Life Stories are an elegant and direct alternative to writing a memoir
What is a Life Story?
Life Stories are beautiful memoir films. Each one captures someone’s life story through a journalistic interview and creative incorporation of legacy images and video supplied by the person directly, or by family and friends. The final films tend to be from 30 to 45 minutes in length, or even 60 to 110 minutes for couples.
Exerpted version of Basil’s Life Story, used with permission.
Three Stages of Creating A Life Story
Pre-production
Our envisioning session allows time to discover the most important people and enduring stories that will be incorporated into this unique portrait.
The Interviews
Onsite interviews are prompted to bring out the very best ideas. They’re engaging conversations about what matters most in life: people, traits and reflections.
Post-production
A great deal of thoughtful time is invested in fashioning an enjoyable and unique living portrait that increases in its emotional value over time.
Life Story
production includes:
Pre-planning virtual conversational support and guidance
Location evaluation and professional lighting
Professional audio capture
High quality video interview capture using professional video equipment
Professional journalistic interview of up to 3 people
Other on-location video capture, as appropriate to the story
Electronic media transfer facilitation to add in your own photos and videos
Professional post-production
Early draft review and a complete set of revisions
electronic and flash drive delivery options
licensed music
Total production budget for a Personal Life Story:
$4950
+ applicable taxesAlso available:
an optional ~5 minute edit from final feature for special occasions
Additional options:
extra interviews, extended filming time, destination locations, aerial footage, enhanced resolution.
Each Life Story is delivered via download link and/or high-speed USB drive
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Couples' Life Stories are popular with families looking to preserve the backstory of two lives that became joined. This variation on a Life Story will usually include separate interviews as well as a collaborative session.
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Widen the portrait by adding up to 12 voices from family and friends in person or via recorded submissions. The preferred method is to throw a party and invite Lavender Lane Media to set up in a nearby location to record some brief prompted comments.
Curious to see the impact of adding Friends and Family Voices?
Sometimes asked…
Can a Life Story be created to honour someone who has passed?
Yes. Such a gathering of words and images to celebrate someone’s life can be a challenging but beautiful experience. The outcome is a beautiful biography that preserves memories and stories for generations to come.
What do people do with their Life Story videos?
The answer really depends on the person. One client rented a small local theatre and hosted a party for friends and family. Champagne and hors d'oeuvres were served, followed by a warm and wonderfully received screening of their film. Others choose to keep the unveiling intimate with just closest family. Clients retain 100% control of their media.
How long does the production process take?
Organizing the narrative plan and additional media elements is the key to a smooth story production. With strongly organized images already in hand, the delivery date is usually 6 to 8 weeks from the date of filming the interviews.
What People Are Saying About Life Stories
I enlisted Brian to interview some special people and tell their stories. Working with him was easy as he took time to listen and understand what my needs were. This is a company that I can endorse without reservation.
— Sanj Sukumaran, Peterborough OntarioBrian did a life story of my parents who have been married for 50 years and are farmers in rural Colorado. He captured the essence of the multi-generational farm and our family and wove it into a beautiful story. The drone and airplane footage was breathtaking and added a whole new dimension to the storytelling.
— Michele Turner, Roggen ColoradoWow wow wow wow wow!!!!! I am so pleased with your work, Brian. I watched it through once on my own. Then a second time with my husband. We were both overwhelmed with the results of your efforts. The weaving of my Dad's story was done beautifully.
— Susan Corrie, Colbourne OntarioWhat’s bigger than a Life Story?
It’s a Life Documentary.
These are expanded, in-depth feature films that offer unparalleled opportunities to share your story.
Each story is quoted for its specific requirements. For budgets starting at $9k.
Life Documentaries offer these upgrades over Life Stories:
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In addition to the intentional interview that is the basis for a Life Story, other interviews are conducted throughout the shooting days. These are completed by a storytelling professional in a relaxed and genuine manner.
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If your life involves stunning settings, interesting activities or curious habits, then the additional footage that is gathered can lend depth to the story.
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The addition of time for Life Documentaries is counted in days. Perhaps they are concentrated in one location or time is spread between two or more. This aspect of the project is highly customizable.
This is a preview for a Life Documentary that was created in collaboration with the Epple family. It involved approximately 2 generous days of location shooting in Roggen, Colorado, plus 1 day of managing legacy images and 7 days of story development, editing, corrections and publishing. The complete film is about 45 minutes in length.