{Time: February 2, 2003}

{Location: Nuremberg, Germany}

In fact, when hearing Martin briefly tell the origin story of Peppa Pig, Ning Zimo suddenly thought of his favorite "Havoc in Heaven" when he was a child.

In that era when people were crowded into a house with a TV to watch cartoons, all kinds of Chinese-style cartoons were classics, not to mention other colorful imported cartoons.

But in my previous life, when I became an adult, I occasionally saw children watching "Green Grassland" and "Northeast Bear and the Lumberjack". The plots were not comparable to "Shuke Beta", even "Haier Brothers".

.

The good animation industry has been turned into a tool for making money. A wave of underage children who are not even ignorant are cut off by the wild harvesters. This has to be said to be sad.

If young people are strong, China will be strong, but if we only feed them food with little nutrition, how can we be strong?

The thinking of businessmen is wrong, and even parents and even the older generation’s understanding of animation is wrong. As a result, buyers and sellers unintentionally unite to poison the next generation with shoddy products, and miss out on the animation industry that could have developed healthily.

A period of rapid development.

But if the animation industry has not reached the formal early stage, will it be a different situation if we export some excellent cartoons to the market to raise industry standards and force the animation industry to develop in a healthier direction?

Take "Peppa Pig" as an example. To the founder, "she" is just a work, and she can become a big IP in the future. But if you hold this future big IP in your own hands, you can definitely become a popular IP with your own vision.

The standard "catfish" in the Chinese animation industry!

As a businessman, there are many ways to make money!

Even if "Peppa Pig" does not make money in the country,

However, there are still so many markets abroad!

Maybe you won’t make much money from others, but it will definitely be different in your own hands!

Thinking of this, the ideas in Ning Zimo's mind that were not smooth just now spread out like the Ren and Du's two meridians that had been opened, and suddenly a vast galaxy opened up in his mind.

There is a way!

But first, we must win "Peppa Pig"!

Ning Zimo had a plan and immediately looked at Martin.

He was still sighing that his work could not be realized.

After thinking about it, Ning Zimo went around in a circle again, "When I just saw this character, I thought she might be a good character. In fact, I am still looking forward to you guys completing this role. Because I also want to

Perfectly presenting this character in front of children will be the best gift for them and the best reward for you creators."

"We also want to do this...but we are short of money..."

Ning Zimo's calmness made Martin open up, but lack of money is a big problem they are currently facing, so Martin's tone is inevitably a bit sad.

Ning Zimo paused for a moment, then asked directly, "Although we have just met, are you willing to listen to one of my suggestions?"

Martin raised his head, looked at Ning Zimo blankly and asked, "What's your suggestion?"

"Since you already have a complete idea but are just short of money, can you consider letting me invest in this hairdryer pig so that she can be presented to children as soon as possible?"

Ning Zimo smiled kindly as he said, "I'm sorry I used the word hairdryer, but I think it's my pet name for her. Because I've been obsessed with her since the first time I saw her.

she."

"No, no, no, we don't mind, but we think you described it very vividly. From our adult point of view, she does look like a hairdryer." Neville waved his hands, but his eyes looking at Ning Zimo became more and more intense.

.

Ning Zimo grinned and said, "How about I treat you two to a drink and we can talk in detail?"

"Okay, okay... I think we can talk about this plan." Martin said excitedly.

…

It was already the afternoon of the last day of the exhibition when I met Martin and the two of them. The crowds coming and going were quite scattered, and even the number of people was sparse.

Since there was nothing important and Yang Jian was still taking care of him at the booth, Ning Zimo simply took Martin and the two of them out of the booth.

There is a special dining area at the designated location of the Nuremberg Exhibition. The three of them ordered a few cups of coffee and sat down to chat casually.

Ning Zimo brings purpose and sincerity, Martin and Neville bring hope.

The harmonious atmosphere and Ning Zimo's open affinity naturally gave Martin the desire to talk.

After hearing the story of the founder up close and personal, Ning Zimo had a truly detailed understanding of the early development history of Peppa Pig.

In addition to Mark and Neville, who came to Nuremberg unexpectedly, the core characters in the creation of "Peppa Pig" were Phil, the head of the animation department at Middlesex Polytechnic. Neville who came with Mark was Phil.

Er's student, and the person who connects the three people is Phil, who has not yet appeared here.

Earlier, Mark, who was still teaching at the British National Film School, was Phil's friend. Later, the three became friends because of their common interest in animation.

"Peppa Pig" was the idea of ​​three people at a party in 1999. At that time, the British animation market was flooded with various heroic male characters. After brainstorming, the three decided to set up a female character who looked a bit clumsy, so they

With the inspiration of Page.

There is a special reason for the happy family in "Peppa Pig". Because Mark's daughter once accidentally mentioned that the characters in the cartoon did not have their parents around, she was confused and asked "Where are mom and dad?"

"The idea of ​​​​from this, Mark determined the value tone of a happy family in "Peppa Pig".

It's just that although the three people's ideas are good, the funding problem has never been solved.

In 2001, based on the 2-minute sample they produced, the three of them found a distributor at the local Cardiff Animation Forum in the UK who was willing to bear part of the funds.

