Meet the interns:
Developing your own ideas
Interview with Ian Peters
Ian Peters '05 is pursuing a summer internship at a private archive in Worcester that contains hundreds of original movie posters. Below is a summary of a recent interview in which he talked about the archive and his internship research.
Tell me about the archive where your internship is based.
It's a movie poster collection belonging to Steve Rotman '60, of Rotman's Furniture Store here in Worcester. Professor Shary said the archive location reminded him of the introduction to the old TV show Get Smart. You have to go through corridors, up flights of stairs, and through big metal doors to get there. The collection is in a climate- and light-controlled room.
What different forms of movie advertisements are stored at the archives?
Besides posters, a variety of materials--inserts, lobby cards, half-sheets, three-sheets and six-sheets. Inserts are long and narrow and were put in long glass cases at the theater. Lobby cards, which usually came in sets of eight, were also put up around the movie theater. They would show pictures of the film, information about who's starring, and perhaps a short quote. "B-movies" would usually have only four lobby cards to a set. Three-sheets and six-sheets, approximately three and six times normal poster size, come in sections, like puzzle pieces. They were used as wall-sized advertisements and aren't made anymore. Nowadays, big advertisements can be printed as a single sheet.
What is the focus of your internship?
My focus has been on the posters and lobby cards for films by producer/director Roger Corman. I'm studying his work and have discovered that the printed advertising materials can provide a different perspective on the films. Corman is one of the most successful independent filmmakers in history. He mainly makes "B-movies," and often they're filmed in a little more than a week--sometimes less. He's produced or directed about 400 films in less than 50 years, and in the process discovered a lot of famous actors like Robert DiNiro, Martin Scorsese, and Jack Nicolson. He also gave Rob Howard his directorial debut.
When I started my internship, I was asked to put together a special display for the archive's Web-site. I'd just seen Corman's Little Shop of Horrors, the original "B-movie," and I thought maybe I'd find some related material in the archives that I could use for the display. I found about 30 posters for different Corman films. I also had to do a written project as part of the internship and decided to focus on Corman. I started watching as many of his movies as I could, comparing them, and looking at the posters at the same time, trying to find a connection. And I read as many books about him that I could find.
What was Corman's focus as a filmmaker?
Corman made a lot of exploitation films-films that are marketed using images of aliens, monsters, axe-wielders, bikers, etc, drawing on people's emotions using common themes to attract them to the film. But what Corman does, which sets him apart from other directors--especially "B-movie" directors--is find a way to work an important message into many of his films. It's kind of tricky, because if he put messages in all the films, people would catch on and might not want to see them.
I came to realize that the posters usually made no reference to the hidden messages in the films. For example, Corman produced what he now calls a black comedy trilogy, consisting of Bucket of Blood, Little Shop of Horrors, and Beast from the Haunted Cave. At the archive I became fascinated with the material we had relating to Bucket of Blood since neither the poster, nor the insert contained any images from the film itself, nor any hint as to what the film is about. They basically look like "Adams Family" cartoons. Each shows an image of a classic monster, like Frankenstein or Dracula. At the top it reads 'You'll be sick, sick, sick, sick from laughing.' Underneath is a skeleton pouring a bucket of red substance down the side of the panel and on the bucket it says 'Real Blood.' That's the only hint of the film itself.
On the surface, the movie is just an enjoyable dark comedy. But underneath is a message. The film contains strong commentary on beatnik society and raises the question 'what is art?' The film also comments on peer pressure, the way people try to change themselves to fit in, and the consequences of doing so. But unless you really looked, you wouldn't really pick up on the message. There are a number of Corman movies like that. It's fascinating.
Are there any posters for his films that take a different approach?
Corman did market one film with a poster indicating that the film dealt with racism and bigotry. The movie bombed, although it's now considered by many to be his best work. What's interesting is that later he raised these same issues in Humanoids from the Deep, a film considered one of his most successful--the critics and the audience loved it. But unlike that of the earlier film, its poster reflected none of the racism issues whatsoever. People who saw the poster went to that movie with a particular image about what to expect, and they got that. But beneath the surface of the movie was something more that the audience could have picked up on--if it paid close attention. The way he was able to succeed with this new film, and still include these messages, was by disguising them.
The problem with this project is that my paper is supposed to be only 8-10 pages and in that space I can only talk about four movies. Fortunately, Professor Shary told me that I can go over that if I need to. He knows how much work I've put into this! I hope to turn this research into a senior honor's thesis so that I'll have space to say everything I want to.
What else do you do at the archive?
I put together groups of posters and related materials to feature on the Web-site. A lot of famous stars have died recently, and when that happens we often display materials from the films they acted in. Whenever I take a poster out, I take a digital photo of it, and write down information on a condition sheet. I write the name of the film, the stars, and any damage to the poster. I actually draw a little diagram showing where the damage occurs. We use that for our records to grade the condition, and to find out how much the poster is worth. When interested collectors ask us about a poster, we can send out the condition sheet so they can have a closer look.
How did you find out about the internship?
I wanted to study film history. So at the end of spring semester, I wrote a letter to the screen studies department, asking if anyone knew of any summer film work, archival or otherwise, in the Worcester area. I got an email from Professor Shary telling me about the internship, and about an opportunity to help him with research for his new book. He's trying to locate all the information ever written about Michael Mann. I'm helping with that, and it's a pretty good experience, too. I'm learning my way around the library and about the research process. I've learned a lot this summer; it's been a really good experience. My research skills have grown a lot, and I'm astounded at the way my project has formed out of nothing, from the beginning when I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. The best way is to totally immerse yourself in what you're studying. I've pretty much been living 'Roger Corman' this summer, to the point where if I see too many bad movies in a row, I'll get really depressed and have to stop for a while! But that's the only way to really understand the filmmaker and his work. I'd like to be able to continue on, analyze things more, and find out as much as I can.
Can you comment on the advantages and disadvantages of participating in a research internship, and how that is different from classroom learning?
The advantage is that you learn to develop your own ideas outside the constraints of a class. You can really take your interests and run with them. Doing research helps you grow intellectually. You learn a lot in a class, but the best way to really learn your stuff is to do it on your own. Having access to the internship and a place like the archive is really valuable. All those primary sources right there. It's been a great experience.
When you need help, I assume Professor Shary is there to provide it?
Absolutely. Last week I was stuck on something--I couldn't find a definition of "exploitation film" to quote in my paper. In everything I read the author either assumed you knew what he or she meant or admitted uncertainty about the term. I emailed Professor Shary, and he suggested that I take everything I'd been studying and create my own definition of exploitation film, and see if it fit. And if it didn't, I had to decide whether each film was appropriately classified as an exploitation film or not. He got me completely unstuck. After that, the next day I wrote a draft, basically the entire paper. Professor Shary has been a great help. He's there to guide you, but the project is your own.
What were you planning to study when you came to Clark?
Actually, I started out as a psychology major. But I'd always been interested in film. I watched movies a lot and knew a lot of movie trivia. My freshman year I took Intro to Screen Arts and really liked it a lot. I finally decided psychology wasn't for me. I also had an interest in history, so I combined that with the screen studies and now my main focus is in film history. That's why I like the movie poster archives where I'm interning--all those primary sources are pretty cool.
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Additional Resources
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Ian Peters
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