John Sayles Papers, 1958-2017
240.5 Linear Feet — 204 record center, 13 manuscript, 8 flat oversize boxes, 7 oversize folders, and 6 boxed awards.
The John Sayles series includes material related to Sayles' personal life and acting career as well as interviews and articles unrelated to specific projects.
The Sayles as Actor subseries consists of photographs, correspondence, scripts, and other materials related to Sayles's work in projects directed by others. Many of the photographs include actor David Strathairn. Articles and Interviews include articles and book reviews written by Sayles, and interviews with Sayles which are not focused on a specific project, although some project-specific clippings are mixed in.
The Events and Festivals subseries contains invitations, programs, photographs, and other material related to film festivals, readings, and public appearances. The photographs span several decades, and include portraits of Sayles alone, and Sayles with Maggie Renzi.
The Maggie Renzi series contains Ms. Renzi's notebooks and journals arranged chronologically.
The Writings series contains drafts, notes, photographs, research, and other materials associated with Sayles's work as a writer of novels, movies, stories, essays, and articles.
The Notebooks series, which includes iterations of Sayles's works, provides insight into his creative process. The series is organized by the title information provided by Sayles on the notebook covers. Projects are grouped together whenever possible. Individual notebooks may contain multiple projects, or a particular project may be documented in more than one notebook.
The notebooks include drafts of narratives; dialogues for screenplays, short stories, and novels; and drafts for a few articles featuring Sayles. Research materials include notes made during the research process. Most of the notebooks are written in English, however some, particularly those related to Los Gusanos and Men with Guns (Hombres Armados), are in Spanish.
Materials that are specific to movies and screenplays include song lists, casting information, cues, drawings, and stage directions. There are examples of birds' eye set views for some of his produced works. One of the A Moment in the Sun notebooks contains drawings of horses related to research on harnessing and horse anatomy. Aspects of daily life, such as grocery and to do lists, are included.
The Sayles Scripts are organized in five different series; Rewrites, Produced, Television, Unproduced, and Producer. The materials, organized by project, include drafts, scene breakdowns, notes, correspondence, storyboards, photographs, song lists, character lists, and miscellaneous documentation.
The Legal series contains court documents and materials associated with two lawsuits brought against John Sayles. Virginia L. Towler versus John Sayles et al. involved copyright infringement in the screenplay of Sayles' s 1992 film Passion Fish. Karen C. Herzog versus Castle Rock Entertainment, a California partnership et al. involved copyright infringement in the film Lone Star. The series includes witness binders, trial notebooks, photocopied legal briefs, evidence, transcribed testimonies, motions, memoranda, and official court documents used by legal representation for both the defendants and plaintiffs. Sayles and his partners were cleared of wrongdoing in both cases and the appeals that followed.
The Return of the Secaucus 7 series consists of materials from the 1979 film, written and directed by John Sayles, about the reunion of seven college friends who met when arrested on the way to a protest. The actors include Bruce MacDonald, Maggie Renzi, Adam LeFevre, Maggie Cousineau, Gordon Clapp, and Jean Passanante.
The Legal subseries holds documentation on licensing and syndication; organization and dissolution of the production company Salispuedes; and bankruptcy of the rights holding company, Cinecom. The Business and Financial subseries contains correspondence, royalty reports, expenses, agreements with cast and crew, and tax forms. Movie dialogues and undated scripts, including an annotated version, can be found in the Scripts subseries.
Instances of potentially offensive language, release forms, and actors' headshots and resumes, including Adam LeFevre and Mark Arnott, are documented in the Product and Post-Production subseries. Publicity and Distribution includes information on rights film library rights, foreign and domestic rights, and a number of advertisements. The Articles and Reviews subseries contains domestic and foreign newspaper clippings, articles, film reviews, and radio transcripts. Slides, negatives, contact sheets, publicity stills, taken on the set and behind-the-scenes can be found in the Photographs subseries.
Included in the Lianna series are materials from the 1983 film written and directed by John Sayles. The Correspondence subseries includes fan mail. The materials in the Legal subseries relate to copyright, licensing, and contracts. The Business and Financial records contain documentation related to the Winwood Company. The Scripts subseries includes notes for scenes, draft scripts, and dialogues.
Product and Post-Production is comprised of call sheets and daily production reports. The Publicity and Distribution subseries contains information related to film distribution, press kits, and international publicity packets. Articles and Reviews consists of domestic newspaper clippings, film reviews, and articles from foreign publications. Photographs, slides, negatives, contact sheets, and publicity stills, taken on the set and behind-the-scenes, are found in the Photgraphs subseries.
The Baby It's You series consists of material from the 1983 film written and directed by John Sayles, starring Rosanna Arquette, Vincent Spano, Joanna Merlin and Jack Davidson. Set in the 1960s, it follows the relationship between a high-achieving student and a working-class boy who dreams of being the next Frank Sinatra.
The Legal subseries contains a report on copyright for home video distribution of the film. In the Scripts subseries there are several drafts as well as a release dialogue script. Production and Post-Production contains the deal memos for the direction, development and production of the film. The Publicity and Distribution subseries contains press releases in English and Japanese as well as correspondence regarding home video and screening rights for the film.
The Articles and Reviews subseries is comprised of magazine and newspaper reviews and advertising, and two folders of radio and TV review transcripts. Of note is the Photographs subseries containing prints and negatives for a number of publicity stills, a posed crew photo, several behind the scenes photographs, and a set of publicity stills with attached captions from Paramount Pictures.
The Brother from Another Planet series consists of material from the 1984 film written, directed, and edited by John Sayles. The film, starring Joe Morton, tells the story of an alien who lands in Harlem, where he is chased by bounty hunters from his home planet. In the early 1990s, planning began to make the film into a television series, but it was never produced.
