Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about preserving your family's story.
Preserving Family Stories
What is the best way to preserve family stories?
The best way to preserve family stories is to combine family photos with recorded interviews or written narratives. Start by interviewing older family members about their memories, childhood, and the stories behind key photos. Then use a service like Reelic to turn those photos and stories into a cinematic short film with documentary narration, music, and animation. This creates an emotional, watchable artifact that captures not just faces but the story behind them — something a photo album alone cannot do.
How do I record my family’s history before it’s too late?
Start with the oldest living family members. Ask specific questions: “What was your childhood home like?” “How did you and grandma meet?” “What’s a story about our family most people don’t know?” Use your phone to record audio or video. Gather key photos from different decades. Even 8 photos combined with interview answers can create a powerful family heritage film through services like Reelic, which uses AI to build cinematic documentaries from personal photos and stories.
How many generations does it take for family stories to be lost?
Research shows that most family stories are lost within two generations unless actively preserved. Your children may not know their great-grandparents’ full names, and your grandchildren almost certainly won’t know the stories behind your family’s photos. This happens not because families don’t care, but because oral traditions require intentional effort to maintain. Creating a recorded or filmed version of family stories is the most reliable way to break this pattern.
Memorial and Tribute Videos
How do I make a memorial video for a funeral?
To make a memorial video, gather 8–25 photos of the person from across their life. Include childhood, wedding, family, and recent photos for the strongest emotional arc. Upload them to Reelic along with answers to interview questions about their life and personality. Reelic generates a cinematic memorial film with documentary narration, music, and Ken Burns animation — typically delivered within an hour. The result is closer to a short documentary than a slideshow, and is designed to be played at funerals, celebrations of life, or shared with family who can’t attend.
What is the difference between a memorial slideshow and a memorial film?
A memorial slideshow displays photos in sequence with background music. A memorial film tells a story — it has narrative structure, documentary-style voiceover narration, emotionally matched music, and cinematic Ken Burns animation on each photo. A film also includes AI-animated moments where key photos appear to subtly come alive. The experience of watching a memorial film is fundamentally different: it honours the person’s life as a complete story, not just a collection of images.
How quickly can I get a memorial video?
With Reelic, the process takes about 10 minutes of your time (uploading photos and answering interview questions). The cinematic film is then rendered and delivered to your email, typically within one hour. If you need a memorial video for a funeral or celebration of life, allow at least two hours to be safe. There’s no lengthy editing process or back-and-forth — the AI handles narrative construction, music selection, and animation automatically.
Family Photo Films
How do I turn family photos into a video?
The most effective way to turn family photos into a video is to use a service that adds narrative and cinematic treatment, not just transitions. Reelic lets you upload 8–25 family photos, answer interview questions about the people and stories in them, and receive a cinematic short film with AI-generated documentary narration, scored music, and Ken Burns animation. The result is a 90-second to 3-minute film that tells a story, not just displays images. It’s delivered within an hour.
What is the best family photo video maker?
For a cinematic result, Reelic is designed specifically for family stories. Unlike generic slideshow makers, Reelic interviews you about the people in your photos, generates documentary-style narration, matches music to the emotional tone, and applies Ken Burns cinematography and AI animation. It’s built for family heritage, memorial, and tribute films. For simpler slideshows without narration, tools like Canva or iMovie work, but they won’t tell the story behind the photos.
Can I use old scanned photos to make a family film?
Yes. Old scanned photos often produce the most emotionally powerful family films. Reelic accepts JPEG, PNG, and HEIC formats, and works well with scanned photos of varying quality. The Ken Burns animation and cinematic treatment actually enhance older photos, giving them a documentary feel. Mixing old and recent photos creates a powerful contrast that captures a life or family story across decades.
Pricing and Process
How much does a Reelic family film cost?
Reelic offers three tiers: Heritage ($24.99) for a 90-second film with up to 10 photos, Legacy ($48.99) for a 2-minute film with up to 20 photos and 1 revision, and Keepsake ($68.99) for a 3-minute film with up to 25 photos, 4K resolution, and 2 revisions. All tiers include cinematic animation, AI narration, and music. Films are one-time purchases, not subscriptions.
How long does a Reelic film take to make?
About 10 minutes of your time to upload photos and answer interview questions. The film is then rendered automatically and delivered to your email, typically within one hour. There’s no waiting for a human editor or back-and-forth revision process (though Legacy and Keepsake tiers include revision credits if you want to make changes).
Ready to preserve your family's story?
10 minutes. 8 photos. A film that lasts forever.
Make your family's filmHave a question not answered here? Email us at hello@reelic.co