Not Forgotten Films
Immortalising memories through the art of cinematic storytelling
Providing premium, elegantly crafted and cinematic wake videos, legacy films and film photography services across London and the Home Counties.
Share your life's stories, wisdoms, memories and messages with loved ones and future generations in the way you would want to be remembered.
Our Services
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Wake Videos
Leave behind your last words and messages in a cinema quality video to play at your wake.
Shown on a large screen at your wake and made available afterwards to absent loved ones and those closest to you to download and watch, your wake video is a unique opportunity to tell people you love them, miss them, and leave behind something deliberate, in the best way possible.
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Legacy Videos
Imagine for a second you came across high quality footage of your long lost ancestors speaking at length about their life and times; how amazing that would be.
Well… this is precisely what we offer you.
What greater heirloom could you think to pass down than your wisdom, your character, your stories and the sound of your voice. With every subsequent generation the true value of your legacy video will grow and grow.
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Film Photography
A highly specialist portrait photography service harnessing the inherent beauty of 35mm and 120mm analogue film.
In 100 years time it’s actually far more likely a shoebox or album of physical photos and negatives will have survived than a hard drive that anyone even has the correct cable to access.
Ensure your photos have the best chance of surviving well in to the future by taking advantage of our printing, framing and negative archive packages.
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Our background is in traditional filmmaking and creating beautiful imagery is a passion of ours.
We know how to make you look your absolute best and use real film, high end digital cinema cameras, lighting techniques and post production to deliver a truly superior product.
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No matter your age, confidence level, or health condition, our knowlege and expertise will help your story shine like a true heirloom.
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All of our director/videographers are hired specifically for their compassionate, empathetic and reassuring interviewing style.
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Expect to have a relaxed and engaged conversation with an individual who asks great questions and really listens to the answers.
Don't feel the need to prepare anything beforehand if you don't want to. We want you to feel safe in the knowledge that your interviewer is there to gently guide and nurture the conversation naturally, giving you the opportunity to talk about all areas of your life story in a way you feel comfortable to do so.
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We want you to feel you can trust us.
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Often our clients come to us during some very difficult times in their lives, and confide in us sentiments and stories of a very intimate and personal nature.
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With this in mind it's important for us to make very clear that every step of our process is designed entirely with your best interests in mind, to make you look and sound your best.
All your data is kept private and secure according to your wishes and any mistakes you make, or areas of our interview that you don't wish to be kept in will be taken out during the editing process.
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If you’ve chosen to have a wake video made by us we want you to know that our intention is always to avoid adding to the list of things to do during a very difficult time.
We take care of it so you don’t have to.
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The feedback we receive after showing our wake videos is always overwhelmingly positive as they give everyone in attendance, some of whom may not have seen the deceased for a long time, another chance to see their face, their eyes and their smile, hear their laugh and the sound of their voice, and all in the highest quality possible.
Aside from serving as a keepsake to the family, they're also hugely meaningful to those who aren't able to attend on the day.
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We can supply, install, and manage all the audio visual displaying of the video in conjunction with the funeral organiser without you needing to worry about any of the technical details.
We also provide online hosting for the video after the wake from which the video can be downloaded or watched at a later date.
Our Story
The Founder
My name is Toby.
I've been making films professionally since 2016 alongside my career as an actor and voice artist. I'm probably best known for my role as Freddie Pargetter in BBC Radio 4's long running drama The Archers but like to spend as much time behind the camera or microphone as I do in front of it.
One of my passions is staring at old photos and film reels from the distant past, looking into the eyes of those who have gone before us, like staring at a starry night, and feeling a deep, timeless connection to them.
This in part drove my particular love of interviewing and photographing people; hearing about their lives, preserving their stories in a meaningful way that only grows in value over the years, as well as a slight obsession with taking 8mm, 35mm and 120mm film and portrait photography.
The Family Friend
A few years ago I got a call from my father asking if I would have lunch with him and his best friend, whom I had grown up around and knew very well.
It was at lunch that I was given the terrible news that our friend had developed a very aggressive form of cancer.
Knowing what I did professionally, it was then that he asked me if I would be willing to film something for him to show at his funeral.
Candidly speaking, this was not something I had ever really done before, and it seemed like an unusual request... but of course I agreed, and over the next few months he and I filmed on a number of occasions, both just the two of us and in conversation with his friends, documenting stories of his life, his childhood, his career, his family and the amazing adventures he'd got up to with his buddies.
