Legacy films

Choose the format of the legacy film.

These are different finished formats, not different standards of care — for a person, a family, a business, or an organization. The interview is prepared, filmed, and finished with the same attention in every case. What changes is how much of the surrounding world is filmed, how much archival material is woven in, and the length and shape of what you receive.

Legacy Interview

$895One person, one location

A professionally filmed legacy interview for one person.

The complete conversation is preserved with light finishing, not shaped into a short documentary.

Who it is for: One person whose voice should be kept — a parent, a shop owner, a volunteer, a neighbor — when the priority is recording the conversation itself.
Filming experience: A single sitting at one location. We arrive early, set professional lighting and redundant audio, and film a 60 to 90 minute interview guided by the pre-interview questionnaire.
Finished length: Approximately 30–60 minutes
Revisions: Confirmed in the project agreement
Delivery: Digital delivery
Price: $895

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Deliverables

Pre-interview questionnaire
60–90 minute interview
One location
Professional lighting and redundant audio
Light editing, color, and audio finishing
Approximately 30–60 minute completed recording
Digital delivery

Legacy Film

Recommended

$2,295Documentary short, complete interview included

A documentary short built from the interview, the place around them, and the photographs that belong with those memories.

The complete interview is delivered alongside the finished film, so nothing from the conversation is lost to editing.

Who it is for: Anyone who wants a finished film people will sit down and watch — a family, a small business, a local organization — with the complete interview kept as well.
Filming experience: A planning consultation shapes the questions before filming. The session runs about two to three hours and includes the interview plus footage of the home, workshop, land, or business the conversation belongs to.
Finished length: 10–20 minute documentary
Revisions: Two revision rounds
Delivery: Digital delivery with a digital archival master
Price: $2,295

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Deliverables

Planning consultation and custom questions
Approximately 2–3 hour filming session
Interview and environmental footage
Selected family photographs
Licensed music
Dialogue cleanup and color finishing
10–20 minute documentary
Complete interview delivered separately
Two revision rounds
Digital archival master

Legacy Documentary

Starting at $6,500Scope set with you before the project begins

A multi-subject documentary when the history lives in more than one person, place, or filming day.

The two studios work together on larger productions: several generations, a business history, or a longer community project.

Who it is for: Families, businesses, and organizations with more than one person to interview, or a history that lives in more than one place.
Filming experience: An expanded production team films several interview subjects across multiple locations or filming days, with expanded camera, lighting, and audio production.
Finished length: 20–40 minute documentary
Revisions: Confirmed in the project agreement
Delivery: Digital delivery with complete interviews archived separately
Price: Starting at $6,500

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Deliverables

Expanded production team
Multiple interview subjects
Multiple locations or filming days
Expanded camera, lighting, and audio production
Extensive archival integration
Professional sound and advanced finishing
20–40 minute documentary
Complete interviews archived separately

Add-on

Archive Add-On — Starting at $300

Organization, preparation, digitization coordination, and integration of selected photographs or existing media.

Some formats are digitized through outside specialists rather than in-house.

What it covers

Sorting and organizing the photographs, letters, and recordings you want included
Preparing selected material for use in the finished film
Coordinating digitization for formats that need an outside specialist
Integrating the chosen images and media into the edit

Pricing

Pricing notes

Projects require a signed agreement and deposit.
Travel outside the normal service area may be quoted separately.
Documentary pricing varies by subjects, locations, filming days, and archival material.
Delivery timing is established in the project agreement.

Questions

Common questions

What if the person being interviewed is not comfortable on camera?: Most people are not, and that is normal. The setup is small and quiet, the questions come from the pre-interview conversation, and we start on easy ground. Within a few minutes it stops feeling like filming and starts feeling like talking.
Can old photographs and home movies be included?: Yes. Selected photographs are part of the Legacy Film and the Legacy Documentary, and the Archive Add-On covers organizing, preparing, and integrating a larger collection. Formats that need specialist equipment are digitized through outside services rather than in-house.
Where does the filming happen?: Wherever the person is most at ease and the stories make sense: a living room, a kitchen table, a workshop, a family property, or a place of business. We look at the space beforehand and plan lighting and sound around it.
Can more than one person be interviewed?: Yes. The Legacy Interview and the Legacy Film are built around one primary subject. The Legacy Documentary is designed for several interview subjects across multiple sessions or locations.
Do you travel?: We have studios in Albany and Northern Michigan and travel throughout New York’s Capital Region and those Michigan communities. The two studios work together on larger projects. Work outside those areas is welcome and may be quoted separately for travel.

Not sure which format fits?

Tell us who you would like to film and what you hope to keep. We will talk through the options and recommend the format that fits the project.

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Or call (231) 597-7648 to talk through services, pricing, or questions.