This fonds consists of four series, largely based on an arrangement by the creator, as well as the creator’s family.
The first series, Naptha Research, consists of materials related to the research and writing of Graeme Ferguson’s book, “The Naphtha Revolution: The Untold Story of an Invention that Changed the World.” This includes books, book excerpts, articles, photographs, blueprints, copies of primary documents, and historical magazine clippings and catalogues. It also includes Ferguson’s research notes, correspondence, drafts and revisions of book chapters, draft manuscripts, and an unpublished first edition of the final book (alternately titled “Naphtha: The story of Frank Ofeldt, who dared to tame the volatile fluid, and whose invention changed the world”).
The second series, Photographs, consists of a small number of personal and family photographs, as well as photographs related to several pre-IMAX and IMAX productions. The pre-IMAX productions include “En Djungelsaga” (also known as “The Flute and the Arrow”), “The Virgin President,” and “American Years.” IMAX productions include “Polar Life,” “North of Superior,” “Man Belongs to the Earth,” “Ocean,” and “We Are Born of Stars.” This series also includes 2 QuickTime files of Ferguson family home movies. These home movies originally belonged to Graeme Ferguson’s father, Frank, and were shot on Super 8mm. They date from the 1930s to the 1980s.
The third series, Memorabilia, AV, etc. consists of books, awards, videos and films, posters and memorabilia related to Graeme Ferguson’s long film career. This series is arranged in seven subseries, as follow.
Subseries One: Books and Periodicals consists of books and periodicals pertaining to film and filmmaking, as well as those pertaining to Ferguson’s early filmmaking mentors and collaborators, including Maya Deren, and Arne Sucksdorff. Also included in this series are books related to NASA and space exploration. This series also includes industry directories and publications.
Subseries Two: Video Archive (Home Movies, Early Films, IMAX) includes video and DVD copies of Ferguson family films, Graeme Ferguson’s early film work, and the work of Ferguson’s early filmmaking mentors and collaborators, including Maya Deren, and Arne Sucksdorff. Ferguson’s early titles in this series include “At Sea,” “Daily Double,” “Mosquito Control,” “The Land of White Alice,” “The Legend of Rudolph Valentino,” “Right Now,” “The Luckiest People,” “The Love Goddesses,” “The Days of Dylan Thomas,” and “The Virgin President.” Also included in this series are commercial video copies of IMAX films by Ferguson, as well as other IMAX releases not worked on by Ferguson. Video copies of IMAX films by Ferguson include: “Hail Columbia!”, “The Dream is Alive,” “Blue Planet,” “Destiny in Space,” “Into the Deep,” “Mission to Mir,” “L5: First City in Space,” “Space Station 3D,” and “Under the Sea.”
Subseries Three: Trophies, Awards, Memorabilia includes several award statuettes, medals, and commemorative certificates presented to Graeme Ferguson for his achievements in film. This includes several Giant Screen Cinema Association Achievement Awards, a Kodak Vision Award, a Canadian Film Award, and a Genie Award.
Subseries Four: Photos and Miscellaneous IMAX consists mostly of personal and family photographs of Graeme and Phyllis Ferguson. There are also several photos taken at Kennedy Space Center, various NASA events, and at a test shoot for the IMAX 3D underwater camera.
Subseries Five: Early Film Elements consists of sound and moving image elements related to Graeme Ferguson’s earliest films. Ferguson’s early titles in this series include “At Sea,” “Daily Double,” “Mosquito Control,” “The Land of White Alice,” “The Legend of Rudolph Valentino,” “Right Now,” “The Luckiest People,” “Burglars,” “Harry’s Car,” “The Love Goddesses,” “The Days of Dylan Thomas,” “The Virgin President,” and “The Question of Television Violence.” This series includes rare director’s cuts of both “The Love Goddesses” and “The Virgin President.” It also includes a print of Phyllis Ferguson’s “Nishnawbe Aski: The People and the Land.” Finally, this series includes a print of Maya Deren’s film “Ritual in Transfigured Time” that belonged to Ferguson.
Subseries Six: Framed and plaqued memorabilia consists of framed and plaqued memorabilia, photographs, and certificates, presented to Graeme Ferguson, relating to his film career. Included in this series are various framed photographs and pieces of memorabilia relating to the NASA shuttle missions on which IMAX cameras were onboard. It also includes framed and autographed photos given to Ferguson by NASA astronauts. Finally, this series also consists of several framed awards certificates and honorary degrees, including an Order of Canada certificate, NASA’s “Silver Snoopy Award,” and honorary doctorates conferred upon Ferguson by Victoria University and the University of Bradford.
