About three months ago I was contacted by a man who needed help editing together some video footage: no problem, as this is a part of my business. However, this was different. Paul is a lovely gentle man in his fifties, quietly yet elegantly spoken, and during our sessions, as I always like to do, we got chatting. I found out he was suffering from a terminal cancer and only had a year to live, and wanted to leave this edited film as his legacy to his young grandchildren, so at a later date, when like everyone, they reflected on their past and wondered about their granddad and what he was like, they could still ‘see’ him.

When we’d finished the edit, he was so genuinely delighted, that I was moved to tears. I had helped this man, whose life was being cut unfairly short, to create a lasting memory of himself to leave to his grandchildren and future generations. Even though he wouldn’t be there to watch them grow up, he felt some comfort and satisfaction that in a small way, he would be able to live on in their hearts through this film.

And that’s how the idea of Legacy Films came to me. How I personally would have loved a reminder of my great-grandfather to look back on.

I spoke to friends and they all confided that they would have loved a reminder of their past. I know from Paul during that edit session that there are definitely people out there who want to share their life experiences with their family, but can’t, because of a terminal illness, or living too far apart or abroad, or an age difference where the recipient is too young at the moment to appreciate it, or even a family rift that has meant that grandchildren haven’t got to see and know their grandparents.

I could create that film, letting them talk to future generations of family, to tell them about their heritage, their hopes and aspirations.

To show them places that meant something, interspersed with photos with a narrative to explain them.

We would travel to places that meant something special, and make this a proper film, a true legacy. Meticulous care would be taken to plan out the film, making sure all the important details were included. Old photos would be scanned and repaired where necessary. Favourite music & sounds would be added in the edit. Broadcast quality cameras would be used for the ultimate in picture & sound quality. The finished film would be produced on video & DVD to ensure long-term compatibility, and the master tape held in safe storage for transfer to any future viewing media as required. This would not be a collection of badly filmed family videos, this would be true professional and personal production of a life.

Welcome to Legacy Films