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Learn more about screenwriter and director Paul Schrader donating his collection to the Ransom Center.

Paul Schrader's outline for 'Raging Bull' (1980).

Finished film poster for ‘Kidnapped’

The star system emerged around 1910 when film producers began noting the public’s preference for individual actors. People wanted to know who the “Biograph Girl” was (Florence Lawrence) and the real name of the girl with the golden curls they knew as “Little Mary” (Mary Pickford). They also wanted their photographs.

The studios quickly learned the value of controlling their own publicity. By establishing their own photography studios, they could create a consistent look for their stars that the public would associate with the studios themselves. They hired teams of publicists to control the dissemination of those images to newspapers and magazines, especially the all-important fan magazines. At one point there were more than 300 motion picture…

The Ransom Center will launch the “Script To Screen” promotional campaign next week in anticipation of the upcoming exhibition Making Movies, which opens February 9. Starting Monday, the Ransom Center will feature online content that highlights the creative work that takes place behind the scenes in filmmaking.

Featuring items from the Ransom Center’s extensive film collections, Making Movies reveals the collaborative nature of the filmmaking process and focuses on how the artists involved—from writers to directors, actors to cinematographers—transform the written word into moving image.

This video gives an overview of the Ransom Center’s film collections and highlights many items that will be included in the exhibition.