UW–Madison’s Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research preserves priceless materials from the entertainment industry
If you dream of reading the original screenplay that kicked off the “Jurassic Park” film franchise — leading to this summer’s blockbuster “Jurassic World Rebirth” 32 years later — look no further than Box 1, Folder 15, of the David Koepp Papers.
That precious bit of movie history is safeguarded by UW–Madison’s Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research (WCFTR). Koepp, a Wisconsin native who attended UW in the early ’80s, entrusted it to the center along with many of his other early drafts and final scripts, including “Mission: Impossible” (1996), “Panic Room” (2002), and “War of the Worlds” (2005), to name a few.
One of the top archives of its kind in the world, the WCFTR has for 65 years been preserving — and sharing — resources from the film, theater and broadcasting industries. Although it’s located on the UW–Madison campus, some 2,000 miles from Hollywood, the center’s rich collection draws scholars, researchers and movie buffs from across the U.S. and around the globe.
And a rapidly growing digital presence means that many of the jewels in this fascinating collection can be accessed from anywhere, for free, 24/7. Through the center’s Media History Digital Library, online visitors can view millions of pages of historical books and magazines focused on film, broadcasting and recorded sound.
Written by Gayle Worland | Photos by Althea Dotzour
Link to original story: https://news.wisc.edu/a-global-hub-for-hollywood-history/