Institute History
Description
Within the first fifteen minutes of Some Nudity Required, filmmaker Odette Springer asks the question, “How did I go from Beethoven to B movies?” Thus starts a tale that is both personal and investigative. Trained from childhood as a classical musician, she ventures to Hollywood in the 1990s, where she ends up as the music supervisor for over fifty Roger Corman erotic/slasher/action adventure movies.
The B-movie genre has a long history in Hollywood. In the early years, most major studios made B pictures as part of their regular lineup, using them as minor-league training grounds for future stars. In the 1960s and 1970s, several of today’s best-known stars and directors were apprenticing in this low-budget world, including Jack Nicholson, Jonathan Demme, Ron Howard, Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Scorsese.
Although at first put off by the nudity, sexual exploitation, and violence of B movies, Springer eventually becomes both fascinated and turned on by the films. Making Some Nudity Required is Springer’s opportunity to question her involvement in the industry. She takes the viewer on a journey to meet many of its top stars, producers, and directors: Maria Ford, actress in over forty films; Julie Strain, actress and 1993 Penthouse Pet of the year; Roger Corman; and pioneer Samuel Z. Arkoff. Woven throughout in voice-over is Springer’s own story of growing up, longing for a father who disappeared, and being doted on by an extended family. In the process, a hidden memory is revealed that leads Springer to walk away from the B-movie world.
Odette Springer, Director
Odette Springer was born in New York City and graduated from the Lycee Français in New York with honors and the Manhattan School of Music with a BA in piano and composition. She has been a singer, songwriter, and composer of scores for more than twenty-five films. She has recordings on Capitol Records and Prelude Records, a number of which are featured on the pop and rhythm-and-blues charts. In 1991 Springer became vice-president of worldwide music for Concorda/New Horizons Pictures, where she has supervised the music for more than fifty films.