The Best Director

New York, White Plains — Blue Sky Studios is located in this small city to the northeast of Manhattan. As usual, animators are working at their computers, occasionally talking and laughing with each other. They are currently working on an advertising animation project. Despite the fact that this advertisement is only about 3 minutes long, they have already been busy with it for several weeks.

The production of animation is extremely hard and tedious. It could even be said to be dull; each animator generally can complete only 4 to 5 seconds of animation per week. Before that, the modelers have to build models, and afterward, there’s rendering, special effects, and so on. All these tasks are consuming the creators’ patience, and if there’s no good way to adjust, it will not only affect efficiency but could also lead to extreme frustration.

Therefore, like Pixar Animation Studios, Blue Sky’s headquarters is equipped with facilities such as video game rooms and fitness centers to help employees relax their minds.

“Hey, is there any result?” Phil, who had just worked up a sweat in the gym, returned to his desk and asked his colleague, Austin. Austin shrugged his shoulders and kept his eyes fixed on the computer screen. Phil muttered, “I really don’t want to do this damn advertisement anymore, I want to make movies.” But talk is cheap, and he still sat down to continue with his task of completing his weekly quota of 5 seconds of animation.

The results Phil referred to were naturally concerning the acquisition of Blue Sky Studios, an issue that had been ongoing for quite a while. In the last two weeks, the frequent visitors to the meeting room were the acquisition team from Fire Flame Movies and their boss, the extraordinary Wang Yang; before that, it was the Fox Company. Actually, everyone was already used to it. As employees, their biggest wish now was for the dust to settle quickly, the company to avoid layoffs, and then to start movie production.

At the round table in the meeting room, the negotiation teams from Blue Sky and Fire Flame took their seats on either side. For Blue Sky, present were the founder and CEO Chris Wedge, this 42-year-old Caucasian man who had gone from programming animations at Disney to founding Blue Sky, which was the company’s technological core and soul, along with CTO Mike Arlinghaus, Animation Director Carlos Saldanha, tech elite Carl Ludwig, Tom Bisoglio, and other partners.

On Fire Flame’s side were Mark Strong, lawyers, evaluators, and others, as well as Wang Yang, wearing a gray trench coat.

After two weeks and several revisions of the acquisition proposal, the negotiations had reached the decision-making stage. By now, Carl Ludwig and others were basically in agreement, but Chris Wedge, Mike Arlinghaus, Carlos Saldanha, still had reservations, especially Chris Wedge.

“Chris, you really don’t have to worry so much,” Mark Strong spread his hands, then said confidently, “You know, our Fire Flame Movies is flourishing. The profits from ‘High School Musical’ are still increasing; and for ‘High School Musical 2,’ given the popularity of its predecessor and its budget, what do you think are the chances it will make a loss? And there’s ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’…” He glanced at Wang Yang, who smiled and said, “Oh, I think it won’t make a loss.”

Everyone in the meeting room chuckled. Mark Strong demonstrated his body language, “Moreover, the payment for the acquisition is lump sum. Once the money is wired into Blue Sky’s account, it won’t be transferred out—you are an independent subsidiary! What’s there to worry about?”

“Hmm…” Chris Wedge frowned slightly, several times he seemed ready to say “okay,” but then he swallowed his words. The acquisition price of 90 million was very high, and the fact that not a single original employee was being cut was satisfying. He wasn’t so much worried about Fire Flame Movies going under; it was the technology aspect where he preferred Fox, even though Fox’s offer was 65 million. He looked toward Mike Arlinghaus, who silently gave him a “go ahead” look.

