dkrc Chapter 96 Crystal Animation
Chapter 96 Crystal Animation
Chapter 95 Crystal Animation
On December 31, 2008, a few stars still lingered in the Los Angeles sky.
"Boss! Your suit!" David walked into the living room carrying a perfectly pressed dark gray suit, almost knocking over the valuable modern sculpture in the entryway.
Jiang Yu was leisurely brewing coffee in the kitchen, not even looking up: "David, we're going to the animation studio today, not Wall Street. Dressing so formally will scare away those animators who wear slippers to work."
"You're meeting with Chris Meledandri this afternoon—"
"Chris wore the same rainbow sweater all last year," Jiang Yu said, pouring coffee into a cup. "If I went in a suit, he'd think I was going to buy his shares, even though, structurally speaking, I could indeed buy the remaining 30%."
David choked, looked down at the expensive Italian custom-made suit in his hand, then at Jiang Yu's simple gray cashmere sweater and jeans, and finally sighed.
"Okay, you're always right. But what about those five kids? They've been waiting downstairs for half an hour, as nervous as if they're about to take the college entrance exam."
"Let them wait." Jiang Yu took a sip of coffee. "A little tension can help with digestion of breakfast."
He glanced at his watch. "I told them to meet at eight, and they arrived at seven-thirty. What does that mean? It means they were too nervous. It's a good thing to let them calm down in the car for a while."
David was both amused and exasperated: "Boss, your method of education—"
"As long as it works." Jiang Yu picked up the car keys. "Let's go. Don't let them really get into trouble sitting in the car."
In the parking lot downstairs, next to a black seven-seater minivan, five young Chinese people were expressing their nervousness in various poses.
Cheng Teng recited his English self-introduction: "Hello, I am Cheng Teng, from China."
37
Li Xia was repeatedly checking her portfolio in her backpack, Yuan Zhichao was silently counting her breaths, Xiong Zhiwu was doing stretching exercises, and Yang Jia was eating cookies.
"Still eating?" Jiang Yu walked up behind them and his voice suddenly rang out.
The five people turned around in unison, and Yang Jia almost choked on the cookie.
"Senior brother!" Cheng Teng was the first to react. "We're ready!"
Jiang Yu glanced at them, his gaze lingering for a couple of seconds on the cookie package in Yang Jia's hand: "Fun with Chips? This is for breakfast?"
Yang Jia blushed: "I got up too early, the hotel breakfast hasn't even started yet—"
"Get in the car." Jiang Yu opened the car door. "We'll buy some proper breakfast on the way. Animators have a very demanding job; if they don't eat enough, they'll faint in front of their graphics tablets."
Five people filed onto the bus.
David got into the driver's seat, and Jiang Yu got into the passenger seat.
The car slowly drove out of the parking lot and merged into the sparse traffic of Los Angeles in the early morning.
"So—" Li Xia mustered his courage to break the silence, "Senior, is Crystal Animation Studio really as mysterious as the legends say? I've looked it up online, and there's almost no publicly available information."
Jiang Yu glanced at them in the rearview mirror: "We're being secretive because we want to keep a low profile. The animation industry is fiercely competitive, and it's common for ideas to be copied. When the studio was first established last year, we put up a 'Building Repair' sign on the door, and people actually came to ask if we could fix their water pipes."
Soft laughter filled the car, lightening the atmosphere.
"How many people are in the studio now?" Yuan Zhichao asked, having already written it down in his notebook.
"Eighty-seven full-time and fifty-three part-time," Jiang Yu calmly recounted. "Most of them came from Pixar, DreamWorks,
Disney poached him.
He smiled and said, "Chris has a wide network of connections, and the financial crisis helped a lot. Many animation companies laid off employees, and we took the opportunity to pick up some gems."
The car stopped in front of a Dunkin' Donuts.
Jiang Yu got off the bus and returned five minutes later carrying two large bags of breakfast: bacon and egg sandwiches, bagels, coffee, and juice.
"One for each person." He handed the bag to the back row. "Remember, in American animation, coffee is life, and donuts are the soul. Although I don't recommend you actually eat them like this, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, and at least know the rules."
The five people took the breakfast and wolfed it down; they were indeed very hungry.
The car continued driving, leaving the city and entering the suburbs.
The view outside the window changed from high-rise buildings to bungalows, from bustling to tranquil.
"We're almost there," David said. "Banbury is a small, quiet town, perfect for creative work. Crystal Animation is in a converted warehouse; it looks ordinary from the outside, but inside—well, you'll have to see for yourselves."