However, the budget for each minute of "Peppa Pig" needs at least 5,000 pounds, and the initial budget of 52 episodes per 5-minute season requires at least 1.3 million pounds. Even if there are already people willing to invest, but at present, "Peppa Pig"

Qi still lacks a lot of start-up funds.

"Why are there 52 episodes in a season?" Ning Zimo first asked a question that he had not paid much attention to.

"International practice is that many TV animations broadcast one episode a week, and there are usually 52 weeks in a year, so there are 52 episodes." Mark explained patiently.

After all, the young head of the treasure-digging company is a potential financial backer, and they are willing to give answers to any question that is not excessive.

"Why are cartoons only five minutes long?" Ning Zimo asked like a curious baby to break the casserole.

"This is because children who are suitable for watching cartoons like Peppa Pig are at an age that can only concentrate for 5 minutes. If they exceed this time, they will look left and right. Of course, this way of playing cartoons one episode a week is actually

Very suitable for cultivating children's habit of delaying enjoyment.

At the same time, this arrangement will also allow children to enjoy more exciting cartoons during the time period they are interested in. In summary, this is a recognized broadcast method that is more conducive to market competition."

Martin's answer gave Ning Zimo a new understanding of the cartoon industry. At least the minutes of cartoons for different ages are actually quite sophisticated.

In addition, in this case, a bad movie will not occupy the same time every day for a long time.

However, while Ning Zimo was asking these questions, he was actually planning the cooperation framework between himself and Martin. With enough time, Ning Zimo supplemented his overall thoughts in his mind.

But since the other party's team consists of three people, Ning Zimo hopes that the content of the negotiation below will be a situation where all three decision-makers are present.

"Martin, what I'm talking about below is related to the investment in this project. I hope the three of you can give me a conclusion on the spot, so where is Mr. Phil?" Ning Zimo just finished speaking and saw Neville.

He stood up and waved behind him.

Ning Zimo turned around and saw a middle-aged man running over. When he got closer, he stopped running.

While arranging his clothes, he reached out to Ning Zimo and said, "Hi, Lin, this is Phil. I just received a text message from Neville while I was resting in the hotel, saying that you might invest in our project.

.

I felt that the presence of the three of us would reflect the importance of your investment. So I came."

Although it was the first time for Phil to meet Ning Zimo, he was very enthusiastic, "Oh my God, you really look too young as Neville said."

He didn't expect the other party to be so eager, which actually saved Ning Zimo a lot of trouble.

Smiling and shaking hands with him, Ning Zimo invited him to sit down and asked, "What should you order first?"

"No, I just had coffee in the hotel, and now I'm full of enthusiasm. Let's talk about things directly." Phil sat on the sofa with enthusiasm.

Phil's eagerness also represented one of the other two people. After Ning Zimo sat down, he looked at the three people's faces one by one, and then got to the point.

"Just by chance, I learned about your plans for "Peppa Pig" from Mark and Neville. I really admire how long it took you to come up with such an outstanding character. But I have something more detailed.

I would like to ask for your opinions.”

Ning Zi's silent words of appreciation made the three of them very happy at first, but the sudden turn in his words obviously caught them off guard.

Such changes have been encountered countless times in previous funding negotiations, and the three of them felt a little disappointed.

But in the end he could only signal Ning Zimo to express his detailed thoughts.

Ning Zimo could tell by looking at the faces of the three of them that they were worried. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, everyone. The topic I want to talk about is actually a very troublesome idea of ​​mine. The origin of this idea is a bit long. Please give me a brief introduction.

Listen patiently."

Ning Zimo's explanation had some effect, and the three of them relaxed a little and listened.

"When I was young, there was an old man in my country named Wan Laiming. He was born in 1900. He was the pioneer of our Asian animation. In 1940, the old man created the flower-planting sound animation with a film length of nearly 3,000 days.

It is also the first animated feature film in Asia called "Princess Iron Fan", as well as the fairy tale "Ma Liang" and "Havoc in the Sky". You may not have heard of these things, but it doesn't matter, our focus is later.

Just now, your experiences and the animated characters you created touched something special in my heart. Whether it’s obsession or delusion, this feeling is truly the result of encountering the three of you who insist on walking on your own path.

The guy was born after.

My idea is this. I not only want to invest in "Peppa Pig" to make it available as soon as possible, and let the children who grow flowers see her. I also want to form a team to participate in "Peppa Pig" when we grow flowers.

During the production of "Peppa", I learned from you while working.

I think it would be best for one of you, Mark or Neville, to plant flowers and help me build a team. "Peppa Pig" can also be subcontracted. On the one hand, it can reduce production costs, and on the other hand, it can provide more training.

My team.

For this reason, I am willing to invest 2 million euros in production costs for the first season of "Peppa Pig", and I will definitely continue to invest in subsequent productions."

Ning Zimo's eyes sparkled and he smiled sincerely, "What do you think of this investment?"

Since it is positioned as a cultural industry, Ning Zimo decided to show some courage! If he wants to do it, just make a big plate!

Not only do we need a Peppa Pig luxury meal, but we also need an industry.
Chapter completed!