On Saturday, OC Screenwriters was thrilled to present filmmaker Allan Holzman (credits) at a brunch that included a movie and a fantastic Q&A afterwards.
Allan played his documentary on his life called "C-C-Cut" which details his journey through both the film world and his personal world as a stuttering director. Afterwards Allan spoke for another 1.5 hours on that film and his process. As a 'slash' - writer/director/producer/editor/etc (Emmy/Eddy/Peabody Award-winning, no less) - Allan's information was amazingly diverse and comprehensive. His 30+ years in the trenches of all things film made for an encyclopedic presentation of how to succeed in a business that counts winners in terms of hits, not necessarily longetivity and quality.
Allan has had all in copious amounts.
As his movie and later he pointed out, Allan started with Roger Corman, the low-budget uber-producer, who has turned out many of Hollywood's biggest names. The Q&A after the film covered even more of Allan's journey and insights as he talked about his struggles to stop his stuttering while pursuing a lifelong love of cinema.
One of the things you quickly learn about Allan is that he is a true student of film. He speaks with equal veracity on "Attack of the Crab Monsters" and Truffaut's "400 Blows." Nothing seemingly has escaped his notice from the world of film but more to the point, he's absorbed and learned from all these sources and is able to then transmit that knowledge into self-deprecating and hilarious anecdotes but also in deeply held convictions about how to make a movie.
A clear indication of this is Allan's continuing professorship at USC Film School where he teaches editing to eager film students.
Another clear sign of Allan's scope are his awards. Emmys, Peabodys and Eddys - all sit on Allan's shelf. While working in the industry for decades can be a measure of success, being given awards by your peers is icing on a cake made from tens of thousands of hours of hard, sweaty work. Some of the stories Allan told about his run-ins with producers, directors, etc. were familiar to me but as a screenwriter our work is typically finished once the story meetings are. Allan's work and frustrations run from pre- to post-production and sometimes beyond as he has been/is scapegoated after the fact by directors or producers who make wrong decisions and then blame the post-production process.
As new OCSWA member Kevin McCarthy said, "That man's life is a study in frustration and tenacity. And he doesn't seem jaded about it. He still has a ton of excitement and joy for making movies. A real inspirational guy. I'm going home and write."
Agreed. Allan's stuttering alone could have sunk him if he had given up. He is famously quoted as saying to Roger Corman after Corman told him he would never be a director because he stuttered: "I don't stutter as much when I'm in charge." Add to this the years of abuse that anyone in the film community has to suffer and that would stop most. Not Allan. He still is proactive in his pursuit of film in his capacity as a cinema polyglot. Not only is he finishing movies on TV legend Sheldon Leonard and filmmaker Francois Truffaut but his book "Celluloid Wars" is coming out soon. And he's got two features in various stages of production.
For more information on Allan's book please use the contact form on this website (HERE) and we will happily forward your information to Mr. Holzman.
A deeply-felt thanks to Final Draft for continuing its support of OC Screenwriters and allowing us to be able to give away a copy of their industry-standard writing software at our events.
The Claim Jumper Banquet Room in Fountain Valley provided a great venue for this well-attended event. Hopefully OCSWA will continue to be able to tap this great quality of guests for future events.
