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Why I Started Creating Legacy Films

Sun, 26 Jul 2026 22:13:01 GMT

The Interview That Started Everything

The story behind In My Day Films begins with a Talkboy, a navy bedsheet fort, and a question I asked my grandmother when I was nine years old.

In My Day Films was born from a deep core memory.

In grade four, my class and I were asked to interview a grandparent about one thing they cherished. Our teacher gave us examples like brooches, toys, or hairbrushes from their childhood, or perhaps from their own children's childhood. I knew exactly who I wanted to interview right away. My dad's mother. My grandma, who bought my favourite cereal whenever she knew I was coming to visit her and grandpa on the family farm. A selfless woman whose warmth outshone the sun as soon as your small hands finally wriggled the old porch door open into her kitchen. Her reverence for people and the land was instilled in me from a young age, and if she kept bits of string and endless buttons just in case of distant hard times, I could only imagine the things she kept that she truly cherished.

A Question, and a Few Days of Waiting

By this time I had heard that the matriarch of my family was a child in Poland when the Second World War set fire to the world she knew. This fuelled my curiosity. Could she have some relic from hundreds of years ago, passed down from generations of our family in the old country? I eagerly set out to find the answer. But what I learned was the furthest thing from what I expected, and it shaped who I would become for the rest of my life.

When I asked her over the phone, she asked for a couple of days to think about it. As I waited for what felt like ages back then, my parents reminded me to be patient. A few days later she called back, agreeing that the next time we saw each other, I could interview her.

I grabbed my Talkboy recorder, a fresh tape, and prepared my first studio in my childhood bedroom.

Setting the Scene

When the day finally arrived, nothing could have prepared me for what Grandma would reveal as her most cherished thing.

I can still picture every detail of my room: the colours cast by my lava lamp, my Lego in the corner, drawings hanging from the wall, my bunk bed with a navy sheet my mom had sewn to make it into a fort. My grandma was wearing a flowery pink blouse. The lines in her hands and face held an elegance that children learn to revere. Her smile shone brightly, as always, despite the nervousness she must have felt.

I hit the button that starts recording. Words that will stay with me forever, that I will pass down to my son and daughter, that they will pass down to theirs.

The Thing She Cherished Most

"What is the one thing you cherish most, Grandma?" I ask, expecting her to pull a golden, tarnished relic from her purse.

Grandma takes a deep breath in and slowly breathes out. She begins to tell me about her childhood.

About how her mother, father, and brother lived on a beautiful farm in the Polish countryside. About the orchard with fruit of every kind, the garden full of food, the fields of flowers, the chickens, pigs, and a few cows. Her family had been farming this land since immigrating a few hundred years prior from Germany. The land was fertile and so prosperous that they even had hired hands. A paradise on earth. She told me about loving the chickens and getting lost in a field of poppies. Memories that inspired her reverence for the world around her.

Then the War Came Marching

Her father successfully hid from the Nazi conscriptions for a time, but was eventually found hiding in the grain silo and sent to the eastern front. She told me her mom would catch fish, salt them, and add them into the care package she would send to the front. The family farm and all able bodies were also enlisted for the war effort, producing as much food as possible for the soldiers who came knocking regularly.

As the months and years ground on, she remembered smaller and smaller portions, less playing, and missing her father. She told me about the fierce resilience her mother exuded with every breath. A ferocity that kept her and her children together through unimaginable hardship.

When liberation finally came to Poland, any Germans remaining were forced to work as part of reparations for the war. The farm was now government property, and her family would work the land while watching their home dismantled, one fruit tree at a time burnt for warmth. She remembered the pigs eating better than she did. Through tears, a faith in Jesus that was instilled by candlelight every night, with a Bible tied across her mother's neck.

Ten Years, a War, and an Ocean

Throughout all this time, she had no idea that her father had survived the eastern front and years in a Russian prisoner-of-war camp. Upon his eventual release, he was sponsored by his brother to come to Canada, but not before leaving word with one of his old hired hands to find his family and tell them he was alive.

