What Is a Memoir Film? (And Why We Think They're for Every Stage of Life)
- Kinkajou Studios
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
If you've ever searched for a way to preserve a parent's stories, document your family's history, or create a documentary about someone you love, you've probably come across terms like legacy video, memoir film, or personal documentary.
After creating Before I get sillier, we spent a lot of time thinking about those ideas, what kind of films we most wanted to make, and we realized we'd love to tell more people's stories the way we did with Colleen.
When we looked at other companies creating similar projects, we found that many of them market their services with the same message: capture someone's story before it's too late.
We understand why that message resonates. It creates a sense of urgency, and there's so much value in preserving someone's memories for surviving family members. However, we wondered if it unintentionally suggests that a person's story only becomes worth telling as they near the end of their life.
Why We See Stories Differently
The more we talked about it, the more we realized that couldn't be further from how we see the people around us. Some are just starting businesses they've dreamed about for years. Others dedicate their lives to helping their communities. Some are longtime caretakers, artists, niche experts, or people with fascinating family histories that have never been recorded. We've become convinced that if we spent enough time with almost anyone, we'd discover a story far richer than we ever expected.
We believe it's so worthwhile to sit down with someone, listen to their experiences, and create something their family, friends, and even future generations can treasure for decades.
What Before I get sillier Taught Us
One of the biggest lessons we learned while creating Before I get sillier was that the film wasn't really about what we thought it would be.
At first, we imagined it might primarily be a medical documentary, but as Colleen shared her memories, stories, and perspective, we allowed it to naturally take shape; and we discovered it was really about a person. Instead of simply learning about her condition, the audience was being invited to know Colleen.
Watch the Official Trailer for Before I get sillier
The Stories We'd Love to Tell Next
We learned from making this film that we'd rather celebrate a person than build a film around a circumstance.
Whether it's a memoir film, an artist profile, a documentary about a nonprofit, a musician, a family business, or someone whose story simply deserves to be heard, our goal is always the same:
To create something honest enough that along with learning about the subject, someone watching feels like they've been invited into that person's world.
Because stories don't become meaningful when time is running out.
They're meaningful because they help us better appreciate the people in our lives.
What is a Memoir Film?
A memoir film is a documentary that explores a person's life, relationships, personality, and perspective. Unlike a traditional biography, it doesn't try to tell every chapter of someone's life. Instead, it captures who they are during a particular season and invites viewers to spend time with them.
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