Subseries Seven: Posters includes posters and art proofs related to Graeme Ferguson’s films. Included in this series are art proofs for “Snow Job” and “North of Superior.” Also included in this series are posters for “The Virgin President,” “The Dream is Alive,” “Hail Columbia!”, “Blue Planet,” “Mission to Mir,” and “Space Station 3D,” and “Deep Sea 3D.”
The fourth series, Main Files, consists of the bulk of Graeme Ferguson’s textual records pertaining to his early life, education, early film career, the formation of IMAX, his subsequent IMAX films, as well as general files related to the IMAX Corporation. This series was arranged by the creator and his family into several sections: Alphabetized Files, Additional Alphabetized Files (GF kept these separate from main alphabet), Appointment Books, Diaries, Writing, School Records (plus some press, vacation planning), Old Addresses, Old Film Contacts, Main Files, Technical Alphabet, and Main Files Continued.
The first section, Alphabetized Files, consists mostly of personal and some professional correspondence, collected press clippings, and photographs, filed alphabetically by correspondent.
The second section, Additional Alphabetized Files (GF kept these separate from main alphabet) consists mostly of profession correspondence, collected clippings, and Graeme Ferguson’s notes, filed alphabetically by correspondent.
The third section, Appointment Books, Diaries, Writing, School Records (plus some press, vacation planning) consists of Graeme Ferguson’s handwritten appointment books/diaries, and calendars from 1948 until 2021. This section also includes records related to vacation planning, including press clippings, travel brochures, tourist guides, and notes. Additionally, this section includes early writing by Graeme Ferguson, including reports from his time spent as Secretary of the World University Service of Canada, poems, short stories, a draft of a novel, film treatments and scripts, and articles written for various student publications at the University of Toronto and Galt Collegiate Institute. This section also contains Ferguson’s early school records (such as entrance exam results and report cards), collected press clippings, and correspondence with his family.
The fourth section, Old Film Contacts, consists of film-related correspondence, business cards, notes, contact lists, and collected press clippings.
The fifth section, Main Files, consists of records related to Graeme Ferguson’s university education, early film career, and IMAX. This includes university coursework and notes, essays, syllabi and booklists. Records related to Ferguson’s early film career in the 1950s and 1960s includes scripts, notes, production stills, budgets, press kits, and press clippings pertaining to some of Ferguson’s earliest film work. Titles include “En Djungelsaga,” “At Sea,” “Daily Double,” “Rooftops of New York,” “A Bowl of Cherries,” “The Land of White Alice,” “The Legend of Rudoph Valentino,” “Harry’s Car,” “The Love Goddesses,” and “The Virgin President.” This section also consists of records related to the origins of the Multiscreen Corporation and IMAX, including corporate fact sheets, brochures, press releases and press kits, SMPTE papers, technical drawings, and press kits. Finally, this section also includes miscellaneous corporate files, collected press clippings and magazines related to IMAX and the film industry.
The sixth section, Technical Alphabet, consists of subject files pertaining to film technology, as well as research and development. This includes correspondence and memos, technical diagrams and drawings, architectural drawings, notes, SMPTE papers, and various technology design review reports.
The seventh section, Main Files Continued, consists of records related to Graeme Ferguson’s film career including union membership booklets and collective agreements. It also includes subject files from Ferguson’s early production companies, Quest Productions and Graeme Ferguson Films Inc., which includes notes, correspondence, project proposals, outlines and film treatments, and budgets for films produced and not produced.
This section also includes files related to Multiscreen and IMAX, including supplier files, projector maintenance reports, attendance and revenue reports, corporate meeting notes and financial forecasts, filmmaker resumes, distribution reports and forecasts, potential film proposals, staff notices, corporate newsletters and publications, business intelligence files (including notes and brochures on competitive systems), marketing files (including correspondence and reports), conference and consortium programs, projection system purchase and lease agreements with various IMAX theatres around the world, reports and correspondence pertaining to various IMAX theatres and IMAX films at expositions around the world, and clippings and correspondence pertaining to films released in IMAX. It also includes industry publications and newsletters and general press clippings.
This section also includes production files for Ferguson’s various IMAX productions, including correspondence, camera reports, schedules, budgets, research materials, NASA briefings and publications, editing and sound notes, and still photographs. Titles represented are “Tiger Child,” “North of Superior,” “Circus World,” “Man Belongs to the Earth,” “Snow Job,” “Ocean,” “Heartland,” “Hail Columbia!” “The Dream is Alive,” “Blue Planet,” “Into the Deep,” “Mission to Mir,” “Journey to the Planets,” “L5: The First City in Space,” “Space Station 3D,” “Under the Sea 3D,” “Hubble 3D,” and “A Beautiful Planet.” It also includes production files related to Phyllis Ferguson’s “Nishnawbe Aski: The People and the Land.” There is also a section of files related to the space films in general, mostly filed by shuttle and mission number.