The Correspondence subseries consists of letters from legal professional Marsha Brooks, from Colton, Weissbert, Hartnick, Yamin, and Sheresky, representing The Brother from Another Planet. The Legal materials deal with copyright research, title search, incorporation, and dissolution papers for A-Train, the corporation Sayles created for the filming and production of the film. The Business and Financial subseries includes fiscal documentation, cost and profit statements, tax information, bills, invoices, and receipts for production and distribution. Both the television and film versions of the project are included in the Scripts subseries. Television scripts include a notebook with dialogue, character information, and scenes. Additionally there are multiple drafts of scripts for the unproduced show written in 1991-1992. Holdings for the film include a draft from 1983 and a continuity and dialogue script. The Music and Scores subseries consists license agreements for music used in the film, as well as information about the soundtrack.
The Production and Post-Production subseries holds correspondence regarding permissions for music, video game, and poster use, as well as contract information for the cast, crew, director, producers, Screen Actors Guild , and the Writers Guild of America. Handwritten notes outlining various aspects of production (e.g., reports, schedules, call sheets, and television cuts) are included.
The Publicity and Distribution subseries details the domestic and foreign promotion and release of the film. There are public relations and press materials, film advertisements, and license agreements for screen and on television. Additionally, this section holds foreign rights information organized by country, correspondence, invoices, notes, producer reports, and license agreements. Legal materials related to a distribution dispute in Australia are included.
Awards, Events, and Festivals holds a limited amount of material related to exhibition of The Brother from Another Planet at film festivals. The Photographs subseries contains stills, contact sheets, negatives, and slides taken during filming. There is a note in the Publicity stills and negatives folder referring to a binder with additional materials, which is not available.
The Matewan series contains documents from the 1987 film written, directed and edited by John Sayles , and produced by Maggie Renzi and Peggy Rajski. The production company was Red Dog Films. The cast includes Chris Cooper, Mary McDonnell, James Earl Jones, Will Oldham, David Strathairn, among others. Tthe series contains a large amount of material related to a complex rights and fees dispute.
Contained in the Correspondence subseries is fan mail, requests for clips, and letters relating to the creation of the Matewan documentary Them That Work. The Legal subseries holds original contracts relating to financing and distribution of the film, as well as correspondence assembled for a film rights lawsuit.
There is a lengthy Business and Financial subseries, with documents relating to the formation and dissolution of Red Dog Films and the Matewan Limited Partnership, film financing agreements, budget and revenue reports, and Screen Actors Guild residuals. Also included are documents relating to Cinecom's involvement with the film, including original agreements, ongoing correspondence, and bankruptcy documents. The Business and Financial subseries contains correspondence, ranging over fifteen years, related to the rights and fees dispute.
The Scripts subseries includes drafts and revisions, some with annotations or notes; several dialogue and shooting scripts; script breakdowns by scene; and a descriptive backstory for the character of Hickey. Music and Scores consists of lyrics written by Sayles for the song Fire in the Hole, cue and breakdown sheets, and lyrics for a Matewan Rap composed by a cast member.
The Production and Post-Production subseries includes background research, storyboards drawn by Sayles, cast and crew deal memos, paperwork from the Writers Guild of America, schedules and call sheets, a production binder, and credit and subtitling information. Correspondence and paperwork relating to restoration work on the film in the early 2000s is included, as well as notes and permits relating to special effects, especially the large shootout at the end of the film. Of special note is a partial diary kept by Maggie Renzi during the early days of filming. Publicity and Distribution subseries contains drafts of advertising tag lines, several press packets, a report on Australian publicity, and invitations and advertisements for early screenings of the film.
Of note is the Articles and Reviews subseries, which includes published interviews, articles, and international and domestic reviews of the film. There are a number of articles from West Virginia newspapers discussing the casting and filming, interviews with local residents regarding the finished film, advertisements and features from various union publications, and academic papers written about the film.
Awards, Events and Festivals contains posters and invitations from several screenings held as benefits for various unions, as well as invitations and programs from various film festivals, including the Waterford Council of Trade Unions Celebration. There is also an award from the Political Film Society for Best Film on Human Rights. The Photographs subseries contains print and negative stills, cast and crew group shots, and on-set candids, as well as a large number of slides, some of which were intended for use as publicity sets. There is an all-female group shot highlighting the large number of women on the crew.
The materials in the Eight Men Out series are related to the 1988 film written and directed by John Sayles, starring John Cusack, Clifton James, Gordon Clapp, Michael Lerner, Christopher Lloyd, John Mahoney, Charlie Sheen and David Strathairn. Based on Eliot Asinof's 1963 book of the same title, the film is about the 1919 Black Sox scandal in Major League Baseball.
The Legal subseries contains a copyright research report as it related to the similarly titled book. Business and Financial contains agreements related to Asinof's book option, financial reports, and documentation on the effect of the bankruptcy of Orion Pictures Corporation the film's distributor.
The Scripts subseries contains different versions of the script titles, such as Black Sox, Take Me Out to the Ballgame and Eight Men Out. The Production and Post-production subseries contains pre-production memos detailing arrangements for locations, transportation and other pre-shooting details. Publicity and Distribution documents Orion Pictures Corporation's analysis of audience reactions to the film through screenings, surveys and questionnaires. Included is a press kit with movie stills and production information.
