Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 146 The Helpless Adou
Zhang Chao stepped aside, not facing the saluting Xin Haicheng, and then asked, "Why do you have to produce "Your Name"? Sit down first, then we'll talk."

Xin Haicheng sat up straight and said with great emotion: "I accidentally read Zhang Chaosang's "Your Name" in June this year. At that time, I had a feeling that this was the story in my mind!
And it’s the kind of story I want to write even after I die…”

Kadokawa Leyohiko explained, "Last year, after Shiro-kun produced the animated film "The Place Promised in Our Early Days," he also published a novel of the same name at Kadokawa.

Shiro-kun has great potential in animation, and Kadokawa is willing to invest in his films. ”

Shinkai waited until Kadokawa Lehiko finished speaking before continuing, "Your Name is like a work that I must complete in my destiny. It always lingers in my heart and I can't let it go...

I am also worried that you, Mr. Zhang Chao, are unwilling to authorize such a great work to a newcomer like me who has just produced a few animated films, so I specially asked the president to bring me to visit you! To express my sincerity to you! "

Kadokawa Leyohiko nodded and said, "Although Chengjun hasn't produced many works yet, each one is very beautiful and he's making rapid progress. Last year, "Beyond the Clouds" won the Mainichi Film Awards Animation Award, making him the youngest winner.

If you agree to let him supervise the production of the animated version of "Your Name", I believe you will not be disappointed."

After listening to this, Zhang Chao fell into deep thought.

It is not surprising that Makoto Shinkai has a "sense of fate" about "Your Name", but is he now capable of making "Your Name" the way he remembered in his previous life?

"Your Name" was originally supposed to be his work ten years later. After its release, it broke the Japanese film box office record held by Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" for 250 years with a total box office of 15 billion yen.

But that was the masterpiece of Makoto Shinkai in the "Mahayana period" after works such as "5 Centimeters per Second", "Children Who Chase Lost Their Voices" and "The Garden of Words". Can Makoto Shinkai, who is only in the "Qi Training period", do it?
What's more, Zhang Chao now has to consider other factors.

Xin Haicheng looked at Zhang Chao nervously. The man, who was much younger than him, lowered his head and thought for a long time before he said, "I agree to let Mr. Xin Haicheng produce Your Name."

Shinkai Jo and Kadokawa Koyomi both breathed a sigh of relief, but Zhang Chao continued, "But I have a few requests - first, the characters of Your Name must be designed in accordance with the comic version serialized by Shueisha and remain consistent.

Second, the background of the story can be adapted for the island country. But you have to think clearly. If you want to adapt it for the island country, I require that two versions must be produced at the same time, namely the Chinese version and the island country version. This will significantly increase the cost.

Third, my "Midnight Tide" will also participate in the investment and enjoy the distribution agency rights of "Your Name" in Greater China;
Fourth, the art staff of 'Midnight Tide' will participate in the production throughout the whole process. But rest assured, our main focus is learning and we will not interfere with Mr. Shinkai Cheng's creation. "

Such conditions were not harsh, but they involved all aspects from investment to production to distribution, which made Kadokawa Lehiko and Shinkai Makoto fall into deep thought.

After a long while, Xin Haicheng said: "From the production point of view, I have no problem."

Kadokawa Toshihiko thought for a while before saying, "Generally speaking, Kadokawa can accept it, but there are other people involved in the investment, not just us, so we still need to discuss it with them."

Zhang Chao said, "That's good. I won't worry about the details. I'll have Jeffrey Huang come over to talk to you later."

At this point everyone was happy. Shinkai Cheng bowed to everyone else in the room and left, leaving only Kadokawa Lehiko and translator Yada Yusuke.

Zhang Chao smiled and asked, "President Kadokawa, do you have anything else to discuss with me?"

Kadokawa Leyan smiled and said, "Chao-san, I heard that you are about to publish a new novel in the United States. Are you interested in having our Kadokawa Bookstore once again distribute the Japanese version?"

Zhang Chao said: "You are really well-informed... But don't you need to know what my novel is about?"

Kadokawa Koyomi said: "Although I don't know much about literature, I understand the book sales market in the island country..."

