My name is Brian Douglas and I am a Registered Social Worker based out of Kitchener, Ontario. My focus and passion is in providing individuals who are dying the unique opportunity to create a Legacy Film; a mini-documentary that is created through a guided conversation exploring parts of ourselves that we want and hope to pass along to future generations.
But, I believe Legacy work can be done by anyone, at any time! It is a way to reflect on the here and now; on how to be in the present while looking forward towards future areas of growth.
Please see below for more information, pricing as well as links to sample pieces.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly.
Check out my award winning short video!
We all are stories; a collection of experiences that have shaped our lives.
Legacy can be defined as the sharing or gifting of something that we leave behind when we die. But legacy is more than this. Legacy is about sharing knowledge and stories, thoughts, and ideas, pieces of ourselves that we want to pass along to those we love.
Within these stories are the experiences that shaped us into who we are. It is in these legacy conversations that we begin to learn things like how we find and make meaning in our lives, when we feel most alive, or what are some of our greatest accomplishments.
Legacy is about prolonging one’s influence across space and time. It is about creating something that will reflect you who are and what you lived for. It is a way to communicate what you have experienced and felt but also what you hope for others.
Beyond this, research has shown that people who have engaged in legacy work can experience a continued sense of purpose and meaning, and it can have an enhanced end of life experience for people nearing death. Furthermore, it can increase a personal sense of dignity while also helping a person navigate and process the reality of dying and leaving their people behind.
The opportunity to participate in the creation of a documentary style legacy package.
Filming your legacy conversation will allow for the creation of a customized legacy film that can include, but would not be limited to, the conversation itself, the opportunity to have your portrait taken in you so choose and, with support from yourself and your loved ones, to incorporate family photos/home videos and other personalized video footage beyond the conversation as appropriate/possible. All these elements will be used to create your personalized legacy video.
The length of the final film will be dependent on the length of our conversations, extra materials provided, and any additional content required.
Where, when, and how long it will take to film the conversation, itself will greatly depending on your health and ability at the time of filming. We will do our best to complete the film in its entirety as quickly as possible. This will ideally be within a 2–3-week time frame but sooner when possible. Having your personalized items available (photos, videos, etc.) will help us to stay within these timelines.
Once you have decided that you want to engage in this legacy work, we will provide you with a list of questions that may be asked to get you thinking and reflecting. This may also be a good time to start looking through photo albums, letters, or any other documents of significance that you may like included in the final piece. You may ask for help from your loved ones to narrow down possible family photos/videos you would like used.
Based on your health, determining the best location is also an important consideration. All efforts will be made to film in a location that is comfortable to you but again, we realize, that given various health conditions, location options may be limited.
This work is done after the death of your person and can be conducted over time with your grief therapist. Some of the first conversations will be spent with you and your grief, listening to stories about your person and helping facilitate at-home work to prepare for creating a final piece on behalf of your person.
It is possible that the bulk of this work can be done in sessions including some editing processes. It is also possible to do this work virtually using shared screens and cloud storage for images/videos/documents.
** For ‘legacy on behalf of…’ work, the final piece can take on a variety of forms. Examples are: photobooks, slide shows or even a video piece using home movies and audio that, with your support, can be edited in a way that captures the essence of your person.
Below you can read about the pricing and packages offered but, for some, viewing a Legacy Film first is far more meaningful! The link below will lead you to some videos on my YouTube Channel such as a Legacy on behalf of film by the Cacciacarro Family.
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*The collecting of materials in advance is strongly recommended. This not only allows the editing to be done in a timely manner but, it can also help guide some of the conversations and stories you want to share.
**For an additional fee, filming additional video or photography content can be discussed. This could include but is not limited to portraits, filming or photographing certain relevant location, etc.
Please reach us at briandouglascounselling@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
If you have benefits that cover the cost of Social Work, the session appointments can be submitted to your insurance provider.
Some insurance providers will cover the cost of Document preparation and Plan development and formulation. The editing of your legacy piece will be invoiced under these headings for you to submit to your provider but please note the costs may not be covered.
Each Legacy Film is unique to the individual and family but based on our experiences we estimate it will take anywhere between 2-6 hours of in-session time which will be billed as therapy sessions.
These conversations will include:
Editing time varies again based on the package you have chosen but also the length of the Legacy Conversations. In our experiences for every hour of conversation, it can take 2 to 3+ hours of editing time without the incorporation of additional footage.
Why? Part of the reason for this is the removal of the therapist's voice, editing out starts/stops, pauses, as well as the reordering of footage as themes emerge to make a cohesive final film
These conversations can be arranged virtually or in-person. For in-person appointments outside of an 40 km radius from the grief therapist, a travel fee will apply, depending on the distance.
For conversations that seem to require more time or a customized approach, there may be additional costs that can be discussed prior to starting.
If interested to learn more please reach out directly
Brian Douglas
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