The majority of material in Articles and Reviews is from domestic newspapers and magazines reviewing and discussing the film and John Sayles as a director. There is an article written by John Sayles, titled "Dick Stuart," about first baseman baseball player Richard Lee Stuart who played on various baseball teams from the 1950-1960's. The Awards, Events and Festivals subseries contains a plaque from the Indianapolis Indians baseball team dedicated to John Sayles. Many of the scenes from the film were filmed at the Bush Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Photographs subseries contains slides and publicity stills and production stills taken by photographer Bob Marshak and Cincinnati Enquirer photographer Annalisa Kraft. Oversize Material includes a newspaper facsimile of The Chicago Daily Tribune and a photograph of the original 1918 White Sox team.
The Casa de los Babys series holds materials from the 2003 film written and directed by John Sayles, and the short story by Sayles on which the film was based. Starring Maggie Gyllenhall, Daryl Hannah, Marcia Gay Harden, Martha Higareda, Susan Lynch, Vanessa Martinez, Rita Moreno, Mary Steenburgen, and Lily Taylor, the story focuses on the experiences of six American women who moved to South America to adopt babies.
The Correspondence subseries consists of memos, emails, and faxes related to terms and agreements, scenes, costumes, music, and promotion. It also contains personal notes to John Sayles. Some items are in written in Spanish. Business and Financial records include limited accounting materials and a copy of the film's budget.
The Scripts subseries contains research and drafts of both the film and short story. The Research materials include correspondence, articles related to adoption, child organ trafficking, and illegal adoption practices. The Short Story subseries holds communication regarding submission to Zoetrope and manuscript drafts.
The Production and Post-Production subseries contains a mixture of Spanish and English language documents. These include handwritten notes from John Sayles to cast members regarding costumes and shooting; Director/Editor Agreement; Screenplay Purchase Agreement; release forms for John Sayles' appearance on Dinner for Five; songs he contributed to the film, and photographs and interviews. Production and scene breakdown documents provide information related to casting, locations, shooting schedules, camera directions, scouting information, and annotated scripts. The Cast and Crew materials contain a confidential cast list, crew list, and contact list, as well as articles and interviews related to the work of Daryl Hannah and Maggie Gyllenhall. Music and Scores contains liner notes written by John Sayles about the soundtrack for the film.
The Publicity and Distribution subseries includes information related to screenings and festivals, press events and schedules, interview itineraries, the box office campaign, and the DVD release. Included is a draft outlining the work of John Sayles. Articles and Reviews provides materials published in newspapers, magazines, and online. The folders titled National Breaks, National Features, National Reviews, Toronto Press, and Online all came from the IFC publicity binder.
The City of Hope series consists of material from the 1991 film written, directed and edited by John Sayles and produced by Maggie Renzi. The production company, Esperanza Inc, was established for this film. The cast includes Vincent Spano, Stephen Mendillo, Chris Cooper, Joe Morton and Angela Bassett.
The Legal subseries contains a mix of legal and production correspondence, memos, and notes on the law firm letterhead of Morrison and Foerster , because John Sloss served as both lawyer and executive producer for the film. The Business and Financial subseries includes production loan documents and several drafts of the loan agreement between Esperanza Inc. and the Interstate Bank of California.
The Scripts subseries contains multiple drafts of the screenplay, including the first draft with annotations and subsequent revisions. Also included are the treatment, production notes, and a collection of revision pages. Music and Scores holds licensing agreements for the songs titled Oh Marie , Buona Sera , and Fearless . Other documents include composer agreements for Mason Daring.
Production and Post-production documents of note are the various drafts of storyboards , drafts of cast and crew contracts, deal memos, union contracts, and production agreements. Notes by John Sayles on characters and scene breakdowns and a notebook that belonged to producer Sarah Green are included. Publicity and Distribution materials consist of letters sent to sales agents for domestic and foreign distribution of the film; information on press tours and schedules ; status reports for interviews in print publications and television shows, and publicity during the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.
Articles and Reviews includes clippings, copies, and faxes of published interviews, articles, and reviews from both international and domestic news sources. The first folder in the series, a collection of fax cover sheets separated from the articles they reference, serves as a list of articles and reviews related to the film. The General folders are sub-divided according to their arrival at Special Collections: 20 Kit / Leigh Harris; 22 Precious; and 23 Luther / Tom Wright. Press Clippings are organized by the title of the publication. The remaining folders are organized chronologically.
In Awards, Events and Festivals there are two certificates from the 1991 Hawaii International Film Festival: one for Best Political Film, and the second for Best Film Promoting Democracy. The Photographs subseries holds publicity stills and slides, along with a crew photograph.
The Passion Fish series contains materials from the 1992 film written, directed and edited by John Sayles and produced by Maggie Renzi. The cast includes Mary McDonnell, Angela Bassett, Alfre Woodard, David Strathairn. The production company established for this film is Atchafalaya Film Inc.
Some of the documents in the series (e.g., production binders and notes, legal documents , etc.) have numbers stamped on the lower right hand side of the page. The numbers are part of a legal system used in the Virginia L. Towler versus John Sayles, et al., case of copyright infringement. Other documents. labeled with blue Defendant's Exhibit stickers, were used as evidence during the trial. Additional information regarding lawsuits involving John Sayles can be found in the Legal series. The Legal subseries contains 53 folders of correspondence. Because John Sloss was both the main legal counsel and executive producer for the film, the legal correspondence folders are a mix of legal and production content.
The Business and Financial documents include loan documents between Fuji Bank and Atchafalaya Film Inc, as well as information on WGA compliance, Motion Picture and Video Tape Editors of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and the industry health fund and pension plan.
The Scripts subseries contains the first draft, as well as subsequent revisions of Passion Fish with the previous title the Louisiana Project. Also included is the script at a glance breakdown copy as well as television/soap opera scenes for the film. The majority of documents in Music and Scores are licensing agreements for the film soundtrack. Also included are agreements for composer Mason Daring.
