New Era Art Park, Lu Chen Workshop.
Compared with the previous location, the new Workshop wasn't just several times larger in size; the layout was far superior to what the old office building could offer. To create this "new home," Lu Chen had even commissioned a well-known design company in the Capital City to handle both the interior design and construction.
He spent half a million yuan just on the design fees, and that was considered a friendly discount.
As the saying goes, "you get what you pay for." The new Workshop, lavishly renovated, exuded the elegance and style of an art company. Its overall design was clean and bright, with refined and meticulous attention to detail.
Lu Chen finally had his own private office, a place where he could entertain friends and guests in privacy.
As for the previously rented space, it wasn't left empty or sublet; it became the office of the Chen Fei Charity Fund and was currently undergoing renovations.
At this moment, there was a guest in Lu Chen's office.
The man was in his forties, wearing a suit and tie, exuding a refined and polite air. He was slightly lean, with somewhat high cheekbones. His eyes were small and slightly squinted, likely due to mild myopia, though he wasn't wearing glasses. He habitually narrowed them unconsciously.
The atmosphere in the room was a bit heavy. Lu Chen focused intently on a contract document in his hand, tapping his right index finger lightly on the table twice, a subtle hint of his current mood.
This man in his forties was Fang Jun, Fang Hui's manager, and also her cousin.
The contract in Lu Chen's hand had been brought by Fang Jun.
Its content mainly concerned the terms of Fang Hui's compensation as the director for Lu Chen's new drama.
'Autumn in My Heart' had been directed by Fang Hui, who had signed the contract directly with Lu Chen Workshop. After shooting wrapped, the Workshop also paid her remuneration directly.
Lu Chen had a pleasant collaboration with Fang Hui. After the huge success, he and Chen Fei'er even sent her two generous red envelopes as a token of appreciation.
Much of 'Autumn in My Heart''s success was due to Fang Hui. Her grasp of the storyline was strong, accurately conveying the intended artistic conception of the story. In layman's terms, she had filmed it beautifully.
Thus, Lu Chen deliberately wanted Fang Hui to direct his new drama, 'Full House', and she agreed to the collaboration.
But things weren't that simple.
Fang Hui's manager presented Lu Chen with a contract, one that was, in a sense, a bit excessive.
In this contract, Fang Hui's director's fee was twenty times higher than what she received previously, reaching five million yuan. She also requested multiple profit-sharing clauses, including a portion of the copyright revenue.
Lu Chen could accept the five million yuan fee alone. For reference, Fang Hui had earned 250,000 yuan for 'Autumn in My Heart', which was already a respectable sum for her at the time, but without any additional profit-sharing.
Lu Chen felt he owed her a bit, which was why he later gave her the red envelopes, a matter of basic decency.
Now that they were about to shoot a new drama, raising the director's fee was understandable.
In today's entertainment industry, it's common for top directors to receive both a fixed fee and a share of profits. Depending on the project, blockbuster films or long dramas can earn top directors tens of millions.
It was normal for Fang Hui's side to request a share of the profits.
But when it came to copyright sharing, Lu Chen couldn't remain indifferent.
He had always valued copyright. For his own works, he registered copyright immediately. Even when selling songs to others, he retained partial ownership. For TV plays like 'Autumn in My Heart' or 'Full House', which were guaranteed to be hits, copyright had to remain firmly in his hands, he couldn't allow anyone else to covet it.
IP-generated profits were the greatest and most lasting. Sharing them could easily be exploited.
So even though he had multiple partners in the new drama, sharing investment and profits, he had never relaxed his control over the copyrights. That was the golden goose that laid the eggs.
Lu Chen couldn't help but feel puzzled. In his impression, Fang Hui wasn't someone excessively greedy. Her fee request wasn't outrageous and matched her worth, but touching the copyright share was somewhat unbelievable.
Lu Chen's prolonged silence made Fang Jun slightly uneasy. He shifted in his seat and cautiously asked, "Teacher Lu, if you have any opinions or thoughts about this contract, you can tell me now."
Without batting an eyelid, Lu Chen glanced at him.
In the entertainment industry, it was common for stars and directors to use relatives as managers, his own manager, for example, was his elder sister.
The biggest advantage of having a family member as a manager was trust; you didn't have to worry about being betrayed.
Fang Hui had accepted Lu Chen's invitation to direct the new drama. It was normal for her manager to negotiate terms on her behalf, keeping everything professional without awkwardness.
But that didn't mean there were no issues.
Lu Chen thought for a moment and said, "Usually, our Workshop handles contract matters through our manager, but my sister just happened to be out today."
