An evening for one story · The complete guide
A guided walk through making a documentary film — from your first evening with Mira to sharing the finished film with everyone you love.
Building is freeyour first chapter’s on usthe full film is $149no card to build
Begin the tourHow it works, in one minute
Add photos, documents, and recordings. Mira reads everything you bring.
See how →Answer a few warm questions by talking or writing. She keeps every name, date and place you give her.
See how →Mira writes, narrates, and scores your first chapter — on the house.
See how →Invite the family, add more over time, and share a link anyone can watch.
See how →Step 1 of 8
The first evening begins with a full-screen welcome, and the deal is stated before anything else: Building is free · your first chapter’s on us · the full film is $149. No card is needed to build.
Step 2 of 8
“I'm Mira. I help people tell their story.” Mira lays out the plan: find some photos together, talk for a stretch, and she puts together a real chapter of the film. Plan on about thirty minutes for the whole evening; you can stop at any time.
Step 3 of 8
“Add everything you have. I’ll work through it in the background while we talk.” Drag photos, documents, and audio anywhere on the screen — JPG, PNG, HEIC, PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, ODT, TXT, XLS, XLSX, ODS, MP3, M4A. No photos? “I don’t have photos — talk with Mira now →” goes straight to the conversation; photos can come later. Mira reads and files each one as you go.
Step 4 of 8
Mira reads what you brought and says what she sees. Then she asks the question that shapes the chapter — what are these mostly about? “A sentence is plenty — I'll work with whatever shape you give me.”
Step 5 of 8
A conversation with Mira, talking or writing — you can switch between them mid-thought. About fifteen minutes is enough; after eight or so good exchanges she offers to build the chapter.
Step 6 of 8
Before she starts you can leave Mira a note — a name spelling, a tone to lean into, something to avoid. Then Build chapter 1.
Step 7 of 8
A quiet progress screen names each step as it happens. The first chapter takes about nine minutes, and you can leave and come back.
Step 8 of 8
Your first chapter plays as a narrated film. Then Mira asks: Did we get this right? Pause on anything wrong to fix it. What you add waits in the Box for the whole film.
Your studio
After your first chapter, everything lives in one place. Five places to work — pick one to look inside.
The home. Your film, its chapters, what changed since you were last here, and where the film is thin. Watching is the map — pause anywhere to fix what you see.
Bring in the family
Send a personal invite to someone who can watch & send material, or someone who can edit the film with you. Or put the open help link in the family group chat. No account is needed to help.
What they send waits in your Box, and nothing reaches what your family sees until you publish.
Drag one in and add who, when, and where — if it’s known.
Write a memory, long or short — a sentence is plenty.
Talk right in the browser and send it when it sounds right.
Mira keeps a running list of what’s still missing — “What was her wedding day like?” “No photos from the 1960s.” You choose which questions the family sees on the help page, and each one says how to answer it.
Watch
Explore the archive
The top of every film opens onto Chapters, Map, Timeline, Tree, and Highlights — ways to wander through a life.
A short reel of the film’s strongest moments, made from the film itself.
Everyone who helped, with the parts they played — like the credits of a real film.
For the family who sign in: anniversary moments, milestones, and a family time capsule.
What it costs
Build for free. Pay only when you make the film — and see every dollar as it happens.
Gathering, the conversation, and your first chapter. No card required.
Your full documentary, made.
After your first year, keeping the film online is $18/yr — and your finished film is yours to download either way.
Most families find The Film is everything they need — these are here when you’d like a producer beside you.
New accounts start with a $10 welcome credit — about one chapter, no card needed.
What you’ve spent, in Settings, lists every charge as it happens, and the film’s spending limits stop spending before it surprises you.
If it doesn’t feel like them, we’ll make it right. Your first year is for refining. Tell us what’s off and we’ll keep working until the film feels like the person you remember.
Nine tips for a great documentary
Questions families ask
Building is free, and your first chapter is on us. You could start tonight.
Get started →A guide to making a documentary film of a life. Screenshots from a demonstration film.