Production and Post-Production materials include cast and crew contracts and agreements, day performer daily contracts, deal memos, and several drafts for actress Mary McDonnell's contract. The final full shooting schedule identifies scenes, location, cast, extras and prop information.
The Articles and Reviews subseries holds clippings from newspapers and magazines, and press packets compiled by marketing firm Cline and White. The Publicity and Distribution subseries include various drafts of the agreement for general distribution and home video distribution, along with information on film rights. The general publicity folders contain status reports from Cline and White about interviews in print publications and television shows. In Awards, Events and Festivals there is correspondence regarding invitations, applications and logistics to attending film festivals in Toronto, Berlin, Cairo, London and Havana. Photographs contain publicity stills, a cast and crew photograph, slides and negatives.
The Secret of Roan Inish series consists of materials from the 1994 film written, directed and edited by John Sayles and produced by Maggie Renzi. The largely Irish cast includes John Lynch, Susan Lynch, and Jeni Courtney. The film, a coming-of-age story that combines Irish folklore with the area's striking scenery, follows a young girl as she moves back to her rural seaside home village in Ireland and learns more about her family's myth-laden history.
In the Correspondence subseries are several letters and agreements with Rosalie K. Fry, author of the popular book The Secret of Ron Mor Skerry, on which the film is based. After Rosalie K. Fry's death in 1992, her family members, lawyer and book agents continued to correspond with producer Sarah Green. The correspondence outlines Ms. Green's efforts to obtain rights to the book in order to make the film. Various drafts of option agreements can be found, along with responses from Rosalie K. Fry.
The Legal subseries contains correspondence nd inlcudes contracts, agreements, and production documents. As both lawyer and producer for the film, John Sloss from the Morrison and Foerster law firm wrote legal memos and production notes on the same law firm stationary. As a result, the correspondence is a mix of legal and production content.
Business and Financial subseries documents financing agreements of Skerry Movies Corporation (later known as Skerry Productions), the production company created by John Sayles for the film. These agreements demonstrate the complex funding negotiations between Skerry Movies Corporation, Jones Entertainment Group, the British Broadcasting Corporation. Other sizable sections within the series include insurance for the film's production and distribution, agreements with various labor unions, and budget reports.
The Scripts subseries is made up of various drafts of the screenplay utilized before and during the film's production. Also included are supporting documents for the scripts, such as correspondence and a synopsis. Music and Scores consists of three folders which inlcude a cue list of songs, music credit drafts, and correspondence with the Irish Film Orchestra outlining their rates and scores. Production and Post-Production includes documents used during shooting of the film. Highlights include numerous storyboards, some dated and undated. There are several contracts and agreements for cast and crew members as well as agreements for Sayles as director, editor and screenplay writer. The production notebooks and binders outline each day of filming and the key events for production. The Publicity and Distribution subseries is mostly comprised of materials of various distribution agreements, including items from Skerry Movie Corporation, Alfred Haber Inc., Jones Entertainment Group, and other organizations involved with the film's release. Other significant sections include laboratory access letters, advertising materials, and television distribution rights agreements.
The Articles and Reviews subseries contains a large number of domestic and international articles published around the film's release date in 1994. Included are extensive compilations, created for Skerry Movies Corporation personnel, of reviews and features written about the film.
Awards, Events and Festivals contains a program for the Ireland Film Festival held in Japan in 1996. The Photographs subseries consists of still photographs and slides produced to publicize and promote the release of the film.
Oversize Material contains production and post-production items: a strip board, also called a production board, which is a color coded chart with information about a scene, and drawings of props, shooting schedules, and art department materials. Oversize Drawings and Paintings includes drawings, watercolor paintings, photographs, and photocopies organized according to interior and exterior depictions.
Lone Star is the 1996 film written, directed and edited by John Sayles. Producers include R. Paul Miller, Maggie Renzi, and John Sloss, who was both executive producer and lawyer for the production. The film, a mystery set in Texas, was a commercial and critical success, garnering Sayles an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay in 1997. Notable cast members include Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson, Joe Morton, Frances McDormand, Ron Canada, and Clifton James.
The Correspondence subseries contains letters to John Sayles and Maggie Renzi during the film's production and soon after its theatrical release. Spanning from 1995 to 2003, common topics include congratulations for the success of Lone Star and requests to use the film's footage for college courses.
The Legal subseries consists of documents from 1995 dealing with legal issues and demonstrating close collaboration with the production's legal representation, the Sloss Law Offices. These topics range from copyright documentation to legal research for the film's title and content.
The Business and Financial subseries chronicles the business activities of Rio Dulce, the production company established for Lone Star. Insurance documentation constitutes the largest portion, notably materials from providers Speare and Company and the Fireman's Fund. Other significant aspects from this section include materials documenting payroll, such as time cards and start/close forms, numerous drafts of the production/financing agreement, and week-by-week grosses for what ended up being one of the most financially-successful films for John Sayles as a director. The dates for these materials span from 1995 to 1997.
The Scripts subseries holds various drafts of the screenplay utilized before and during the film's production, from 1994 to 1995. Also included are supporting documents for the scripts, such as scene breakdowns and synopsis. Music and Scores include correspondence in which John Sayles and producers discuss songs to include in the film and John Sayles' notes on where each song will be used. There are several drafts of the agreement for composer Mason Daring to write, compose, adapt, orchestrate and record musical scores for the picture. Also included are licensing documents, cue sheets, credits for the music, and listings of the length of each song.
