, the production cost of artistic animation is also frighteningly high. This high cost is different from commercial animation, which mostly spends money on special effects. The high cost of artistic animation is mainly due to the high scarcity and low efficiency of master producers.
This principle is actually very easy to understand. The top masters in the field of painting have been in short supply for many years. Naturally, these masters cannot draw original paintings at the same speed as commercial animations. This is obviously at the other extreme that is completely opposite to the assembly line commercial animations.
In other words, it is not profitable for Huaying to invest in making these animations!