Editing High Fidelity (film) (section)

===Screenplay===
The writers decided to change the book's setting from London to Chicago because they were more familiar with the city, and it also had a "great alternative music scene", according to Pink.<ref name="Beale">{{cite news | last = Beale | first = Lewis | title = Staying Faithful to ''High Fidelity'' | work = [[New York Daily News]] | date = April 2, 2000 | url = http://www.nydailynews.com/staying-faithful-high-fidelity-article-1.862314 | access-date = September 7, 2017}}</ref> Cusack said, "When I read the book I knew where everything was in Chicago. I knew where the American Rob went to school and dropped out, where he used to spin records. I knew two or three different record shops when I was growing up that had a Rob, a Dick and a Barry in them".<ref name="Bazza">{{cite news | author = Bazza | title = John Cusack Takes Five | work = IOFilm.co.uk | url = http://www.iofilm.co.uk/feats/interviews/j/john_cusack.shtml | access-date = December 3, 2008 }}</ref> Charlotte Tudor, of the film's distributor, Buena Vista, said: "Chicago has the same feel as north London, there is a vibrant music scene, a lot of the action is set in smoky bars and, of course, there is the climate. But everyone, including Nick, felt that geography was not the central issue. It has a universal appeal".<ref name="Watson-Smyth">{{cite news | last = Watson-Smyth | first = Kate | title = A case of low fidelity as Hornby's novel translates awkwardly to film | work = [[The Independent]] | date = April 1, 2000 | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/a-case-of-low-fidelity-as-hornbys-novel-translates-awkwardly-to-film-721614.html | access-date = December 3, 2008 }}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Scenes were filmed in the neighborhood of [[Wicker Park, Chicago|Wicker Park]],<ref>{{cite magazine | last = McGuire | first = Judy | title=Romance, Movie Style – Love on Location – ''High Fidelity'' | url = http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1879389_1879392_1879410,00.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090217165522/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1879389_1879392_1879410,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = February 17, 2009 | magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | access-date = January 3, 2013 | date = February 28, 2009 }}</ref> and on the campus of [[Lane Tech High School]].

Cusack found that the greatest challenge adapting the novel was pulling off Rob Gordon's frequent breaking of the [[fourth wall]] and talking directly to the audience.<ref name="Malanowski" /> The screenwriters did this to convey Rob's inner confessional thoughts, and were influenced by a similar technique in the [[Michael Caine]] film ''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]''.<ref name="Malanowski" /> Cusack rejected this approach because he thought that "there'd just be too much of me."<ref name="Malanowski" /> Once Newell dropped out as director and remains on as executive producer and Stephen Frears signed on to replace him as director, he suggested using the technique and everyone agreed.<ref name="Malanowski" />

Cusack and the writers floated the idea that Rob could have a conversation with [[Bruce Springsteen]] in his head, inspired by a reference in Hornby's book where the narrator wishes he could handle his past girlfriends as well as Springsteen does in his song "[[Bobby Jean]]" on ''[[Born in the U.S.A.]]''<ref name="Wloszczyna2">{{cite news | last = Wloszczyna | first = Susan | title = Boss Cameo a Musical Coup | work = [[USA Today]] | date = March 31, 2000 }}</ref> They never believed they would actually get the musician to appear in the film, but thought putting him in the script would make the studio excited about it.<ref name="Malanowski" /> Cusack knew Springsteen socially, and called the musician up and pitched the idea. Springsteen asked for a copy of the script and subsequently agreed to do it.<ref name="Malanowski" />

Near the film's completion, it was revealed that Scott Rosenberg would share screenplay credit with Cusack, DeVincentis & Pink. Rosenberg's original draft took place in [[Boston]] and was drastically different from Hornby's book and the writing team's adaptation. The three reached out to Rosenberg who agreed to take his name off the credits. However, Rosenberg eventually refused to do so, leading to a [[WGA screenwriting credit system#Notable conflicts|writing credit dispute]]. According to Pink, Rosenberg was given credit due to a now-abolished rule in the [[Writers Guild of America|WGA]] which gave full credit to the first screenwriter attached to any adaptation for "anything they extracted from the book, or from the material from which they were adapting."<ref>{{cite web|last=Buss|first=Andrew|url=https://consequence.net/2020/04/high-fidelity-oral-history/4/|title=Top Five: An Oral of ''High Fidelity''|date=April 1, 2020|website=Consequence of Sound|access-date=September 16, 2020}}</ref>