Historical Projects
Stories Preserved
They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, and a legacy video/memoir says as much (or more!) but in state-of-the-art digital video and audio. So, record your life. Instead of just a memory, share your legacy.
Legacy is something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor from the past. At Pixel Lustre, we preserve that in a digital way. We specialize in video recordings of your life or business story. These videos document the past, spark new conversations in the present and preserve memories for the future.
The everyday people who walk amongst us have extraordinary pasts. We are honored to record them.
- Your friend, Barbara, was an airplane mechanic in WWII
- Your great-grandma owned and operated her own business for decades, starting in the 1920s
- Or that your Dad built computers after visiting and becoming inspired by the World’s Fair
We integrate one or more interviews with other elements to recount the memoir or experience.
You might include:
Benefits
Tell stories, share lessons and celebrate each individual’s journey in life.
Spark conversations and open new and sometimes different ways of communicating.
Capture your story, or the story of a loved one, just as they would tell it (without interruption).
Preserves oral storytelling of valuable family history that only you might remember or be able to share for future generations.
Family documentaries are a gift for all your grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Legacy videos are perfect for celebrating important events like anniversaries, retirements, birthdays, reunions or holidays.
Family Documentaries capture your legacy or the life of someone you love. We combine interviews, photos, video and graphics to create a lasting legacy and a memento that future generations can enjoy.
Family Documentaries and Legacy Videos
DOCUMENTARY EXAMPLES →
Benefits
Provide groups, organizations, communities and the public with a visual record of known and sometimes lesser-known individuals or events.
Share the accomplishments and contributions of a person or an event.
Add to a history that may not be well known or well documented.
Provides a link from the past to the present for your employees and stakeholders.
Foster a shared understanding by highlighting the background, values, and choices that shaped your company.
Honor an anniversary, build teamwork, onboard new employees or share progress in a visually meaningful way.
Professional organizations' archival, educational and growth histories capture past accomplishments and contributions of the company (or an individual(s)), which create a link from the past to the present and inspire the future. We combine archival and present-day interviews; photos, video and audio content; logos and motion graphics.
Investing in this type of project accomplishes the following:
enriches the knowledge and awareness for employees and current stakeholders; shares decisions, actions, lessons learned and the reasons for carrying out certain tasks; creates an understanding of a company's culture; and fosters morale.
Business Documentary and Historical Projects
DocumentarY Examples →
Getting down to details in the family business
Consultation
By phone or in person, we meet with you to discuss what you want to incorporate in your video. You can choose a package and we can discuss any customization options.
Project Outline
Here’s where we get organized! We determine the time frame, location, travel and fees, including setting the date of your shoot.
Questionnaire
Start thinking about those stories you’ve told or heard 1000 times.
Which ones make everyone laugh? How did you meet your spouse?
What happened on that vacation when a 100-year old tree fell down where you were picnicking?
We collect this information ahead of the shoot so when it’s time to be interviewed on camera, everyone is comfortable. This also allows the interviewee extra time to think about what they want to say.
We provide tips for the day of the shoot so you’ll know what to expect and feel comfortable.
We follow the same basic process whether a family, historical or organizational documentary.
Shoot
We want to give you a sense of comfort and familiarity. After all, home is where the heart is. If you have a customized package that includes more than one person, a hometown tour or capturing you in daily life, this will be set up with the appointment and done according to our schedule.
For organizations, we can meet at your location or at a studio.
let's collabOrate →
Edit
Let’s weave the threads together to create a compelling and comprehensive history. In this step, we tie the interviews, pictures, home movies, additional footage and titles together with smooth transitions and music that emphasize the dramatic, funny and emotional stories.
Review
Before your family’s documentary is finalized, we invite you to review it online. This ensures that all names, dates and important information is correct. Once you sign off on the final product, we export and create a digital file for you to watch and share.
FAQs →
Your Family is Our Business
Mrs. E.'s large family all had an opportunity to contribute to this project. To streamline the process, we had a family member assist her in completing the project. This family member helped communicate the ideas, inspiration for the project. They also helped facilitate her questionnaire.
Pixel Lustre combined Mrs. E.’s interview footage with additional historical footage, including a video from when she was 5 years old in 1934. We also included rarely seen photos from throughout her life to complement her stories. Together, we were able to show and create a tribute to this much-loved matriarch.
Process OVerview
Sharp, witty, and full of character! Mrs. E. was approaching her 90th birthday when we recorded her history. She wanted to give the family history to her children, grandchildren, and newly born first great-grandchild and others who would come later.