After ten years, a war, an Atlantic crossing, and traversing countless miles across two continents, at a small prairie railway station in Broadview, Saskatchewan, she was finally reunited with her father. She would go on to marry a farmer, raise three girls and three boys, and together with the love of her life build their own paradise on earth.

What She Cherished Most Was Freedom

I remember sitting there speechless, until Grandma finally said, "So what I cherish most is... freedom."

Not a thing or object. Not some tarnished relic. An idea that, thanks to her story, I could actually begin to grasp. An idea that was embedded into every ounce of my being and inspired me to become who I am today.

From My First Interview to My First Legacy Film

Grandma was my first interview. Decades later, she became my first legacy film interview. Seeing the impact her story has had, not just on my life but on our entire extended family, has shown me how important these stories are. Stories that have shaped who we are today, and that will continue to live on, inspiring future generations of our family thanks to Grandma's words captured forever in film.

It has been a gift I am proud to have given my family. In doing so, I realized that other families deserve this gift as well.

Why I Founded In My Day Films

Which is exactly why I founded In My Day Films: so that I could be of service to others who want to give this gift to their families as well.

Every remarkable life carries a story worth preserving. If there is someone in your family whose story you do not want to lose, begin the way I did all those years ago, with a question and a conversation.

How to Preserve Your Parents' Stories Before They Are Lost

nathaniel@prairierising.com (Nathaniel Puffalt) — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 20:10:49 GMT

To preserve your parents’ stories, begin by asking thoughtful questions, recording their voice, gathering family photos, and creating a clear structure around their memories. A cinematic legacy film brings these pieces together through a guided recorded interview, family photos, music, and careful editing, so your family can keep their voice, humour, values, and life story for generations.

Why preserving your parents’ stories matters

Many families have boxes of old photos but very few recorded stories.

You may have the photograph of the house, but not the story of the winter your parents moved in. You may have the wedding picture, but not the memory of what went wrong that morning. You may have a faded image of your grandparents, but not your mother’s voice explaining what they were really like.

Photos matter. But photos become far more meaningful when the people who remember them can explain what was happening, who was there, and why it stayed with them.

That is why so many adult children eventually ask, “How do I preserve my parents’ stories before it is too late?”

The answer begins with conversation.

Start before everything feels urgent

Preserving family stories does not need to begin during a crisis. In fact, it is often better when it does not.

When the process starts earlier, it can feel warmer, calmer, and more natural. Your parent has time to reflect. Family members have time to gather photos. The conversation can include laughter, pauses, memories, and details that might not come out in a rushed setting.

The goal is not to pressure anyone. The goal is to create space.

Some parents may say, “I do not have anything interesting to say.” That is rarely true. What they often mean is that they do not know where to begin.

A guided interview helps with that. The right question can open a whole chapter.

What should you record?

At minimum, try to preserve your parent’s voice.

A written family history is valuable, but a voice carries something writing cannot. The pace of speech. The laugh. The accent. The pause before a memory. The familiar way they say a name.

Future generations may want to know the facts, but they will also want to hear the person.

If you are beginning simply, record audio or video on a phone in a quiet room. Ask one question at a time. Keep it relaxed. Do not worry about creating a perfect interview at first.

If you want something more polished, a legacy film can turn those stories into a cinematic family documentary that is easier to watch, share, and pass down.

Gather photos, but do not let photos delay the process

Many families delay because the photos are not organized.

There are albums in closets, envelopes in drawers, framed pictures in hallways, and loose prints in boxes. It can feel overwhelming.

But you do not need to organize everything before beginning. Start with the most meaningful images.

Look for photos that naturally invite stories:

Childhood homes
Parents and grandparents
Wedding photos
Workplaces
First cars or trucks
Family farms
Vacations
Holiday gatherings
Old friends
Community events
Gardens, kitchens, cabins, and familiar places

When you sit with a parent and open an old album, the best stories often come from images no one expected to matter. A small photo can lead to a story about a neighbour, a job, a difficult year, a friendship, or a family joke that still makes everyone laugh.