Finally, this section also contains files related to the beginnings of Ferguson’s personal history and IMAX history projects. This includes preliminary notes on an autobiographical work entitled “Gentlemen of the Forest.” It also includes IMAX oral history interview transcripts, speeches, key research papers, book lists, and notes. It also includes Ferguson’s various notes to the archives pertaining to his career chronology, filmography, and donations of materials made to other institutions.
This fonds contains textual records related to the following titles:
Rooftops of New York, 1960
The Seducers, 1962
The Double-Barrelled Detective Story, 1965
Polar Life, 1967
Madigan, 1968
Exercise Running Jump II, 1972
Circus World, 1974
Man Belongs to Earth, 1974
Hubble 3D, 2010
This fonds contains audio visual records related to the following titles:
Mosquito Control, 1952
Sydney Steel, 1952
At Sea, 1951
Daily Double, 1951
Le Corbusier (Marseille), 1954
Around the World with Kokomo Jr., 1961
The Luckiest People, 1964
Burglars, 1965
This founds contains audio visual and textual records related to the following titles:
West Africa, 1954
White Alice (or The Land of White Alice), 1959
The Immortals, 1962
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino, 1963
Harry's Car, 1964
Right Now, 1964
The Days of Dylan Thomas, 1965
The Love Goddesses, 1965
Phil Baby, 1965
IBM Close Up, 1968
The Virgin President, 1968
NDP Candidates, 1971 (aka Thunder Bay Candidates)
The Question of Television Violence, 1972
Snow Job, 1974
Nishnawbe-Aski: The People and the Land, 1977
Ocean, 1977
Hail Columbia!, 1982
The Dream Is Alive, 1985
Blue Planet, 1990
Journey to the Planets, 1993
Destiny in Space, 1994
Into the Deep, 1994
L5: First City in Space, 1996
Mission to Mir, 1997
Space Station 3D, 2002
Deep Sea 3D, 2006
Under the Sea 3D, 2009
A Beautiful Planet, 2016
The first series, Naptha Research, consists of materials related to the research and writing of Graeme Ferguson’s book, “The Naphtha Revolution: The Untold Story of an Invention that Changed the World.” This includes books, book excerpts, articles, photographs, blueprints, copies of primary documents, and historical magazine clippings and catalogues. It also includes Ferguson’s research notes, correspondence, drafts and revisions of book chapters, draft manuscripts, and an unpublished first edition of the final book (alternately titled “Naphtha: The story of Frank Ofeldt, who dared to tame the volatile fluid, and whose invention changed the world”).
The second series, Photographs, consists of a small number of personal and family photographs, as well as photographs related to several pre-IMAX and IMAX productions. The pre-IMAX productions include “En Djungelsaga” (also known as “The Flute and the Arrow”), “The Virgin President,” and “American Years.” IMAX productions include “Polar Life,” “North of Superior,” “Man Belongs to the Earth,” “Ocean,” and “We Are Born of Stars.” This series also includes 2 QuickTime files of Ferguson family home movies. These home movies originally belonged to Graeme Ferguson’s father, Frank, and were shot on Super 8mm. They date from the 1930s to the 1980s.
The third series, Memorabilia, AV, etc. consists of books, awards, videos and films, posters and memorabilia related to Graeme Ferguson’s long film career. This series is arranged in seven subseries, as follow.
Subseries One: Books and Periodicals consists of books and periodicals pertaining to film and filmmaking, as well as those pertaining to Ferguson’s early filmmaking mentors and collaborators, including Maya Deren, and Arne Sucksdorff. Also included in this series are books related to NASA and space exploration. This series also includes industry directories and publications.
Subseries Two: Video Archive (Home Movies, Early Films, IMAX) includes video and DVD copies of Ferguson family films, Graeme Ferguson’s early film work, and the work of Ferguson’s early filmmaking mentors and collaborators, including Maya Deren, and Arne Sucksdorff. Ferguson’s early titles in this series include “At Sea,” “Daily Double,” “Mosquito Control,” “The Land of White Alice,” “The Legend of Rudolph Valentino,” “Right Now,” “The Luckiest People,” “The Love Goddesses,” “The Days of Dylan Thomas,” and “The Virgin President.” Also included in this series are commercial video copies of IMAX films by Ferguson, as well as other IMAX releases not worked on by Ferguson. Video copies of IMAX films by Ferguson include: “Hail Columbia!”, “The Dream is Alive,” “Blue Planet,” “Destiny in Space,” “Into the Deep,” “Mission to Mir,” “L5: First City in Space,” “Space Station 3D,” and “Under the Sea.”