When the car stopped in front of the gray building, the five young people's first reaction was: "That's it?"
The building was unremarkable, even a bit dilapidated.
There was some graffiti on the wall, not exactly masterpieces of art, but more like random scribbles by mischievous children.
The only highlight is the sign at the entrance—"CrystalAnimationStudios," with a creatively designed font where a smiley face is hidden inside the crystal "C."
"Disappointed?" Jiang Yu saw through their thoughts. "Pixar's headquarters looks like a university teaching building, and DreamWorks' logo is a little boy on the moon fishing. Animation companies don't care about appearances; they spend all their money on computers and employee salaries."
As they were talking, the door was suddenly kicked open—literally kicked open, because the person opening the door seemed too excited and used too much force.
A middle-aged man wearing a rainbow-colored sweater and with hair that looked like it had been hit by a tornado rushed out.
His glasses were askew on his nose, he had a big smile on his face, and he was holding a donut in his hand.
"Jiang! My God of Wealth! My Business Partner! My Chinese Brothers!"
Chris Meledandri gave Jiang Yu a bear hug, so hard that Jiang Yu stumbled back a step. "Twilight! 3.8 million! 3.8 million! Do you know what that means? It means you can invest even more money in us next time!"
Jiang Yu steadied himself and calmly patted Chris on the back: "Chris, Happy New Year in advance. The money will come. Take your donuts away, they're getting on my clothes."
Chris then noticed that the donut in his hand was covered in rainbow sprinkles.
He gave an awkward laugh, stuffed a donut into his mouth, and mumbled, "Breakfast. Work needs sugar. These are—"
He looked at the five young people, his eyes lighting up. "China's future animation masters?"
The five young men quickly stood up straight, and Cheng Teng led the way, saying, "Hello, Mr. Meledandri, we are—"
"Stop, stop, stop!" Chris waved his hand to interrupt, swallowing the last bite of his donut. "Call me Chris! Only tax officials are called 'sir' here. You are—Cheng, Li, Yuan, Xiong, Yang? Good heavens, your names are like a code to me. I might need to make a name tag."
Everyone laughed.
Chris's enthusiasm and easygoing nature immediately eased the tension.
"Come in, come in!" Chris pushed open the door. "Welcome to the animator's asylum; oh no, the studio."
The world behind the door made the five young people gasp.
If the outside is a gray reality, then the inside is a colorful dream.
In the high-ceilinged hall, the exposed brick walls were painted in various colors, and paper airplanes, fairy lights, and even a huge inflatable dinosaur hung from the ceiling.
The walls weren't covered with decorative paintings, but rather with densely packed concept art, storyboards, and scribbled notes.
The corner was filled with strange things: a clay model half a person's height, a robot made of scrap circuit boards, and boxes of Lego bricks.
The most impressive part is in the center of the hall, where there is not a reception desk, but a giant sand table with a miniature city landscape, including high-rise buildings, streets, and tiny yellow figures moving around.
"That's Minion City," Chris said proudly. "The team plays there when they want to relax. Everyone can add things to it. See that mini Ferris wheel? The interns made it with toothpicks and buttons."
Five young people crowded around to look, their eyes wide with surprise.
Those Minions are incredibly well-made; each one has a different expression and pose.
"Do you like it?" a female voice asked.
They turned around and saw a middle-aged woman with ripped jeans, purple hair, and at least ten earrings walking towards them.
"This is Sarah, our head of character design," Chris introduced. "She's responsible for making all the characters look both cute and cuddly."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Chris, if you introduce me like that again, I'll put hot sauce in your coffee."
She turned to the five young people, smiling warmly, "Don't listen to his nonsense. Welcome to Crystal Animation. I heard you were coming from China, so I specially learned a Chinese phrase—"
She cleared her throat and said in broken Chinese, "How are you?"
The pronunciation is a bit strange, but the sentiment is deep.
The five young people quickly replied, "We're fine, thank you!"
"Alright, let's begin the tour." Chris clapped his hands. "But before the tour, I'm going to announce the studio's first rule, which is also the only important rule."
Everyone listened attentively.
Chris said seriously, "The rule is, there are no rules. As long as you can create good work, you can come to work in your pajamas, you can come to the studio at 3 a.m., you can bring your lunch to the render farm, and even—"
He pointed to the ceiling, "You can hang a hammock there to sleep in, just don't fall and break the computer."
"What about the second rule?" Li Xia asked in a low voice.
