Movies, like books, sometimes have humble beginnings.

Do you remember the movie The Elephant Man? It was a true story about a 19th century phenomenon 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 witty film creativity today. The film is from Academy Award-winning film producer Jonathan Sanger.

How did this movie come about? Was it an agent release? No.

Was it an award-winning script? No.

Experienced screenwriters created this masterpiece? No.

Was it adopted from a book? No.

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 film to several hundred people where he retold the incredible story of how this film based on his new book came to be: MAKING THE ELEPHANT MAN – MEMORIES OF A PRODUCER.

Where did the script come from?

Her babysitter passed it to her to read! That’s right, her babysitter. Sanger took the script and said she had read it and promptly 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 blockbuster, as well as a glimpse into the early careers of film greats David Lynch, Mel Brooks and Anthony Hopkins.

If you want to make your book into a movie, this book will help you understand the intricacies of the myriad aspects of making a movie. Sanger draws on his experience as a producer of THE ELEPHANT MAN and opens a powerful discussion about the evolution of cinema, beginning with how he ‘discovered’ the script written by ‘unknowns’ Christopher DeVore and Eric Bergren finding that “it was exactly the kind of story I wanted to make, a historical biography of a wretched 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 friendly 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 gripped him when he first read the script.

Brooklyn-born Jonathan Sanger is a highly respected producer and director of major motion pictures, television series, and stage productions, earning twenty Academy Award nominations and winning three.

In 1976, Sanger moved to Los Angeles, where he worked for Lorimar Television on network television series. the blue knight and eight is enough. In 1978 she was an assistant director to Mel Brooks on high anxiety, which led 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, Without Limits, Vanilla Sky, The Flight of the Navigator, The Producers, and Code name: Emerald.

The bottom line: Take advantage of your friends, family, extended network, and don’t be ashamed to hand your written work over to the right person. Make a ‘who you know’ list and get to it!

MAKING THE ELEPHANT MAN – MEMORIES OF A PRODUCERPaperback and Kindle is available from Amazon or from the author’s website www.JonathanSangerProductions.com