“Everyone, I have decided to raise the acquisition price to 100 million,” Wang Yang said seriously, and for a moment, people like Chris Wedge on the other side were taken aback Mark Strong acted puzzled and looked at Wang Yang, who nodded affirmatively and reiterated, “100 million.” In fact, 100 million was his initial projected acquisition price, and by stating it at this moment, perhaps it would settle the matter. He smiled and said, “Chris, you have to believe in my sincerity. I like moths, as you can tell from the logo of Fire Flame Movies, so I really like ‘Bunny Bunny,’ especially the final shot, wow! Doesn’t our Fire Flame Movies’ opening animation have a very similar shot? Mark, did we get Blue Sky to make that animation?”

Mark Slant shrugged and said, “No, just an obscure animation company in Los Angeles.” Wang Yang muttered softly, “Should’ve gone with Blue Sky from the start.”

Chris Wedge and the others all laughed. They all felt a vague excitement inside. Although there’s only a ten million US Dollar difference between one hundred million and ninety million, the psychological impact of the two amounts was completely different. They also fully sensed the sincerity from Flame Film; in acquisitions, a large part of sincerity is the price.

“I know that Blue Sky Studios needs technological advancements,” Wang Yang said earnestly, looking at Chris Wedge across from him. “Chris, of the 85 million in acquisition funds, 65 million will go towards producing ‘Ice Age’; 20 million will be invested in technology development, and you can freely perfect CGI-Studio, the Fairy System… do whatever you like.”

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CGI-Studio is Blue Sky Studios’ proprietary rendering system, like Pixar’s RenderMan, it’s one of the company’s most valuable assets. The Fairy System allows complex models to appear as though they’re images on a playing card integrating with multiple light sources, semi-transparent objects, and surrounding shadows. There’s also a hair generation system, water and wave generation systems, and more.

Wang Yang had come to understand all these technologies at Blue Sky Studios during the past two weeks. To produce an animated film, he realized, required a multitude of technologies. He might not have been knowledgeable about technical aspects, but he knew investing in technology development would ultimately benefit Blue Sky Studios and, therefore, himself. This is why he wouldn’t be stingy in this area; moreover, he didn’t want to keep the conversation dragging on. As long as Blue Sky made the films well and produced excellent animations, that was enough.

“I am absolutely in support of technological development. IT technology is changing every day. If you want to avoid being phased out, you must continue to progress,” Wang Yang said with a slight smile, seriously laying out his plans. “Additionally, if finances permit, I will continue to progressively inject capital into Blue Sky. I hope Blue Sky can develop in the area of movie special effects.”

Upon hearing his words, despite them only being a verbal promise, Chris Wedge and Mike Arlinghaus exchanged glances, both seeming eager to try. Through this fortnight’s interaction, they recognized that this 19-year-old was not some immature kid. He might be a joker, somewhat careless, but he was calm and mature when it came to serious matters, demonstrating wisdom beyond his years. This was a major reason why they had dismissed the concern that “Flame Film might collapse quickly.”

Continuing, Wang Yang said, “However, besides technology, I believe that the most crucial elements of a good animated film are ultimately the story and characters.” Seeing Mike Arlinghaus nod in agreement, Wang Yang continued, “Because it’s a movie, and what is most important in a movie? I think if the audience is moved to tears and laughter, emotionally guided by it, and if they ponder and experience something afterwards, then it’s a good film. Animated films are the same; the only differences are the methods and themes of expression. But if it’s to be vibrant, it must rely on story and characters. That is my understanding of animated films.”

Animation Director Carlos Saldanha clapped his hands and laughed, “Well said! That is exactly what I’ve always advocated.” Mike Arlinghaus also clapped, adding, “Technology is for better expressing the content of animation; and content is always the primary goal of an animated film.”

By saying this, they were essentially signaling their agreement to the acquisition. Suddenly, everyone in the meeting room silently looked at Chris Wedge. He owned more than 60% of the company’s shares, and as the creator and director of ‘Ice Age,’ the acquisition couldn’t proceed without his approval.

Chris Wedge looked at his partners, then at Wang Yang, took a deep breath, made up his mind, and nodded, “Yang, we agree!” Upon saying this, he felt a surge of excitement; it was finally settled, and he could now have a good night’s sleep.

