Top Gun Memos

The Making and Legacy of an Iconic Movie

Meredith Jordan

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English

Citation Press
22 April 2022

Electronic, holographic & video art; Video photography; Film movie production: technical skills

"TOP GUN MEMOS: The Making and Legacy of an Iconic Movie tells the comprehensive story of the long-lived movie ""Top Gun"" through the eyes of the people on the ground - and in the air - who made it. It drills down on the art and artistry present in its scenes, while also looking unflinchingly at dangerous situations that arose during filming.

The book covers how the 1986 movie was made, starting at inception and traveling through green light, prep, principal photography, wrap, post-production, and launch. The next chapters cover the longevity of the film, its fans, and its legacy, answering why this movie became iconic when so many other great films remain quietly on the lists of the years they were released.

Top Gun Memos relies on interviews with 90 people and more than 1,250 pages of studio, production, government, and other documents, identified in more than 500 footnotes. That's especially important with a film as popular as ""Top Gun,"" given widespread misinformation on the Internet.

The book is filled with behind-the-scenes stories above everything from the famous jacket to the stuntman on the motorcycle racing the F-14, from shooting on the USS Enterprise to aerial scenes shot above Fallon, Nev. These stories, often entertaining and fun, are recalled by movie crew and members of the Navy who contributed mightily to the success of ""Top Gun.""

Top Gun Memos also reports thoroughly about three dangerous situations that arose during production. Tom Cruise was nearly killed while filming the rescue scenes, something that received little attention at the time despite Navy commendations for the men who saved him. There was is an incident during aerial photography when an F-14 came too close to crew filming on a hilltop, sending people and gear flying. The book looks at the life and death of Art Scholl, one of America's best known stunt pilots, who crashed while shooting plate footage for ""Top Gun.""

The book goes a long way in explaining what happened to revered director Tony Scott, who jumped off a bridge in 2012, just as he, Tom Cruise, and Jerry Bruckheimer embarked on the long-awaited sequel to ""Top Gun: Maverick."" It also includes a chapter on Scott's legacy and significant contributions to film.

..........

Partial list of people interviewed for the book:

Donna Scott, wife of Director Tony Scott; Filmmakers: Executive Producer Bill Badalato; Cinematographer Jeffrey Kimball; First Assistant Director Dan Kolsrud; Second Assistant Director Sharon Mann; Production Designer John DeCuir Jr.; Casting Director Margery Simkin; Costume Designer Jimmy Tyson; Prop Master Mark Wade; Locations Manager Fred Baron; Transportation Coordinator Randy Peters; Harold Faltermeyer, musician and composer; Supervising Sound Editor Cecilia Hall; Editors Billy Weber and Chris Lebenzon; Gary Gutierrez, special photographic effects; Navy: Admiral USNR (Ret.) Pete Pettigrew; Admiral USN (Ret) Robert F. Willard; and former Navy aviators Lloyd 'Bozo' Abel, Dave 'Bio' Baranek, and John Semcken."

By: Meredith Jordan
Imprint: Citation Press
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 127mm, Spine: 17mm
Weight: 322g
ISBN: 9781733787437
ISBN 10: 1733787437
Pages: 326
Publication Date: 22 April 2022
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Reviews for Top Gun Memos: The Making and Legacy of an Iconic Movie

"Praise for Top Gun Memos Top Gun's journey from a magazine article to a film is epic. Stars, F-14s, soundtrack and ""need for speed"" movie lines made Top Gun a box-office blockbuster, but the art and dazzling moviemaking behind it is a powerful tour-de-force for storytelling. - Michael Sean Comerford, author of American OZ: An Astonishing Year Inside Traveling Carnivals at State Fairs & Festivals. Jordan has worked a writing miracle ... she has somehow made a detailed story of how a movie was made into a tale as captivating as the movie itself. Top Gun Memos is an addictive read that includes lots of famous names for movie lovers. - David Wallace, author of the national bestseller Lost Hollywood, five other books about the film, and a memoir, I Called Him Uncle Harry. Fans of Top Gun will be in heaven learning all about it with this book. Jordan offers a complete walk-through of the making of a film that became an instant classic. Her writing provides detail of every day's work in a way that provides an education to the layperson without talking down to the reader. A fascinating read. - Matt Hurwitz, Entertainment Journalist. Top Gun Memos does more than tell the story of the popular Top Gun movie, it explains why we're still talking about it today. It also breaks news, which is unusual for a thirty-five year old movie, but not surprising given Jordan's background as an investigative journalist. Written in an engaging style, it is filled with fresh stories and insights into filmmaking behind the scenes. - Carolyn Johnston, professor of History and American Studies at Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Fla., and the author of five books."