Video Biography and History Services

The Gift of a Lifetime

Thank you a thousand times for making this video. I am presenting it to my mom tomorrow at her 85th birthday party. I am so excited to have such a gift for her. My sisters and her grandchildren will treasure these memories always. – Jane Dolliver

Video Biographies, or Legacy Videos, are documentary videos that tell the story of a life, whether it is a life just past, or a life that has reached a notable milestone. They feature interviews, interlaced with treasured family photographs, home movies and personal background music. They are rich with family history and the meaningful events of a lifetime.

Every life has a story to tell with events and experiences that are cherished by family and friends. This video can help future generations, perhaps your grandchildren and great grandchildren, know you in a way that nothing else can. Think how great it would have been to have a video of your ancestors. We can’t change that, but we can connect you to the future. Your descendents will know you in a special way.

Telling these stories at special events, whether it is a birthday party, anniversary or a wedding, is a way of honoring those individuals and their experiences. Adding the photos that chronicle the life of a family makes these videos even more valuable, saving these memories for coming generations.

There’s an old saying “We live as long as someone remembers our story.” I’ll help people remember your story.

Who We Are

My name is Hal Landen. I have been producing professional films and videos for over 30 years. I have filmed for CBS’s 60 Minutes, ABC’s 20/20 and many others. I live and work in Bristol, RI. I guaranteed you will be happy with my work. If you are not happy with the final product, I will give you a full refund.

Planning Makes Perfect

Like other fine things, much of the quality is built in the planning stage. A thoughtful planning session will consider the important events and memorable times of your life. We’ll discuss the questions you would like to answer in an interview, the photos, home movies, music, press articles and other memorabilia to include in your story. We’ll even restore damaged photographs so they’ll look great in your video.

We’ll show you exactly how we will do the interview so you will feel comfortable and at ease. You may wish to include interviews with other family members and friends about a particular event. This can make for powerful storytelling. We can also find archival footage from newsreels and other sources as well as music from the times you were growing up.

Then, we will plan to film you and any others you wish. We work closely with you to make this a film you’ll be proud to pass onto future generations. Just imagine if you had such a film of your own grandparents. Future generations will thank you for this documentary legacy.

Some people like to start the process by transferring home movies, photographs, older videos and other memorabilia to digital video such as a DVD or online service such as YouTube, Vimeo or other cloud storage.

Video History-Biography Packages

We offer the following packages. In addition to those listed below, we are also happy to create a customized personal documentary package just for you. Contact us to learn more.

1. Family History Documentary

This custom-made documentary tells the story of you and your family. It includes the loved ones you choose to talk about, as well as your growing up, courtship and marriage, and other important events in your life. Your story can include interviews, photos, home movies, historical footage, personal music and more.

Here’s what we’ll do:

* Pre-production meeting with you to plan the interview questions and other elements of the documentary

* Professional Video Interviews filmed in High Definition with up to 4 people in one day and one location.

* Digitize up to 200 photographs.

* Transfer home movies or videos up to an hour’s worth (for example (15) 50ft reels)

* Digitally edit the video adding music, titles, narration and other elements.

* Design and print color DVD sleeve case inserts and supply you with 10 completed Standard Definition DVDs or High Definition Blu-Ray discs and cases. You may make unlimited additional copies.

The cost is $5995.00 (payable in thirds)

The final product is a video that is typically 50 – 60 minutes.

2. Our Love Story Documentary

This Love Story documentary tells the story of how you met and your courtship. This is the perfect gift for anniversaries, Valentine’s Day or special occasions. Our Love Story Package costs $2,995 and runs approximately 15-20 minutes.

Here’s what we’ll do:

* Pre-production meeting with you to plan the interview questions and other elements of the documentary

* Video Interviews with up to 2 people in one day and one location.

* Digitize up to 50 photographs.

* Digitally edit the video adding music, titles, narration and other elements.

* Design and print color DVD sleeve case inserts and supply you with 4 completed Standard Definition DVDs or High Definition Blu-Ray discs and cases. You may make unlimited additional copies.

3. An Oral History On Video

This will be beautifully lit and filmed. It will be unedited. It is delivered on DVD, Blu-Ray disc or online. The interview questions can appear on screen as white text on a black screen or we can use the audio of the interviewer. This video can run as long as 110 minutes. The cost is $595

Here’s what we’ll do:

* Pre-production meeting

* Video Interviews with up to 2 people in one day and one location.” 

* Two (2) copies on DVD. You may make unlimited additional copies.

* Customized DVD sleeve inserts & labels

These three packages are just the beginning. We will custom-make the documentary story you want. Call today 401 253 2800.