Tell your family's story through the eyes and voices of your loved ones in a custom memoir film before ... the memories fade away. 

Options for Your Family Biography Film

Like every family, each legacy video is unique. We offer various options below and will customize your video to suit your family's desires.

OPTION 1:  Roots - A custom trip exploring your roots and archiving your family history in a Ken Burns style film.

It’s become popular to have our DNA tested and discover where are ancestors came from. This option offers so much more. We have combined our expertise in travel and love of history and storytelling and put together an experience that your family will never forget.  We’ll take you and your family on a journey exploring your roots and film on-camera interviews of family members and (b-roll) footage of them exploring the family birthplace. Give your family the most precious gift of all, your family’s story told through a beautiful Ken Burns style film that captures the family legacy and preserves it for future generations. (Travel expenses are additional)

OPTION 2: Legacy

Your family members may be located all over the map. Trying to assemble everyone in one place at the same time is a scheduling nightmare. We will travel to where you and your family members are located and film on-camera interviews of up to six family members as well as shoot contemporary footage of them. (b-roll).  We then create a keepsake film combining the interviews, the b-roll footage and your vintage family photographs and home movies with a professionally scripted and narrated voiceover telling your family's story. (Travel expenses additional)

OPTION 3: Heritage

We film individual on-camera interviews with up to six of your family members as well as shoot additional footage (b-roll) of them in one location. The interviews and b-roll are required to be scheduled and shot over a four-day period. (not necessarily consecutive) You'll receive a keepsake film of your family's story, combining interviews, b-roll and your old family photos and home movies. (Not to exceed 150 photographs and/or 1 hour of old footage) (Travel expenses are additional)

OPTION 4: Heirloom

We film individual on-camera interviews with up to three family members, as well as shoot additional footage (b-roll ) of them in one location.  The interviews and b-roll are required to be scheduled and shot over a two-day period. (not necessarily consecutive) You'll receive a keepsake film of your family's story, combining the interviews, b-roll and your old photos and home movies. (Not to exceed 100 photographs and/or 1/2 hour of old footage) (Travel expenses are additional)

FAMILY BIOGRAPHY FILM FAQ

• What is a “Ken Burns” style video? We are different than other companies who simply edit and organize your family photos and home movies. We make documentary videos that tell your family’s story in a cinematic style. We capture the family stories through on-camera interviews with your loved ones while your loved ones are still here to tell them and combine them with your collection of archived photos and home movies.  Your story is told through a custom cinematic film.

• What kind of film/video you want. How far back in history do you want to go?

• What’s the scope or focus of the video? For example: Her family? His family?

• Who are you producing the video for? Are you producing it for yourself? - your siblings? For your children? For your parents?

• Who do you want interviewed? There’s usually one person in every family who is a great storyteller.  But there are many other family members that have stories to tell that you will also want to interview. It's a good idea to make a list of all the family members that you want to interview along with any stories that you may want retold. The goal is that everyone’s stories will complement one another and relay the family history from many different perspectives. A good story is multi-dimensional.

• Communicate with other family members who may want to contribute or be involved. Understand that some people may not be comfortable talking on camera but might be better with an audio only interview.

• How do the interviews work? We send an interviewer (producer), cameraperson, assistant and sound recorder to where your loved ones are located.  Sometimes people can’t travel or may be more comfortable in their own home.  When possible we try to gather your family in one common place.

• What questions do we ask? Essentially we ask questions that trigger great stories. They may be questions about relatives who have passed, things you did for fun as a child, school memories, good times, hard times and accomplishments. 

• Consider gathering the family together for a family reunion with the sole purpose of capturing professional interviews. This is better approach than trying to multitask andcapture interviews at another family gathering such as a wedding. You would ultimately end up taking people's time and attention away from the event they wanted to attend. You may consider having a reunion at a destination where your family has roots. Allow time to interview relevant locals like a past family friend if that's the case.

• Gather old family photos, videos or home movies from your personal archives. This also includes important letters and documents. Letters can be read by a voiceover narrator or by the writer of the letter if possible.

• How much does it cost? Prices are quoted based on the film option you choose which is tailored specifically to your family. Pricing is dependent on the scope of the project. How many family members do you want interviewed? Where are they located? Can they gather in one place for the interviews? How big is your collection of family photos and movies that need to be digitized?  

• Who will see the video? That’s up to you. You may share it privately amongst your family members or post it publicly on a platform like YouTube. We are professionals and very discreet. We don't share your family’s information, photos or footage. 

• How will the video be delivered to you? We can create DVD’s or send you digital files of the movie that you can share or upload to various electronic platforms or to your family's own website.