Entertainment: I just want to be the boss behind the scenes

Chapter 14 I Want to Be the Chief Screenwriter

The request for "more money" was rejected, but Meng Bai raised his eyebrows and said cheerfully: "So, Mr. Gan has agreed to invest in this script project!"

"...You're quick to respond." Gan smiled and nodded: "I really like your script. I believe it will be very interesting if it is really filmed. As for investing in it..."

Having said that, Gan Wei looked at Boss Jia beside him again.

This time, Boss Jia didn't say anything like "it's up to you". After thinking for a while, he didn't respond immediately. Instead, he looked at Meng Bai and asked, "You just said that after 4G becomes popular, the future film and television entertainment industry will shift to mobile devices. Will traditional TV entertainment decline?"

Meng Bai was stunned when he heard this. He thought the other party would ask about the crew and production team, so he could use "Li Qin" and "Rong Xinda" as bargaining chips. Unexpectedly, this boss Jia asked a question that had nothing to do with the script project.

But it has come to this last step, Meng Bai certainly can't say that he "doesn't know" or something. His mind raced, and he began to recall the information he had previously looked up about Leshi.com and this Boss Jia.

Suddenly, he vaguely remembered that he seemed to have read an interview with Boss Jia in a business news. He mentioned the next strategic plan of Leshi.com, one of the key concepts of which was the "smart TV plan" combined with the Internet.

"Smart TV", as the name suggests, is to make the traditional TV "intelligent". To put it simply, it is to connect the TV to the Internet and turn it into a large Pad.

Holy shit! I'm not going to make Mr. Jia lose confidence in his own products by talking nonsense, am I?

But after calming down and thinking about it, Meng Bai felt that it shouldn't be the case. Boss Jia himself made his fortune by deceiving people, so how could he be led astray by a few words from me?

I think it was probably just because I happened to mention this point, so he asked the question at the right time, which can be regarded as "collecting consumer opinions."

Thinking of this, Meng Bai smiled and said, "I'm just a small screenwriter who writes stories. How can I know what the future industry will look like? I only know that it has been nearly a hundred years since the invention of television, but the film industry has not only not declined, but has become more prosperous."

"That's true. Not to mention overseas, the box office of movies in mainland China this year has exceeded 20 billion." Boss Jia sighed, then looked at Meng Bai and said, "The film and television entertainment industry is becoming more and more prosperous, and Leshi.com can't just be a downstream industry. Spending three million for a chance to try is not a loss."

The implication was obviously that he agreed with Gan Wei's investment and filming suggestion.

Meng Bai's heart suddenly relaxed, and a feeling of excitement spread from the bottom of his chest.

Boss Jia has a much bigger say in Leshi.com than Gan Wei, and he has the final say in the board of directors. Now that he has decided to take on this project, it is basically a done deal.

But he was not in a hurry to get excited at the moment. He took a deep breath, looked at Gan Wei and said, "Boss Gan, I have one more request about this project. I hope you can agree to it."

Gan Wei was also quite happy at this moment. Firstly, as she had said before, she really liked the script, and this was also a favor to Qin Lan and she had to give an explanation to her; secondly, she was in charge of the entertainment and film and television sector at Leshi.com, and with a new project on hand, her voice in the company would also increase.

Hearing Meng Bai's words, Gan Wei said with a smile: "It's okay, go ahead."

Meng Bai said: "After the project is approved, I hope to serve as the chief screenwriter and producer of the crew."

"Uh, wait a minute. I know about producer, but what does the 'chief screenwriter' do?" Gan Wei asked puzzledly.

Gan Wei has been in the film and television industry for so many years, and has filmed many dramas, both large and small. She has seen titles such as "chief screenwriter" and "screenwriter supervisor", but she has never heard of the position of "chief creative screenwriter".

"Uh, the creators..."

"'Chief screenwriter' is a position in a Hollywood crew. It refers to the chief screenwriter who is the initiator of the project and has the highest authority and responsibility for the content of the entire project. In layman's terms, in a film and television project, everything related to the content, including plot, character setting, art style, post-production editing, etc., is decided by the 'chief screenwriter.'" Before Meng Bai could explain, Boss Jia at the side introduced it familiarly.

"Boss Jia is very familiar with Hollywood." Meng Bai looked at him with some surprise, and then nodded to Gan Wei and said, "Yes, I hope to be the main person in charge of the content of this drama." "It sounds a bit like the screenwriter-centered system of Korean dramas." Gan Wei asked.

Meng Bai shook his head: "Although it is called 'chief screenwriter', he is not only responsible for the script. Strictly speaking, the nature is more similar to the producer-centered system of Japanese dramas."

The so-called "XX-centered system" refers to who is the core of a crew to prepare and operate. For example, the "director-centered system" common in film crews, the "screenwriter-centered system" in Korean dramas, which gives screenwriters more say because of "filming and broadcasting at the same time", and the "star-centered system" common in Hong Kong films in the past.

Of course, power and responsibility are equal. Since you have more say, you will naturally bear the biggest blame when the project fails and the responsibility is investigated.

The domestic film and television industry started relatively late and is still in the "handmade workshop" stage. Directors, producers, investors, stars... basically anyone with a position in a crew can make a comment on the plot.

On the contrary, small screenwriters like Meng Bai have the least say over the plot.

Meng Bai had suffered a similar loss before, so this time, he made this point known in advance in order to take the most critical power of the plot content into his own hands.

What's more important is that by taking the plot rights into his own hands, this work will be completely marked with his Meng Bai's stamp. No matter who mentions this drama in the future, the first reaction will be "This is Meng Bai's drama."

This will undoubtedly be a great help to his future development in the film and television industry. Whether he continues to cooperate with Leshi.com or seeks other opportunities, it will be an important trump card.

Of course, with great honor comes great risk. If the show fails, all the blame will fall on him alone.

But Meng Bai was not afraid. If he wanted to succeed, how could he not take any risks? There was no such good thing in the world.

Gan Wei frowned hesitantly and said, "If you are the 'chief screenwriter', does that mean that the production of the series will be decided by you?"

"Of course not." Meng Bai smiled and shook his head: "Just like Leshi.com, Boss Jia's decision must be approved by the board of directors before it can be implemented. If the crew has problems with the production, they will naturally discuss it. However, when everyone has a dispute, I hope I can have the final say."

Gan Wei suddenly realized that the title of "chief screenwriter" was just a superficial statement. This guy was implicitly expressing that he did not want himself, as an investor and platform, to have too much say in the production of the series.

Gan Wei glanced at Meng Bai unhappily - she didn't realize that this young man was so persistent about his work.

But it's true, most young and talented creators like him have this kind of personality.

In comparison, Meng Bai is considered to be more compromising.

After thinking it over, Gan Wei said, "Okay, I can agree to your request. You will be responsible for all issues related to the plot content. However, the funding management and cost budget of the crew will be handled by our people."

"That's right. Thank you, Mr. Gan." Meng Bai heard Gan Wei agreed to his request, and his last bit of worry was put to rest. He raised the coffee in his hand and said in a thankful tone, "Coffee instead of wine, just to show my gratitude."

Gan smiled and said, "There's not enough coffee. I hope this cup can be saved for our celebration party."

Meng Bai was stunned. These words seemed familiar, but the blessing was still good.

I hope we can have a celebration party by then.

　Thanks to the "Robot Blood" boss for the reward, applause!
　　Please vote, recommend, and read!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)