Subseries Three: Trophies, Awards, Memorabilia includes several award statuettes, medals, and commemorative certificates presented to Graeme Ferguson for his achievements in film. This includes several Giant Screen Cinema Association Achievement Awards, a Kodak Vision Award, a Canadian Film Award, and a Genie Award.
Subseries Four: Photos and Miscellaneous IMAX consists mostly of personal and family photographs of Graeme and Phyllis Ferguson. There are also several photos taken at Kennedy Space Center, various NASA events, and at a test shoot for the IMAX 3D underwater camera.
Subseries Five: Early Film Elements consists of sound and moving image elements related to Graeme Ferguson’s earliest films. Ferguson’s early titles in this series include “At Sea,” “Daily Double,” “Mosquito Control,” “The Land of White Alice,” “The Legend of Rudolph Valentino,” “Right Now,” “The Luckiest People,” “Burglars,” “Harry’s Car,” “The Love Goddesses,” “The Days of Dylan Thomas,” “The Virgin President,” and “The Question of Television Violence.” This series includes rare director’s cuts of both “The Love Goddesses” and “The Virgin President.” It also includes a print of Phyllis Ferguson’s “Nishnawbe Aski: The People and the Land.” Finally, this series includes a print of Maya Deren’s film “Ritual in Transfigured Time” that belonged to Ferguson.
Subseries Six: Framed and plaqued memorabilia consists of framed and plaqued memorabilia, photographs, and certificates, presented to Graeme Ferguson, relating to his film career. Included in this series are various framed photographs and pieces of memorabilia relating to the NASA shuttle missions on which IMAX cameras were onboard. It also includes framed and autographed photos given to Ferguson by NASA astronauts. Finally, this series also consists of several framed awards certificates and honorary degrees, including an Order of Canada certificate, NASA’s “Silver Snoopy Award,” and honorary doctorates conferred upon Ferguson by Victoria University and the University of Bradford.
Subseries Seven: Posters includes posters and art proofs related to Graeme Ferguson’s films. Included in this series are art proofs for “Snow Job” and “North of Superior.” Also included in this series are posters for “The Virgin President,” “The Dream is Alive,” “Hail Columbia!”, “Blue Planet,” “Mission to Mir,” and “Space Station 3D,” and “Deep Sea 3D.”
The fourth series, Main Files, consists of the bulk of Graeme Ferguson’s textual records pertaining to his early life, education, early film career, the formation of IMAX, his subsequent IMAX films, as well as general files related to the IMAX Corporation. This series was arranged by the creator and his family into several sections: Alphabetized Files, Additional Alphabetized Files (GF kept these separate from main alphabet), Appointment Books, Diaries, Writing, School Records (plus some press, vacation planning), Old Addresses, Old Film Contacts, Main Files, Technical Alphabet, and Main Files Continued.
The first section, Alphabetized Files, consists mostly of personal and some professional correspondence, collected press clippings, and photographs, filed alphabetically by correspondent.
The second section, Additional Alphabetized Files (GF kept these separate from main alphabet) consists mostly of profession correspondence, collected clippings, and Graeme Ferguson’s notes, filed alphabetically by correspondent.
The third section, Appointment Books, Diaries, Writing, School Records (plus some press, vacation planning) consists of Graeme Ferguson’s handwritten appointment books/diaries, and calendars from 1948 until 2021. This section also includes records related to vacation planning, including press clippings, travel brochures, tourist guides, and notes. Additionally, this section includes early writing by Graeme Ferguson, including reports from his time spent as Secretary of the World University Service of Canada, poems, short stories, a draft of a novel, film treatments and scripts, and articles written for various student publications at the University of Toronto and Galt Collegiate Institute. This section also contains Ferguson’s early school records (such as entrance exam results and report cards), collected press clippings, and correspondence with his family.
The fourth section, Old Film Contacts, consists of film-related correspondence, business cards, notes, contact lists, and collected press clippings.
