A DVD Family Portrait
Pre-Production

Video Demo
Production
Post Production

Consider having a talented and experienced filmmaker as your personal director to cinematically create a film about your family history in the same way an artist would paint your family portrait.

Consider the finished DVD as a unique family gift idea.

Consider preserving and enhancing your family archives.

In terms of my qualifications to make your DVD family portrait carefully check my resume, filmography, awards, and quotes from reviews.
You may also want to view the photo gallery.
This was designed to preserve a photographic record of the films I’ve worked on and I think you’ll find it of interest.

My Video Demo will give you a broad overview of me as a filmmaker.

In terms of a unique family gift, my own was made to celebrate my brother reaching a milestone birthday. It then turned out to be a fabulous gift for other family members.

My DVD family portrait gets repeated showings and is never locked away in storage because I designed it to be an emotional and dramatic story anyone can enjoy.

In terms of preserving and enhancing the family archive, the process of transferring every element to the digital world allowed me the opportunity to restore and improve all the material.
Your family portrait will include separate DVD’s of all the original material enhanced as best as possible.

Depending on the size of your archive, filming interviews (optional), additional photography (optional) and voice overs (optional), the all inclusive cost is between $8,000. and $20,000. Canadian dollars.

For complete details go to Pricing which includes a copy of the Production Sales Agreement and carefully review the material.

You are paying for my talent and my time. Your DVD family portrait will require between 3 and 4 months to complete. I will only take on one project at a time to ensure you have my undivided attention and talent in creating your film.

Be assured that all your family information will be treated with the greatest confidentially. Your DVD family portrait is intended for your family alone.

As any portrait artist would, I want to establish a rapport between us.
It will give you the opportunity to know me so you can decide if you want to embark on the project. You can screen my own one hour DVD family portrait as an example of what can be achieved and review my qualifications.
It’s also an opportunity for me to get to know you.
Together we can assess whether I’m the one to do the job.

We can review the size of your archive and I’ll give you a final price for the film.

Since I am based in Toronto, Canada, clients living there can be afforded a personal meeting which is the most effective way to start a project like this.
If you are an out-of-town client, we can establish initial contact through phone or email. Simply contact me.

If you contract me to create your DVD family portrait, I would require at least one day in person to review your archives in detail and discuss the project in depth. This would require the additional expense of transportation and two nights in a hotel. My time would be included in the production cost.
For details go to Pricing.

After our initial meeting, take your time to consider the project.
Feel free to bombard me with any questions you may have.

If all is well, we’ll sign a Production Sales Agreement between yourself and my company Worthwhile Movies Limited and get started on your DVD family portrait.

The final length for your DVD family portrait is dependent on your archive material. I think a limit of one hour is sufficient to tell any story in a lively, dramatic form. The idea, again, is not to bore your audience and the final length will be determined by this rule.

This is the source material for your DVD family portrait and can consist of photos, slides, video, 8mm and 16mm movies. It can also consist of family documents such as marriage certificates and school report cards or perhaps mementos that can be digitally photographed. In short, it is anything that tells your family story.

Remember to check with other family members to gather their material as well.

Select the material you want to include. My family portrait includes over 500 photos and slides and about 16 minutes of home movies selected from 2,000 photos and slides and 2 hours of home movies.

The next step is to identify the people, places, events and dates as best you can for your photographic material.
A simple “postit” with a caption can be put on the back of each photo or on the edge of a slide.
I recommend transferring 8mm and 16mm film to DVD first to save wear and tear on the film. Identifications can be made from the DVD copy.

If additional photography is desired, such as the neighborhood you grew up in or the school you attended, identify where the places are.

Something that could be fun and certainly helpful to me is to design your family tree that identifies the relationships in your family.

Here’s a sample.

The above chart contains a minimum of 28 family members (if there are only one aunt and uncle in each family branch and two children.)
Now add parents' friends and their kids, your childhood friends, classmates and teachers and you end up with a huge "cast" for your film.

Your archives may reduce the number simply by lack of photos, but you may want to consider who is important in your life to uncomplicate and simplify the elements of your family history.

Think about and write down the events and cultural icons that have personal meaning to you and your family.

In my film I used brief clips of World War II ending, Don Larson’s World Series “perfect game” pitch, The Honeymooners, Sgt. Bilko, the “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should” commercial, Elvis Presley shaking his hips, Marilyn Monroe waving, Gary Cooper in High Noon, Kennedy’s assassination and Nixon resigning.
They are all sign posts from my view of the baby boomer generation.

The list is endless and can add the perspective of time to your family history.

A great help to me was research on the internet. Go to my Baby Boomers' Guide and see some of the websites, books, films, radio and TV that I found interesting and I think you’ll find touchstones for your life that could be included.

It’ll be my job to find the material from your list for inclusion in your DVD family portrait. Hopefully everything will be available.

Next, think about music. Not only your favorite songs, but the most memorable music of your life.

My film includes 56 songs that covered my parents’ era (Benny Goodman) to my own (The Beatles) and everything in-between. Go to my Music web pages for a demonstration.

Nothing can invoke a memory of times past better than music.

I have an extensive music collection that should serve all your needs.

I can also supply “background” scoring that will capture the nostalgia for times past and give an emotional and dramatic impact to your family’s life story.

This preliminary research was fun for me and should be for you. It will ensure that you have every available source to tell your story in as complete a manner as possible.

Once you’re ready – we’ll get together to start The Production. (Click on word)

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