Chapter 64 1/2

Shengquan could be described as a pleasant surprise.

She had previously invited Professor Chen, as she was an expert in the field of robotics, and everyone knew that science fiction movies always featured robots.

However, at that time, Professor Chen had flatly refused. Shengquan had to change her approach, inviting her to the set to provide guidance.

Now, the unexpected happened, and Professor Chen took the initiative to propose cooperation.

Shengquan hadn’t seen Professor Chen’s name in the original text, but she could see her current achievements.

After obtaining the project proposal, the third review went smoothly, and she officially established a cooperative relationship with Professor Chen Aihong.

When this news spread, the first to express surprise was not the crew but the researchers familiar with Professor Chen.

Even Professor Zhang, Chen Aihong’s teacher, called and asked:

“Haven’t you always disliked cooperating with companies? Before, Le Yuan, such a big company, wanted you, but you were unwilling. Now, why are you willing?”

Chen Aihong: “Just… I find it comfortable. I like President Sheng’s attitude towards researchers.”

She looked back at the busy crew, the mechanical transport dogs walking around, and the small rail being built in the distance.

These things might not shock researchers much; after all, mechanical dogs had been made before, and these transport dogs didn’t have autonomous capabilities, and their obstacle avoidance was not very refined.

However, they were made by a group of students in a very short time.

And now, with Shengquan’s strong support, they were still moving forward, accompanied by more than thirty other student teams.

Thinking of the research team she had seen at the institute, Chen Aihong said:

“Teacher, I know it may sound a bit far-fetched, although this is just a movie, but I think maybe before it is released, it can really create not just one, but several miracles.”

Academician Zhang was taken aback for a moment. After a few seconds, this ninety-year-old man did not think that his student was daydreaming but smiled in response:

“Then let’s look forward to that day together.”

—

In their anticipation, the special effects team sent by Tianying felt like they had already seen a miracle.

As is well known, movie special effects are a post-production stage.

But in reality, there is a special effects team that works with the crew from the beginning to the end, collecting and recording various information and assisting in scenes with special effects.

It may sound high-end, but in simple terms, it means low pay and a lot of work.

To elaborate a bit, the money is not particularly low, but the workload is definitely particularly high.

In a more positive light, the special effects team is a communication bridge between the special effects company and the crew. In a less positive light, they are caught in the middle.

Their daily work involves carrying heavy equipment on their backs and encountering various unexpected situations. Special effects artists are not very popular in China. The guidance experience of special effects team directors is not very abundant. Sometimes, the special effects company says 1, and the crew says 2, often resulting in the pressure exploding instantly after a scene.

However, the special effects team, who had recently joined Tianying, was amazed to find that their work on “Star Wars” went very smoothly.

The crew’s attitude toward the special effects team was even smoother and more cooperative than some of the big-budget productions in Country A.

The team leader of the special effects team, Gao Shi, had experienced many grand scenes, but since joining the “Star Wars” crew, he had spent almost the past few days in a state of being highly valued and pleasantly surprised.

In fact, Gao Shi had been with Tianying for less than ten days since he joined the company.

He was Tan Hongguang’s old classmate and had been working abroad. The special effects environment there was better, but the elderly in his family were getting older. Plus, with the generous salary offered by his old classmate, he ultimately gritted his teeth, resigned from his job, and returned to China.

Within Tianying, special effects artists who had developed abroad and were called back to China by Tan Hongguang or other company members were not uncommon.

They all had families to support. If there were no other choice, who would want to leave their hometown and live in another country? Having a good and stable job in China was enough for them to return home with their burdens.

Gao Shi was the most experienced special effects team leader in Tianying, so he was promoted to the position just three days after joining the company.

Whether or not he was a team leader wasn’t important; the key was that the team leader had a higher salary.

With this small surprise right after joining, Gao Shi’s initial worries were immediately dispelled. Most importantly, Tianying’s scale was rapidly expanding.

Since the explosion of the “Top Ten Immortal Palace Special Effects Videos,” Tianying’s name has entered the public eye. The finely crafted and stunning special effects not only brought them great fame but also attracted excellent domestic special effects artists to join.

From the moment Gao Shi arrived at Tianying, he realized the enormous ambition behind this new company.

You should know that, in Huaxia, a special effects team with dozens of people could be considered somewhat substantial. Those big special effects companies might have two or three hundred people at most.

As a newly established company, Tianying already had an astonishing six hundred people, and they were still actively recruiting.

While continuously posting special effects videos related to Starlight Entertainment on public platforms to attract fans, they refused all cooperation requests from new partners after the official start of filming “Star Wars.” All company employees were focused solely on serving this one crew.

This not only represented that “Star Wars” would be Tianying’s most significant advertisement, but it also showed Tianying’s grand ambition.

Gao Shi hadn’t met the chairman, Shengquan, but evidently, a boss who could continuously elevate Starlight Entertainment’s development was not the kind of person who would decide impulsively to start a big special effects company.

Maintaining a special effects company costs a lot of money, not to mention the staff of over five hundred, as well as the expensive and numerous equipment for the crew. All of this was not just for the preparation of a single movie like “Star Wars.”

Starlight Entertainment… had such great ambitions!

After realizing this, Gao Shi became even more passionate about his work.

If Starlight Entertainment established the subsidiary company Tianying specifically for the production of more blockbuster movies, it meant that as long as Starlight didn’t fall, Tianying would exist forever.

On a smaller scale, he had the hope of promotion and a raise in the future. Maybe he could work at Tianying until retirement.

On a larger scale, if Chairman Sheng had such plans, the Tianying he was in… might also gain global fame in the future.

Because he had worked abroad, Gao Shi was more clear-headed in recognizing the global disdain for Huaxia’s special effects.

But in reality, Huaxia’s special effects artists were not weak. Some explosive international blockbusters featured the work of Huaxia’s special effects artists, and foreign movies often outsourced special effects to Huaxia’s special effects companies.