The fifth section, Main Files, consists of records related to Graeme Ferguson’s university education, early film career, and IMAX. This includes university coursework and notes, essays, syllabi and booklists. Records related to Ferguson’s early film career in the 1950s and 1960s includes scripts, notes, production stills, budgets, press kits, and press clippings pertaining to some of Ferguson’s earliest film work. Titles include “En Djungelsaga,” “At Sea,” “Daily Double,” “Rooftops of New York,” “A Bowl of Cherries,” “The Land of White Alice,” “The Legend of Rudoph Valentino,” “Harry’s Car,” “The Love Goddesses,” and “The Virgin President.” This section also consists of records related to the origins of the Multiscreen Corporation and IMAX, including corporate fact sheets, brochures, press releases and press kits, SMPTE papers, technical drawings, and press kits. Finally, this section also includes miscellaneous corporate files, collected press clippings and magazines related to IMAX and the film industry.
The sixth section, Technical Alphabet, consists of subject files pertaining to film technology, as well as research and development. This includes correspondence and memos, technical diagrams and drawings, architectural drawings, notes, SMPTE papers, and various technology design review reports.
The seventh section, Main Files Continued, consists of records related to Graeme Ferguson’s film career including union membership booklets and collective agreements. It also includes subject files from Ferguson’s early production companies, Quest Productions and Graeme Ferguson Films Inc., which includes notes, correspondence, project proposals, outlines and film treatments, and budgets for films produced and not produced.
This section also includes files related to Multiscreen and IMAX, including supplier files, projector maintenance reports, attendance and revenue reports, corporate meeting notes and financial forecasts, filmmaker resumes, distribution reports and forecasts, potential film proposals, staff notices, corporate newsletters and publications, business intelligence files (including notes and brochures on competitive systems), marketing files (including correspondence and reports), conference and consortium programs, projection system purchase and lease agreements with various IMAX theatres around the world, reports and correspondence pertaining to various IMAX theatres and IMAX films at expositions around the world, and clippings and correspondence pertaining to films released in IMAX. It also includes industry publications and newsletters and general press clippings.
This section also includes production files for Ferguson’s various IMAX productions, including correspondence, camera reports, schedules, budgets, research materials, NASA briefings and publications, editing and sound notes, and still photographs. Titles represented are “Tiger Child,” “North of Superior,” “Circus World,” “Man Belongs to the Earth,” “Snow Job,” “Ocean,” “Heartland,” “Hail Columbia!” “The Dream is Alive,” “Blue Planet,” “Into the Deep,” “Mission to Mir,” “Journey to the Planets,” “L5: The First City in Space,” “Space Station 3D,” “Under the Sea 3D,” “Hubble 3D,” and “A Beautiful Planet.” It also includes production files related to Phyllis Ferguson’s “Nishnawbe Aski: The People and the Land.” There is also a section of files related to the space films in general, mostly filed by shuttle and mission number.
Finally, this section also contains files related to the beginnings of Ferguson’s personal history and IMAX history projects. This includes preliminary notes on an autobiographical work entitled “Gentlemen of the Forest.” It also includes IMAX oral history interview transcripts, speeches, key research papers, book lists, and notes. It also includes Ferguson’s various notes to the archives pertaining to his career chronology, filmography, and donations of materials made to other institutions.
This fonds contains textual records related to the following titles:
Rooftops of New York, 1960
The Seducers, 1962
The Double-Barrelled Detective Story, 1965
Polar Life, 1967
Madigan, 1968
Exercise Running Jump II, 1972
Circus World, 1974
Man Belongs to Earth, 1974
Hubble 3D, 2010
This fonds contains audio visual records related to the following titles:
Mosquito Control, 1952
Sydney Steel, 1952
At Sea, 1951
Daily Double, 1951
Le Corbusier (Marseille), 1954
Around the World with Kokomo Jr., 1961
The Luckiest People, 1964
Burglars, 1965
This founds contains audio visual and textual records related to the following titles:
West Africa, 1954
White Alice (or The Land of White Alice), 1959
The Immortals, 1962
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino, 1963
Harry's Car, 1964
Right Now, 1964
The Days of Dylan Thomas, 1965
The Love Goddesses, 1965
Phil Baby, 1965
IBM Close Up, 1968
The Virgin President, 1968
NDP Candidates, 1971 (aka Thunder Bay Candidates)
The Question of Television Violence, 1972
Snow Job, 1974
Nishnawbe-Aski: The People and the Land, 1977
Ocean, 1977
Hail Columbia!, 1982
The Dream Is Alive, 1985
Blue Planet, 1990
Journey to the Planets, 1993
Destiny in Space, 1994
Into the Deep, 1994
L5: First City in Space, 1996
Mission to Mir, 1997
Space Station 3D, 2002
Deep Sea 3D, 2006
Under the Sea 3D, 2009
A Beautiful Planet, 2016