Production and Post-Production includes several drafts of contracts and agreements for cast and crew, as well as John Sayles' agreements as a director, editor and writer. There are general production binders outlining shooting schedules and a final lined script. Also included is Maggie Renzi's production binder. The majority of documents date from 1995, with a few created in 1996. The Publicity and Distribution subseries mainly contains materials related to Rio Dulce's publicity efforts from 1996, such as press kits and information regarding advanced screenings for the press. Various aspects of film distribution are documented, including information on the film's release dates and post-theatrical distribution agreements.
Articles and Reviews contains a large number of domestic and international articles, mostly published around the film's release date in 1996. Also included are press books created by Castle Rock Entertainment which extensively compile the various reviews and features written about Lone Star. In Awards, Events and Festivals the correspondence provides information on screenings of Lone Star for film festivals in various countries. Also included is the original certificate of nomination for the Independent Spirit Awards for Best Screenplay in 1997, and a program from the Xenix Film Festival that outlines screenings for a John Sayles retrospective in June 2004 in Zurich, Switzerland. The Photographs subseries contains Lone Star publicity stills along with their slides and one negative.
The 1997 film Men with Guns was written, directed and edited by John Sayles and produced by Maggie Renzi. The cast includes Federico Luppi, Damián Delgado, Mandy Potamkin, Tania Cruz, and Dan Rivera González. The plot concerns a city-based doctor in an unnamed Latin American nation who finds the rural region ravaged by violence between government and rebel soldiers. Men with Guns was filmed in Mexico and utilized Spanish dialogue with English subtitles. Released as Hombres Armados in Spanish-speaking markets, the film was originally titled Cerca del Cielo in early production. Some of the documents are in Spanish.
The Legal subseries contains a mix of legal memos and production notes written by John Sloss, who served as lawyer and executive producer for the film. The Business and Financial subseries documents the fiscal dealings of Perdido Inc., the production company created by John Sayles for the film. Invoices, receipts, correspondence, photocopies of checks, and other materials related to payments are grouped by various vendors, individuals, government offices and unions. Also included are budgets of projected costs throughout production and profit participation materials that document the distribution of payments to the film's investors after its theatrical release.
Production and Post-Production materials include various drafts of unexecuted and executed cast and crew agreements. The Mexican contracts are in Spanish. Included is correspondence with Bertha Navarro, co-producer of the film and a key Mexican contact while filming in Mexico. Of note is an approval letter from novelist and journalist Francis Goldman, author of The Long Night of White Chickens, which was the inspiration for the film.
The Music and Scores subseries documents the work of Mason Daring, music composer for the film, and Tom Schnabel, the well-known program director for world music, who created a mix of Latin-American music that was not tied to a specific country. The soundtrack was distributed by Ryodisc, Inc. Royalty statements along with correspondence and agreements can be found in the soundtrack folders.
The Publicity and Distribution subseries holds licensing agreements, long and short form agreements, distribution contracts for Sony Pictures Classics and Bravo Company, along with various materials for distributers CiBy Sales, Columbia Tristar Films, and Film Four. Because of the potential global appeal of a Spanish-language film, many of these contracts are devoted to distribution rights in Latin and South American countries. Publicity materials include the film's press kit, promotional ephemera, and correspondence regarding the trailer.
The Articles and Reviews subseries contains a large number of domestic and international articles published around the film's release date in 1997. Also included is a scrapbook of Argentinian newspaper clippings assembled for Sayles, United Kingdom articles, Spanish language articles, and a retrospective on Sayles in the magazine Banda Aparte.
The Photographs subseries consists of still photographs and negatives produced to publicize and promote the release of the film. Most are color slides the set and the film. The Oversize materials include photographic stills on black cardstock from the credits of Men with Guns and two early designs for the film's poster.
The 1999 film Limbo was written, directed and edited by John Sayles and produced by Maggie Renzi. The cast includes David Strathairn, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Vanessa Martinez. The production company was Green/Renzi Productions.
The Legal documents include bids from different law firms to represent the production company, clearances for using specific names and titles, permits, and work visas. The Business and Financial records contain budget and cost reports, insurance records, purchase orders, and invoices.
There are several drafts and revisions of Scripts, with annotations, organized according to date. Along with the revisions, there are several breakdowns of the script according to scenes or characters. Highlights of the Music and Scores subseries include correspondence between Bruce Springsteen, John Sayles, and Maggie Renzi regarding the song "Lift Me Up" written by Bruce Springsteen. Also included are a variety of contracts for musicians, music supervisors, and composer Mason Daring.
The Production and Post-Production subseries contains documentation on casting that includes resumes, headshots, and contracts and agreements for cast and crew. Some resumes are marked: hired, to interview, not hired, production assistants, and general. Included are the various agreements for Sayles as writer, director and editor of the film. Of interest is the research on Alaska, such as accommodations, location scouting, transportation, resources, children's activities, maps, restaurants and miscellaneous information about the logistics of filming in Alaska.
The Publicity and Distribution documents relate to press tours, screenings, distribution and release schedules, feedback from screenings, and estimated box office returns in domestic and international cities.
The Articles and Reviews subseries includes published interviews, articles, and reviews of Limbo from both international and domestic sources. The Domestic and International folders hold clippings of articles and reviews based on the location of the newspaper or magazine. The Press Packet folders contain faxes of groups of articles and reviews gathered and sent from marketing and public relations firms.
Invitations and correspondence about film festivals in the US and abroad is included in the Awards, Events and Festivals subseries. Three folders include invitations, logistics, and information regarding attending the Cannes International Film Festival.
Photographs includes publicity stills, cast and crew photographs, and an attached article about the filming of Limbo in Alaska which was distributed to all members of the cast and crew.
