In Santa Monica where the sea breeze blows, the CEO's office is on the third floor of Cheyenne Corporate Headquarters.
Rifkin sat behind a high-end solid wood desk with a smile on his long face. He picked up a few contract documents and handed them to Ye Wei across the table. He smiled and said: "Boy, happy cooperation. As you said, soon, the whole world will Will be shocked."
"Haha, it's a pleasure to work with you." Ye Wei happily took the large stack of contracts and flipped through them casually. One was a joint venture production contract between the two parties, and the other two were employment contracts for the project producer and director.
In fact, when it comes to the signing step, it is a process, because the previous stage of making the contract is the time for both parties to discuss it. Each of these three contracts was over fifty pages long. He was asked to read it by himself. He couldn't understand many parts, so he brought along lawyer Salton to support them.
But he looked at it for a while and didn¡¯t ask anything. Lawyer Salton sat next to him like a robot, but he couldn¡¯t hide the joy in his eyes.
"If you read it and you have no problem, just sign it, and then we will start the next step." Rifkin said about the happy event: "Lovett's side is already active, and Nickelodeon intends to broadcast "Angel Dance" in prime time. ¡±, at the end of the month, millions of children will see your short film, haha.¡±
"Cool!" Ye Wei couldn't help but stare. Nickelodeon is a cable children's channel. Everyone from 2 to 14 years old likes to watch it. "SpongeBob SquarePants" is its masterpiece. He also grew up watching Nickelodeon. The love of children determines whether a person can become a youth idol.
He was confident that "Dance of Angels" would work, but he wondered if it was for commercial use? Just ask this question.
¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s a charity broadcast, and all proceeds will be donated to charity.¡± Rifkin replied.
"That's good." Ye Wei nodded excitedly. It's great. All the hard work will finally bear sweet fruits. It's really dreamy!
Director! Producer! He couldn't wait to think about it. He couldn't help but flip through the joint venture contract and turned to the part about the project director. "Fang Ye Wei from the Dream Chaser Alliance will participate in the creative affairs of the project director team."
It¡¯s greatbut
Something suddenly flashed through his mind. It was a line of text in the prank letter: "You are no longer the director", participation, team His heart tightened, and he thought of a not-so-good idea: This part of the clause did not exist at all. It is clear that the director of the project is Ye Wei!
The first assistant director, the second assistant director, and even the third and fourth are also members of the team and participate in creative affairs.
He turned back to the project producer part, and the same was true. He did not explicitly say that the first producer was Ye Wei, but only said that he would participate in the affairs of the production team
Ye Wei suppressed those villainous thoughts, looked at Lawyer Salton, then at Rifkin, and said with a smile: "I have a question. It is not clearly stated in the contract that I am the director and first producer. I think it is clearly stated. better."
"Haha!" Rifkin changed his sitting posture slightly and raised his hand to touch his chin, "Boy, it's not necessary. This is just like Lovett's plan to build your image. Everything will not be written into the contract. These are We have a private agreement and there is an employment contract.¡±
Lawyer Salton also had doubts, "It is best to make it clear and it can be used as a binding clause. When we made the contract before, we neglected this point."
After all, he is not a gold medal lawyer, but when he faced the top-notch Skip Bridenham, and because of the unequal strength in the whole thing, he was subconsciously too humble, and he realized that he seemed to be being quietly led by the nose.
"Let's see" Ye Wei flipped through two more employment contracts. After a while, his doubts grew instead of falling, because the employment contract had a dismissal clause, which did not even require compensation. With the clause of "unprofessional behavior that harmed the project" You can kick him out. What does this mean? How is it unprofessional? They have the final say?
I have searched and searched, but I can¡¯t find anywhere that can guarantee that when the film is released, the names of the producer and director displayed on the screen will be Ye Wei.
He thought about the Focus contract, thought about Kevin Thomas, and didn¡¯t make any possible stupid mistakes! Don't be blinded by joy, especially when that mysterious letter appears.
"Arnold, I need a clear clause to ensure that the plan will not change." Ye Wei said very seriously, "This way everyone can feel at ease, why not?"
Rifkin¡¯s smile softened slightly, ¡°That¡¯s against the rules, kid, the current one is fine, you can rest assured.¡±
"No, our project is not a regular project, I need it." Ye Wei's face was full of sincerity, and he began to worry because he became more and more aware that something was wrong, "I don't understand why not?"
¡°It¡¯s troublesome to remake the contract, and we have to ask the lawyers to do a lot of work, and it takes a long time¡± Rifkin was vague.??You can tell it's a lie as soon as you hear it.
"No trouble, just add a clause." Lawyer Salton said, and Ye Wei frowned, "I don't want to joke about this, please!"
