Huang Weijian's original motive.

Guangdong Original Power Culture Communication Co., Ltd. is a professional film and television production company integrating film and television production and animation creation. Composed of a group of young, high-quality and experienced creative and production elites. With the pioneering strength of creation, design, production and distribution, we are committed to developing and producing a new generation of original cartoons in China. Diversified business includes program distribution, advertising agency, puppet show production and patent authorization.

Since its establishment, the company has successfully produced and distributed the first set of hilarious and humorous cartoons "Baby Daughter, Good Mother" and the long educational cartoon "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Big Wolf", which have been hit hard by TV stations in various provinces and cities all over the country and won numerous awards, and even won the highest national cartoon award-the "first prize of excellent domestic cartoons" issued by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

With the support of a large number of outstanding works, Guangdong Original Power successfully launched the first original animated TV program in China-Anime Train, which included such animated works as Pleasant Goat and Big Big Big Wolf, Master of Song Dynasty, Seven Colors Wars, Cuju Little Hero (also known as Football Boys in Song Dynasty). More than 40 TV stations across the country broadcast the animation works of the company at the same time, which has far-reaching influence. Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Radio, Film and Television awarded the Force the title of "National Animation Industry Base".

Original power will always adhere to China's original spirit, and strive to create animation and film and television works with their own national cultural connotation, fresh humor and strong entertainment.

From 1926, China's first animated film "Make a scene" was born, and China Animation was 83 years old. In the 1960s and early 1980s, domestic cartoons once created brilliance, with such impressive cartoons as "Making a scene in Heaven" and "Wonders in the Sea" appearing. With the solid aesthetic foundation of the creators, hand-painted brushstrokes and the strong Chinese style contained in them, these cartoons were very popular at home and abroad, and even became a commanding height in the animation industry at that time. Osamu Tezuka, the director of Astro Boy, once said that it was the movie Princess Iron Fan that gave him the idea of engaging in animation creation.

However, in the middle and late 1980s, with the introduction of market economy, the gap of talents and the impact of Japanese and American animation, the animation industry in China gradually declined. When the Japanese government saw the huge market of animation industry in the early 20th century, it found that no one was available except a group of young people in their twenties and thirties who grew up under the influence of Japanese and American animation. Japanese animation seems to have lost its local pillar and originality.

Times have changed. In 2009, in China's New Year movie, someone finally jumped out of the long-term depressed animation in China. An animated film Pleasant Goat and Big Big Big Wolf, with an investment of only 6 million yuan, 19 days and a box office of 80 million yuan, became the biggest winner of the Lunar New Year file. This animated film, made entirely by China people, uses the simplest flash production technology, but it is such an animated film without any dazzling special effects that China animators see a glimmer of hope in confusion.

A good foundation ensures that one can succeed in everything he does.

Original Power Culture Communication Co., Ltd., located in Lu Heng Material Building, Beijiaochang, Guangzhou, has never left this building since its establishment in 2004. They have been dormant here for a long time before creating movie animation, waiting for the opportunity to come.

Across the street is the towering main building of Guangdong TV Station. Before making the movie version of Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, Yang, the propaganda manager of the original power, had to make several trips to the opposite TV station every day. In Yang's words, he said, "Be sure to ask them to show animation." In 2005, when the Force just started making Pleasant Goat, it invested more than 20 million yuan to produce 100 episode. Everyone is rightfully looking for a TV station to co-broadcast it. Who knows that the TV station didn't watch it? Tell them, "Free broadcast is fine. If you want money, go to other stations. It's the same everywhere anyway. There are more people who want to broadcast. " Yang said that for the first time, he found that it was not easy to make animation, and it was even more difficult to broadcast animation. Later, the company brought it for free for two years.

The survival dilemma mentioned by Yang is very common in the domestic animation industry. It is understood that the production cost of the original animation one-minute program is about 1 1,000 yuan, but when the one-minute program is broadcast on TV, the general price is 1-20 yuan. Big TV stations give 80 yuan, 1000 yuan per minute, and even some TV stations have to pay for broadcasting. Therefore, before the film was released, 60%-70% of the profits of the original power company came from its effective derivatives sales, otherwise it would be difficult to make a living. Yang told reporters helplessly, "In foreign countries, excellent cartoons can recover their costs in one year on TV, but it takes five or six years in China. Due to the monopoly of the TV industry in China, the purchase price of cartoons is not linked to ratings, and whoever broadcasts it is the same, so many companies mostly die because of financial problems. " .

Since 2005, the TV cartoon Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf has been broadcast on more than 50 TV stations all over the country. More than 500 episodes have been broadcast so far, and the ratings remain high. Although the economic benefits have not been optimistic, it has created influence and laid the foundation for the final film release.

