Reconnect to your loved ones' stories.
Create a legacy of belonging.
The Process
Pricing
Our goal is to bring your project to life in the way that is best for you. For this reason we create a personal bid for each project before we begin filming. We appreciate that you are curious to see just what might be involved in bringing your unique memories to life. Therefore, we have provided some sample guidelines for you to review. Prices below are based on Standard-Definition video. When you are ready to move ahead with your project, call us and we will discuss your needs and create a special project bid just for you.
In Depth Personal History
Don’t let the magic of a loved one’s life get overlooked in the rush of daily life. Shine a light on their special stories and contributions so that they will be remembered and honored for generations to come.
Perfect for:
- Honoring a key family member
- Milestone events
- In memoriam
This type of documentary typically includes:
- 60 minutes finished footage
- 3 sets of interviews with main subject
- 200 photos and/or documents & letters
- Visual footage of main subject
- Home Movie Footage
- Music
Costs Between $ 32,000.00 and $68,000.00
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Complete Family History
Your family is special and they deserve to be celebrated.
Perfect for:
- A family reunion
- Milestone events
- In memoriam
Cost Between $ 40,000.00 and $95,000.00
This type of documentary typically includes:
- 60 minutes finished footage
- Interviews with up to 6 relatives
- 300 photos and/or documents & letters
- Visual footage of main subjects
- Genealogy research
- Home Movie Footage
- Music
Our New Family
Celebrate the joys and expectations of parenthood as you build your nest. A unique opportunity to reflect on your family’s milestones as they happen over the course of one or many years.
Perfect for:
- Expectant parents
- New parents
- Families with young children
This type of documentary typically includes:
- 60 minutes finished footage
- 1+ interviews with the new or expecting parents
- Photographs
- Visual footage of main subjects
- Home movie footage
- Music
Basic projects starts at $4,500
Pre-Production
Research & Preparation
- In discussion with our client we determine the movie’s structure, interviewees, budget, and timeline.
- We conduct preliminary interviews with the main participants to establish basic biographical information in order to create specific interview questions.
- Interviews and filming days are scheduled.
Production
Interviews, B-Roll & Document Gathering
- Interviews with the documentary’s central figure(s) can range from 3 to 9 hours (over multiple days) per participant. For instance, if a couple is the focus of the documentary each spouse is interviewed separately and the couple is interviewed together to create a full picture of their lives. The number and length of interviews varies from project to project.
- We interview other key figures participating in the movie (spouses, children, grandchildren, close friends, siblings, co-workers).
- We film the central figure(s) on-location in various activities (this is called b-roll). We have filmed our clients gardening, cooking family recipes, working, dancing, singing, spending time with their friends, spending time with their pets, touring their previous homes and neighborhoods, and all kinds of family gatherings—reunions, anniversaries, beach outings, and sing-a-longs).
- We gather all relevant documents to be used in the movie. This includes photographs, slides, home movies and other recordings, newspaper clippings, diary entries, and artwork. Depending on the focus and scope of the project, known genealogical information will be gathered, and we also recommend a genealogist if our clients want to have more genealogical research done.
Post-Production
Editing & DVD Creation
- The editing process brings together the interviews, b-roll, photographs, archival footage, newspaper clippings, diary entries, letters, home videos, and music into the final documentary. Each movie is unique in content and structure and every movie is edited in-house by the person who conducted the interviews to ensure that the editor has an in-depth understanding of your story.
- The final movie is transferred to DVD, VHS, or both. In addition, we give our clients the option of storing the final movie, and all the supporting material, on a hard drive.
- We create a custom DVD including chapter menus, photos, music, and cover art. Finished documentaries can range from 10–120 minutes each. We have created short projects with a few interviews and very large projects for multiple branches and generations of a family that incorporate dozens of interviews and multiple movies.
Screening
- If you would like to have a screening of your finished movie we can help you plan the kind of event you want—for your immediate family and friends or a large celebration. We have organized screenings at family reunions, restaurants, private homes, and public libraries.