Half an hour later, Zhang Chao sent Kadokawa Lehiko and Yada Yusuke away. The Japanese copyright of "Gone Girl" was negotiated relatively smoothly, and the conditions were much higher than those of "Your Name". Back in the bedroom, Zhang Chao reviewed the cooperation on the animation of "Your Name" that he discussed with Kadokawa Lehiko and Shinkai Makoto today——

First of all, from an investment perspective, the production costs of animated films from the island country are far less than the abnormally high costs of American 3D animations, and Makoto Shinkai belongs to the "semi-CG" school - that is, the background is rendered by computer, while the characters are hand-drawn.

Such a 90-minute animated film with not too many special effects currently costs about 3000 to 4000 million RMB. It is completely possible to invest a small amount yourself, not to mention that there is a relatively high return expectation.

Secondly, it is the persistence of the work style and the flexible handling of the background of the work. The former ensures the continuity of peripheral sales so that it will not be split into a fight between the comic version and the animation version. The latter is to insure the box office in the island country.

Since the original novel already has a certain readership in the island country, whether the island country audience will accept the island country version must be decided by the island country production company based on their insight into the audience's psychology. Zhang Chao is not that capable of predicting this.

Third, let the art staff participate in the production. Zhang Chao had considered the issue of animating "Your Name" a long time ago, but 2005 was really an awkward time node, and the current domestic animation was basically a hopeless case.

On the one hand, state-owned factories like the Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio have long been reduced to empty shells, producing only one or two films each year; on the other hand, private animation production companies are now in the initial stages of vigorously defrauding subsidies, and the domestic animation market is falling into unprecedented darkness.

The tax incentives and subsidies for domestic animations, which were implemented in 2004, also restricted the broadcasting time of foreign animations during prime time on TV stations. For example, Shenzhen, which was awarded the title of "National Animation Base", has introduced a policy of subsidizing 2D animations at 500 yuan per minute and 3D animations at 1000 yuan per minute.

As a result, the domestic animation market began to experience a false boom. Animation companies could even pay TV stations to broadcast their animations, because once broadcast, they could get various discounts and subsidies, enough to make a profit. But don't expect quality, some are even worse than PPT.

In 2011, China finally became the "world's largest animation producer"; but in 2014, once local subsidy policies were adjusted, the number of animation episodes and minutes were immediately halved.

Only when all these money-swindling animation companies are dead will domestic animation truly usher in a new dawn.

Therefore, Zhang Chao does not have any illusions about making animated films in China at this stage, but it is still valuable to let people go and understand the production process and advanced technology of the island country's animation.

Although the domestic animation at that time was a flop, the domestic animation production capabilities were actually not bad. In the 90s, it began to become the second largest outsourcing contractor for island animation. Although the original painting capabilities were a bit poor, the storyboards, coloring, in-between frames, background art, etc. were all pretty good.

As he was thinking about it, he wrote a long email to Huang Jiefu, explaining various things and asking him to connect with Kadokawa Shoten as soon as possible.

This busy schedule lasted until midnight. Just when Zhang Chao was about to go to sleep, he received a call from Carlson. When he picked up the phone, he heard a fierce barrage from the other party:
"Zhang Chao, you liar!..."

Zhang Chao threw the phone aside expressionlessly. After Carlson finished venting, he picked it up again and said, "Uh... did my novel violate any agreement?"

Carlson was speechless, and Zhang Chao hung up the phone directly.

Before leaving yesterday, he sent the first version of the translation of Gone Girl to Madeline Murphy. This version of the translation is relatively rough, and it can only be said that the story was just a rough review. In the more than one month before the official publication, Xu Ruiya will also make fine revisions at Madeline's request, striving to achieve a complete Americanization of the language of the novel.

But no matter how crude the story is, there is no misunderstanding in the plot. After reading it, Madeline quickly forwarded it to Carlson. Carlson quickly read it and found something wrong. He asked Madeline to terminate the contract and not publish this book "Gone Girl".

But how could Madeline, who felt like she had found a treasure, let go of this book? Judging from her twenty years of editing experience, "Gone Girl" would almost certainly be a best-seller.

Random House only has a cooperative relationship with the National Academy of Sciences, and is not a subsidiary of the National Academy of Sciences. A best-selling book brings tens of millions of dollars to the publisher, so even if Carlson brings up the president, it may not work.

Besides, if Random House doesn't publish it, Zhang Chao can just change to another publisher. Madeline doesn't want to do such a noble thing as sacrificing herself to benefit others.

She immediately sent an email to Zhang Chao, praising "Gone Girl" as the best suspense story she had read in recent years, and said that Random House would send an additional editor to complete the final version of the English version as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)