It's interesting that Roger Corman started out as an engineering student, and imho, these skills he learned @ Stanford were crucial in helping him craft the course of his career.. He demonstrated that by focusing on the bare essentials, and cutting away all the fluff, it's possible to make cinema quality movies cheaply and profitably. IMHO, in this era of low-cost digital cinematography and internet distribution channels, the lessons of Corman's career are just as valuable today, as they were earlier.