What is a Legacy Film?
The word “Legacy” has a number of definitions, my personal favorite comes from Merriam-Webster; “the long-lasting impact of particular events, actions, etc. that took place in the past, or of a person’s life.”
Everyone builds and leaves a legacy behind, when you think about your personal legacy, where does your mind go? Do you think about your work history, your youth, accomplishments, or the family you’ve built?
All of those things are part of your legacy, and there are no hard and fast rules regarding what should be considered because at the root of it, it should encompass the things, people, and experiences that meant the most to you.
Our Legacy Films are a unique solution for passing your life experiences on, preserving and sharing your most cherished memories so that they live on after you’re gone. Everyday that you live you are building your legacy; the trials, the hardships, the successes all culminate to create a story that is uniquely you. A Legacy Film is more than just a video, it’s a testament to the power of storytelling.
We have often found that children, and grandchildren in particular know very little about the adults in their lives. Naturally, when the kids are growing up the focus is on them – school, activities, their development, it’s all encompassing! It isn’t until they’re older they may start wondering about the lives of the people that helped raise them, and unfortunately sometimes it’s too late to hear those stories from the source. Creating a Legacy Film allows members of your family to tell their stories, in their own words so that they can be passed on for generations to come. We have also found that sharing these videos early and often sparks conversations that cross generations and help foster an even stronger relationship.
For a majority of the families we work with, our Legacy Films are typically created within the context of the following three pillars.
Education
In most Legacy Film projects, our subject(s) often finds themselves in the twilight of their life. They are what we would define as an elder – a respected member of society or the family who has wisdom and guidance to offer those that come after them. They are living in a reflective stage of life where one’s most important meaning could be to help others grow offering leadership, support and guidance to younger generations.
History
Other Legacy Films dive deep into personal history. Most progress in a linear style, often starting with childhood and progressing through the subjects stages of life. The chapters that are covered are at the full discretion of the subject and their family. The amount of time that is spent on childhood, schooling, career etc, is completely customizable. This option is often gravitated to by families that want to ensure grandchildren can feel like they knew their grandparents after they have passed.
Entertainment
We live in a world where we have millions of hours of content at our fingertips. While entertainment is a key part of every film we make, there are some that have a singular goal to keep family, and often grandchildren in particular, entertained and excited to learn more about the subject’s history. For films with this key goal we work with the family to narrow in on a particular story or time in the subject’s life that may have been particularly turbulent, or impactful. We find that diving into a single story is a great way to ease the subject into the filming process and make them comfortable, while also building excitement within the family to continue learning about the subject’s life often before many of them were even born!
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