"There's no second option," Chris grinned. "Because the first option already encompasses all possibilities. Animation is creative work, and creativity needs freedom. Of course—"
He winked. "Freedom is contingent on submitting your work on time, otherwise Sarah really will put hot sauce in your coffee."
Sarah cooperated by shaking the bottle of chili sauce in her hand.
The first stop on the tour was the screening room.
On the way to the screening room, Chris acted like an excited tour guide, constantly pointing east and west.
"Look at that corner! That's our inspiration graveyard," where all the cut character designs are displayed. "That three-eyed rabbit? It was originally a supporting character in *Despicable Me*, but we thought it was too scary for kids, so we abandoned it."
"This wall! We call it the 'Wall of Glory for Failure,'" it's covered with the earliest, terrible designs. See that Gru who looks like a potato? When the first version came out, we were all silent for five minutes, then laughed for an hour."
"Oh! Watch your step!" Chris suddenly shouted.
Cheng Teng almost stepped on a robot that was charging on the ground. It was a round, white robot with two blue LED lights for its eyes.
"This is the render farm's patrolman," Chris said, crouching down and patting the robot's head. "It patrols at night to prevent the servers from overheating. We call it Little Ice because it always runs towards the air conditioning vents."
Xiao Bing made a whirring sound, its eyes blinked, and then it rolled away.
We finally arrived at the screening room. The room wasn't big, but the equipment was top-notch.
Several people were already seated, and when they saw Chris and Jiang Yu come in, they greeted them lazily.
“That’s Pierre, the art director,” Chris said, pointing to a Frenchman with a large beard. “He worked at Pixar for twelve years, and quit because he wanted to draw more evil characters; Pixar was too sunny, not suitable for his dark soul.”
Pierre shrugged and said in a thick French accent, "The sunlight is nice, but the shadows are more interesting. A villain like Gru is exactly what I've always wanted to be."
"That's Mike, the technical director." Chris then pointed to a middle-aged man with a bald head and glasses. "The former head of Industrial Light & Magic, he switched jobs to us because he wanted to make cuter things." He said he was tired of explosions and robots.
Mike adjusted his glasses and said expressionlessly, "The explosion was great, the Minions were even better. And the coffee here is at least 30% better than Industrial Light & Magic's."
Everyone laughed.
The five young people discovered that these Hollywood moguls were not as unapproachable as they had imagined; on the contrary, they were quite adorable.
The lights dimmed, and the screen lit up.
Instead of a movie clip, what appears first is a test animation; a crude, yellow, capsule-shaped creature hops around on the screen, its movements clumsy but comical.
"This is the Minions' zeroth test," Chris's voice echoed in the darkness. "Back then, we only had one concept: a bunch of uncontrollable mini-helpers." This was the first version the programmers created using the basic model—ugly, right? But when we saw this, we knew there was potential.
On the screen, the rudimentary little yellow man crashed into the wall, bounced back, spun around a few times, and then sat on the ground with several question marks appearing above his head.
A soft laugh rang out in the screening room.
Next up was a presentation on the evolution of character designs.
Gru gradually transformed from a potato-shaped creature into his current tall and slender form; the Minions changed from capsules to bananas; and the three little girls evolved from ordinary children into uniquely designed characters.
"Character design is a painful process," Sarah's voice came through. "We have to consider countless factors: animation difficulty, recognizability, the possibility of toy-like design, and even the difficulty of lip-syncing. Why is Gru's nose so big? Because a big nose makes it easier to make exaggerated expressions. Why don't the Minions have obvious fingers? Because finger animation is too time-consuming and easy to give away."
Next is scene design.
Gru's evil base, the Minions' factory, the three little girls' home—each scene is vibrant and full of detail.
"Color design is one of our strengths," Pierre said. "We used a lot of contrasting colors: Gru's black and purple, the Minions' yellow, and the girls' pink, blue, and green. This way, even with many characters, the audience won't be overwhelmed."
Finally, the main feature began to play.
The first scene: Gru sneaks around the street, freezes people in line to buy coffee with a freeze gun, and then steals their coffee.
The movements are exaggerated and comical, accompanied by upbeat music.
The second scene: The Minions are "helping" in the lab, making a complete mess of everything.
One person tried to hand over chemicals, but ended up spilling them all over the floor; another tried to operate the computer, but ended up dancing on the keyboard.
The third scene: Gru meets the three little girls for the first time.
He wanted to appear fierce, but the little girls weren't afraid of him at all and even asked if his nose was fake.
Each scene elicited bursts of laughter.