The Correspondence subseries contains 'thank you' cards sent to John Sayles and Maggie Renzi from the cast and crew after production. The Legal subseries contains copyright agreements, agreements for child actors, and visa paperwork for John Powditch, first assistant director.
The Business and Financial subseries includes documents for insurance, loans, contracts, and agreements for the Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild, and other unions. Of note are deferment documents for John Sayles' salary as editor and director. Sayles personally financed part of the film and deferred his payments until after the film was completed.
The Scripts subseries contains drafts of the screenplay utilized before and during the film's production. Also included are supporting documents, such as revision pages, script clearances to determine incidental copyright and intellectual infringement within the screenplay, and a synopsis. Early drafts of the script were titled Gold Coast. The majority of the materials in Music and Scores are licensing documents, legal contracts, and agreements to use music in the film. Of interest is a letter by Stephen Sondeim responding to Maggie Renzi's request for information on songs with a Florida theme.
Production and Post-production materials consist of daily production reports, lists of the day's shooting locations, cast and crew sign-in sheets, time cards, shooting schedules, script sides, camera reports, script supervisor daily reports, correspondence, and other documents relevant to the day's film shoot. Also included is documentation for the Archive Project concerning deposit of the film stock at the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Panoramic photographs of proposed filming locations, made of taped-together photographs are included, as well as the crew newsletter, and a wrap party speech written by Maggie Renzi.
In the Publicity and Distribution subseries there are contracts regulating the theatrical and home video release, promotional materials used in marketing, reports on various screenings, and grosses from the screenings of the film. Of note are the Publicity Tour materials, comprised of correspondence, schedules, and notes regarding appearances. Articles and Reviews contains newspaper clippings and printed copies from online sources and domestic newspapers, mainly arranged by state.
Awards, Events, and Festival materials document special screenings of Sunshine State, such as its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, the US premiere in Hollywood, a showing for the entire cast and crew, and other screenings set up to publicize the film.
In the Photographs subseries are publicity stills depicting characters from the film, Sayles working behind the scenes, and a picture of the entire cast and crew. The Oversize subseries contains Florida themed sheet music.
Silver City consists of materials from the 2004 film written, directed and edited by John Sayles and produced by Maggie Renzi. The large and notable cast includes Danny Huston, Maria Bello, Chris Cooper, Richard Dreyfuss, Tim Roth, Thora Birch, Maria Bello, Billy Zane, Miguel Ferrer, Kris Kristofferson, and Michael Murphy. The film centers on a private detective, played by Huston, trying to connect the dots between a dead John Doe and the gubernatorial campaign of a George W. Bush-like politician. A hybrid political satire and murder mystery, Silver City ties together the issues of environmental degradation, immigration, and corporate influence in American politics.
The Legal subseries includes copyright documents, legal clearances for names, legal representation agreements, visa paperwork for First Assistant Director John Powditch, and miscellaneous legal documents.
The Business and Financial subseries is the largest portion of the Silver City papers, with the bulk of the items created between 2003 and 2004. The materials include a diverse selection of receipts, contracts, and other records for vendors and individuals contracted by Silver City Films, Inc. The files consist of a diverse selection of receipts, contracts, payroll reports for the crew members processed by Axium International Inc., petty cash envelopes for cast and crew. and other records.
The Scripts subseries contains drafts of the screenplay for Silver City rewritten several times during 2003. Also included are supporting documents for the scripts, such as correspondence about the scripts, scene breakdowns and a synopsis.
The Production and Post-Production subseries includes three delivery binders (binders removed) with a variety of documents to be delivered to the studio or distributor of a film at the completion of post-production. Delivery Binder 1 includes (but is not limited to) quality control reports, credits, a press kit, copyright documents, title report, music licenses and cue sheets. Delivery Binder 2 has cast and crew deal memos, extras releases, location and art department releases. Delivery Binder 3 includes dialogue and continuity lists, a shooting script and lined script. In addition, various documents on each cast member such as cast and crew deal memos, payroll information, time cards, and start and end employment forms are included. Production binder materials contain different versions of the script, shooting schedules and character breakdowns.
Music and Scores highlights include notes from John Sayles on incorporating music into the film's score by Mason Daring. The majority of files within the section are made up of forms regarding the licensing of music in the film.
Highlights of Publicity and Distribution include the Silver City Express bus tour to Santa Fe, New Mexico and Colorado Springs, Colorado along with Denver, Colorado. The tour included a screening of film, live music, and a panel discussion about political filmmaking and the 2004 presidential election. The event was produced along with Newmarket Films and the New Mexico Women's Foundation. Other documents include advertisements, marketing materials (bumper stickers, one sheets, and pamphlets in English, Italian and Swedish), and international and domestic distribution agreements and drafts.
Articles and Reviews contains photocopies of newspapers and printouts from newspaper websites. The articles and reviews are organized according to international and domestic newspaper publications, with the majority from domestic publications. The domestic publications are organized according to state.
The Awards, Events and Festivals subseries includes invitations to attend political fundraisers and film festivals, such as the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, New York and the Bush in 30 Seconds political advertising contest sponsored by MoveOn.org voter fund. Also included are pamphlets and programs from domestic and international film festivals.
The Photographs subseries consists of contact sheets, slides, and cast and crew group photographs. One folder includes photographs intended for publicity materials labeled "rejected by producer Maggie Renzi".
Oversize Materials includes publicity and distribution materials, such as concept art for publicity posters.