Rifkin was silent for a while. There was no longer a smile on his long face, and there was a look of disappointment in his eyes. "Boy, the only thing you have to do now is to sign these three contracts and take them home for your parents to sign too." Then leave it to us."
"I want that clause!" Ye Wei's voice was a little anxious.
"You won't get it." Rifkin's face became darker and darker. Ye Wei asked anxiously: "Why?" Rifkin shook his head, as if looking at a willful crying child, and sighed: "Don't do this, you will make it difficult for everyone, do you understand?"
"No, I don't understand!" Ye Wei was panicked and angry, and couldn't help but punch the tabletop of his desk. Is that letter real How could it be real
Rifkin still looked concerned about him and said sincerely: "As a person who has been in the film industry for many years, and as a person who has been in adult society for many years, my advice to you is that you You have to learn to play dumb and understand that only by suffering some losses now can you have a bright future. "
"What are you talking about" Ye Wei's heart kept sinking, and his voice was trembling: "Has anything changed?"
"Sign the contract and you will know it later!"
Ye Wei said loudly: "Then, fire me immediately and give me the title of assistant producer and assistant director? What happened?!"
"Some things just happened." Rifkin spread his hands helplessly.
"Is this what Mr. Willis means?" Ye Wei narrowed his eyes, and a feeling of anger quickly gathered in his chest, "Does he know? Who means this!? Lovett? He is not satisfied with me. Don¡¯t agree with his love hype plan? Or Mr. Bloch who means that?¡±
Rifkin did not answer, only said: "Be obedient and sign, and you can say anything. I promise you, you will never suffer any loss. Why do you have 10% of the shares of Dream Chaser Alliance? Is this clear enough? Boy, this is Bruce Willie A project starring Si! 10% share!¡±
No, if there is one place in the contract that deceives people, there are two places that can deceive people Ye Wei turned to look at Lawyer Salton, and suddenly understood what the sentence "Don't trust anyone" meant. Is the current situation not theirs? Part of the plan? Who can be trusted?
Looking at this sharp look, Lawyer Salton looked ashamed, "Yi, I really didn't participate. It was my low level that almost allowed them to succeed"
"Yes, it's none of his business." Rifkin shrugged, "Boy, in addition to the shares, you will also become an idol."
"Who cares about idols? All I care about is making movies!!" Ye Wei was heartbroken. He tried his best to suppress his anger and said in a deep voice: "What do you want to do now? Just tell me clearly and don't play around. It¡¯s impossible to defraud my project through this despicable method. If I weren¡¯t the producer and director, no one would be able to take away ¡°Little Miss Sunshine¡±!¡±
"Hey!" Rifkin shook his head, and his tone changed again, as cold as an enemy: "Boy, this is your choice. Everyone's face is not good-looking, and it is also your choice."
He picked up the landline phone on the table, dialed a number, and said, "That guy found out. He refused to sign. Come over and take care of it."
Whowho! ? Ye Wei took a deep breath, like an angry bull that was tied to death. He was so angry that he wanted to lift the desk, but he couldn't move. He could only clenched his fists and trembled.
What do they want to do, these people, who are these people, what do they want to do
There was dead silence in the office. After a while, the door was opened and Richard Lovett walked in. He was wearing a gray casual suit and round-rimmed glasses. He still had the style of a high school teacher, but his face clearly showed a bit of coldness and impatience.
Before he sat down, he had already scolded Ye Weidao: "Boy, why are you so disobedient? What do you have to be so disobedient?"
"Sir, if you have anything to say, just say it. Stop talking nonsense" Ye Wei's eyes were like burning flames.
¡°These so-called big shots, the close mentors he once thought were all suddenly turned into venomous snakes, spitting out letters, ready to bite him to death and devour him at any moment
Luo Wei pulled a chair, sat down on the other side, looked at Ye Wei, and suddenly smiled: "Sometimes, I really hate dream chasers like you. You are so smart, but you just don't know how to be smarter. If you talk about dreams all day long, you will end up wasting your talent and your youth!
"When you become someone, I won't dare to scold you even if you spit in my face, but who are you now?" You are nothing! If you continue to make trouble, youNothing will be gained! "
"You just need totell me the truth!" Ye Wei could no longer hold it back any longer.
Lovett leaned on the back of his chair, crossed his legs, and while turning, he said in a normal manner: "Things have changed. David Lind, the co-chairman of Focus Films, do you know him?
He has invited an Oscar-level director to direct this project. I won¡¯t tell you who it is, but that man can bring ¡°Little Miss Sunshine¡± to the Oscar stage! They had dinner with Bruce, who changed his mind.
You know, an actor whose acting skills are obviously good enough to win the Oscar for Best Actor, just because he is regarded as an action superstar by the public, can't even get a decent award nomination, "Hart's War" did not, and "Give Back My Innocence" Nonot even "The Sixth Sense"! Do you know what that feels like?