There were so many valuable reasons to stroll down memory lane with her:
Mrs. E.
She shared about her experience growing up in the 1930’s
She told stories that her family members had never heard. We also captured the stories her family has always loved hearing.
Now, her great-grandchildren will get to hear those stories from themselves and feel more connected with their family history.
Nothing captures Mrs. E's personality, quirks, and humor better than a legacy video.
Your Family is Our Business
Interesting, organized and full wardrobe changes!
For Mr. M.'s family documentary, we combined in-depth biographies, genealogical research, photos and interviews to create a one-of-a-kind video memoir. This project was intended specifically to accompany a written memoir.
Mr. M.
He shared about his experience growing up in the 1950’s and 1960's.
He told stories about social and racial change and technological innovation and advances.
He told the genealogical history that his family members had never heard. We also captured some of the stories that have been passed down in the family for generations.
Capturing Mr. M.'s character, voice, humor and even playing the piano created a unique legacy video.
Mr. M. highlighted aspects of his written memoir during the retelling of the family history. To streamline the process, we focused on impactful moments and key markers during each decade. Reviewing the headings on the questionnaire also helped cross check that important memories were not omitted.
Pixel Lustre combined Mr. M.'s interview footage with historical family interview footage, a hometown tour & photos as a companion to his stories. Together, we were able to show a record of historical research and create a living memoir of this well-regarded patriarch.
Process OVerview
Pueblo, Colo., had grown tremendously in World War II; in the 1950s, the city needed two new high schools to accommodate for the growth. When interviewing the first principal of Pueblo South, one of these new schools, he shared his memory of the first day of classes:
“I told [the student body] how much the people of Pueblo had sacrificed in terms of taxation and the money that was invested in our brand new school ... It was really something that I felt they should be grateful for, and they had a tradition of excellence that they had inherited from the other schools that had to be not only protected, but advanced ... I said, ‘I, and all of you and all of the faculty and all of us have a responsibility, not only to do everything we can to be the best we can be, and when all that is done, we need to all reach down deep inside ourselves and come up with something extra for South.’ And somehow or another the speech made some impact because everyone responded …”
"Something Extra For South" became the motto for the school and has been for the past 62 years.
Pueblo South High Alumni Association recipient of the Pueblo County Historical Society Historic Preservation Award for video, 2019
SHS Alumni Foundation
the reviews are in:
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“I spoke with my husband last night and he didn’t say much at the beginning and then an hour later, we realized we hadn’t gone to sleep because he was still telling me about what a profound experience it was at the interview with his parents. So, thank you”. — Shana
Learn More About Us
I have been documenting and telling stories for as long as I can remember. Pixel Lustre was born out of my desire to take pieces of my past experience -- the soul of nonprofits, the fast-paced corporate world, the creativity of freelancers and small business and the heart of historical family documentaries -- and put them into a new endeavor.
We Take Your Stories Personally
How we bring backstories to the forefront
Let's Visit
Stop on by and we can chat about your family documentary or historial project. We’re happy to answer any questions you might have about our unique process.
Schedule your free call
Instead of just a memory, share your legacy
Q:
Let's Chat!
I have a VHS tape and some photos in a scrapbook that I want to use, how do I get those to you?
Whether VHS, Betamax, Hi8, MiniDV we ask for all items to be delivered to us digitally. We can provide some information on how to scan your photos or provide recommendations for companies that can convert your home movies. Conversion to the correct format would be at an additional cost.
We have very few photos and no home movies, can we still create a family documentary?
Yes! Some families do not have additional footage or only have a few photos. That’s okay! We’ve incorporated family trees, old documents, newspaper articles or simply the interview of the individual. Each project is unique and there are no specific requirements, but all can be special.
We have an old audio recording. Can we do anything with that?
We are happy to discuss what other media you have and how we can create a memorable treasure out of those items. For instance, if you also have photos, we can edit those together with your audio to create a visual piece.
Do you require a deposit? How should I plan to pay?
For payment, we ask for a percentage when we sign the agreement, another payment on the day of the shoot, and the remainder when we deliver the final edit.
Are your services limited to the Denver area, or would your team be willing to travel?
Have camera, will travel. We are not limited to the Denver area and are happy to discuss the logistics of where your loved one is located and any additional costs associated with travel.
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Frequently Asked Questions
We are happy to explore and discuss your unique needs if they fall outside of the scope of what’s defined here. After all, did your life come with a manual?
