Chapter 186 - Pixie Studios

April 12, 2013 – 10 AM, Friday – Pixie Studios, Piedmont, California

[[[ *Credits Roll* *Music*]]]

*CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* *WHISTLES* *WHISTLES*

A crowd of around 100 people start cheering and celebrating in one of Pixie Studios' conference rooms. They have just seen the final cut of 'Snow White'. The crowd, is composed of Pixie Studios' animators, other crew, and some executives. 

Unlike the news that Tayaw and Chala received from Pixie Studios a year ago, Pixie Studios dropped 'Little Red Riding Hood' and focused instead on 'Snow White'.     

They first thought they can save money in making the two films simultaneously as 'Snow White' and 'Little Red Riding hood' had very similar settings, but after realizing that the story of "Little Red Riding Hood' will be hard to stretch into at least an 85-minute film, they gave up.       

Them focusing instead on 'Snow White' has made them realize that they are making a film not like any other animated film before. The character uniqueness of the dwarves themselves proved a challenge that they were glad to tackle, and the animators had a blast with their trial and error. 

"Great job everyone!" Lights soon are turned back on and a Pixie Studios executive steps towards the podium to congratulate everyone in the room, not bothered at all by the projector light hitting his face.

"So, no cuts?" A man, who is the editor of the 'Snow White', asks.

The executive then exchanges looks with his other executive buddies to the side before nodding.

"Yeah. No cuts." The executive replies.

The people around the room, already used to executives cutting their film, are about to protest before the executive's words catches up to them.

"YES!" The people around the room celebrate once again in relief. 

Seeing the people's reaction, the executive steps down the podium and approaches Chala.

"Mr. Rotala. How was it?" The executive asks.

"I loved it, Mr. Klepper. It's great!..." Chala answers with excitedly, but seeing Tayaw's unimpressed face, "…I guess?" Chala concludes his opinion with uncertainty.

Mr. Klepper shakes his head at Chala's lack of expertise and looks at Tayaw beside Chala for an input.

Seeing as Tayaw is also not talking, the executive gives up.

"'You guess?' Mr. Rotala, I'm sorry to ask this, but why isn't Mr. Grimmauld not here? I thought he would be at least excited to see his story come to life." Mr. Klepper asks instead, still in the dark about Tayaw's identity.

"Well, he's rather busy, focused really, in researching and writing his next novels, including the second volume of Grimm's Fairy tales. Even I had a hard time having a good talk with him." Chala can only say.

Mr. Klepper also accepts the realistic answer.

"Well. Artists, right?" Mr. Klepper chuckles. 

"About his other books. It's been more than a year since 'The Halfling' was published. Is he really not planning on selling movie rights? We can give him a very, very generous offer." Mr. Klepper starts brokering.

"He says he prefers 'The Halfling' to be a movie with real people in it." Tayaw answers this time.

"…" This makes Mr. Klepper speechless.

"Wait. Who're you again?" Mr. Klepper asks as Tayaw did not introduce himself earlier and Chala also did not bother introducing.

"Oh, how rude of me. I'm Agew Dagem, Mr. Grimmauld's editor." Tayaw introduces himself, finally.

Chala almost does a double take at Tayaw's casual lie that he himself almost believed. 

"Okay. Mr…" Mr. Klepper struggles to say 'Dagem'.

"I go by Isiah in English." Tayaw amends his name.

"Okay… Isiah. You mean Mr. Grimmauld wants a live movie?" Mr. Klepper asks in clarification.

"Yes." Tayaw nods.

"That… Is he sure? I'm a fan of 'The Halfling' but I don't think it's a good idea. The costumes, the film locations, hell, the fantastical creatures. I don't even know how a film studio can make 'The Halfling' into a realistic looking film." Mr. Klepper says.

"Uhh…We can green screen the whole thing." An animator who is eavesdropping at the conversation subconsciously says, out loud.

This gets the interest of Mr. Klepper and Tayaw.

"What do you mean?" Mr. Klepper asks.

"I mean, we designed the whole castle of the Wicked Queen in 'Snow White'. Why can't we do the same of 'The Halfling'? Then green screen real actors." The animator says.

"Have you read the book?" Tayaw asks.

"Yeah." The animator nods.

"Can you make… let's say, Riverdell? The elves' home?" Tayaw asks.

"It's gonna take a lot of work, but I guess?" The animator says.

"How about the orcs? Or the dragon? Can you make them realistically too?" Tayaw asks again.

At this point, Mr. Klepper has taken a step back to let the animator make Pixie more attractive to Tayaw and Chala.

"The orcs can use make-up and prosthetics. The dragon though, that's gonna take a lot of work, research, and collaboration with computer effects people." The animator says. 

Tayaw meanwhile, already knows what he can use and is only fishing for more ideas that he might be able to use once he finally decides to adapt 'The Halfling' himself. 

"Okay! Buddy~…" Mr. Klepper cuts in before the animator might say something that might sabotage their image.

"Isiah. You being Mr. Grimmauld's editor, what do you think about the film?" Mr. Klepper switches the topic back, already satisfied by the interest shown by Tayaw.

"It's good, I think. But it's rather bland…" Tayaw says.

"Bland?" Mr. Klepper and the animator feel a bad fluttering of anxiety in the pits of their stomachs.

