The fonds consists of records created and accumulated in the course of film and television production activities. It provides an integrated and holistic view of executive, creative and operational areas at Muse and its affiliates. The material is particularly strong in documents relating to the legal, financing, and management aspects of the industry, revealing the behind the-scenes requirements for sustainable and commercially-successful production. This depth of administrative records provides a significant complement to the creative materials generally found in archival film holdings. The materials serve to illustrate the economic impact of cultural industries on communities, including business, labour, and suppliers, as well as talent. They also document the various government incentive programs from the perspective of theproducer.
While the focus in making the archival selection has been on executive and production records, the fonds also contains a broad sampling of technical, craft and creative activities. It includes examples of script development, casting, locations, wardrobe, continuity, shooting and production logistics, promotion, and distribution. Scripts for all Muse productions are included. From the perspective of content development, Muse productions have included numerous productions based or derived from real life stories, including Roch Thériault, Nancy Eaton, Jane Doe, Jerri Nielsen, Rudy Guiliani, and Victor Davis. There are also examples of productions related to musical performers the Monkees, and Ricky Nelson.
The fonds documents the work of numerous Canadian directors, including Anne Wheeler, Jerry Ciccoritti, Bruce McDonald, Gary Yates, Holly Dale, Christian Duguay, Roger Spottiswoode, Gary Burns, Sturla Gunnarsson, John L’Ecuyer, as well as international directors such as Darren Aronofsky.
The audio-visual materials cover completed, as-released and as-broadcast productions in professional formats (usually masters on Digital Beta) for domestic and international versions. Selected production materials have also been retained, particularly with a view to providing examples of production processes and creative decisions.
The audio-visual programs provide a strong archival record of successful prime-time television content produced by a Canadian company, and viewed both domestically and internationally.
The date range covers the establishment of Muse in 1998, including some legacy productions from Pebblehut, through to 2007.