Faq’s

No, but it’s recommended. The consultation is pressure-free. Completely. We learn a little about the subject of the film, share with you what we do, how we do it, and what you get then answer any questions you may still have. These projects are very personal and we’ve found a quick conversation is the easiest way to convey the information. That being said, if you require everything to be handled by email, just let us know in the contact form and we are happy to honor that request. 

We currently accept credit card, cash, check, PayPal, and Venmo

We collect half up front and half when it’s completed. Once we secure the deposit, the entire process can take from five to twelve weeks, so there is a good amount of time between payments. 

You will receive a welcome kit in your email. This kit explains the process, helps you get started on gathering pictures and documents, and has the links to the questionnaires we need filled out. Our coordinator will contact you about scheduling the production day and we are off and running!

Absolutely. We wouldn’t be in business if we didn’t! With every film we do, we don’t stop until it’s right. So we can provide you with as many references as you would like to visit with.

You bet. You can get an idea of the quality of our work from the sample clips elsewhere on this site. If you’d like to see an entire film, we have had families that have allowed us to share their film and we are happy to send you a link. Keep in mind, each film is edited with the client’s family in mind as the audience. This allows us to get very personal stories. Out of respect to these families, we keep them private. Each film takes on the personality of the person being formed, so keep this in mind when you’re watching someone else’s family.

As soon as a week, but usually three to four weeks after the deposit is made. It will take you some time to gather pictures and fill out the questionnaires that allow us to prepare, so the gap between signing up and filming works great for everyone. We have booked films out almost a year, and in special circumstances, we’ve booked for the next day. If there are medical or travel necessities, we can be very flexible with scheduling, just let your coordinator know.

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Absolutely. While we are based in Houston, Texas, we’ve traveled all over the country filming amazing stories from remarkable people. Naturally, there are travel costs associated, but the charges are nominal. We fly coach and use discounts to keep the cost down. There is a map on the About Us page that shows some of the places we’ve been. We also have passports, so the world is the limit!

There are two types of research we do preparing for the interview. First, we research what is going on in the world around them when they were there. So, if they grew up in Houston in the 60s, we are going to know to ask about Hurricane Carla since that event had a great impact on everyone in Houston at the time. There are version of Carla that affect every community and we need to know about them. Second, we need to make sure we know about specific details provided in the questionnaire. If dad was a lineman working for the Pacific Railways, we need to make sure the producer has a basic understanding of what a railroad lineman’s job it like. Once the questionnaire is filled out, there is usually an email exchange drilling down on some additional details.

Your welcome kit will have a full breakdown of what we are looking for. But basically, we want a hundred pictures from through the subject’s life. Ideally, most are from childhood and before…their parents and grandparents. But every family is different.

For most films, we scan them on the day of the shoot. We scan physical pictures or copy digital pictures to our computer. You can also email pictures to us or we can provide a digital locker for you to upload them.

The average time from contacting us until everything is completed is 12 weeks. Each family is in control of a few of the steps within the process. From the initial consultation to deciding to move forward varies. Once we receive the deposit, we send prospective filming dates, generally within 3-5 weeks out. Once we film, we will send a “finished” version of the film. We have an online tool that allows you to identify misspellings or mislabeled photos and ultimately give us a “thumbs up.” After that, we need one more week to put the finishing touches and corrections from you, then it’s done.

There are many variables, but our goal is a quiet environment.

• Make sure pets are in a different room.
• Vocal dogs should probably be with a neighbor.
• Ice maker should be turned off.
• Make sure a lawn crew is not scheduled.
• Turn off all ringers on cell phones and land lines.
• Put a sign on the door to notify visitors that filming is taking place.

This list could go on forever, but you get the gist.

With most films, a three man crew will show up at the agreed upon time. They will identify the ideal place in the home to set up and bring in the cameras, lights, microphones, and a bunch of other fancy equipment. While they are setting up, your producer will have a casual chat with whoever is being filmed. By this point in the process, he already knows all about them, so it’s really just a casual conversation. After the guys have set the room up, the casual conversation will migrate to the room with all of the equipment, and filming will commence. While the interview takes place, one of the guys will be tucked away in a back room scanning in the pictures you’ve selected. At lunch, the whole Heritage team will leave for an hour giving you your house back. In the afternoon, the interview will continues until it’s done.

We are sensitive to the fact that this is probably the first time the subject has been through anything like this. And this sensitivity is obvious in the interview style. In a single word, the interview is fun. It truly is. We try to ask short questions with long answers and we showed up prepared for anything. The finished film will not have the producer in it, just your loved one. So the questions are open-ended and custom tailored to the speaking style of the subject.

Yes, but read on. Because we often take elements filmed late in the day and edit them in with things said early in the day, we prefer to film the entire interview in one location. Keep in mind, it takes about an hour to set up, so transitioning to another place in the home takes up valuable interview time. However, with ample planning ahead of time, we are happy to film a segment on the porch or patio to discuss one or two specific topics.

The average film is an hour and forty-five minutes. They’ve been as short as a little over an hour and as long as over three hours. But our goal is to make a documentary that is similar in length to a traditional Hollywood movie.

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Two things. First, a humongous digital file. It’s like 20 gigs. We also mail a DVD. We send the DVD because that is the easiest way to watch the film right now. But the digital master is actually far more important. This file will allow you to keep up with technology so if you want to throw it up on your AppleTV or Roku, you can. And who knows what technology is around the corner five years from now. But whatever it is, you will have a studio master copy to play on it.

Indeed we do. Forever and ever. Three months after filming, the project goes on ice…meaning it is hard-archived and there is a nominal fee to retrieve it. But your data and film are safe forever.

Yes you can. If you provide us a drive, there is no charge to give you all of the raw footage. However, since we work with professional equipment, it is unlikely you will be able to watch it. Therefore we also have a paid option for you where we create a raw feed of the entire interview. This is the “warts and all” version with every nose-pick, hiccup, and accident from the day.

As of March, 2019, we have completed just over 150 family films.

We have been in the professional filmmaking business since 2008. We filmed our first Heritage Film in the fall of 2015.