Alan Trustman: Variety ad

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  • #16
    Re: Alan Trustman: Variety ad

    Hollywood is a merciless ****ed up place.

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    • #17
      Re: Alan Trustman: Variety ad

      Originally posted by sc111 View Post

      Current film tough guys - none American -- Daniel Craig & Gerard Butler off the top of my head. Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, too.
      You forgot Hugh Jackman, Guy Pearce and Mike Fassenbender
      "A screenwriter is much like being a fire hydrant with a bunch of dogs lined up around it.- -Frank Miller

      "A real writer doesn't just want to write; a real writer has to write." -Alan Moore

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      • #18
        Re: Alan Trustman: Variety ad

        Originally posted by Madbandit View Post
        You forgot Hugh Jackman, Guy Pearce and Mike Fassenbender
        You are correct! The list grows.
        Advice from writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick. "Try this: if you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.-

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        • #19
          Re: Alan Trustman: Variety ad

          Motorocity,
          I came across your post and just joined the forum to contact you. Hopefully you can read this. I'm writing a book about Bullitt and planning to interview Alan Trustman. Where was that interview you did with him published? I would like to read it. Maybe you can contact me and share some thoughts of that time with him and the rest of the people you interviewed. Doing my research I found some other drafts of the script that prove at which point the chase was created and that might interest you.
          Thanks!

          Originally posted by Motorocity View Post
          In a way, Alan Trustman helped me understand how rewriting and outside opinions are essential to a good script.

          In the late '90s, I interviewed him as part of a magazine story I wrote on the Bullitt chase scene. There had always been a controversy as to who really came up with the idea for the chase. Alan is certainly one of the most self-assured persons I've ever talked with in the movie business or any profession. One need only to read his January 1978 cover story for The Atlantic titled "Who Killed Hollywood?" to get a glimpse of his confidence.

          As expected, Alan said the chase scene was his idea but director Peter Yates told me it was conceived by Steve McQueen and producer Phil D'Antoni. Trustman was fired before the crew went to San Francisco in Feb. 1968 and replaced with Harry Kleiner--the one person from the production still alive at the time I didn't get to interview. I had a copy of the script dated 1-22-68 with changes marked as late as 4-11. I asked Trustman to send me a copy of his original draft for comparison. He said he couldn't. I wrote the story based on the information I had at the time, leaving the dispute open and quoting both sides.

          A few months after the story came out, I found a Bullitt "Estimating Script" on eBay dated 12-4-67. This script appeared to be written mostly by Trustman based on the inclusion of plot points and a character arc Alan told me Yates hated and had removed. The differences between those two scripts were staggering and certainly enlightening--especially with regards to McQueen's dialogue.

          In the late '70s I had taken a screenwriting class in El Paso taught by Dr. James Ragan but learned only a few basics and didn't finish first act before the semester ended. Around 1993 I attempted my first full screenplay, mostly as a personal challenge to see if I had the discipline to complete such a project. I finished about 80 pages before my computer was destroyed in the Northridge earthquake. Luckily, I had made a printout a week before.

          I thought my script writing was competent but never showed it to anyone, even friends I had in the entertainment industry. After comparing the Bullitt scripts, I dug out my first script and realized just how bad it was. A few years ago, I decided to revive my personal challenge. I attended a rewrite seminar, bought a couple books on the subject, did a complete rewrite of my first script and sent it to a few professional readers. As soon as my current workload lightens, I will tackle another rewrite based on their often brutal yet sometimes encouraging input and continue the process.

          But my first introduction to truly seeing the difference between early and final scripts followed my interview with Alan Trustman.

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          • #20
            Re: Alan Trustman: Variety ad

            Intriguing ad, very interesting to read. A great idea to do this, haven't seen it done before.

            Personally if I were in a position of power, I would have liked to see more precise descriptions for the stories. THE ONLY WAY was the only premise explained a bit more, and it sounded like a fairly solid thriller setup. The fact that the rest of the premises aren't really explained really diminishes the impact of the ad, for me. If the premises are great, why not state them aloud?

            I'm just saying, the ad wasn't as effective as it could have been. (And yes, I've designed a lot of ads, posters, trailers, TV-spots, etc.).

            It's interesting that he's clearly targeting his ad for actors and actresses. Many screenwriters don't realize to do that. He's fishing out for stars who might get interested in a role, thus getting the film greenlighted. Clever.

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