The five young people were captivated, not only by the interesting content, but also because they could recognize the technical sophistication behind it: fluid movements, precise pacing, and expressive facial expressions.
The fifteen-minute clip ended, and the lights came back on.
Everyone was still immersed in the world of animation.
"How is it?" Chris asked, his eyes sparkling.
The five young people were speechless for a moment.
Finally, Cheng Teng spoke first: "It's...it's amazing. The balance between exaggeration and realism, the use of color, the sense of rhythm—what we learned in school, compared to this—"
"Don't say that," Jiang Yu interrupted him. "What you learn in school is the basics, this is the application. Without a foundation, you can't build a tall building."
He looked at Chris and asked, "How much of this presentation uses digital technology and lighting?"
Chris laughed: "Good question. About 30% of the special effects were done digitally by Light and Shadow, especially the effects of the freeze gun and the physical simulation of the Minions' liquid. Your special effects team is really amazing; that kind of translucent, textured freezing effect would cost twice as much if we did it ourselves."
"Cooperation leads to win-win results," Jiang Yu said. "Now, let's talk about the practical issue—funding."
Chris's expression turned serious when money was mentioned.
He gestured for everyone to go to the meeting room.
The meeting room was also quite unique. Instead of a traditional conference table, there was a circle of sofas and beanbag chairs, with a low table in the middle, on which pizza boxes and cola were already placed.
"Let's talk while we eat." Chris opened the pizza box, revealing a still-steaming pizza. "Animators' meetings always have pizza; it's an industry tradition. I guess it's because you can eat pizza with one hand and sketch with the other."
Everyone took a pizza and a drink.
The five young people were a little reserved, but they relaxed when they saw that even Jiang Yu picked up a slice of pizza so naturally.
"The current financial situation," Chris mumbled, taking a bite of his pizza. "The initial budget for Despicable Me was $50 million, and we've already spent $32 million. Based on the progress, the final budget will likely be between $65 million and $70 million."
"Cough cough cough!" Xiong Zhiwu choked on his cola.
Seventy million US dollars? That number is astronomical to him.
Chris handed him a tissue: "Scared? Let me tell you something even scarier. Pixar's 'WALL-E' had a budget of $180 million, and DreamWorks' 'Kung Fu Panda' had a budget of $130 million. That's how animated films are; every frame costs money."
Jiang Yu calmly asked, "How much is the shortfall?"
"Based on the worst-case scenario, if it's 70 million, we're still short 30 million," Chris said. "With additional investment, we can do even better; add more complex scenes, optimize rendering quality, and make longer promotional videos."
Jiang Yu thought for a few seconds: "Light Chaser Animation can invest 21 million proportionally. For the remaining shortfall, you can find other investors or apply for tax refunds and subsidies. Have you researched California's animation industry support policies?"
Chris's eyes lit up: "I've looked into it! We were too small to qualify before. If we get additional investment, we can expand our team, and our application will have a much better chance!"
"That's settled then," Jiang Yu said. "The 21 million will be in the account within a week. I have one condition."
"What are the conditions?" Chris put down the pizza and became serious.
Jiang Yu pointed to five young men: "These five will be fully involved in the next project. Not just doing odd jobs, but participating in the entire process from early development to post-production. I want them to return to China in two years not because they've studied in Hollywood, but because they've actually worked in Hollywood."
Chris looked at the five young men, then at Jiang Yu, and smiled: "Deal! And coincidentally, we happen to have a new project that's perfect for them to start from scratch."
"Frozen?" Jiang Yu asked.
"How do you know it's not 'Zootopia'?" Chris asked in surprise. "We only decided on this name internally two weeks ago!"
Jiang Yu smiled mysteriously: "I guessed. I only gave you three plans and outlines back then, and you only had two left, so it was a 50/50 chance."
Chris slapped his thigh: "Wow, you're still so lucky; absolutely right! Our plan is to make an animated film centered on sisterhood, with music, magic, and themes of self-acceptance. It's perfect for newcomers to learn from. The project is still in its early stages, so they can start working on the concept design."
Five young people exchanged excited glances, participating in a Hollywood animated blockbuster from the very beginning of the concept? It felt like a dream.
"However—" Chris's tone shifted, his expression turning serious, "I need to make this clear beforehand. At Crystal Animation, there are no special privileges for interns. You are full-time team members; you have to submit assignments, attend meetings, and face criticism. Our work pace is very fast—996 is a blessing here; we often work 9-12-7, that is, from 9 am to midnight, seven days a week."