He then shifted the conversation: "I've reviewed this contract. Everything else is negotiable, but as for the copyright, that's non-negotiable. Also, I feel the profit-sharing ratio you requested is too high."
The last few words were spoken with resolute firmness, leaving no room for compromise.
This was the benefit of dealing with the manager, otherwise, saying such things directly to Fang Hui herself would have been awkward.
Fang Jun's expression shifted briefly, then he smiled and said, "Everything else can be negotiated. The copyright issue can be set aside for now, and as for the profit-sharing ratio, we could actually make an investment to cover it."
Investment? That meant asking for even more. Lu Chen's new drama wasn't lacking for investment!
Suddenly, Lu Chen realized, this copyright demand was just a pretense. The real goal was the profit-sharing, and they had an enormous appetite.
He suspected that this was probably Fang Jun's own idea.
It wasn't unusual for celebrity managers to act on their own during contract negotiations and ask for exorbitant terms.
Fang Hui might not even have known about it.
Lu Chen pondered for a moment, then shook his head, placing the contract back on the table and pushing it toward Fang Jun.
That was a clear refusal.
Fang Jun clearly hadn't expected Lu Chen to be so firm, so resolute in his rejection. He had anticipated a battle of words, but Lu Chen hadn't even given him a chance to argue.
Fang Jun felt a mixture of frustration and humiliation.
He had come prepared, carefully drafting the contract and deliberately choosing to meet Lu Chen while knowing that Lu Xi was away, hoping to exploit a gap and negotiate favorable terms directly.
Lu Chen was young, well-acquainted with Fang Hui, and had a good reputation in the industry. Fang Jun thought he could use his skills to persuade Lu Chen and secure the best possible contract.
However, Lu Chen proved far more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.
He couldn't help but say, "Teacher Lu, there are many people inviting Fang Hui right now, and the terms aren't low."
Fang Jun wasn't exaggerating. 'Autumn in My Heart' had successfully launched several new talents and elevated Fang Hui, who had previously been only moderately known in the show business community, to a top-tier TV play director.
Around the turn of the year, several production companies had approached Fang Hui, inviting her to direct similar TV dramas, offering very high fees.
Otherwise, Fang Jun wouldn't have had the confidence to present such a contract.
Lu Chen smiled faintly. "Mr. Fang, Fang Hui and I are friends. Business is business, I believe she can understand that. And I also hope her career continues to flourish."
He also silently sighed in his heart.
Ideally, these words should have come from Lu Xi; managers often play the "bad cop" role.
But there were some things Lu Chen simply couldn't leave unsaid.
Before Fang Jun, Lu Xi had already rejected several contracts on behalf of Lu Chen Workshop. Among them were Zhang Liwei and Hu Yang, two newcomers who had quickly risen to fame after 'Autumn in My Heart'.
Both wanted roles in Lu Chen's new drama, but their managers' demands were high.
If Lu Chen Workshop had met all their requests, the budget for the new drama would have been severely exceeded.
Zhang Liwei and Hu Yang were sincere, but their current market value far exceeded what it had been during 'Autumn in My Heart'. Their managers demanded top-tier treatment: not just fees, but also accommodations, meals, and other logistics during shooting, all specified in detail.
While the actors might have been willing to lower their fees, inadequate treatment would have been laughed at.
Moreover, both had numerous existing contracts and endorsements.
So after consideration, Lu Chen abandoned these original candidates. 'Full House' was a new drama, not a sequel to 'Autumn in My Heart'. There were plenty of actors vying for roles, giving him ample choices.
The same logic applied to Fang Hui, she wasn't irreplaceable.
Having said all this, even if Fang Jun wanted to continue negotiating, he couldn't. He could only sulkily put away the contract and attempt a last-minute plea: "Teacher Lu, actually---"
Lu Chen waved him off. "Set up a meeting with our manager to discuss this further."
Though he said that, in truth, Lu Chen had already given up on the idea of having Fang Hui direct. There were plenty of directors in the industry capable of shooting similar works. Choice was abundant.
Fang Jun left reluctantly.
Lu Chen was increasingly certain that this contract had been drafted on Fang Jun's own initiative, without Fang Hui's approval.
But so what? Lu Chen couldn't exactly call Fang Hui and complain, could he?
That would be immature.
After a moment of thought, Lu Chen called Sister Li.
Honestly, he felt a bit frustrated. No wonder people said the entertainment industry was so complicated, many things don't go as you wish, and people's hearts change.
In this industry, very few can consistently stick to their true principles.
(End of chapter)
You can read ahead up to 60 chapters on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395