American International Pictures

American International Pictures was an outgrowth of a previous company dedicated to releasing independently produced, low-budget films, primarily of interest to the teenagers of the 1950s. Partners James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff were the producers while brothers Gene and Roger Corman were their main directors. Writer Charles B. Griffith wrote most of their early films, and appeared as a holdup man in their hurriedly made masterpiece, Little Shop of Horrors. Later wirters would include Ray Russell, Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont. The films of AIP often included Vincent Price, in roles based upon the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, who had a high recognition value and was in the public domain and therefore royalty free--a real bonus for a low budget comapany. The films on Poe themes starring Price made AIP an American counterpart to the British studio Hammer Films and its famous Hammer Horror line featuring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

Floyd Crosby was their chief cinematographer, famous for his camera work on a number of exotic documentaries and the Oscar winner, High Noon. His innovative use of surreal color and odd lenses and angles gave the films of AIP a signature look. The early rubber monster suits and minatures of the late Paul Blaisdell embodied the best of Fifties monsterdom.

AIP was the first company to use focus groups, polling actual American teenagers about what they would like to see. They used their responses to determine titles, stars and story content. One typical method involved soming up with a great title, getting an artist to create a dynamic, eye-catching poster and thereby raising the cash for the movie, and then writing anc casting the film.

The many modern film independent companies such as Troma owe much to the trailblazing of American International. Roger Corman continues his work as the head of New Line Cinema, which also has a long history of independent production and the distribution of foreign made movies.