The collection consists of films produced or acquired by Cinecraft, Inc., scripts prepared for film productions, and administrative documents related to the daily functions of the company. The collection is divided into three series: Films; Scripts and project documentation; and Administrative records. The materials date from 1917 to the 1980s.

The Films series contains hundreds of 16mm and 35mm films, either produced or acquired by Cinecraft, Inc., dating from 1915 to 1982. The majority of the films were produced between 1950 and 1980. They are primarily sponsored works that promote businesses, advertise individual products, and advocate for industrial organizations. Industries represented include steel, railroad, oil, telecommunications, electric power, and food and beverage. Also included in the series are educational films on topics concerning politics, economics, and history, training films for sales personnel and railroad yard employees, public service announcements, and political campaign advertisements.

Many of the features in the Films series were not produced by Cinecraft but were acquired from other production companies for research purposes or were provided by Cinecraft’s clients. Several were produced by General Pictures Corporation, a studio purchased by Cinecraft in the early 1970s. Films that were not produced by Cinecraft have the production company listed in the item-level scope and content note.

The Films series is arranged alphabetically by sponsoring client, and projects created by the same client are arranged chronologically. The processing of this series is ongoing, and the finding aid will be updated regularly as more films are added.

The Scripts and project documentation series is comprised of scripts, proposals, correspondence, photographs, and other documentation related to commercial film productions by Cinecraft, Inc. from 1939 to 1981 with a majority of the content from 1942 to 1959. The dates provided in this series are the recording dates of each film production.

Film scripts comprise the majority of the series’ content, however, many project files also contain handwritten notes, contracts, packing lists, and brochures. A small number of files contain various documentation for projects that were never completed, such as proposals, scene outlines, and plot synopses. The projects primarily function to advertise products for companies local to the Greater Cleveland, Ohio metropolitan area. Many scripts are also written for clients beyond Cleveland, Ohio, including Pennzoil Company, Seiberling Rubber Company, and the General Electric Company. The Westinghouse Electric Corporation, the Ohio Bell Telephone Company, and Standard Oil of Ohio (SOHIO) are among the most represented clients in the collection.

Each Cinecraft project has a title, a client, an advertising agency, and a project code. Project codes are identifiers used by Cinecraft to denote the type of production and the order it was produced. Project codes are written in the form X-###. The letter prefix indicates the type of production (for example, “K” corresponds to television commercial films), and the production number indicates the order it was produced. The content is filed by project and the series is arranged alphabetically by client name. Projects created for the same client are arranged chronologically.

The series includes financial, inventorial, and contractual documentation from 1940 to 1963 for the Cinecraft, Inc. company in Cleveland, Ohio. Invoices for hired models, musicians, and actors comprise a majority of the content, but the series also includes payroll spreadsheets, bank deposit statements, and company inventories. Additionally, included are pages from Cinecraft’s project log, called a “Black Book,” which breaks down the company’s supply costs by project. The series is arranged into five subseries each chronological.