In addition, integrated marketing is also the decisive factor of Pleasant Goat's success. In addition to Shanghai Wenguang Group and Guangdong Original Power, Beijing Youyou Media, the largest children's media operator in China, is the third largest producer of Pleasant Goat. Almost all children's animation channels in China, including CCTV Children's Channel, have been bought out by Youyou Media, making the preview advertisement of Pleasant Goat available on a large scale in the national children's animation channels. At the same time, the release of Pleasant Goat was handed over to three distribution companies in an unprecedented way. Shanghai Oriental Film Distribution Company is responsible for distribution in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, Guangdong Film Company is responsible for distribution in Pearl River Delta, and the rest is handed over to Poly Bona, the largest private film distribution company in China. The "competition" of the three distribution companies makes the box office in various regions compete to climb.

In the months after the film was broadcast, Yang experienced the most intense schedule in her life. The ups and downs of the movie box office are like the advance and retreat of the battlefield, and every step is a matter of life and death. Since its establishment five years ago, there has been no original motivation for profit, and all hopes are pinned on this film. Everyone is determined to win, and the company finally tasted the taste of making money for the first time.

China dilemma

Now the market is full of fake and shoddy Pleasant Goat derivatives. Yang personally took someone to Guangzhou children's products wholesale market to crack down on fakes, and called the Industrial and Commercial Bureau to check. After the inspectors came, they just asked the vendors to take the goods off the shelves and did not take other measures. When these people left, the vendors continued to put fake products on the shelves as if nothing had happened.

Nevertheless, in the first half of this year, the output value of all kinds of derivatives and books and audio-visual products of Pleasant Goat has exceeded 40 million, which has been an important source of funds for its survival.

With the gradual recognition of Pleasant Goat by the society, the former power company was invited by the government-led Guangzhou Animation Industrial Park last year and was given quite generous treatment, and the rent was nearly 20% lower than the original. For a developing company, using the advantages of industrial clusters has always been the development idea of the original power company. However, Yang Xueping and company executives found that this industrial park is a simple industrial park besides the brand that can be linked to the animation industry, and the pavement design between Datong looks more like a market. In the end, everyone chose to stay alone.

This film version has a great impact, and it is mainly aimed at minors, so we should consider the social impact. The creators of the Force have to make many compromises and concessions in the content of the story, and they have to be careful in the production process. But under such circumstances, I still encountered problems in shaping the role of "Slow Sheep".

According to Huang Weijian, the screenwriter and director, they wanted to highlight the characters' older age and slow movements, so they designed many embarrassing scenes of "Slow Sheep" because of their slow movements. However, when it was submitted for trial, it was suggested that "Slow Sheep" as the principal should be the epitome of educators. Let it make so many mistakes, it will make children misunderstand the teacher and ask for a change of role. However, Huang Weijian insists that animated characters should not be compared with real people. Huang Weijian said emotionally, "It is ok to delete this role, but you can't change it resolutely."

Later, under the persuasion of other staff, Huang Weijian finally agreed to reduce some unnecessary plots, which allowed the image of "Slow Sheep" to survive. Interestingly, after the film was broadcast, "Slow Sheep" was very popular with children, although it was a small role.

In China, the cultivation of animation talents has always been a controversial topic. Interestingly, young animators with original motivation are mostly "idle" students at school.

The 27-year-old Xiao Li has worked in the Force for four years, and the image of "Tetranychus" in the film comes from him. In high school, Xiao Li lost interest in boring book knowledge and immersed himself in his comic book world every day. The teacher was very worried about it and reported it to his parents. From then on, his family talked to him every day and asked him not to delay his studies because of a temporary interest. His family hid all his comics and comic books before the college entrance examination. But Xiao Li couldn't put down his favorite animation, so he secretly drew in the book when the teacher was not paying attention in class. "At that time, I often secretly drew pictures on the edge of every page of the book in class, and then turned them in my hand, feeling that I was moving." Once, Xiao Li's book was checked by the teacher and found all kinds of strange images painted on it. In a rage, he tore up the whole book and told him that a student like him could only do such childish things and would never achieve anything in his life.

When making Four-Eye Fungi, Xiao Li remembered the eyes worn by the teacher, so he had a brainwave and created such an image. "In fact, I didn't mean to denigrate others. I just want those who are biased against animation to understand that animation is to look at the world in a more relaxed way, and everyone will need animation sometimes. " Xiao Li told reporters, "Many people may think Pleasant Goat is naive, but this is just a psychological difference. Animation is relaxing, not educating and inspiring you. I think that if children can forget that they didn't do painful homework today, it will be successful. "

Story, story, or story?