I know! Bruce has been unwilling to give up over the years. When he was a Broadway understudy, he dreamed of stepping onto the Oscar stage. He has been waiting for such an opportunity. Yes, you need a chance, and he needs a chance too! An opportunity to make his dream come true.
Now that the opportunity has come, he doesn't want to miss it, and he can't miss it. If he misses it, he may never have another chance in this life. Today in March, he turns 50! Boy, although he doesn't like to hear this, this age is not good. He is getting old. He is not Eastwood. He is afraid of getting old. He can't wait any longer. "
Listening to this, Ye Wei's expression changed continuously, and something was completely broken, "You mean, Mr. Willis knows that you want to lie to me, no, he is also involved"
Rifkin on the opposite side shrugged, while Lovett on the side smiled, as if he was amused by his childishness, and said: "Lie? Don't use this word, even if it is, it is a white lie. We are trying to make you feel better." It¡¯s only come a long way, you should be grateful for this.¡±
"Hahaha!!" Ye Wei laughed angrily, almost crying, "Gentlemen, are you crazy? The script is mine!"
Lovett smiled and raised his hand, "Boy, listen to me. Although your position has changed, we will continue with the 'Genius Boy Ye Wei' project. Bruce really cares about you and has repeatedly emphasized to us With this in mind, I can¡¯t let you suffer.
So with this win-win approach, promote the short film, publish the column, and cancel the romance hype. I have investigated and found that the public is indeed not very interested in you. There may even be a backlash against the combination of Asian boys and white girls. The effect is that you will both be laughed at. If the woman can't bear it and dumps you, then you will be a loser. Whether you want it or not, this plan does not apply.
?? Okay, just take the route of being a pure talent. You can make a high-quality 10-minute short film in half a year, right? "Little Miss Sunshine" will have your position as assistant producer and guest actor, which is a good title. If the director agrees, you will also be the guest director, allowing you to shoot one or two scenes, which may not be released to the public. version, but it¡¯s definitely on the DVD.
?This way you cooperate with us in media promotion, which is good for you, the project and everyone. "
"Haha, you guys are so funny, hahaha" Ye Wei laughed all the time and looked around at them, "The best of both worlds! It sounds so nice. Give me a few useless titles and squeeze out a little bit of my life. Publicity value, then? The pure talent route does not apply! And Willis cooperates with a big director to go to the Oscar stage, and his dream comes true! "
"Don't worry, we will definitely create your image as a talented person with a high IQ, little Woody Allen. People like Asian boys like this more." Lovett promised.
"Woody Allen is a scumbag who fucks his daughter, don't compare him to me!" Ye Wei suddenly yelled, "High IQ?! Only a fool would agree to this bullshit!"
"Calm down, kid, look at it. This is why we use white lies. We will continue to work together in the future. Who will look good if you make such a fuss?"
Lovett shook his head again and said earnestly: "Let me teach you another rule of the film industry. This industry is actually very small, and the higher you go, the more it becomes more like this. The people you face today, you will meet again in the future. , not just once! If you don¡¯t want to be kicked out of Hollywood, be polite and smile even if you are angry.¡±
"I want to slap you a few times now, but look at me, am I angry?" He smiled and raised his palm, sucking the air a few times.
"I agree, this is an iron rule." Rifkin nodded and said.
Ye Wei gritted his teeth. If he hadn't held back, he would have pounced on and beat these despicable guys
"You don't want to agree, the question is, why do you want to refuse?" Lovett laughed again, shaking his legs slightly, "Boy, let me analyze it for you.
As long as you agree, you will at least be a young talent, and your capital will become more and more. In that way, maybe in less than five years, you will really become a feature film director, but it will not be "Little Miss Sunshine". By then, you will be no more than 20 Years old, the future is bright.
And you refuse, CAA won¡¯t sign you, PR won¡¯t sign you, talent, genius, these will always be just beautiful illusions. The worst part is, by the time you're 20, you're just a film school student at best. "
Lovett paused as he spoke, and his tone gradually became harsh:
"Because if you continue to be stubborn, you will make many big people angry, me? I'm just a small person, but David Lind? Bruce? That big director? Or someone from CAA? All the people whose interests have been harmed because of your stupidity people!
¡°Maybe, I mean maybe, you don¡¯t know when you will receive some small punishment. Do you think you can find any big people to value you and invest in you? Do you want to do overseas pre-sales? Do you want to raise funds? You will be surprised to find that no company will pay attention to you!
It only takes a few phone calls, we don¡¯t even have to use any underhanded tactics, do you need it? Do I need to suppress you or boycott you? Who are you?
