 According to journalist Dorothy Donnell, director  DeMille, Cecil B. (qv) spent eight months and $200,000 on research  before the production began. This included the enrolment of a young  male informant into a boys reform school, and a female informant  into a girls school. Two large scrap books were kept in DeMilles  archive, containing sworn testimonials by many former inmates, with  graphic descriptions of the brutalities they endured. Donnell later  said "I have seen these books, and read in them things so revolting  that they will probably never be printed."