Screen Arts Mavericks and Makers

The Screen Arts Mavericks and Makers collection documents every aspect of the film production process through the papers of notable independent filmmakers including Orson Welles, Robert Altman, Alan Rudolph, Nancy Savoca, John Sayles, and Jonathan Demme, as well as distributors Ira Deutchman and Robert Shaye.

Materials consists primarily of:

• scripts in various drafts and versions
• production documents including correspondence and financial records
• on-set photographs and film stills
• publicity and reception materials
• material related to unproduced, unfinished, and incomplete projects 

In some collections, there are sketches, drawings, personal letters, notebooks, scrapbooks, diaries, and family photographs. Some collections include props, costumes, one-sheets, and awards. There is a limited amount of moving image material, which is not a collecting focus. 

We aim to collect papers of those who work primarily outside of the Hollywood film studio system. This growing collection is housed in the Special Collections Research Center, which is becoming a major destination for research on maverick American filmmakers. 

History of the collection

The collection began in 2005 with the acquisition of a rich and extensive body of primary source material documenting the personal life and creative activities of Orson Welles.