Ask questions that invite stories, not just facts

A common mistake is asking questions that lead to one word answers.

Instead of asking, “Did you like school?” try asking, “What do you remember most about walking into school when you were young?”

Instead of asking, “Where did you work?” try, “What was a typical workday like for you then?”

Instead of asking, “Were you close with your parents?” try, “What is something your mother or father used to say that you still remember?”

Good questions help people return to a scene. They invite memory, detail, and feeling.

Questions to help preserve your parents’ stories

Here are a few strong starting questions:

What was your childhood home like?
Who made you laugh when you were young?
What did your parents or grandparents teach you?
What was a difficult season that shaped you?
What are you proudest of?
What family tradition do you hope continues?
What story about me or my siblings do you still laugh about?
What do you wish you had asked your own parents?
What advice would you give to your grandchildren?
What do you want your family to remember about you?

These questions work because they are personal without being cold or formal.

They also leave room for humour. A parent’s embarrassing story about a child, a memory of a questionable haircut, or a tale about a family gathering gone sideways can be just as meaningful as a serious reflection.

Families are made from both tenderness and laughter.

Consider a guided recorded interview

A guided recorded interview can make the process easier for everyone.

When a family member asks the questions, the conversation can be beautiful, but it can also feel complicated. You may not know when to follow up, when to pause, or how to ask about sensitive parts of the past. Your parent may also edit themselves because you are in the room.

A guided interview creates a calm structure. Someone outside the family can ask thoughtful questions, listen closely, and help stories come forward naturally.

At In My Day Films, the interview is not a performance. It is a conversation. The goal is to help a loved one feel comfortable, respected, and understood.

Turn the stories into something your family will actually watch

One reason legacy films are powerful is that they create something complete.

Many families record pieces of audio or video, but those files sit on a phone or hard drive. A cinematic legacy film gives the stories shape. It combines interview footage, family photos, music, and careful editing into a film that can be watched on an anniversary, shared with siblings, shown to grandchildren, or kept as part of the family record.

The final result is not only information. It is presence.

Your parent’s voice. Their expression. Their humour. Their memories. Their way of telling a story.

That is what families are often most grateful to have.

How to preserve family stories in Saskatchewan

For families in Saskatoon and across Saskatchewan, preserving family history often means capturing stories tied to place.

A farm. A lake. A small town. A kitchen table. A prairie road. A church basement. A school. A garden. A living room that held decades of visits.

These places are part of the story.

A Saskatchewan legacy film can help preserve not only a person’s memories but also the landscape and culture that shaped them. That may include rural life, city life, immigration stories, Indigenous family history, community service, work, caregiving, faith, friendship, music, food, humour, and family traditions.

FAQ

How do I preserve my parents’ stories?

Start by recording their voice, asking thoughtful questions, gathering meaningful family photos, and organizing their memories into themes. A legacy film can bring these elements together in a polished, watchable format.

What is the best way to record parents’ stories?

The best method is a guided recorded interview in a quiet, comfortable setting. Video is especially valuable because it preserves facial expressions, voice, humour, and personality.

What if my parent says they have no stories?

Many people feel that way at first. Start with simple prompts about childhood, family, work, food, home, friendship, and funny memories. The right question often unlocks a story.

Should I record audio or video?

Both are valuable, but video preserves more. It captures voice, expression, gestures, laughter, and presence.

Can a legacy film include old photos?

Yes. Family photos are often woven into the film to support the stories and help viewers connect memories to people, places, and moments.

What Is a Legacy Film? A Guide for Saskatoon Families

nathaniel@prairierising.com (Nathaniel Puffalt) — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:10:49 GMT

What Is a Legacy Film? A Guide for Saskatoon Families

Short answer

A legacy film is a cinematic life story film that preserves a person’s voice, memories, values, humour, family history, and personal stories through a guided recorded interview, family photos, music, and thoughtful editing. For families in Saskatoon and across Saskatchewan, a legacy film offers a meaningful way to record a parent’s, grandparent’s, spouse’s, or loved one’s story while they can still tell it in their own words.

