How To Make A Family Legacy Documentary

Family History Videos, Legacy Films,
Video Biographies, Geneology Videos

A family legacy documentary or family history video is a wonderful way to honor your family members and create a lasting legacy for future generations.

Here are the 8 primary steps to making a family legacy documentary.

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8 Steps To Making A Family Legacy Documentary

Step 1: Choose Your Gear

If you’re starting from scratch and don’t have a lot of money to spend, you can pretty much use any device available to shoot video (smartphones these days shoot beautiful footage).

More important than the video is your AUDIO.

You are capturing the stories and voices of your family, so make sure the quality of the sound is the best possible. One low cost audio recording option is the Zoom H1n ($99). 

Keep in mind that since you’ll be recording your audio separate from the video, you’ll need to sync them up later during editing.  Click here for a list of low-budget documentary gear.

Step 2: Interview Selected Family Members

It’s up to you how many family members you’d like to interview. The important thing to remember is that our elders are here and gone before you know it, so don’t procrastinate.

Even if you’re not quite ready to edit the documentary, go ahead and sit down with your family members and record their stories.

The key thing to remember when interviewing a family member is that you want them to be as comfortable as possible so that their true personality comes out. So, choose a location and time where they will be most relaxed.

Also, to help trigger their memories, have on hand old memorabilia and photos. Or have them watch old home movies and record them describing what they are seeing and remembering.

To learn about interviewing and lighting techniques, sign up for our 7-Day Documentary Crash Course.

Step 3: Gather Photos, Memorabilia and Old Home Movies

Step 4: Shoot Recreations

What if one of your uncles tells a great story but there are no photos or footage documenting the event? Consider getting family members or actors to recreate the event! Put on your Hollywood director’s hat. Draft up a storyboard by hand or use a free website like Canva to help you plan out your shots. 

Or how bout creating animated cartoon scenes using some easy animation software such as Doodly, Animaker or CreatStudio.

The sky's the limit with your creativity!

Check out these AI Tools for Documentary Filmmakers for additional ideas.

Step 5: Draft An Outline

You can make your documentary super simple and just play one interview right after the next, overlaying images of what each person is saying.

Use this AI tool to instantly turn a raw interview into a rough cut.

Or you can get fancy and categorize the interviews into subject matters and weave together the interviews based on stories or periods of time.

There is a whole art to the storytelling process!  For step by step guidance, check out the 7-Day Documentary Crash Course.

Step 6: Upload Footage, Photos & Interviews To Your Computer

Depending on how much footage you have, your existing computer may or may not be able to handle all that video data. And you’ll need a way to edit together the clips.

• Click here to choose a video editing computer.
• Click here for video editing software options.
• Click here for AI tools for documentaries.

Do take the time to properly scan and organize photos and other fragile tokens.

Step 7: Editing Your Documentary

There is no right or wrong way to edit your documentary. But there are some video editing basics you can learn to help you through the process.

Click here for video editing tips.  

Click here for tips on where to find free music clips.

Top 10 tips for editing a documentary

Step 8: Share Your New Masterpiece At The Next Family Gathering And Become The Family Hero

What a great gift to share the legacy video at your next family reunion or holiday gathering.

Imagine the laughter and tears when family members watch their personal history play out before their eyes. 

 

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Family Legacy Documentary Examples 

Family History Legacy Sample | "Three Brothers From Pittsburgh"

Talking To Bee Gibbs | Personal Documentary Film Clip

Betty Kimble Family Legacy Documentary

Boston Boy | Genealogy Video

Family History Biography 

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Need Help From A Professional?

Would you rather have a professional filmmaker make your family legacy documentary?

Listed below are a couple of video production companies that specialize in bio docs:

yourstoryherehome.com

familylinevideo.com

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