Honeydripper, the 2007 film written, directed and edited by John Sayles, is centered on a blues club in 1950s rural Alabama, and features traditional rhythm and blues music and original songs. The actors include Danny Glover, Charles Dutton, Lisa Gay Hamilton, and Gary Clark, Jr.
The Correspondence subseries holds handwritten letters and emails between the filmmakers (John Sayles and Maggie Renzie) and several individuals who worked with them on the film. The Legal materials, demonstrating close collaboration with the legal representation of the production company, cover the film's copyright status and various signed legal certificates. The Business and Financial subseries consists of payroll for cast and crew, account payments, invoices organized by company name, petty cash envelopes, and a variety of accounting reports, including posting, closing and payroll reports.
Numerous drafts and master copies of Scripts, utilized before and during filming, are accompanied by supporting documents (source material, notes from Sayles, plot outlines, synopses, and related correspondence) used to write the scripts. The Music and Scores subseries consists of materials regarding the songs used in the film, information on the film's musical actors, and agreements with Rhino Records regarding the soundtrack.
The Production and Post-production subseries documents John Sayles' roles as director, screenwriter, and editor of Honeydripper and Maggie Renzi's work as the film's producer. Dating from 2004 to 2006, pre-production materials include items regarding casting, research of 1950s culture, location scouting in Alabama, and paperwork between Honeydripper Films and the various labor unions (notably the Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild of America, and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees). Materials created and utilized during production incorporate a variety of schedules and calendars, including call sheets and shooting schedules. Reports summarizing daily progress provide detailed insight into various aspects of filming, such as the daily production reports, day out of day reports, and camera reports. The Post-production materials provide audio reports and cue sheets that demonstrate the technicalities of the automated dialog replacement (ADR) process and sound engineering. The wrap book and producer Maggie Renzi's production binders combine documents from all phases of production, providing an overview of the making of Honeydripper.
Publicity and Distribution materials document the planning, creation, and accumulation of publicity materials. The majority of the subseries consists of materials for the musical tour of the Honeydripper All-Star Band, a group of the film's musical cast that toured and performed at major music festivals in 2007 to promote the film. Articles and Reviews contains international and national press, including reviews of the film, interest pieces on the cast and John Sayles, and articles about the Honeydripper All-Star Band musical tour.
The majority of the Awards, Events, and Festivals relates to the exhibition of Honeydripper at dozens of film festivals and noted screenings around the world. Correspondence between Sayles's staff and festival representatives, flight and hotel information, daily schedules, festival programs, and local articles about the screenings make up the volume of the materials regarding each festival. The awards materials offer insight into the process of applying for major film awards and the proceedings after a nomination. Award ceremonies include the Academy Awards, the Independent Spirit Awards, and the NAACP Image awards for which Honeydripper received two nominations.
The Photographs subseries contains photographic production materials from 2006 used during production and post-production for continuity purposes.
The Amigo series consists of material from the 2010 film written, directed, and edited by John Sayles. The actors include Joel Torre, who also co-produced the film, Chris Cooper, Garrett Dillahunt, DJ Qualls, Yul Vazquez, Bembel Roco, and Rio Locsin. The film is set in 1900, during the Philippine-American War, and filmed on location in Bohol, Philippines. The majority of the cast and crew are from the Philippines. Some of the post-production work was done in the Philippines.
The Legal documents contain copyright and license agreements. The turnover documents in this section consist of records for the Baryo Amigo Continuity Project (formerly Baryo Living Museum Project) in Toril, Maribojoc, Bohol, Philippines. Sayles donated the movie set structures and costumes to the city council of Toril to help create a museum about Philippine village life in the 1900s. The Business and Financial materials consist of invoices, payments and wire transfers to individuals and companies in the Philippines.
The Scripts subseries reflects the changing titles and inspiration for the film. The screenplay, formerly titled Baryo, was inspired by Sayles's book A Moment in the Sun. Some scripts are both in English and Tagalog. Music and Scores includes cue sheets and musician contracts as well as sheet music examples based on 19th century Philippine songs.
Production and Post-Production materials consist of background research for the film. Topics include 1890s U.S. media and politics, first-hand accounts of various wars, basic history of the Spanish-American and Philippine–American wars, historical prisons and execution methods, and Philippine life and industry. Other documents relate to the cast and crew, including US/Philippine travel arrangements, contracts, and individual folders for the main cast members. There are large production and director's production binders, production and post-production schedules, editor's logs, sound and camera reports, and information on costumes and props, including a folder of maps. Post-production documents include information on video and audio packages, subtitling, and MPAA ratings.
The majority of the Publicity and Distribution subseries is made up of correspondence and agreements relating to various US and international distribution companies. Also included are draft and finalized press kits, information about initial screenings, and travel and schedule information for many promotional interviews. The Articles and Reviews include a large press book with collected newspaper, web and radio interviews with Sayles, as well as clippings from US and Philippine newspapers and film festival literature.
Correspondence, travel arrangements, and schedules relating to five international film festivals where Amigo was screened can be found in the Awards, Events and Festivals subseries.
Go for Sisters includes documents for the 2013 film written, directed and edited by John Sayles and produced by Edward James Olmos. The cast includes Lisa Gay Hamilton, Edward James Olmos and Yolanda Ross.
The Business and Financial documents include purchase orders and a check register organized in alphabetical order.
The Production and Post-Production documents contain script notes and camera and sound logs which were part of a general production binder. The binder was removed but the documents kept in original order. Of interest are Shoot Day documentation that outlines activities for each day of shooting, and includes sections of the script, wrap report forms, personal release forms, script supervisor reports, sound reports, time sheets, crew call sheets, and actors' production time reports. The Locations folders contain contracts, permits, maps, and call times at specific locations. Wrap Book folders contain memos, call sheets, cast day reports, cast and crew lists, contacts lists, information on credits, extras and their contracts, and other production documents used at the end of the production.
