Movies, like books, sometimes have humble beginnings.
Do you remember the movie The Elephant Man? It was a true story about a 19th century freak who was saved by a doctor played in the film by Anthony Hopkins.
THE ELEPHANT MAN, played by the late John Hurt, continues to be a gold standard for artful cinematic creativity today. The film is from Academy Award-winning film producer Jonathan Sanger.
How did this movie come about? Was it the release of an agent? Nope.
Was it an award-winning script? Nope.
Experienced screenwriters created this masterpiece? Nope.
Was he adopted from a book? Nope.
Recently, my company Westwind Book Marketing hosted a book signing and a special big-screen screening of the elephant Man at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Jonathan Sanger introduced the movie to several hundred people where he retold the incredible story of how this movie based on his new book came to be: MAKING THE ELEPHANT MAN – MEMOIRS OF A PRODUCER.
Where did the script come from?
His nanny passed it to him to read! That’s right, her nanny. Sanger took the script and said that she had read it and quickly put it aside…for about a year. Then one day when he was coming back from a trip he opened his desk drawer and there he was… staring at him like an obligation.
What did he do? She read it, and she loved it!
His book “Making the Elephant Man: A Producer’s Memoir” gives us an inside look at the making of one of the first independent films and a blockbuster, as well as a glimpse into the early careers of movie greats David Lynch, Mel Brooks and Anthony Hopkins.
If you want to turn your book into a movie, this book will help you understand the intricacies of the myriad aspects of making a movie. Taking his experience as a producer on THE ELEPHANT MAN, Sanger opens a powerful discussion of the evolution of cinema, from how he ‘discovered’ the screenplay written by ‘strangers’ Christopher DeVore and Eric Bergren to finding that “it was exactly the kind of story I wanted to do, a historical biography of a miserable soul who had nevertheless lived an extraordinary life”: the true story of the 19th century John Merrick, grossly deformed, known as the Elephant Man who worked in a sideshow in London and who was treated by a kind Dr. Treves.
“When I wrote this, I was teaching an independent film course and using my experience with this film to teach,” says Sanger. “I realized that it would be great to write these stories and put them in a book.” For every movie he makes, Sanger keeps a notebook about the crew, schedules, what they ordered for lunch and other details. He was able to access notes from 30 years ago that reminded him of the entire process, including the strong emotions that washed over him upon first reading the script.
Brooklyn-born Jonathan Sanger is a highly respected producer and director of major motion pictures, television series, and theatrical productions, earning twenty Academy Award nominations and winning three.
In 1976, Sanger moved to Los Angeles, where she worked for Lorimar Television on network television series. the blue knight Y eight is enough. In 1978 she was assistant director to Mel Brooks on high anxiety, which gave rise to a long professional association. For Brooks’ wife, Anne Bancroft’s directorial debut Fat, Sanger served as associate producer. During this period, Sanger had acquired the rights to the screenplay for the elephant Man – his first production which led to a successful career in both producing and directing films – films such as Frances, Limitless, Vanilla Sky, Flight of the Navigator, The Producers, Y Code name: Emerald.
The bottom line: Take advantage of your friends, family, extended network and don’t be embarrassed to give your written work to the right person. Make a ‘who you know’ list and get on with it!
MAKING THE ELEPHANT MAN – MEMOIRS OF A PRODUCERpaperback and Kindle is available from Amazon or the author’s website www.JonathanSangerProductions.com