What is a legacy film?

A legacy film is a personal documentary created around someone’s life story.

Unlike a slideshow, home video, or short tribute, a legacy film is built around a real conversation. A loved one is guided through thoughtful interview questions, then their stories are shaped into a polished film with family photos, music, and careful editing.

The result is not only a record of facts. It is a film that captures how someone speaks, how they laugh, what they remember, what they value, and how they make sense of the life they have lived.

For many families, the most meaningful part is not just the finished film. It is hearing a loved one tell stories in their own voice. The childhood home. The first job. The difficult years. The funny moments no one else remembers quite the same way. The people who shaped them. The advice they hope their children and grandchildren carry forward.

That is the heart of a legacy film.

How is a legacy film different from a regular family video?

Most family videos capture moments as they happen. Birthday parties, Christmas mornings, graduations, weddings, family reunions, and ordinary home footage all have their place.

A legacy film is different because it is intentional.

It is designed to preserve a life story, not just a moment. The interview is guided. The structure is thoughtful. The photos and music are chosen to support the story. The editing is done with care, so the film feels warm, coherent, and watchable.

A regular video might show your father sitting at the table. A legacy film helps him tell you what that table meant, who gathered there, what meals were served, what arguments happened, what laughter filled the room, and why those memories still matter.

Who are legacy films for?

Legacy films are often created for:

Parents
Grandparents
Spouses
Older adults
Family elders
Loved ones facing illness
Families preserving ancestry and family history
Adult children who want to record their parents’ stories
Grandchildren who want to know where they came from

They are also meaningful for milestone birthdays, anniversaries, retirement, family reunions, and moments when a family realizes there are stories they do not want to lose.

A legacy film is not only for people with famous careers or dramatic life stories. Most remarkable lives are built from ordinary moments lived with love, persistence, humour, sacrifice, and care.

The stories that matter most are often the ones told at the kitchen table, on the couch, in the garden, or while looking through old photo albums.

How does a legacy film work?

At In My Day Films, the process is built to feel calm, personal, and manageable.

1. A private conversation

The process begins with a conversation about your loved one, your family, and the stories you hope to preserve. You do not need to know exactly what the film should include before reaching out.

2. Story preparation

Before filming, we help identify meaningful themes, memories, family chapters, and questions. This might include childhood, family history, work, marriage, parenthood, hard seasons, funny stories, values, traditions, and advice for future generations.

3. A guided recorded interview

The interview is calm and professionally guided. The goal is not to make someone perform. It is to help them feel comfortable enough to speak naturally.

The best moments often come from gentle follow-up questions. “What was that like?” “Who was there?” “What do you remember most?” “What would you want your grandchildren to know?”

4. Family photos and meaningful details

Old photo albums, family portraits, letters, keepsakes, documents, and home movies can help bring the story to life. These visual pieces are carefully selected to support the interview, not overwhelm it.

5. Thoughtful editing

The final film is shaped with care. Interview footage, family photos, music, pacing, and structure come together into a cinematic legacy film that can be watched, shared, and passed down.

What kinds of stories belong in a legacy film?

A strong legacy film usually includes a mix of memory, humour, reflection, and family history.

Some common themes include:

Childhood memories
Parents and grandparents
Family traditions
School days
First jobs
Marriage and love stories
Raising children
Friendships
Work and community life
Difficult seasons
Lessons learned
Funny family stories
Advice for future generations
Reflections on what mattered most

The best films are not only serious. A mother remembering her daughter’s unfortunate haircut, an old friend laughing about a long-ago mistake, or a grandfather explaining why a truck “should never have made it home” can reveal just as much as a formal life lesson.

Humour is part of legacy. So are personality, timing, expressions, and the little details families love most.

Why create a legacy film now?

Many families wait because they assume there will be more time. They may have good intentions, but no clear process.

The challenge is that stories are easy to postpone. Life gets busy. Photos stay in boxes. Questions go unasked. Then, one day, families realize they wish they had recorded more.

