Give the gift of a life’s story!
Preserve your history for future generations with a personal memoir video.
Carefully Crafted
… by award-winning documentary filmmaker Luci Westphal, a historian with decades of experience interviewing, filming, and editing.
Luci interviews the storytellers in the personal setting of their own home, creating a comfortable atmosphere.
All interviews are confidential and none of the videos are meant to be screened publicly.
Truly Unique Gift
What could be more meaningful than preserving the life history of a family member, the highlights of a career, an entire love story, or sharing life lessons with future generations.
You can purchase this service as a present to yourself and then gift the finished video to your friends and family OR you can purchase the service for someone else to have their story recorded.
Great gift for anniversary, birthday, retirement, or just because you want to celebrate a life well lived!
Variety of Packages
Choose from various video packages with budgets to meet your needs and expectations, including an audio-only alternative.
Packages are divided by topic and by scope (video length, secondary material, number of storytellers).
If you’re ordering the Recorded Lives “memoir video service” for someone else, we can provide a gift certificate.
Every project is a personal journey, and I am here to guide you every step of the way.
Let’s start with a phone call or an email exchange so I can answer any questions you might have and
help you choose the package that fits your needs.
Luci Westphal – 727-266-6925 – hello@recordedlives.com
How It Works
If you’re purchasing the Recorded Lives video service as a present, you will get a gift certificate you can share, as well as a how-it-works welcome kit.
- Every memoir video project starts with an free consultation – in person or via video chat. This way we can get to know each other a little bit, and I get an overview of your life and where we will be filming.
- Once a filming date has been set, the storyteller (you or your gift recipient) will receive a document to help prepare for the video recording.
- The storyteller will gather photos and other materials to be used in the video.
- On the filming date, we will record the interview at the storyteller’s home. I will ask all the questions. Immediately after, I will scan in photos and other materials to be used in the video.
- Some premium packages include additional services for negatives and other archival materials.
- Within a few weeks, you will get to see a draft version of the video so you can give feedback.
- A few weeks later, you will receive a finished personal memoir video.
What You Get
What we create together will help you and yours connect deeper and across time.
On the practical side, the storyteller will receive the finished video (or audio) with their story on a USB flash drive in a gift box. We can also help upload it as a password-protected stream. Personal video players are also an option. The finished video is the incomparable keepsake to be enjoyed by the storyteller’s friends and family today and for generations to come.
But the finished video is only the “practical item” you will get. Just as important is the unique and rewarding experience of telling YOUR story – in a safe space to a professional and confidential interviewer who will help you capture and share what matters most to you in your life with those you care about.
If you are purchasing the Recorded Lives Personal Memoir Video service as a gift for someone else to record THEIR story, we can provide a printed or digital gift card and next-step instructions.
How Much It Costs
Variety of Packages – Price Based on Scope
We offer a variety of video production packages with different prices based on number of storytellers, amount of photos and other archival material, and request for additional research. Besides the standard full video, there’s also an audio-only option. If the recording takes place outside of the Tampa Bay / Sarasota / Lakeland area, there may be travel costs.
Variety of Packages – Price Based on Topic
Different kinds of stories have different needs, and therefore different budgets. For example, an individual telling their full life story or just one anecdote. Another person wants to capture their professional legacy. A couple tells their love story. Multiple family members share their memories about one person or a couple’s love story.
Client-Centric Approach
While we offer specific production packages already, we are open to your own ideas and can make an offering based on your specific memoir ideas.
Let’s work together to tell your story
Every project is a personal journey, and I am here to guide you every step of the way.