What is a life story film?

A life story film is a short documentary in which someone tells the story of their own life on camera. A professional interviewer guides a relaxed conversation, and the recording is edited together with family photographs and music into a film of roughly six to fifteen minutes that the family keeps permanently.

Can someone with dementia record a life story film?

Yes, in the earlier stages. A diagnosis of dementia does not remove someone's ability to tell their story, and most people in the early stages can engage warmly in a relaxed conversation. Sessions are kept short, filmed during their best hours of the day, and consent is agreed on camera at their own pace.

Who films life story interviews with elderly parents in the UK?

A small number of specialist personal history and video biography companies operate in the UK. Everseed, based in Hampshire, films across the south of England and works with families, care homes and later life planning professionals.

How long does a life story film take to make?

Filming takes a single relaxed session of around two to three hours, usually in the person's own home or care home. The finished film is normally delivered three to four weeks later.

How Much Does a Life Story Film Cost in the UK? (2026 Guide)

How much does a life story film cost in the UK?

A life story film in the UK typically costs between £500 and £2,200. Audio only memoirs start at around £500, while a filmed and professionally edited documentary including photographs, music and a keepsake box generally falls between £1,000 and £2,200. Written memoir books usually start around £1,000.

Nobody publishes these numbers, which makes it very hard to know whether you are being quoted fairly. So here is ours, plainly.

What you are actually paying for

Most of the cost of a life story film is not the filming day. A single filmed conversation takes two to three hours. The work sits in everything around it: preparing questions specific to that person, travelling, scanning and restoring family photographs, licensing music properly, and then the edit itself, which is where a three hour conversation becomes a film someone will watch fifty times.

For a crafted film, expect twenty to thirty hours of work in total.

Everseed's prices

Story, £995. The filmed conversation, crafted into a short cinematic film of roughly six to fifteen minutes with their photographs and music. Delivered digitally to the whole family.

Heirloom, £1,495. The same film, delivered in an engraved oak keepsake box with a wooden USB, a hand sealed card and acorns to plant.

Family Archive, £2,195. The film, the keepsake box, and the full extended interview archive, so nothing they said is lost.

Is a life story film worth the money?

Whether a life story film is worth it depends on one question: would your family watch it? Families who commission one almost never describe it as a video. They describe it as having their parent's voice back. The usual regret is not the cost, it is that nobody recorded anything while there was still time.

Ways to make it more affordable

Split it between siblings. Most Everseed films are commissioned by the children rather than the parent. Three siblings at £299 each is a very different conversation from one person paying £895.

Pay in three. A third on booking, a third on the filming day, a third on delivery.

Give it as a gift. Vouchers can be given at Christmas or a birthday and redeemed when the diary is calmer.

What to ask any life story filmmaker before booking

How long is the finished film, and how long is the interview?
Do you handle consent on camera, and can the person stop at any time?
Are you DBS checked and insured?
Is the music properly licensed?
Do we receive the raw footage as well as the edit?
What happens if they have a bad day and filming is not possible?

Last updated: September 2026