My Animation Era

Drama must have a twist!

Animation without dramatic twists and straightforward plot will lose its appeal to the audience.

In the movie "Snake Comes Around"...

At first glance, the story of the grassland ecology being destroyed, and the sheep joining hands with the Big Big Wolf to subdue the violent weather, help make money and transform the dragon, and save the green grassland, sounds very ups and downs.

But there are really no "surprises."

Huang Kun thinks so. He feels that this story puts too much emphasis on the "funny" element and ignores the "touching" elements that should exist in the movie.

Where did this inspiration come from?

The answer is, Big Big Wolf!

As the richest man in Qingqing Prairie and one of the leading inventors in the grassland, at the beginning of the movie plot, Big Big Wolf can be described as the "winner in life".

But not after that.

Because he made the Weather Cube in an attempt to break into Yangcun, the Weather Cube got out of control, causing the grassland to fall into disaster. The Gray Wolf was collectively ostracized by the animals on the grassland.

His wife and son also left him.

In fact, Gu Miao didn't pay much attention to this plot. He just mentioned it in the script, and it quickly accelerated to the point where Big Big Wolf suddenly woke up and decided to join forces with Pleasant Goat to save the grassland.

"This cannot be omitted..."

After Huang Kun took over as the acting director of the production team, he quickly gave everyone instructions to focus on depicting the "lowest period of life" of Big Gray Wolf and to fully tell his mental journey.

"Big Big Wolf was very successful in the past. Not only did he become the richest man in the grassland, he also allowed his wife and children to live in the luxurious new Wolf Castle."

"But in a sense, he was also a failure during that period because he neglected his family..."

Huang Kun spoke eloquently in the conference room: "When he lost his aura as the richest man in the grassland, was driven out of the Wolf Castle by the angry animals, and was reduced to the point where he couldn't even eat, what do you think he would think about?"

"regret?"

"Maybe! But at this time, all he can think about is the egg fried rice that Red Wolf scrambled for him."

Huang Kun's meaning is very simple.

He wants to focus on portraying the trough period of Big Wolf, sending a wave of razor blades to everyone, and tricking the audience into tears.

"The movie duration..."

Someone frowned and said, "If it's shot like this, there will be nearly ten more minutes of Gray Wolf's scene. Then the entire movie will exceed 100 minutes?"

It turned out to be more than 90 minutes.

For an animated movie, this length is just right, neither too long nor too short.

If it is extended to more than 100 minutes, don't look at it just from two digits to three digits. The production cost will increase significantly, and it is not a good thing for an animated film to take such a long time.

The length of the movie is crucial.

Let’s not talk about live-action movies. After all, adults are watching them, so you don’t need to pay too much attention to this detail.

But animated movies are different.

Since the main audience of animated movies is teenagers and children, a very critical issue must be considered: the time that children can concentrate is limited!

That's right!

Children, especially boys, who are naturally lively and active, may be able to endure an entire movie, but their tolerance has limits.

90 minutes? OK!

It's only an hour and a half at most. If the plot is engaging, it will pass by before you know it.

Push it further, two hours?

Or even two and a half hours?

No matter how attractive the plot is, the children can't take their eyes off it. After sitting in the same seat for so long, they should have ants crawling on their butts.

Most don't last that long.

It is a consensus in the film industry that children have poor patience and cannot sit still. It’s not that your movie is bad and can’t attract them, it’s just that after they sit for a long time, it feels like there are ants crawling on their butts…

Say something secretly.

In fact, most adults also feel this way when watching those "stinky and long" movies.

no way!

I bought all the tickets. If I don’t watch it, I feel like I’ve lost 100 million yuan. If I continue watching, I feel uneasy. It’s like torturing myself.

Therefore.

The optimal viewing time for most commercial movies is actually around 80-90 minutes.

On the one hand, this length of time has advantages in "scheduling films"; on the other hand, it can also minimize the audience's distraction from watching the movie for too long.

"I see."

Huang Kun nodded and said: "As for the duration, I think if it is slightly longer than ten minutes, it should not have much impact."

"And at this point, I will communicate with Mr. Gu later, so you don't have to worry about this issue."

All right!

Huang Kun has taken the initiative to take full responsibility, what else can everyone say? Of course I did as he said.

The trough period of Big Big Wolf, right?

You are waiting!

Don't look at everyone laughing and joking all day long, only making funny animations. But if everyone really engages in "depressing" plots, they are also good at it.

Let’s start with the image…

What was the previous image of Big Big Wolf? Dressed in a white coat, elegant and elegant, he has the dazzling aura of the richest man in the prairie, and he can be called the idol of the wolf tribe.

What kind of image would it be like if the Weather Cube got out of control, was collectively ostracized by the grassland animals, and was kicked out of the Wolf's Castle with nowhere to stay?

His eyes were unfocused, his beard was unkempt, and he was wearing a worn-out hat that had been mended countless times before. He was so skinny and hungry that he looked exactly like the richest man in the grassland in the past.

Frogs passing by dared to laugh at him.

The former Wolf King, the richest man on the grassland, has fallen into this situation. This makes people think, is the Big Gray Wolf really guilty of such a heinous crime?

It seems that there is no such thing!

He just wants to catch sheep and create a happy living environment for his wife and son. Isn't it a natural law for wolves to catch sheep?

"Big Big Wolf, what are you doing?"

"Dad, hold me daddy!"

The call of his wife and son appeared in his mind. The extremely depressed Gray Wolf decided to find his wife and son.

But this journey is extremely difficult.

Crossing a river, I was bitten by piranhas all over my body. Walking through a forest, I was chased and stung by bees. I wanted to pick a fruit to quench my thirst, but was stoned by the monkeys in the tree...

ten minutes!

Nine minutes and five seconds, to be exact.

This is the time when Big Wolf went from the peak of his life to the bottom of his life, and encountered all kinds of bullying and torture. It is also a very important "literary drama" in the whole movie.

After these nine minutes and five seconds, Big Big Wolf regained his original intention and decided to join forces with Pleasant Goat to subdue the "weather" released by him personally and restore the peace of the past to the grassland.

What?

You ask what is the key point of Gray Wolf's transformation?

Of course it’s Red Wolf and Little Huihui!

Little Huihui cried and called for his father. Red Wolf relented and decided to come back to find her husband, but was attacked by the violent weather on the way.

Can Big Big Wolf tolerate this?

He is down and out, and anyone can step on him, but his wife and son will always be Big Wolf's enemies, and whoever touches him will die!

Damn it!

Is it burning?

Looking at the final product, Huang Kun thought proudly, when Mr. Gu comes back, won't he be shocked? Praise him for his genius?