What happens in front of the camera is just one small part of the process. Your Legacy Project begins in the comfort of your home where we meet informally over a period of one or two weeks to unravel a life’s worth of experiences and accomplishments. The goal of these pre-production meetings is to help you prioritize and articulate what matters most to you. You’ll look forward to these meetings, and so will I! We’ll delve into your childhood memories, family and ancestral history, personal and career accomplishments, life with your spouse and children, impactful experiences, turning points, values, travel and hobbies. You’ll soon realize that you’re more interesting than you thought!

In between meetings, you’ll thumb through old photos and select and label about fifty of them for inclusion in your movie. Perhaps you have some old home movie footage we can edit and include. In preparation for the videotaped interview, you may want to review the interview outline we created together. You’ll feel completely ready for your on-camera interview when the day arrives.

You will trust within a few meetings that I care about helping you tell your story in the most positive and dignified way possible. Our goal is to bring your family closer together and make everyone proud and comfortable. During our meetings, we may touch upon parts of your life that are painful. We will work together to decide how or if you should talk about these topics in your videotaped interview.

I will arrive early to set up my equipment and arrange your furniture and surroundings to make a nice “set” for the videotaping. Meanwhile, you’ll turn off your phone, review your notes and most importantly, take a deep breath. Several deep breaths. You're about to tell your life story on tape for your family and future generations! After a sound check and a few last minute camera adjustments, the interview will begin. “How did you meet your spouse?” “Tell me about your childhood home and neighborhood.” “What accomplishments are you most proud of?” These are just a few of the questions that might come up during our two- to three-hour conversation. It’s not a test. I want you to feel happy with the way you’re telling your story. You can stop and start over at anytime.

We’ll schedule some additional time at a later date to interview friends and family and to capture you “in action” doing the things you love to do (”B roll”).

Back at my home office, the raw materials of your Legacy Project documentary come together. I pick the best clips from the videotaped interviews and weave them together with an intelligently written narrative script. Photos, “B roll” and home movie footage create the illustrative backdrop for your movie and period music sets the mood and takes your audience back in time.

As your personal historian, your best interests guide nearly every one of my editing decisions. “What is important to him?” “What does her family most want to know?” “How can I portray this uncomfortable subject in an honest but positive way?” “How can I best highlight this important accomplishment?”

The editing process takes creativity, intelligence, sensitivity, technological know-how and a little magic. This all adds up to lots of time. On average, Legacy Project movies require hundreds of editing hours and several months. The final movie will be well worth the wait! It’s a compelling and engaging documentary that you and your family will want to watch over and over again!

- Compelling interview footage, intelligently written narration and artfully edited photos, home movie footage, music and title screens rouse and delight your audience as they watch the most fascinating parts of your life story unfold on screen. Your one-hour TV broadcast-like documentary may focus on your interview footage alone or may include interviews with friends, family and colleagues. It’s an extraordinary representation of your life story and may be the most rewarding and permanent investment your family will ever make. Prices start at $10,000.

- These are your memories and stories, in your own words, videotaped, edited and preserved on DVD. Title screens (instead of narration) introduce each segment, and fifty photos, even home movie footage, appear at appropriate points throughout the movie to illustrate your story. Just as if we were creating a “Life History Documentary”, we spend several hours together in advance of the videotaped interview, getting to know each other and preparing for your on-camera interview. The final movie is a true accomplishment. Your family and future generations will hear your stories first-hand and will forever know what you experienced and achieved and what they mean to you. Prices start at $2,000.

A Tribute Video or Photo Montage is the highlight of my clients’ events and a meaningful and fun way to mark a life milestone like a birthday, anniversary or graduation. Prices range from $600 - $5,000.

Legacy Project movies are presented to you on DVD, complete with chapters, a menu, and customized DVD face and case design. Five copies of your movie are provided at no additional charge. Additional copies can be ordered.

Legacy Project Movies take between one and six months to produce. I normally book my projects three to six months in advance. Please call now to schedule a free consultation!