STORY AND CHARACTER

Interviews with British Screenwriters

Acting is glamorous and everyone wants to direct, but what about the most vital ingredient of all – the script? In this unique and compelling collection of interviews, Alistair Owen explores the often overlooked role of screenwriting. From Billy Elliot to James Bond, and from Notting Hill to Beverly Hills, ten leading British writers reveal the tricks of – and the truth about – the screen trade.

Rupert Walters (Restoration), Lee Hall (Billy Elliot), Richard Curtis (Notting Hill), Frank Cottrell Boyce (Welcome to Sarajevo), Neal Purvis & Robert Wade (Die Another Day), Shawn Slovo (Captain Corelli’s Mandolin), William Boyd (Chaplin), Hossein Amini (The Wings of the Dove), Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty)

Praise for Story and Character

‘Owen asks well-informed questions and is rewarded with responses that are invariably intelligent and illuminating. You often sense that this is the dream Q&A his interviewees have been waiting to give’ John Dugdale, Guardian

‘Keeps the histories moving at a tight clip, drawing spontaneous, forthright answers as well as welter of tasty film trivia . . . I look forward to reading more volumes from Owen that will match this fascinating, insightful collection’ Christopher Fowler, Independent on Sunday

‘A consistently stimulating and entertaining take on the prolonged frustrations of the screenwriter’s art’ Simon Humphreys, Daily Telegraph

‘Scrupulously researched and full of instructive advice for aspiring writers, the book is engaging in its own right, with plenty to say about the problems of authorship in such a collaborative commercial medium, and fascinating – sometimes caustic – insights into numerous recent films’ Tom Charity, Time Out

‘Entertaining and insightful’ Film Review

‘Seldom has there been healthier proof of the abundant life of British screenwriting than this anthology . . . Owen’s key strength lies in asking questions that actually engage, which are responded to in similar fashion’ Tristan Burke, Hotdog

‘Through probing and clever questions, Owen elicits a variety of insights from his subjects . . . Informative, engaging and often quite funny’ Publisher’s Weekly

‘The book's chief success lies in Owen's willingness to sit back and allow his interviewees space to talk; he and his readers are repaid with loquacity and bonhomie . . . This is obviously an enthusiastic labour from a man who knows – and cares – a great deal about his subject; film buffs and budding writers will snap it up’ Kirkus Reviews

‘Owen carefully coaxes opinions on development hell, rewrites and mutilated visions. An entertaining mix of the art and the anecdotal’ Richard Brookes, Total Film

‘A fascinating read’ Colin Waters, Sunday Herald

‘Owen is a rigorous and enthusiastic interviewer, able to get the grit of how screenwriters feel about their work and about the industry as a whole . . . A valuable work for film buffs and would-be screenwriters alike’ Carson Howat, Scotsman

‘This easy to dip into, informal anthology of interviews offers plenty of advice’ Alan Morrison, Empire

‘Owen’s thorough research and penetrating questions are what make this book . . . The conversation is hilarious as well as informative, and budding screenwriters should pay close attention . . . A Boschean vision of development hell’ Nina Caplan, Observer