A legacy film gives the process structure. It creates a reason to sit down, ask meaningful questions, gather photographs, and preserve stories in a way that future generations can experience.

It is not about fear. It is about care.

It is about recognizing that a voice, a laugh, a way of telling a story, and a lifetime of memories are worth preserving.

Are legacy films available in Saskatoon?

Yes. In My Day Films creates legacy films for families in Saskatoon and across Saskatchewan.

Many families prefer filming in a familiar setting, such as a home, a living room, a kitchen table, a garden, or another meaningful location. The setting matters because comfort matters. People often tell better stories when they feel at ease.

For Saskatoon families, a legacy film can be created around one loved one or, in some cases, include more than one voice. The right format depends on the family, the story, and the kind of film you want to preserve.

FAQ

What is a legacy film?

A legacy film is a cinematic life story film built around a guided recorded interview, family photos, music, and thoughtful editing. It preserves a loved one’s voice, memories, values, humour, and family history.

Is a legacy film the same as a memorial video?

No. A memorial video is often created after someone has passed away and may focus mainly on photos or tribute. A legacy film is usually created while someone can still tell their own stories in their own voice.

Who should make a legacy film?

Legacy films are often made for parents, grandparents, spouses, family elders, and loved ones whose stories a family wants to preserve.

Do we need to have all the photos organized first?

No. Photos can be gathered gradually. A legacy film can begin with a conversation, then the most meaningful photos and keepsakes can be selected during the process.

How long does a legacy film take?

The timeline depends on the scope of the film, the interview, the photo material, and the editing process. The best first step is a conversation about what your family hopes to create.

Questions to Ask a Parent or Grandparent on Camera

nathaniel@prairierising.com (Nathaniel Puffalt) — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:10:50 GMT

The best questions to ask a parent or grandparent on camera are open, personal, and story focused. Ask about childhood, family, work, love, friendship, home, difficult seasons, funny memories, values, and advice for future generations. A guided recorded interview helps turn these answers into a meaningful legacy film or family history video.

Why the right questions matter

Most people do not tell their life story in order. They remember in fragments.

A photo. A smell. A song. A kitchen. A garden. A person’s name. A couch where stories were told. A small detail that suddenly opens the door to a whole chapter.

That is why the questions matter.

When you ask a parent or grandparent broad questions like, “Tell me about your life,” it can feel too big. They may not know where to begin. But when you ask, “What was your childhood kitchen like?” or “Who in your family made everyone laugh?” the answer often becomes more vivid.

Good questions do not interrogate. They invite.

They give someone a place to start.

How to make the conversation feel natural

Before you begin, choose a quiet and comfortable setting. A living room, kitchen table, garden, or familiar chair can help someone feel at ease.

Do not rush. The best stories often need space. Let silence happen. Give your parent or grandparent time to think.

It can also help to have a few photos nearby. An old album can bring back names, places, and details that might not appear in a formal question list.

Remember, the goal is not perfection. The goal is presence.

You are preserving a loved one’s voice, humour, memories, values, and way of telling a story.

Childhood questions

Childhood is often one of the best places to begin because it opens the world someone came from.

Ask:

Where were you born, and what was your first home like?
What do you remember most about your childhood kitchen?
Who lived nearby when you were growing up?
What games did you play?
What chores did you have?
What did your parents or grandparents teach you?
What did a typical school day look like?
Who was your best friend?
What did your family do for fun?
What is a childhood memory that still makes you smile?

Follow-up prompts:

What did that place look like?
Who else was there?
What do you remember hearing, smelling, or seeing?
How did you feel about it at the time?

Family history questions

These questions help preserve names, relationships, traditions, and family patterns.

Ask:

What do you know about where our family came from?
What stories were passed down to you?
Who was the storyteller in your family?
What family traditions do you remember most?
Were there recipes, songs, sayings, or customs that mattered?
What do you remember about your parents?
What were your grandparents like?
Who in the family had the strongest personality?
Who made everyone laugh?
What family stories should not be forgotten?