Seeing the five young people's pale faces, he laughed: "Just kidding. Most of the time we do work overtime, and there is definitely pressure. If you want a relaxing vacation, it's not too late to back out now. I'll pay for your airfare."
No one spoke.
All five pairs of eyes shone with determination.
"Very good." Chris smiled. "Then welcome to Crystal Animation. Now, let Sarah give you a detailed tour and assign you your workstations. Jiang and I still have some 'adult matters' to discuss."
Sarah stood up and clapped her hands: "Come on, kids, let me show you the really fun places."
Sarah led the five young people out of the conference room and began their real in-depth tour.
The first stop was the "Wailing Wall"; it's not a real wall, but a small cubicle with a sofa, a tissue box, and a punching bag.
"This is an emotional release room," Sarah said earnestly. "Animation is creative work; there will be bottlenecks, setbacks, and times when you want to smash your computer. At those times, you can come here and have a good cry, hit the punching bag, or just sit quietly for a while. The only requirement is that you wipe away your tears and continue working when you come out."
Li Xia asked in a low voice, "Does anyone actually use it?"
"I used it three times last week," Sarah said candidly, "because I was stuck on the character design. After crying and hitting the punching bag, I suddenly had inspiration. So don't feel ashamed, it's part of the creative process."
The next stop is the "Inspiration Library." This is not a traditional library, but a room filled with strange things—old-fashioned toys, retro clothing, fabrics of various materials, and even a box of soil.
"Tactile inspiration," Sarah explained. "Sometimes staring at a computer screen for too long can make you lose touch with reality. That's when you can come here and touch these things to feel the different textures. That soil? That's what we used when we were making the garden scene in Despicable Me. The animators actually dug up some soil to feel its texture."
Next is the technical area.
This place is like a scene from a science fiction movie, with rows of high-performance computers, huge monitors, and all sorts of incomprehensible charts hanging on the walls.
Mike was discussing something with a young programmer, and complex code was displayed on three screens in front of them.
"This is our engine room," Sarah said. "Character rigging, motion capture, physics simulation, rendering—all the technical magic happens here. Mike is the head wizard."
Mike turned his head, adjusted his glasses, and said, "It's not magic, it's mathematics. Every movement in the animation is backed by mathematical equations. For example, when the Minions fall, we have to calculate gravity, friction, and the elastic coefficient—"
He used a lot of technical jargon, which the five young men only half understood, but they all thought it was incredibly impressive.
"Want to learn?" Mike suddenly asked.
The five young people were stunned.
"I can schedule two technical lectures a week," Mike said. "Starting with basic bindings, it goes on to complex physics simulations. You don't need to be experts, but you need to know the basics so you don't sound like a layman when you're communicating with programmers."
"Can we learn it?" Yuan Zhichao asked, his voice full of longing.
"Of course," Mike nodded. "At Crystal, we encourage cross-departmental learning. Art students need to understand technology, and tech geeks need to understand art. This way, the team can work seamlessly together."
The last stop is the rest area, which is also a "snack paradise".
This place is practically a mini-supermarket, with everything from potato chips and chocolate to candy, instant noodles, and drinks.
There's also a coffee machine, an ice cream machine, and even a cotton candy machine.
"This is the most important place in the studio," Sarah said seriously. "An animation studio without snacks is like a rocket without fuel. All the snacks here are free and available 24 hours a day. The only rule is that you have to throw the wrappers in the trash after you finish eating, or Sarah will get angry."
"What will happen to Sarah?" Xiong Zhiwu asked curiously.
Sarah pulled a whistle from her pocket and blew it hard; the piercing sound made everyone cover their ears.
"That's it." She put away her whistle. "I'll blow the whistle and make you clean the entire break room for a week. So far, only Chris has made this mistake; he found his pen cap, which he dropped three years ago, on the floor while cleaning."
After the tour, Sarah assigned them workstations; not temporary seats in the corner, but workstations for full-time employees, each with dual monitors, a graphics tablet, and a Minion plush toy as a welcome gift.
"This is your temporary mentor," Sarah said, pointing to the doll. "It will keep you company during the initial difficult period. Now, familiarize yourself with the equipment. This afternoon, we'll start our first task: draw one hundred Minion sketches, each one different."
"One hundred?" Li Xia exclaimed in surprise.
"This is just the beginning," Sarah smiled. "In Crystal, quantity is the foundation of quality. Draw, children, draw until your hands cramp."
Meanwhile, in Chris's office, the two founders were drinking coffee; real coffee, not the instant coffee served in the break room.