Before he had finished speaking, the meeting room erupted into applause, and all faces were lit up with joy. Mark Slant, smiling, took off his black-framed glasses, rubbed his tired eyes, and followed this young boss through yet another acquisition—a massive one, worth a hundred million US Dollars!

“Chris, it’s a pleasure working with you!” Wang Yang felt equally excited. As soon as the contract was signed, he would own this excellent animation production company. In the future, it would produce one great animation after another, one interesting character after another. They would become children’s bedside toys, accompanying their growth. It’s really exciting! He stood up with a smile and stretched out his hand as he leaned forward, with a laugh, he said, “Fire and blue skies will make for a beautiful marriage.”

Everyone laughed heartily, and Chris Wedge also stood up, shaking hands with Wang Yang with a beaming smile on his face. He said, “Yang, I’m really looking forward to this marriage.”

With the initial agreement reached, the details of the contract still needed to be drafted. As the group left the meeting room with laughter and entered the office outside, the atmosphere on their faces made the employees realize something, and they couldn’t help but start whispering excitedly. Chris Wedge clapped his hands together and shouted with a smile, “Guys, I’ve got something to announce!” Phil, Austin, and the other employees all stood up, and Chris Wedge turned to Wang Yang with a smile, saying, “Yes, as you have all guessed, we’ve agreed to the acquisition by Flame Films. But this is the start of something wonderful because we now have a hundred million to produce ‘Ice Age’!”

“Wow!” Phil shouted excitedly, saying, “Oh my God, really?! Can we start on the movie now?” His voice was drowned out by the applause and cheers. Nearly a hundred employees in the office were continuously cheering and clapping. They all knew that Flame Films had promised not to lay off any staff and that ‘Ice Age’ would take at least 2 years to make.

“Yes, we’re going to start on the movie right away!” Wang Yang shouted back with a laugh, barely hearing that voice as he looked at the boiling office. This scene reminded him of the scene a year ago when he acquired A-Pix, filled with the same excitement and joy.

The next day, Flame Films and Blue Sky Studios finalized the signing of the contract. Flame Films invested one hundred million US dollars, obtaining 85% of Blue Sky’s shares, Chris Wedge kept 10%, and the other partners held 5%. Following this, Flame Films announced the news to the outside world, and also announced that Blue Sky Studios would start producing the animation ‘Ice Age,’ which was expected to premiere in the summer of 2002.

The media and the industry were shocked. It was always Fox that was rumored to be acquiring Blue Sky. How did Flame Films suddenly succeed in the acquisition? Their astonishment was not just that, though. Everyone knew what kind of company Blue Sky Studios was. Despite winning the Oscar for Best Short Film this year, what of it? They’d been working on it for 8 years! And a short film is different from a feature film. A short film is less than 10 minutes, sometimes without dialogue; a feature film is 90 minutes, requiring good stories, good characters. Blue Sky Studios had zero experience with this; technically, it looked so crude, even making animal fur unrealistically, all smooth and shiny in one piece, and the eyes looked like clearly defined spheres, lacking animation and cuteness.

One thing to note is that ‘Ice Age’ is said to be an animal movie. Don’t animals from the ice age have fur? What about woolly mammoths?

Of course, if a big company, like Fox, or Warner Brothers had acquired Blue Sky for a hundred million, no one would be surprised. But now, it was Flame Films, established for less than a year, the marvelous Yang! Yes, that 19-year-old youngest billionaire, but his net worth doesn’t exceed two hundred million. ‘High School Musical 2’ cost thirty million to produce, ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ was announced at forty million, and it’s said there’s going to be a ‘Juno’ next year. Now, throwing out another hundred million… Has he gone mad?