A house without any decoration, some broken tables, some laptops and some ashtrays. When the reporter first met the screenwriter Huang Weijian, he was holding a cigarette in one hand and having a heated discussion with several colleagues around him. Huang Weijian used to be the screenwriter of TV series "Family with Children" and "Twenty-four Flavors of Joy", and in 2005, she gained the original motivation under the introduction of friends. Huang Weijian said that he liked watching cartoons since he was a child, and he dreamed of making his own cartoons one day. But when he graduated from college, because animation was not popular in China, he was persuaded by his family to become a TV screenwriter. In 2005, Lu Yongqiang, the founder of the company, asked him to make cartoons, and he agreed without thinking. At that time, his family and many friends were very opposed to his doing so. "They told me that writing TV plays has a future. Writing animation is just for children, naive and has no future. " However, for Huang Weijian, animation far from the adult world is full of infinite imagination and challenges. He is more willing to become a child and start dreaming aimlessly again. Other screenwriters in the company also started writing TV plays together at that time. At present, the company has 15 full-time screenwriters, which may be the first animation company in China to hire full-time screenwriters. Every week, screenwriters get together to discuss the creation of the script with the person in charge of the company. Lu Yongqiang, the general manager who was born as a screenwriter, also attaches great importance to the role of scripts when making animations, giving creators the greatest creative space. As for the motivation of the original work, from the screenwriter, the American editor to the animator, we should understand the creative thinking of the whole script and truly understand the story, and everyone can make comments on the script at any time. At the same time, the company gives the creative staff a lot of freedom, and they don't have to sit in the class, never interfere with the work process, but only contribute regularly.

After starting to make animation, Huang Weijian became the "king of children". One of his most important tasks every day is to communicate with children. Huang Weijian said that chatting with his nephew in primary school was his happiest thing. When his nephew watches his animation on TV, he will carefully observe the reaction of the small audience. The results are often unexpected. Some places that he and the creator thought were fun didn't respond to the child, but other fragments captured the child's heart. "Animation is boring most of the time, so it must come from your real interest. More importantly, you should keep a childlike innocence and curiosity, close the distance between yourself and your children, and make unremitting efforts and diligence. " Huang Weijian said.

In the process of making Pleasant Goat, the prime mover also went to local kindergartens and primary schools in Guangzhou many times to interact with the children there, because they knew in their hearts that only the response from the real audience was the most authentic and reliable. Pleasant Goat was originally an animated film aimed at young children, but it unexpectedly gained a large number of urban white-collar workers. These "adults" often leave messages on Pleasant Goat's websites and forums to express their impressions and inner feelings. Creators will review and reply to these posts regularly. Only by fully communicating with the audience can animation be close to the lives of ordinary people. Compared with the previous China animation, Pleasant Goat's biggest breakthrough may be that it did not impose any educational significance on the content, resolutely tore off the face of serious preaching, and created with the mentality of entertaining itself.

There is no complete industrial model to follow, the state is not effective in protecting intellectual property rights, the government's support policies are much cry and little rain, the restrictions on creative content and the prejudice of the whole society against animation. These Chinese dilemmas have been discussed countless times, like a fierce wolf, surrounded by small-scale animation companies that lack funds. The prime mover is also one of the docile sheep, and has been accumulating strength and waiting for the moment of breakthrough. Pleasant Goat's success may only be regarded as a turning point. From their conversation, we can feel that they are not too excited about this success, because they are very clear that there is still a long way to go.

It took Disney 32 years to establish its first theme park in Los Angeles, California, and its original dream was to build its own theme park like Disney within 10 years. Any great enterprise needs to stand the test of time and absorb the nutrients that this era can provide as much as possible. During the interview, we saw a jubilant puppet troupe rehearsing in another room, which was the first performance form in China. It is said that their performances are very popular and will tour more cities.

On August 20th, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television issued the Notice of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television on Announcing the Evaluation Results of Domestic Original TV Cartoons and Support Projects for Domestic Animators in 2008 to the Radio, Film and Television Bureaus of all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, the Radio and Television Bureau of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the General Political, Cultural and Art Bureau of the People's Liberation Army, CCTV, China Education Television and relevant units of Zhongzhi. In order to thoroughly implement the Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Further Strengthening and Improving the Ideological and Moral Construction of Minors and the Opinions of the State Council on Promoting the Development of China's Animation Industry, and encourage and support the creation, production and broadcasting of domestic children's radio and television works and domestic animation original works, with the strong support of the Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has set up a project to support domestic original TV cartoons and domestic animation creative talents. After the preliminary examination by the provincial administrative department of radio, film and television, the final examination by the project evaluation committee of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, and the publicity on the government website of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, it was finally determined that there were 20 awards for three types of support projects in 2008, with a reward fund of 8.9 million yuan.

Review Results of Domestic Original TV Cartoons and Domestic Animation Creative Talents Support Project in 2008

First, domestic TV animation series (long) support projects

First prize: 6.5438+0.8 million yuan.

Adventures of Little Carp (CCTV Animation Co., Ltd.)

Second prize: 6,543,800 yuan.

Fuwa's Olympic Roaming (Beijing TV Station)

Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf (Guangdong Original Power Cultural Communication Co., Ltd.)

Third prize: 600,000 yuan.

Eye of the sky (Zhejiang Zhongnan Group Cartoon Movie and Television Co., Ltd.)

Pigs falling from the sky (Jiangtong Animation Co., Ltd.)

Second, the domestic TV animated series (medium-length) support projects

First prize: 6,543,800 yuan.