We find that our clients choose to have a Family History Film for a variety of reasons.
An early client – a successful but busy executive - had often thought about family members he’d heard about during his childhood but had never met. Perhaps they emigrated or otherwise become disconnected. When his surviving parent became ill he felt it was time to act, but he did not have the available time.
When we met him he thought a film record of his family history was a good idea as a gift for his mother and siblings. Although they thought their background was ‘fairly ordinary’ they all wondered about the ‘missing pieces’.
The family provided information about parents and grandparents that went back to the 1920s. Initial research soon uncovered some interesting threads going back to the early 1800s and a couple of mysteries which we agreed to feature in the film.
Detailed research found connections not only to other parts of the UK and Ireland but also to Canada, Germany and the mid-Atlantic where two of their forebears had sadly perished.
With the outline storyboard agreed we could plan the filming of live relatives and relevant locations.
Further research soon painted a geographic, historical and occupational picture so that we could combine contemporary and archive footage to create a compelling story, not just about where but also how their forebears lived – through both happy and turbulent times.
Once edited, the film was narrated by a professional voiceover artist and finally delivered within the original six week estimate as a set of DVDs with a copy stored securely online in perpetuity.
Our client achieved more than he’d expected, was delighted he did it and realised he’d also left a legacy for the children and future generations….