The Wall Street Journal commented, “There’s no doubt that Blue Sky Studios and Chris Wedge have reason to be happy; they’ve received tremendous support. As for the actions of the marvelous Yang, I’ve thought about it a lot, and I can only say that this young man has astonishing boldness! Such aggressive investment, whether he’s making a desperate gamble or he’s really full of confidence, either way, he’s a crazy guy! He’s out there with bundles of cash, charging through the market, a true madman.”

Online, there were mixed reactions. Fans of Flame Films and Wang Yang were thrilled, as if they had won a great victory; but many others were continuously astounded, like the editor of Yahoo’s entertainment forum who commented, “Lately, the marvelous Yang is always in front of us, honestly, I’ve grown a bit tired of seeing him on the entertainment board, but today he’s even taken over the business section, intolerable! But his actions, we can’t help but be surprised and interested. I agree with The Wall Street Journal’s opinion, crazy.”

Regarding Flame Films’ “act of snatching love,” 20th Century Fox seemed quite nonchalant. Their spokesperson, James Finn, talking to the media, said, “It’s indeed a bit regrettable. We had high hopes for Blue Sky Studios, hoping to absorb its exceptional talent and technology. Now everything’s changed. But we already have an excellent animation department, and ‘Frozen Planet’ will hit the market next year…”

Chris Wedge, the founder of Blue Sky Studios, said in an interview with The New York Times, “We chose Flame Film because of its sincerity, sufficient funding, no layoffs, R&D technology, and even better terms. Can you ask for more? I disagree with the outside world’s assessment of Magic Yang. He’s a great young man. He hasn’t gone crazy, spending a hundred million dollars on a toy. He understands animation films, he understands the philosophy of Blue Sky Studios. I know his acquisition was well-considered, and so was my agreement. It will be the right decision.”

When Jessica and her lover, as well as their good friends, learned that Wang Yang “spent a hundred million US dollars on a toy”, they were all very surprised.

“Dude, you’re leaving me speechless… wow!” Joshua’s voice was full of excitement as he yelled, “A hundred million?! Oh my god, if that were in coins, could it cover the entire Hollywood Boulevard?” Wang Yang felt speechless and said, “Why would you think of that?” Joshua also found it a bit strange and laughed, “I don’t know, it just came to mind.”

Natalie Portman sent a text “Congratulations on your successful acquisition, and don’t forget about the storyboard for ’Juno.”‘ Seeing this message on his phone, Wang Yang could only shrug helplessly. It seemed that Natalie was somewhat displeased with his recent “crazy actions”.

“Can I do voice acting for ‘Ice Age’? Buddy, I’ve loved animation since I was a kid…” As soon as the call from Zachary connected, he babbled non-stop. When he took a breath, Wang Yang finally got the chance to say, “Zachary, I’ll recommend you to Chris Wedge when the time comes, but it’s not up to me.” The acquisition contract stipulated that Flame Film would not interfere with the production of ‘Ice Age’; Blue Sky Studios was granted the greatest degree of freedom.

Seeing Jessica’s name appear on the phone screen, Wang Yang walked to the balcony as he answered, “Hi! Jessica, did you hear?”

“Yang, is this the surprise you were talking about?” Jessica sounded incredibly incredulous. Leaning against the railing, gazing into the dark night sky, Wang Yang said warmly, “Yes, do you like it? Blue Sky Studios’ animations will accompany our child as she grows up, giving her a wonderful childhood.” Jessica sighed softly and said, “Yang, I…” She laughed and said, “I don’t know what to say, are you a good dad?”

“Yes!” Wang Yang also chuckled, then his brow furrowed as he asked, “Jessie, what’s wrong? Your voice sounds different, very nasally.” Jessica let out an ‘oh’ and explained, “I have a cold, just a slight one.” She said a bit embarrassedly, “Rachel caught it from me.” She joked, “We both have to act wearing masks, and the director said they’ll replace our faces using special effects in post-production.”

Although Wang Yang was a bit concerned, he was amused by her and laughed heartily, “That’s right, it’s the best way to deal with a runny nose.”