"Yeah. I th-" Tayaw is about to clarify when Mr. Klepper interrupts him.

"Hold that thought, Isiah. HEY EVERYBODY. This young man is Mr. Grimmauld's editor. He has a few words." Mr. Klepper puts Tayaw on the spot.

Seeing the attention of everyone on him, Tayaw can only walk to the podium. 

"Just like I said to Mr. Klepper over there, I think the film is quite bland." Tayaw begins.

*Murmur* *Murmur* He almost regrets being so frank as the gazes of the people who worked on the two animated films have become hostile.

"Looking at it, it's fine in the first look. The movements of the characters are very expressive, the environment is very attractive to look at. The voice actors did great jobs too, and you all have done a remarkable job in stretching the story." Tayaw switches with compliments, which achieves the effect he wanted; the crowd is now more willing to listen to him. 

"However. Mr. Grimmauld, would want this film to be a classic." Tayaw begins his suggestions.

"How do we do that? And what do you know about animation?" An animator heckles.

"Fair question. I'm not an expert. However, I know the vision of Mr. Grimmauld will help the films you will all make based on his work. If you can let me relay his suggestions?" Tayaw says to the animator as a way to ask everyone's permission.

The animator can only calm down at Tayaw's rational words.

"Okay. What's lacking, just like Mr. Grimmauld predicted, is music. Specifically, songs." Tayaw starts, immediately grabbing the interest of everyone.

"But, Mr. Grimmauld is no musician, so we enlisted the help of one." Tayaw says as he walks toward the home theater set-up of the room.

Tayaw pulls out his phone, fiddles with the sound equipment and finally, plugs his phone in to the speakers. Soon, a song starts playing.

"Oh, brothers, oh brothers, build him a boat

That down the magical river he floats

And every boater in every raft he pass

There he will inquire for his sweet lovely lass."

(Based on Pinery Boy by Sam Eskrine)

The song 'The Lost Lass and Boy', is one of the songs Tayaw just whipped up with his portable synthesizer and microphone between the day Pixie Studios invited him and Chala for the private screening and today.

While waiting for today, Tayaw, through Chala, asked the people of Pixie what to expect, which included his questions about the music. While Pixie made well-suited soundtrack for the background music, Tayaw is not satisfied, as he expected, after he saw the actual movies. 

The song itself is not complicated. Tayaw grabbed the melody from his thousands of compositions, quickly wrote up some lyrics, and arranged the song to the humble Loggers' Songs genre. The song is also accompanied by simple flute, acoustic guitar, and a bass drum. The simplicity of the song however reflects a manly, down-to-earth, and working man sound. 

"…" The people in the room can only listen to the song that is playing through the speakers as they can kind of see how it can be used in the film. 

"She was rowing down the stream

She rows three-a-rafts all in a string

and every raft that she passes by

There she inquires for her lovely boy…"

The short song soon ends and Tayaw sees that some of the people in the room are nodding and are starting to talk to each other.

"It suits well with the dwarves." One person tells Tayaw, expressing others' opinions as well.

Tayaw is glad with the reaction.

"Okay. Here's one more." Tayaw plays another short song.

"Who has been sitting in my chair, who has been eating from my plate.

Who has been eating my bread, who has been eating my vegetables?

Who has been sticking with my fork, who has been cutting with my knife?

Who has been drinking from my mug? Who stepped on my bed?

Someone has been lying in mine as well…"

This song's lyrics, unlike the first one, is based on the dialogue of the original story. It too, is in the Logger's song genre.

"It's a great way to introduce our good little dwarves." Tayaw tells the Pixie people after the song is over. The people in the room also approve of the song. 

"There are eight more songs for 'Snow White', that I can have you all listen to for consideration." Tayaw says proving his seriousness to contribute.

The creators, listening to Tayaw's suggestion, are pumped up as they know that the songs can indeed improve the movie, and they can already see it.

The executives however, have conflicted faces. 

"Uhh.. Isiah." Mr. Klepper, takes Tayaw's attention.

"Yes?"

"This all sound good and all, but… We already spent $15,000,000 in production. The head of productions can even tell you why. I don't know if we can spare more budget adding these. There's still marketing left." Mr. Klepper says. 

"That is understandable. Mr. Grimmauld does not want to impose himself, but because these two films are gonna be the first adaptations of his work, he's rather wary of it being bad. We know that if you guys are going to take Mr. Grimmauld's suggestions, it's going to take more work and money.

"On the other hand, films last forever, and this will as well. We don't want to look back at this film in the future and have a lot of regrets, no?" Tayaw argues. 

"This… I admire Mr. Grimmauld's vision, I truly do. However, film is different. We have to consider the bottom line. We are also a business. Another thing, it is more difficult for animated films to attract investors." Mr. Klepper argues back.

"How about this then? If Mr. Grimmauld invests $8,000,000, right now, to this film's budget. Would you reconsider?" Tayaw asks.

*murmur* *Murmur* the creative side of Pixie in the room start to chat amongst themselves excitedly.

Mr. Klepper and his corporate buddies are taken aback.

After consorting with his buddies for a while, "Isiah, Mr. Rotala. May we invite you to an early lunch?" Mr. Klepper offers.