Decide which package you would like, or contact us if you want a variation of them or to discuss any details.  We will give you a quote once you have provided all the material.   If you would like to use any of our additional services please call or email for a quote.

1. Which Package?

Guidelines for Getting Started with Your Life Story Movie

2. Organise Photos

Collect together photos of the featured person, couple, group, organization, business, event or pet. It's easy to underestimate how much time getting all the photos together from various sources and then sorting them can take,  so allow plenty of time if you can. Choose the best quality ones (the least blurry) where possible so that your movie will be of high quality, especially when projected onto a big screen. Sometimes the content is more important than the quality and of course old photos will probably not be in the best condition but that's okay because they reflect the times (we can restore them for you if needed). 

 
Think about the story you want to tell and choose photos that illustrate the aspects you want to show. Try to include a variety to reflect the different aspects of the person and their life, and the important people or events in it. As well as posed photos, look for action shots or evocative photos that make people laugh or feel emotion. You can arrange them chronologically, or in themes in their life (eg childhood, family, friends, loves/relationships, children, work, hobbies/interests, travels). Please don't crop your photos as we need some space for zooms and pans to work. 

3. Scanning

We need your photos in digital format, jpeg if possible. We can scan your photos, slides or negatives for you with our professional quality scanner or if you want to save some money do them yourself and bring them to us on DVD or usb drive. Please scan photos to at least 300 dpi and slides and negatives to 1200 dpi. It's not recommended to take a photo of a photo, as it results in poor quality.

Number each photo in the order you want them, either with some masking tape at the back or a 'stick it' or in pencil. If you are giving us the photos already scanned, name ('Save as') each digital photo as their number. If there is someone you want us to pan onto, label that as well. We can also put a circle around a person in a group photo.

4. Labeling

5. Captions

Captions help tell the story, and can be informative, humourous, or anything you want! Think of any captions you would like between (for each chapter) or on photos, and either write on the back of the photo or make a list with photo number and caption next to it. Captions are included in Bronze and above packages only.

Give us the words you want at the start of the movie eg 'Celebrating 60 Full Years',  'Samuel (Sam) Jerry Smith 8 May 1950 – 5 December 2010' or 'Born 8 May 1950' or '50 Years'.

6. Title

7. Cover and DVD label photo

If you want a DVD version, choose the cover or main portrait photos for the DVD cover, and for the start and finish of the DVD and mark them or save as 'Front Cover' 'Back cover'. You may like to choose the best one of the person when they were young and a more recent one, showing the life journey we will see in the slideshow. Give us the words you want on the cover. What photo do you want on the DVD label? Or would you like it plain with just writing? Because a hole is taken out of the middle it works best to have a picture where the person is on one side or their head is at the top of the photo.

8. Music

Music choice is important in creating the feeling of the movie, and can make the difference between an extraordinary experience and an ordinary one. Choose music and lyrics that would be a good soundtrack for the life story. What mood do you want to create - celebratory, fun, quiet and reflective or moving or perhaps a combination of these? They can be favourites or significant tracks for certain times or saying things you want to express or perhaps reflecting the person. We are happy to discuss and suggest the best music to use for your purposes. You can supply us with the tracks on CD or USB or we can purchase them for you. 

8. Video

We need your videos in digital version.  If there are excerpts you want, please write down in and out time points for each file for ease of editing.

Is there anything else that can be included which brings more life to the story? For example newspaper articles, mementoes, favourite poems or sayings, or if they were an artist include some of their artworks, or a photographer include photos they've taken or a footprint, cards and letters, their handwriting, trophies won, or other products of their interests, hobbies or work, or a favourite garment or do you have any audio of them talking (we can convert from cassette)?

9. Think beyond photos and videos

That's all your work done

...now it is up to us to make the very best movie for you.  

We'll contact you when a draft version is ready for review, either in person or via Dropbox.