¡°Boy, be smart! It's not the time yet, I've said it many times, it's not the time for you to act up! "
At the same time, Lawyer Salton¡¯s face was ashen. He was clearly fine just now, how could he end up in this situation
Threats and inducements, right? I don't know since when, Ye Wei looked calm, as if he had lost his soul, and his whole person was very weak.
"These people are poisonous snakes, more poisonous than Harmon and Gale. Compared with the methods of these people, they are just little flies, and these people are poisonous snakes
The respect, trust, and appreciation of those "our own people" are all fake, and those happiness and joy are also
When he spoke again, Ye Wei's voice was a little hoarse: "I'm not afraid of your threats. Do you think I really don't understand? No one in the film industry has hegemony, and there never will be, because the work is the greatest power. ¡I am not afraid of you, nor do I care about you, nor do I care about talented people and idols.¡±
"Hey!" Both of them were helpless because of his stubbornness. Rifkin covered his forehead, and Lovett spread his hands and said again:
"You can't be careless. What about your family? Is your family's financial situation very good? We all know that your father works so hard and goes to work on weekends. Can you bear it? Your mother? Your sister? They are doing very well. ?
As long as you listen to us, it won¡¯t take long for your family to buy a beach vacation house in Malibu. If you are in a hurry, how about a signed down payment of 500,000? As long as you meet the building plan in our brokerage contract, I will give it to you. "
Ye Wei leaned back on the chair and stared at the ceiling. For the first time, he felt that the ceiling above his head and the invisible ceiling were so heavy and depressing
"Think about your family, and then think about your friends. They could have been in the limelight, but just because you can't figure it out alone, let them accompany you to misfortune. Is this friendship? Think about your little girlfriend again, Lily Collins, boy, a rich lady like her will not like a loser.
The reason why you have a good relationship now is because you have done well recently and are cool; when you are nothing, she will leave. This is not snobbery, but you are not worthy of a princess.
Think about yourself again, why do you have to refuse? Isn't choosing an easy path the same as chasing your dreams? Let me ask you, do you want to endure it now and become a producer and director of a feature film project with a budget of millions or tens of millions at the age of 20, or do you want to mess around now and still shoot some short films with a digital camera at the age of 30? "
Lovett looked at the stunned lawyer Salton and asked: "Lawyer, what do you think, which choice do you think is better?"
Lawyer Salton remained silent, only swallowing
Ye Wei looked at the ceiling. There was a gecko crawling around over there, seemingly looking for food. He must be hungry. He couldn't hear clearly what Lovett said after that, and he couldn't even hear his own heartbeat clearly. He just watched the gecko foraging for food.
"Boy, boy! Speak, how do you choose?"
He replied softly: "I want to meet Mr. Willis and talk to him."
"Bruce doesn't want to see you, forgive him, he just wants to seize an opportunity." Lovett said.
"I can bring him to the Oscar stage" Ye Wei murmured.
Lovett and Rifkin suddenly laughed out loud, "You don't even know what you are talking about.", "Relax, no one will hurt you, kid."
"I want to have a phone call with him." Seeing the gecko eating a mosquito, Ye Wei finally looked away and took out his cell phone, "What number?"?The cell phone did not have Willis's personal number, and contact was through Lovett.
"He doesn't want to answer your call either. You know Ramo. It's easy for you to get Bruce's number, but don't waste your efforts. Bruce made it very clear that he doesn't want to talk to you anymore."
Lovett put down his legs, spread his hands and said: "Boy, that's the way it is, you either agree or"
Rifkin tapped his fingers on the tabletop of his desk a few times, "That must be bad."
"You don't need to say anymore, I won't agree, I'm not afraid of you" Ye Wei stood up, his usually powerful feet were now numb, "I'm not afraid of you."
"Then give it a try." Lovett sneered, not hiding the cruelty in his heart: "Just give it a try."
"Come on, I'm going to call Willis, I'm going to call him, he's confused" Ye Wei walked out and murmured aimlessly: "I will convince him"
"Bruce said, if you refuse, I will give you something back. I brought the things and put them in the corridor outside. You can take them! Boy, you can change your mind for the rest of this month, don't think too much Now, go back and take a shower and sleep, so that you can clear your mind and be a smart person.¡±
Lovett¡¯s words came from behind, as well as Lawyer Salton¡¯s voice: ¡°Weige, I¡¯m sorry, I really didn¡¯t know.¡±
Ye Wei didn't answer anyone and dragged his steps slowly out of the office. He saw a hand-drag suitcase beside the door. It was filled with "Dance of Angels" documents that he left for the big shots in Las Vegas. A suitcase of information¡
He stretched out his slightly trembling right palm, grabbed the suitcase handle, and walked downstairs.