A Privilege
People had got wind of the fact that I was creating a film to be played at his wake, and needless to say some found the idea a little... uncomfortable. And understandably so. It was certainly the first time I’d ever heard of such a thing.
However, the reception I received following the showing was one of the most amazing and rewarding reactions to my work I have ever had.​
I was told by countless people how moving and enjoyable it was once they'd seen it, many requesting download links for those who couldn't attend, or to just watch it again.
But really, the thing that got me the most, was the privilege I felt being able to give to his family, his daughter and eventually his grandson, the entirety of the footage we had shot together; so that when the dust eventually settles, they will always have his voice, his smile, his wicked sense of humour to look back on.
Our Mission
It took another friend of my father's coming to me and asking me to come and interview his poorly wife for a similar video, and the reaction again to its showing, that made me realise this was something more people would benefit from having access to.
Not Forgotten Films was born.
Preserving memories, people and their personalities is possible now in a way that only a few years ago would have seemed impossible, and the idea of leaving behind only snippets of phone photos and social media quality video seems to me a huge waste and a great shame.
Our mission is very simple... to save as many stories as possible from slipping through our fingers, and ensure our legacies are not lost... not forgotten.
Get in touch
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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This is a very fair question, and it's natural to feel like it would be. Showing a video of the deceased at their funeral, after the service has finished is certainly unconventional in a traditional sense.
But the honest truth is that every one we have made, without exception, brings tears to people's eyes, and smiles to their faces.
Many attendees of a funeral may well not have seen their loved one for a long time. There may also be things that would have been left unsaid, that given the opportunity of creating a wake video can now be aired. Wake videos are often a chance for the departed to tell everyone there that they love them, that it's ok, that they will see them on the other side, or simply that they are grateful to everyone for being there and thinking of them. To see and hear them speak for one last time, all together, is incredibly powerful, and really like nothing else you've ever experienced at a celebration of someone's life.
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Absolutely.
We understand that sometimes things move faster than expected.
If you're working to a tight schedule and need us at short notice then please get in touch as soon as possible and we can arrange to help you.
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Before a shoot you will receive our Interview Preparation Pack. This will include everything you need to know and think about before we arrive.
This will encourage you to consider what you may wish to talk about, any photos or objects you'd like to have to hand, the chosen location, what you wish to wear or dress the backdrop with etc... as well as including a list of questions we may ask you and our technical and spacial requirements.
However, we understand that sometimes there isn't capacity for considering too much ahead of time and you must understand that is is also completely fine. If necessary we can turn up and guide the whole process with minimal prior consideration from yourself and achieve fantastic results.
Whatever suits you and your needs the best perfect.
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Of course!
Planning a funeral can be a very stressful, overwhelming process, and adding into that the technical side of hiring a projector/screen, installing it, showing the video, and taking it away again can understandably feel like too much.
We offer a complete service whereby we supply and manage the whole process, liaising directly with the venue and/or funeral planner for a seamless and hassle-free process that doesn't add to your work load.
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We are happy to film anywhere, and expect to go to you, wherever is most convenient for your needs.
N.B. Wherever we film, we do always need to seek permission from the owner of the location. However, this is seldom an issue and we can normally find a suitable work-around when privacy or logistical requirements are concerned.
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Within reason we are willing to travel anywhere.
We're Based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, and will travel anywhere within a 45 min radius for no extra cost. Beyond that we simply add a travel expense to the price.
As ever, the best thing is to get in touch and we can work out how best to help you from there.
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Included in the price of any package is a digital copy of your edited video that can be downloaded or viewed online for up to a year post completion. You will be given a personal link that you can share with anyone you'd like, granting them exclusive access to the video. DVD copies are also available at an extra cost.
If your package includes the full, raw, uncut footage of the whole interview, or if you'd just like a reliable hard copy, then this will be supplied on a portable external hard drive.
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Absolutely.
Aside from the chosen edit options, be it for a wake video or archival video etc, it is normal for us to also provide all the footage for you to keep as record.
The options you have for receiving the entire footage are:
Raw footage - (no editing whatsoever)
Rough cut - (a basic process is applied removing large gaps, mistakes and interruptions etc.)
Cinematic cut - (the whole interview is edited fully)
Please keep in mind that editing is a very lengthy process, and so, depending on the length of the interview and quantity of shot material, has cost and time implications.