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How would you like to own a professionally shot and edited film of you or your loved ones sharing an oral history of memories? Including, perhaps, a running commentary on old photos you've been curious (or know) about but haven't taken the time to explore?
Be it yourself, a parent, a partner or even an admired friend or mentor, you could share this special legacy with your own children. They, in turn, could share it with theirs. Your Tales makes that happen for you.
I particularly wish to thank our dear and much-respected neighbour Ann Fleming, who tells one of her tales in the film above! Please watch it, if you've not already done so.
My Story
Please let me take a minute to share my own story (and regrets). At my mother’s funeral, a woman not particularly close to my mother and not at all known to me shared a very touching memory regarding my mum's young womanhood.
The tale was set during my mum’s Grand Tour, an experience unique to a bygone era. On the right, you can see a cherished photo of her at the outset of that great adventure! I was a bit taken aback as it became apparent that this person had not known her then, even though they were of an age. My mum had shared a somewhat intimate memory with someone she barely knew. I rather rudely—I was still grieving—asked this stranger why she thought my mother had done that. Luckily, this woman had much more compassion than I had patience or tolerance. She gently replied, "I guess I'm a good listener." While I absorbed that revealing statement, she smacked me with another one—"And I asked the right questions."
I then fervently wished that this woman had asked for a dozen more stories that might reveal the mystery that was my mother. That I might have gotten to know more about her, my extended family, community and world history in her time through the eyes of my complicated and beautiful mother.
And who were all these people in these fading photos?
Actually—this is me. Even back then I was fond of a good kip on the sofa...
And this is me, Mum and brother Bill—getting ready for mischief in the background...
As you've no doubt ascertained, the point I'm making is that in another generation this information will be lost.
We propose that we save your family from that kind of loss.
The stranger at my mother’s funeral presented a revelation that speaks to the heart of what we are offering in our Your Tales packages. We often share our stories and memories with kind strangers. They do not judge us and we feel comforted by that and share far more than we would with a family member or loved one. And—lastly but certainly not least—when someone apart from a family member is asking for stories, the entire history is given. They are telling their tales for the first time.
Our Team
Our central interviewers—Benetta Adamson, John Warburton and Cynthia Kane—have years of experience with the BBC, Channel Four, Sky Arts, Channel 5, Sundance Channel, PBS/ITVS and Al Jazeera America. They bring their wisdom and insight into the process and offer a safe (and often joyous) place in which a filmed interviewee can share their stories. Utilising their vast knowledge and techniques, we will also be recruiting staff to perform at these levels of expertise. That is part of our mission and present funding drive.
We realise that among our acquaintance (and beyond!) there are many professional (and amateur) filmmakers who will feel that they can do this themselves. Please let me advance the theory that we can get stories from your loved ones that you will not—for the reasons postulated above. Also, you will realise the price we are offering in this campaign is very much a loss leader in terms of time investment and skill levels required. We look to the future of this becoming such a successful business that we will need to hire our fellow film-makers.
I don't think you will ever regret taking advantage of our half-priced packages offered as perks in this campaign. These are a preservation of precious memories that will be cherished by your family for many generations to come. We will come as a very small crew of two people to your home or chosen location and deliver you a fully-edited, titled and scored film.
EXCLUSIVE TO THIS CAMPAIGN
Also, every single one of the half-price film package interviews will be conducted personally by a member of our core team—Cynthia Kane in the States—apart from the upper Midwest—that will be John and me! Benetta Adamson or John Warburton in the UK and—again—John and me for Europe and rest of world. To be honest, at the good rates we insist upon paying our fellow filmmakers, we cannot afford but to do the work ourselves at these prices!
Please note that these perks will be fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis so we suggest booking soon. We have given ourselves a rather tight three-year time scale in which to fulfill all the offered discounted packages. Signed contracts containing filming and delivery dates will be mailed to you when the campaign has ended. We will contact you immediately for scheduling dates as soon as your pledge is made. To accommodate everyone, we plan to do all the filming back to back, finishing the last session by July, 2107—should all 50% discount packages be claimed. The final edit of your film will be delivered on a rolling basis from that date.
As an added incentive, once Your Tales is up and running as a full-fledged business, we will have a mandate in perpetuity to donate 5% of our profits to Alzheimers Research UK. On point to Your Tales becoming a full-fledged, possibly international business, we invite investors to explore that section of our website, as we cannot offer such opportunities as perks on this platform.
NOT JUST FAMILY MEMBERS
These packages can also be used to preserve stories outside your immediate family. We will film your desired interviewee at the location and time of your choosing.
Please note that these perks will be fulfilled on a first pledged-first served basis, although special provisions for the health of the interviewee will of course be made. Signed contracts stating filming and delivery dates will be mailed when the campaign has ended. We will contact you for scheduling dates as soon as your pledge is made.
A WONDERFUL ORGANISATION BENEFITS AS WELL
As an added incentive, we will institute a second mandate in perpetuity to donate a further 5% of our profits to Global Girl Media. This amazing world-wide programme also benefits immediately from the most accessible portion of our campaign perks. Please take a moment to explore their website by clicking on this link. As part of our projected business model, we will be training up young filmmakers in equipment operation, research and interview techniques. As Global Girl Media is already firmly entrenched in these practices, perhaps you or your loved one will be lucky enough to be interviewed by one of these talented young women. They are devoted to their craft and inspire all who meet them!
In closing—before the legal mumbo-jumbo regarding travel surcharges—let me just say that I feel this work is important beyond establishing a small business and the preservation of memories for individuals and families. The world in which we now live provides very little connection and human interaction. We don’t listen. We don’t ask questions. We have fellow humans on this planet who have been here for a very long time and have extremely important wisdom and experience to share with us. Let’s listen deeply. Let’s ask the right questions.
TRAVEL
Please be aware of the following caveats/surcharges regarding travel on the 50% discount packages (unless the interviewee comes to us in beautiful Lewes, East Sussex or to Cynthia in NYC...):
Travel expenses of 60 pence per mile will apply for any locations 25 miles outside of London, UK or NYC radius. Up to a 100 mile radius—then distance travel rates below will apply.
Locations requiring overseas and long distance travel will be subject to a £400 (+/- 470 EUR) minimum surcharge for continental Europe/UK, £600 (+/- 795 USD/+/- 1030 CAD) for North America, £1800 (+/- 3130 AUD) for rest of world and negotiated by number of clients per geographical area—so share our campaign with your neighbours to get a break on the travel surcharges!
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