Recently, I took on a commission from soone in an authors’ group to help write a movie script. The other party gave a deposit and an outline. After a hard month, I finally managed to finish the script, but then they suddenly didn’t want it anymore. Isn’t that a crock of shit?"
Chen Feng imdiately asked, "Are you trying to pitch this script to ?"
Zhang Kewei quickly nodded, "Yes. This script took a month’s worth of effort. Plus, I think both the story content and the little scenes I added are pretty good. If a visionary company spots it and finds the right director and actors to shoot it, it could definitely beco a hit."
Zhang Kewei was clearly trying to sell his own work.
Chen Feng continued to ask, "Why did they suddenly not want it anymore? Did they give a reason?"
Zhang Kewei gave a wry smile, "They did. They said that the initial sponsor was very satisfied with the script’s concept but later beca dissatisfied, so the script was scrapped."
"So who holds the copyright to this script now?"
"The concept is theirs. But they definitely didn’t register the copyright, and since they don’t want it now, the script that I wrote word by word should belong to ."
Chen Feng shook his head, "That’s a bit of a stretch. Your role here is only a ghostwriter; the copyright still belongs to the client who commissioned it."
Zhang Kewei, feeling helpless, said, "Alright then. If you’re interested in this script, I can contact them, and I’ll handle the price negotiation with them. You just give my fair share."
Chen Feng laughed, "You’re planning to be a middleman, huh."
Zhang Kewei wasn’t embarrassed, chuckling as he nodded, "Yes. I’ll first discuss the price with you, then I’ll negotiate with the client. Once I get the copyright, I’ll transfer it to you."
Chen Feng was a bit speechless and shook his head, "You’re so confident I’ll be interested in your script?"
"Of course, I’m confident. I can let you see it first. If you’re not satisfied, you don’t have to buy it."
"Alright. Let take a look first."
Chen Feng agreed straightforwardly, giving so face to an old classmate.
Without hesitation, Zhang Kewei directly sent it to Chen Feng via mobile, showing a lot of trust in him.
Of course, if he didn’t trust Chen Feng, this deal couldn’t be discussed.
Chen Feng glanced at his phone. The title was "My Love," a youthful romance film.
It tells the story of a young couple’s love, starting from love at first sight in high school and lasting for fifteen years, yet ultimately, they don’t end up together. Instead, he attended the female lead’s wedding.
The woman I loved got married, but the groom wasn’t .
After reading this synopsis, Chen Feng felt a sense of familiarity and couldn’t help but ask, "The male lead attends the female lead’s wedding and isn’t the groom. Why does that seem familiar to ? It feels like a plot from so movie."
Zhang Kewei awkwardly chuckled and quickly explained, "It is a bit similar, but there are significant changes made. It’s still quite different from that movie."
Honestly, Chen Feng wasn’t very interested in the script. But given the face of old classmate Zhang Kewei, he decided that if it wasn’t too expensive, he’d buy it.
"How much are you asking for this script?"
Chen Feng put down the script and directly asked.
Zhang Kewei didn’t hesitate, quoting directly: "A hundred thousand."
Although Chen Feng wasn’t very familiar with movie script prices, he knew that as a struggling author, Zhang Kewei only made a few thousand a month writing tens to hundreds of thousands of words. Asking for a hundred thousand for a month’s work on a script seed a bit high.
Not to ntion that he didn’t have much fa and probably didn’t have a successful movie script to his na before.
"Personally, your price isn’t too high, but the company has its own rules. I’ve basically handed over the company’s affairs to a professional manager. I can recomnd the script to her and let you negotiate the price with her. What do you think?"
"Alright then. But I hope she can get back to soon, preferably within two days."
Zhang Kewei was a bit disappointed but couldn’t say much; business is business, after all.
"Rest assured, I’ll have her get back to you tomorrow. Also, I won’t let you suffer; I won’t let her drastically lower the price. The final price will definitely be above the industry standard."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Kewei was speechless. Although he had taken commissions to write scripts before, he didn’t even have basic signature rights. He was a newbie in the industry.
According to the industry standard, getting five or six thousand for this newbie’s movie script would be considered good; usually, it’d be two or three thousand.
"Alright, anything else besides this?" Chen Feng raised his glass in question.
Zhang Kewei, thick-skinned, imdiately said, "Also, I’m planning to start a stationery company, and I was wondering if you’re interested in partnering with ?"
"You’re thinking of starting a company, seriously?" Chen Feng asked, surprised.
"Of course," Zhang Kewei said with a serious face, "I’ve always worked in the stationery industry, so I know the ins and outs. If done well, the profits can be substantial."
Chen Feng shook his head, "I think I’ll pass. I don’t know the first thing about this industry. If you’re really set on starting this company and need money, I can lend you so. But as a friend, I’m just reminding you that starting a company isn’t as simple as you think. Especially for sothing common like stationery, the market is probably already saturated, and you’ll face significant competition if you jump in."
Zhang Kewei sighed, "You’re right, but I really don’t want to work for others forever. Starting a stationery company has its risks, but I’m familiar with this industry now. Plus, I have a good number of established clients."
Chen Feng suggested, "I think you should take it step by step. If you don’t want to work for soone else, you could start by opening a stationery store yourself. It requires less investnt and you can beco an agent for several stationery brands."
Zhang Kewei fell silent for a mont before saying, "Alright, I’ll seriously consider your suggestion. For now, let toast you with tea instead of wine."
Then, prompted by Zhang Kewei, the two began chatting about their college days, having an enjoyable conversation. Later, Zhang Kewei couldn’t help but ntion Cao Jun and Cao Li, that dog couple, along with the tragic Yuan Hua.
"I only found out yesterday, so I went to the hospital to see Cao Jun. Not that we’re super close, but he used to take care of my business, giving his company’s stationery orders every year. But moving forward, whether I’ll get those orders is another story.
His injuries are quite serious. He was supposed to be discharged after a week, but what Yuan Hua did ans it might take him a month. Plus, after being discharged, he needs ti to recuperate, and who knows how long that will take. By the ti he returns to the company, it’s uncertain if he’ll still hold his VP position."
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