Legacy films

Choose how the story should be preserved.

These packages are different finished formats, not different standards of care. The interview is prepared, filmed, and finished with the same attention in every case. What changes is how much of the surrounding world is filmed, how much archival material is woven in, and the length and shape of what you receive.

The Story

$895One person, one location

A professionally filmed legacy interview for one person.

The Story preserves the complete conversation with minimal documentary editing.

Who it is for: One person with stories worth keeping, when the priority is recording the conversation itself rather than shaping it into a documentary.
Filming experience: A single sitting at one location. We arrive early, set professional lighting and redundant audio, and film a 60 to 90 minute interview guided by the pre-interview questionnaire.
Finished length: Approximately 30–60 minutes
Revisions: Confirmed in the project agreement
Delivery: Digital delivery
Price: $895

Start a Conversation about The Story

Deliverables

Pre-interview questionnaire
60–90 minute interview
One location
Professional lighting and redundant audio
Light editing, color, and audio finishing
Approximately 30–60 minute completed recording
Digital delivery

The Legacy Film

Recommended

$2,295Documentary short, complete interview included

A documentary short built from the interview, the surroundings, and the photographs that go with the stories.

The complete interview is delivered alongside the finished film, so nothing from the conversation is lost to editing.

Who it is for: Families who want a finished film they will sit down and watch together, with the complete interview kept as well.
Filming experience: A planning consultation shapes the questions before filming. The session runs about two to three hours and includes the interview plus footage of the home, workshop, land, or business the stories belong to.
Finished length: 10–20 minute documentary
Revisions: Two revision rounds
Delivery: Digital delivery with a digital archival master
Price: $2,295

Start a Conversation about The Legacy Film

Deliverables

Planning consultation and custom questions
Approximately 2–3 hour filming session
Interview and environmental footage
Selected family photographs
Licensed music
Dialogue cleanup and color finishing
10–20 minute documentary
Complete interview delivered separately
Two revision rounds
Digital archival master

The Family Documentary

Starting at $6,500Scope set with you before the project begins

A multi-subject documentary for stories that reach across generations, locations, or filming days.

For stories involving several generations, locations, or production days, Northline Storyworks can expand into a full production team.

Who it is for: Families, businesses, and organizations with more than one story to tell, or a history that lives in more than one place.
Filming experience: An expanded production team films several interview subjects across multiple locations or filming days, with expanded camera, lighting, and audio production.
Finished length: 20–40 minute documentary
Revisions: Confirmed in the project agreement
Delivery: Digital delivery with complete interviews archived separately
Price: Starting at $6,500

Start a Conversation about The Family Documentary

Deliverables

Expanded production team
Multiple interview subjects
Multiple locations or filming days
Expanded camera, lighting, and audio production
Extensive archival integration
Professional sound and advanced finishing
20–40 minute documentary
Complete interviews archived separately

Add-on

Family Archive Add-On — Starting at $300

Organization, preparation, digitization coordination, and integration of selected photographs or existing media.

Some formats are digitized through outside specialists rather than in-house.

What it covers

Sorting and organizing the photographs, letters, and recordings you want included
Preparing selected material for use in the finished film
Coordinating digitization for formats that need an outside specialist
Integrating the chosen images and media into the edit

Pricing

Pricing notes

Projects require a signed agreement and deposit.
Travel outside the normal service area may be quoted separately.
Documentary pricing varies by subjects, locations, filming days, and archival material.
Delivery timing is established in the project agreement.

Questions

Common questions

What if the person being interviewed is not comfortable on camera?: Most people are not, and that is normal. The setup is small and quiet, the questions come from the pre-interview conversation, and we start on easy ground. Within a few minutes it stops feeling like filming and starts feeling like talking.
Can old photographs and home movies be included?: Yes. Selected photographs are part of The Legacy Film and The Family Documentary, and the Family Archive Add-On covers organizing, preparing, and integrating a larger collection. Formats that need specialist equipment are digitized through outside services rather than in-house.
Where does the filming happen?: Wherever the person is most at ease and the stories make sense: a living room, a kitchen table, a workshop, a family property, or a place of business. We look at the space beforehand and plan lighting and sound around it.
Can more than one family member be interviewed?: Yes. The Story and The Legacy Film are built around one primary subject. The Family Documentary is designed for several interview subjects across multiple sessions or locations.
Do you travel?: Northern Michigan is the normal service area and we travel throughout it. Projects outside that area are welcome and may be quoted separately for travel.

Not sure which format fits?

Tell us who you would like to film and what you hope to keep. We will talk through the options and recommend the format that serves the story.

Start a Conversation