Family Legacy Films & Story Podcasts — Vancouver, BC
Recently I filmed a Celebration of Life, and I keep thinking about it.
I didn’t know the person. I was there as the videographer the family invited. Many friends and relatives couldn’t be there: some live on the other side of the world, some couldn’t travel, some couldn’t get away. I set up two cameras so that everyone who couldn’t be in the room would still get to see it, and I know there are people far away waiting for that video.
Continue reading “What I Took Away from a Celebration of Life”
People are often a little shy about asking what a life story film costs. They ask about the process, the cameras, how long the day takes, and then, near the end of the call, quietly: “And roughly what are we looking at?”
We would rather you did not have to wait until the end of the call. So here is the plain version, with the numbers, what each one includes, and a few honest notes about what makes the price what it is. There is no catch at the bottom.
Continue reading “What a Life Film Actually Costs, and What It Keeps”
Every family has a drawer. Ours might hold a tangle of old cables, a few birthday candles, and one photograph with no names written on the back. Someone always says, “I should ask Mum who that is.” Someone always means to.
This time of year, when people start thinking about what to give a parent or grandparent, that photograph comes to mind. And then a second thought arrives, almost immediately: She would never agree to it.
We hear that second thought a lot. It is the main reason a family waits another year. So we want to tell you what actually happens when the person who “would never agree” sits down in a chair by the window with a cup of tea and a camera that is not pointed at them yet.
Continue reading ““I’m Not That Interesting”: What People Say Before They Tell Us the Best Story We’ve Heard All Year”
Imagine a basement office. Filing cabinets to the ceiling, a desk lamp, a man in sleeve protectors holding a fountain pen and a single index card. He looks up and says: “Storage policy. One memory per person. Which one are we keeping?”
Take the question seriously for a minute. Not a highlight reel, not a photo album. One card. Everything else about you is gone, and this is what your great-grandchildren get.
Which one?
Continue reading “If You Could Keep Only One Memory, Which One Would It Be?”
Every Thanksgiving, the same scene plays out at tables across Canada.
Someone’s grandfather starts a story about his first winter here. Someone’s mother describes the kitchen she grew up in. The younger people at the table half-listen, because they have heard it before, and because there will always be another Thanksgiving.
Until there is not.
Continue reading “The Best Interview of the Year Happens at the Thanksgiving Table”People often ask what we actually say when the camera turns on. The truth is, there’s no magic script — every person’s story is different. But over many interviews, a handful of questions have proven to open almost anyone up. Try them at your next family dinner. You may be surprised what comes out.
Continue reading “5 Questions That Unlock Anyone’s Life Story”I had done plenty of interviews before — families, couples, grandparents sharing a lifetime of memories. But sitting down with someone whose whole life had been spent chasing horizons was different. I walked in with a page of questions and a quiet worry that I might not do the story justice.
Here is what that first adventure interview taught me.
Continue reading “What I Learned Filming My First Adventure Interview”Some of the most remarkable lives belong to people who would never think to call themselves remarkable. The neighbour who once crossed an ocean in a small boat. The grandmother who rebuilt a life from nothing after the war. The quiet uncle who spent three decades photographing birds in places most of us will never see. Ask them about it and they will shrug: “Oh, it wasn’t anything special.”
But it was. It always is.
Continue reading “The Adventurers Among Us: Why Ordinary People Have Extraordinary Stories”
Some of the most remarkable lives belong to people who’d never think to call themselves remarkable — the friend who sailed somewhere impossible, the grandparent who rebuilt a life from nothing, the neighbour whose quiet adventures would stop you in your tracks.
Continue reading “Everyone has a story worth telling”
A few months ago, we launched a pilot project with the District of West Vancouver Seniors’ Activity Centre — offering Life Chronicles sessions at a reduced community-centre rate to help members capture and preserve their personal stories on film.
We’re thrilled to share that the pilot was a success. The response from the community was wonderful, and the stories that came out of those sessions reminded us exactly why this work matters.
Continue reading “🎉 It’s Official: Life Chronicles Sessions Are Now Permanent at the West Vancouver Seniors’ Activity Centre”