Chapter 459: Chapter 453 What Will Be Left – Part 2

It was as if they were watching real-time footage from the streets of Tidal City in the North Federation, with all pedestrians simulated as NPCs. The only thing missing was their sound. But with such realistic scenes, there was no sign that revealed any difference in these pedestrians. Kent Daniel was flabbergasted, as were those around him.

Even the technicians on Finn Lewis’s side were astounded! Because they knew what such technology represented — it was so powerful! The sheer amount of computation it required was terrifying!

Seeing the jaws dropping on Kent Daniel’s side brought great pleasure to Finn Lewis. He thoroughly relished their stupefaction. ‘Ha, so even the directors from Floral Village can be amazed by Flame Nation’s tech!’ Of course, this was all part of Lewis’s plan. He had secretly instructed Olivia Thatcher to make sure these foreigners were blown away.

And indeed, they were now thoroughly stunned. The formation of a city wasn’t an easy task, but it had just appeared alive right before them.

Kent Daniel sat stunned for three full minutes before he came to his senses. Turning to Finn Lewis, he stared straight at him, and said, “Mr. Lewis, I believe you’ve changed the world!”

Finn Lewis almost burst out laughing. ‘Is this what you call changing the world? The world sure is easy to change!’ “You flatter me, Mr. Daniel. We simply developed a new technology,” Lewis replied.

“Oh, no, Mr. Lewis, I’m not exaggerating! Seriously, you’ve transformed the entire film world. Mr. Lewis, you’re going to leave a major mark in the world of cinema. The history of film could never bypass you. You may not be part of our industry, but this technology you developed will fundamentally change the way films are made,” Daniel implored, his hands waving frantically and his spit practically spraying with excitement.

Luckily, he was some distance from Finn Lewis, who had thus escaped his spray.

“Mr. Daniel, though this scene may seem astonishing, I need to clarify in advance that constructing such large-scale cities and buildings will require a separate fee after our contract is officially signed. I’m sure you understand, even as a non-specialist, how much computational resources simulating a mega metropolis like this requires. Although it’s not a one-time charge, our costs aren’t low,” said Finn Lewis seriously.

“Of course, of course, I understand. I understand,” Kent Daniel replied, his excitement making him slightly incoherent. He suddenly realized that many images he had earlier imagined could now be materialized with this technology. Many things that used to be impossible are now achievable. For instance, do you have any idea how long it takes to render a super-metropolis? Or a magical urban scene in a fantasy or mystical world?

Keep in mind, many films that feature such scenes usually display a panoramic view from a distance, often blurred. That makes it easier to render, but close-ups are more challenging. Scenes set in small city alleys are more manageable. Now imagine using the scene created by Finn Lewis in many settings.

Can you envision what the absolute devastation of Tidal City would look like from a director’s perspective? Displaying this harsh reality to the audience instead of deceiving them with a few visual effects? Showing them the raw, hard truth?

For a director, this is an irresistible temptation. In this world, Kent Daniel realized his directorial imagination could run wild. Good stories wouldn’t be discarded merely because some visual effects couldn’t be achieved. This is why Kent Daniel held such high praise for Finn Lewis. This signified the birth of a new film world!

The audience will be seeing a more realistic movie world henceforth. “Mr. Lewis, I think we can sign the contract now. Following the fees you’ve stated, one million federal coins a day is acceptable. Of course, before we sign the contract, we’d like to see the separate construction costs of some buildings, like the standalone cost of constructing Tidal City.”

“One million federal coins,” Finn Lewis declared plainly.

“What?” Kent Daniel was taken aback.

“One million federal coins, to simulate a mega metropolis, or similar fantastical architecture,” Finn Lewis said, sporting a slight smile.

Kent Daniel didn’t know how to respond to this rate. Indeed, it was too low! An ultra-large city like this wouldn’t be used many times within a film. Some films may only require a single such scene, and the greater significance is, these scenes can be manipulated as one desires.

Kent Daniel didn’t believe that destruction couldn’t be simulated if the construction was possible. This led him to believe that one million federal coins really was too low. Even if you added the daily rate of one million federal coins, if your skills are advanced and timeline tight, you might finish all the work within two days at a cost of three million federal coins. Plus, the visual effects would be stunningly breathtaking, unlike the unsatisfactory tiny bits of visual effects provided in the past.

However, as a consumer, Kent Daniel couldn’t possibly complain about a price being too low and insist on increasing it?! Therefore, he was slightly frustrated.

Floral Village had been caught in a vicious cycle: high-cost productions led to big box office revenue. To deliver good special effects and impressive box office returns, money has to be thrown into the project. But now? Finn Lewis’s technology would break this cycle, leading to many large films with considerable box office returns but lower production costs. However, this would also lead to another result.

With the barrier of entry lowered, there would undoubtedly be a surge of films with excellent special effects but poor content. It seems that the future will return to prioritizing scriptwriters and storylines. To Finn Lewis’s surprise, Kent Daniel’s mind was filled with thoughts about this aspect.

Funnily enough, Kent Daniel even thought that in the future, small companies might not need this special server for low-budget films. They could just use regular game servers because the rendered scenes in these regular servers are already sufficient for low-budget film needs.