The Screenplay Sell: What Every Writer Should Know [Paperback]

Alan Trustman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 2003

The truth about the movie business and why it's so tough to crack it, by the writer of THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, United Artists; BULLITT, Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset, Warner Bros.; THEY CALL ME MR. TIBBS, Sidney Poitier, United Artists; LADY ICE, Donald Sutherland, Jennifer O'Neill, Allied Artists; HIT!, Richard Pryor, Billy Dee Williams, Paramount; CRIME AND PASSION, Omar Sharif, Karen Black, American International Pictures; THE NEXT MAN, Sean Connery, Allied Artists; THE TRACKER (executive producer), Chris Kristofferson, Home Box Office; THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR remake, Pierce Brosnan, Renee Russo, United Artists. Eight other movies and two other television dramas, uncredited. His articles include WHO KILLED HOLLYWOOD?, 1978, Atlantic Monthly; THE SILVER SCAM - , 1980, Atlantic Monthly. THE FINER POINTS OF FINIS, 3/21/2002, Washington POST.His industry Honors: Member, American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Mystery Writers of America; International Association of Crime Writers; Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allen Poe award for best screenplay; MWA Chairman of 1994 Best Picture Edgar Committee.Other Industry Activities:Member, Writers Guild of America, West, Inc. Negotiating Committee, 1988. Toronto Film Festival panelist, 1995. Austin, Texas Film Festival panelist, 1999.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR; BULLITT; THEY CALL ME MR. TIBBS; LADY ICE; HIT!; CRIME AND PASSION; THE NEXT MAN; THE TRACKER; RED WIND, Showtime; THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR remake. Eight other movies and two other television dramas, uncredited. Articles:WHO KILLED HOLLYWOOD?, 1978, Atlantic Monthly; THE FINER POINTS OF FINIS, 3/21/2002, Washington POST.Member, American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Mystery Writers of America; Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allen Poe award for best screenplay; MWA Chairman of 1994 Best Picture Edgar Committee.Other Industry Activities:Member, Writers Guild of America, West, Inc. Negotiating Committee, 1988.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (June 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595280846
• ISBN-13: 978-0595280841
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,294,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ, September 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Screenplay Sell: What Every Writer Should Know (Paperback)

This is the only book of which I am aware that describes truthfully the economics of the business and the way it is structured to keep out everyone, and particularly the waves of talented young people who flood to Hollywood every year, hoping to make it in the business.
It is written for the benefit of those kids, so they will understand what is going on and what they can do to crack the magic circle fame and fortune A-list.
Unless you know what you are walking into, you are doomed, no matter how talented you are, unless you are unbelievably lucky, and no one in his right mind should bet his life on odds which are that stacked against you.
Don't let anyone you care about go to Hollywood unless they have read it...

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad - Practical Essential Reading, July 8, 2006

By 

Fred (Sydney Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Screenplay Sell: What Every Writer Should Know (Paperback)

There are books written by people that have never made any movies at all and there are books that are written by people that HAVE made movies. This is a book about the second case scenario.

This is essential reading for someone interested about what its like to get your movie script up and running and produced, all the ins and outs of the movie business you need to know about. Its a no nonsense approach to the business end of movie making, nothing more and nothing less. It is brief and easy to read and gives your purely the facts. It is not some etherial, hypothetical and theoretical conceptual model of what someone thinks the movie business might be like, it is cold hard facts by someone that has done the business, writing The Thomas Crown Affair and Bullit as his major calling cards.

Only minor drawback was that some of his writing is a little hard to understand I think because he is using coloquial lingo that Im not familiar with because I dont live in the same street as him, but regardless of that it was a good quick read.

Well recommended, gives some illuminating insights into the movie world everyone wants to get into.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Whew!!, August 17, 2003

By 

rick sullivan (Chicago IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Screenplay Sell: What Every Writer Should Know (Paperback)

Two of my favorite films are "The Thomas Crown Affair" and "Bullitt." Alan Trustman wrote both of them. How lucky we are to have a screenwriter of this ilk share his thoughts on the business with us. It's a great read. I recommend it highly.