Sometimes the most useful family history is not formal genealogy. It is the everyday detail. Who had tea at what time. Who kept the house running. Who told jokes. Who was stubborn. Who quietly helped everyone.

Love, marriage, and friendship questions

Stories about love and friendship often reveal a person’s character.

Ask:

How did you meet your spouse or partner?
What do you remember about your first date?
When did you know the relationship mattered?
What made your closest friendships last?
Who was there for you during difficult times?
What did friendship look like when you were younger?
What is a story about an old friend that still makes you laugh?
What did you and your friends do that your parents probably did not need to know about?

This is where gentle humour can bring a film to life. Old friends walking through a park and laughing together may carry decades of shared memory in one expression.

Those moments matter.

Work, purpose, and community questions

Work is rarely just work. It often holds stories about responsibility, pride, sacrifice, identity, and community.

Ask:

What was your first job?
What job taught you the most?
What was a typical workday like?
Who did you work with that you still remember?
What work are you proudest of?
What was hard about providing for a family?
How did your community change during your life?
What did neighbours do for each other?
What role did community play in your life?

For Saskatchewan families, these questions may open stories about farms, small towns, businesses, schools, churches, community halls, hospitals, offices, shops, roads, weather, harvests, or city neighborhoods.

Place is often part of the story.

Parenting and family life questions

These questions can be especially meaningful for adult children.

Ask:

What do you remember about becoming a parent?
What was I like as a child?
What story about me have you told the most?
What did parenthood teach you?
What was harder than you expected?
What are you proud of as a parent?
What family moments do you wish you could relive?
What did you hope your children would understand one day?
What values did you try to pass on?

Be ready for laughter here. Parents often remember the stories their children hoped were forgotten.

The haircut. The school concert. The outfit. The moment everyone noticed.

These stories are not small. They are part of the family’s living memory.

Questions about difficult seasons

Not every question needs to be light, but sensitive topics should be approached with care.

Ask gently:

What was one difficult season that shaped you?
Who helped you through hard times?
What did you learn from loss or disappointment?
What gave you strength?
Is there a challenge you are proud of surviving?
What would you tell someone going through something similar?

Do not push if someone does not want to answer. A legacy film should feel respectful, not extractive.

Some stories need time. Some do not need to be included. The person being interviewed should feel dignity and control.

Reflection and legacy questions

These questions help bring meaning to the film.

Ask:

What are you grateful for?
What are you proudest of?
What do you hope your family remembers?
What advice would you give your grandchildren?
What matters more than people realize?
What have you learned about love?
What have you learned about family?
What does a good life mean to you?
What would you like to say to future generations?

These questions often create the emotional centre of a legacy film.

They do not need to be grand. Sometimes the simplest answer is the most powerful.

Should you record the interview yourself or hire help?

You can absolutely begin yourself. A phone, a quiet room, and good questions are enough to start preserving family memories.

But a guided recorded interview has advantages. A skilled interviewer can help someone feel comfortable, ask natural follow-up questions, manage pacing, and create room for both humour and reflection.

At In My Day Films, the interview becomes the foundation of a cinematic legacy film. Family photos, music, and careful editing are then used to shape the stories into something your family can watch, share, and pass down.

FAQ

What questions should I ask a parent on camera?

Ask about childhood, family, work, love, parenting, friendship, difficult seasons, funny memories, values, and advice for future generations.

What questions should I ask a grandparent?

Ask about their childhood home, parents, grandparents, school, first job, marriage, family traditions, community life, and what they hope future generations remember.

How long should a life story interview be?

It depends on the person and project. A meaningful interview can begin with one hour, but a deeper life story film may involve a longer guided conversation.

How do I make the interview feel less awkward?

Choose a comfortable setting, keep the tone conversational, use photos as prompts, ask one question at a time, and allow silence.

Can funny stories be part of a legacy film?

Yes. Funny stories often reveal personality, family dynamics, and the warmth of everyday life. Humour is an important part of memory.