Publicity and Distribution contains a 4x6 publicity card for Go for Sisters. In Awards, Events and Festivals, a program for the Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico is included along with an invitation for Maggie Renzi to attend a dinner held during the festival. John Sayles was invited as a special guest and Go for Sisters was screened. The Photographs subseries contains miscellaneous continuity photographs and behind the scenes pictures taken by stills photographer John Castillo.
The Audio/Moving Image series consists of audio and video recordings in various formats. The Moving Image subseries includes clips, interviews, electronic press kits, and dailies from Sayles' films. The Audio subseries includes music, interviews, and sound tracks.
Digital Media... consists of diskettes and hard drives containing scripts, business and financial documents, program disks, and images.
The 2024 Addendum series was added as a continuation of the John Sayles Papers collection. Its materials are organized into 13 subsubseries and contain materials ranging from 1958 to 2017. The arrangement of the materials in each subseries and subsubseries is not in chronological or alphabetical order:
The Maggie Renzi subseries consists of materials spanning the years 1958 - 2011 from Renzi's personal, academic and professional life. This subseries contains a large amount of black and white and colored photographs in a variety of sizes, negative film, newspaper and article clippings, and handwritten personal letters both sent and received by Renzi. As well as materials from Renzi's education, film festival passes, travel mementos. Some notable items include a canceled passport, an annotated copy of The Miracle Worker by William Gibson, and A Oaxaca/Puebla Guidebook Renzi created for her 50th Birthday.
The (5) Administrative Files subseries host a collection of administrative and business materials from Sayles and Renzi's various projects including work related correspondence on the subjects of Sayles book publishing, fundraising efforts, legal and tax documents and more. Admin is organized into five separate subsubseries: General, Work Correspondence, Logistics, Finance, and Legal.
The Administrative Files - General subsubseries (1996-2016) contains notes, research reports, several notebooks from John Sayles' internship program, and phone message books. Some particularly notable items include various corporate seals for Silver City Films Inc., Frostproof Inc., Perdido Inc., and research reports conducted for the films "Lone Star" and "Men with Guns/Hombres Armados".
The Administrative Files - Work Correspondence subsubseries (1972-2009) focuses largely on correspondence sent by, or on behalf of Sayles, Renzi and associates, correspondence sent through the Anarchists Convention to a host of film distributors, unions (WGA and SAG), literary publishers, and more.
The Administrative Files - Logistics subsubseries (1972-2015) contains a variety of logistical and planning materials including casting-related materials for certain characters in the films "Honeydripper" and "Silver City", multiple phone message books, flight information and more.
The Administrative Files - Finance subsubseries (1970-2009) consists of financial documents relating to various Sayles films, projects and travels. This includes items such as many tax forms, checks relating to film profits, budget reports, distribution breakdowns, and other accounting materials.
The Administrative Files - Legal subsubseries (1977-2008) consists of legal documents: book and literary copyright, film distributions contracts, agreements, copyright research reports, as well as correspondence with the University of California Los Angeles about their preservation agreements with Sayles. This subseries also contains screenplay contracts and agreements for both Sayles own films, and screenplays on which he collaborated.
The following (3) Publicity subsubseries are divided into general publicity materials, published magazines, and international materials - which is distinct from the rest of publicity materials due to the majority of the material being in a variety of non-English languages: Spanish, French, Japanese etc.
The Publicity - General subsubseries (1971-2016) contains numerous (U.S.) domestic newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and scanned copies of clippings on Sayles films, his interviews and reviews on his work. Other publicity materials relating to university visits or film screenings, and articles related to film festivals are also included in this sub-series. Other items of note include: Press kits for "The Brother from Another Planet", "Matewan" and "Lianna", professional photos of Sayles, multiple DVDs with publicity material, and (oversized) posters and newspapers.
The Publicity - Magazines subsubseries (1979-2014) contains an assortment of (entire) magazines covering interviews with Sayles or articles on his films and related projects.Some of these feature Sayles on the cover.
The Publicity - International subsubseries (1987-2011)similarly contains a variety of publicity materials, but focuses on non-domestic articles, magazines, clippings, posters and interviews with Sayles. Most of these materials are in languages other than English, and the majority are in European languages. However, there are a couple of Japanese items as well.
The Personal, Photos, Travel - General subsubseries (1967-2017) consists of travel mementos, handwritten letters dating from Renzi's university years, postcards, fanmail, and personal photographs. Notable items include reunion photographs from a "Secaucus 7" cast reunion, Sayles childhood photos, mini video cassette tape titled "Canada Scout", a "Matewan" Denim Crew Jacket.
The Personal, Photos, Travel - Film Festivals subsubseries (1983-2017) consists of Sayles and Renzi's many film festival passes from their travels and memorabilia as well as travel mementos, letters and photos.
The Creative Works - General subsubseries (1975-2014) includes drafts of various short stories written by Sayles, drafts for screenplays Sayles collaborated on, scene breakdowns, film research and reference materials, manuscripts, and more. This subsubseries also contains multiple screenplay drafts of "Jaime MacGilllivray", one of which is leatherbound, and a 500GB external storage hard drive.
The Creative Works - Notebooks and Awards subsubseries (1979-2013) contains a couple of (Sayles') untitled notebooks and legal pads, used both for film and non-film notes, and various awards and certificates awarded to Sayles, Renzi and both, including but not limited to: The American Academy of Arts and Science, America Video Award for Best Pop Video, Ossie Davis Award, 39th NAACP image Awards and more.