Chris's office was even messier than it looked from the outside.
The pile of things on the table had formed a small mountain, and the sticky notes on the wall were layered like abstract art.
Chris's ability to find the file he wants from any pile of things in three seconds is a talent in itself.
"Early concepts for Frozen." Chris pulled a folder from the pile of documents and handed it to Jiang Yu. "We retained the basic framework of The Snow Queen and made modern adaptations. The main characters are sisters, Elsa and Anna—oh, you suggested that name, and we adopted it. The core themes are family, self-acceptance, and how true love can melt a frozen heart."
Jiang Yu opened the folder.
Inside are several exquisite concept art images: Elsa with silver hair in an ice castle, Anna with red hair looking up outside the castle, and an early design of the famous Olaf.
"Olaf's design went through seventeen drafts," Chris said, pointing to the little snowman in the hat. "At first, we wanted to make a traditional cute snowman, but we thought it was too ordinary. Then we thought of giving him a carrot nose and twig arms, but something was still missing. Until someone suggested, 'Give him a dream! He wants to experience summer!' As soon as that idea came up, everyone said, 'That's it!'"
Jiang Yu nodded.
In his previous life, Olaf was indeed one of the highlights of Frozen.
"What about the music?" he asked. "Music is key in this kind of film."
"It's already in progress!" Chris said excitedly. "We've hired Broadway composers and lyricists, and we've tentatively settled on three songs: Elsa's 'Liberation Song,' Anna's 'Longing Song,' and a duet between the sisters. But—"
He scratched his head. "The budget has gone up again. Music production, singers, recording studios—none of these are cheap."
"I'll handle the money," Jiang Yu said. "I want to ensure the quality. This isn't an ordinary animated film; it has the potential to change things."
1
Chris looked at him intently: "You seem to take this project very seriously."
"Because it deserves attention." Jiang Yu closed the folder. "An animated film with a female protagonist that explores self-acceptance and family affection is meaningful in this era."
He paused, then added, "It will be a commercial success too. Trust me."
Chris smiled: "I've always believed in you. From the first time you came to me with the proposal for 'Despicable Me,' I knew you weren't your average investor. You understand animation, you understand storytelling, you understand the audience. So—"
He raised his coffee cup. "It's a pleasure working with you."
"It's a pleasure working with you."
The two then discussed the specific work arrangements, timetable, and staffing.
Outside the window, the afternoon sun shines through the blinds, casting warm shadows on the floor.
As the conversation was drawing to a close, Chris suddenly asked, "Jiang, why are you so concerned about these Chinese students? Training new talent is expensive and time-consuming, and they might not create much value in their first year."
Jiang Yu walked to the window and looked down at the courtyard where five young people were playing basketball with several older employees.
Cheng Teng jumped up excitedly after scoring a goal.
"This is a long-term investment," Jiang Yu said slowly. "China's animation market is on the verge of explosive growth. Training five top talents now will allow them to return to China and revitalize an entire industry. And—"
He turned around and said, "This is also a way of giving back. Without the education from the Communication University of China, I wouldn't be who I am today. Now that I have the ability, it's time to give back."
Chris nodded thoughtfully. "I understand. Just like when I was at Fox, those veteran animators taught me step by step. That's how the industry works, passed down from generation to generation."
"That's right." Jiang Yu smiled. "To be honest, seeing the light in their eyes reminded me of myself back then, full of passion for special effects, wanting to create something. This kind of passion can't be bought with money."
At four o'clock in the afternoon, the studio staff began to leave one after another.
Even though it was New Year's Eve, a few people remained at their posts; animators don't have strict holidays, they have to work when inspiration strikes.
Sarah gathered the five young people together: "That's enough for today. Go back and get some rest. Tomorrow's a day off, and we'll start working officially the day after. Remember, at Crystal Animation, work is important, but life is even more important. People without life experience can't create moving animation."
Everyone said goodbye to each other, wishing each other a "Happy New Year".
The five young people were still excited, chattering about what they had seen and heard that day.
Jiang Yu and Chris were the last to leave the studio.
On a winter evening, the sky is a gentle orange-red.
"Want to have dinner together?" Chris asked.
"No, thank you." Jiang Yu shook his head. "I have an appointment. Are you really going to be in the studio tonight overseeing the rendering?"
"Really," Chris said. "I want to witness the birth of the last few scenes in Despicable Me. Like delivering a baby, I can't be absent."
"I understand." Jiang Yu patted him on the shoulder. "Happy New Year. See you next year."
See you next year!
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