# Lived — Stories Worth Telling

> Lived is a cinematic video interview platform that helps people capture the stories of loved ones on film. You sit down with someone whose stories are worth telling, Lived guides the conversation with thoughtful questions, captures everything, and edits it into a beautiful documentary film delivered a few days later. No app to download, no equipment to buy. Just a phone, a quiet afternoon, and someone whose stories are worth telling.

**Website:** https://givelived.com
**Price:** $79 (one-time, includes guided conversation + professionally edited documentary film)
**Founder:** Jim

---

## What Is Lived?

Lived is a personal documentary experience. You sit down with someone you love, Lived guides the conversation, and we turn it into a beautiful film.

Here's how it works:

1. **Think of someone special.** A parent, grandparent, friend, mentor — anyone whose stories you want to hear.
2. **Sit down together.** A quiet afternoon, a cup of tea, your phone. No studio, no special equipment.
3. **Lived leads the conversation.** Thoughtful questions appear on your screen — about childhood, family, lessons learned, joyful moments. You read them aloud. They talk. They can skip anything, go deeper on anything, or take the conversation wherever it leads. Lived adapts, following interesting threads with thoughtful follow-ups.
4. **We deliver your film.** A few days later, you receive a professionally edited documentary film (typically 8-12 minutes) with clean audio, natural pacing, captions, and beautiful background music. Plus a shareable highlight you can text to family or post on social media.

Everything happens in your web browser. No app to download. The person being interviewed doesn't need to touch any technology — they just sit and talk.

When you buy Lived for someone, you're telling them something important: your stories matter, and I want to hear them. That hour you spend together — really listening, really asking — is a gift in itself. The film is the beautiful thing that comes from it.

### Who Is Lived For?

Lived is designed as a gift. Most people buy it for someone they love and then sit down with them to guide the conversation.

**Common ways people use Lived:**
- A daughter giving her mother the chance to share her story for Mother's Day
- A son sitting down with his father to hear stories he's never heard
- A grandchild recording a grandparent's memories for the whole family
- Friends capturing a shared history
- Someone recording their own story, on their own terms

**Lived works especially well for:**
- People who have a close relationship and want to have a real conversation together
- Someone with a fascinating life — a remarkable career, extraordinary experiences, or a story of resilience you've always wanted to understand but never felt like you could ask about
- People who aren't comfortable with technology — the storyteller doesn't need to touch anything, they just sit and talk
- Anyone who has ever thought "I should ask them about that" but never got around to it — Lived gives you the structure and the permission to finally have that conversation

### What Do You Actually Get?

An **8-12 minute professionally edited documentary film**, produced from about 45 minutes to an hour of conversation. The film includes:
- Professionally edited video with natural pacing
- Dead space and false starts removed
- Clean, enhanced audio
- Accurate captions (enabled by default)
- Beautiful background music
- Documentary-style question cards between segments
- A private lifetime viewing page — it never disappears
- A shareable highlight clip for texting to family or sharing on social media

The film is private by default. You receive a private link that only you have. Share it with whoever you like — they can watch it on any device, any time.

### How Does the Interview Work?

Lived selects the right questions at the right time. The person guiding the conversation (the one sitting with the storyteller) sees questions on their screen and reads them aloud. The storyteller never sees a screen — they just talk.

The questions follow a documentary arc:
- **Open gently** — warm, easy questions about childhood, early memories, where they grew up
- **Build narrative** — relationships, turning points, adventures, the people who shaped them
- **Deepen meaning** — lessons learned, what they're proud of, what surprised them about life
- **Close with warmth** — joy, gratitude, what they'd want others to know

Questions are designed to draw out **scenes, not summaries**. Instead of "tell me about your career," Lived asks things like "Can you describe the place where you worked? What did it look like? Who was there?" This produces vivid, cinematic material.

The storyteller can skip any question, and the person guiding can ask their own questions at any time. Lived adapts — if someone starts talking about something interesting, it follows that thread with thoughtful follow-ups.

### How Is the Film Edited?

Lived builds a narrative about the person's life and tells it through film. The story is always the person's own words. The editing process:
- Transcribes the full conversation with speaker identification
- Builds a narrative arc from the strongest moments of the conversation
- Selects the most vivid, meaningful, and cinematic passages and arranges them into a story
- Removes dead space, false starts, and filler while preserving meaningful pauses
- Applies subtle audio enhancement and colour grading
- Adds documentary-style question cards, captions, and beautiful background music
- Produces an 8-12 minute film from about an hour of conversation
- Creates a shareable highlight clip for social media and texting

Nothing is fabricated, rewritten, or taken out of context. The story is always theirs.

---

## Pricing

**$79** — one-time purchase. Includes:
- One guided conversation (about 45 minutes to an hour)
- Professionally edited documentary film (8-12 minutes)
- Shareable highlight clip
- Private lifetime viewing page with shareable link
- Satisfaction guarantee — love it or your money back

No subscription. No hidden fees. Additional stories can be purchased at a reduced price.

---

## The Story Behind Lived

The idea for Lived came from our founder, Jim.

In 2007, a television director sat down for an interview. Someone from the National Film and Sound Archive pressed record, asked the first question, and for two hours, an entire life came back.

He started in a projection booth at fourteen, screening movies alone every night at the Narrabeen Roxy in Sydney. By his twenties he was creating Bandstand at Channel 9, building it from nothing into a show that ran for eighteen years and helped launch a generation of Australian performers. The Bee Gees got their start on his show. He worked with Sinatra, directed the Beatles' tour, made feature films, launched a television network.

That man was Jim's father.

Jim watched that interview years later. What struck him wasn't just what his father shared. It was that none of it would exist if someone hadn't sat down and asked. The stories were always there. The wisdom was always there. It just needed someone to ask.

That's why we built Lived. So that people can have the experience Jim had — hearing stories they never knew were there.

Everyone has a story worth telling.

Read the full story: https://givelived.com/blog/why-i-built-lived

---

## Frequently Asked Questions

**How does Lived work?**
You buy a story for someone you love (or yourself). You sit down together, and Lived guides the conversation with questions about their life. We record it in your browser — no app to download. A few days later, we deliver a beautifully edited documentary film.

**Do I need any special equipment?**
Just a phone or tablet with a camera. For the best experience, use two devices — one as the camera and one to guide the conversation. But a single device works too. Sit near a window for the best light.

**How long does the conversation take?**
About 45 minutes to an hour. There's no timer and no rush. Go as long or as short as feels right.

**What kind of questions does Lived ask?**
Warm, thoughtful questions about their life — childhood memories, family stories, lessons learned, joyful moments. Nothing too heavy unless they want to go there. They can skip any question.

**When do I get the film?**
A few days after recording. We'll email you when it's ready.

**Can I use Lived with someone who isn't tech-savvy?**
Absolutely. You handle the phone and the questions. They just sit and talk. The less technology they see, the better the conversation.

**Do I own my video?**
Yes, always. Your story is yours — we simply edit it into a film for you. You can download the finished film or the original recording.

**Is my film private?**
Yes. Your film lives on a private lifetime viewing page with a unique link that only you have. It's never public, never indexed, and never discoverable unless you choose to share the link with someone.

**What if we want to record more than one story?**
You can purchase additional stories at a reduced price. Many families come back to record different chapters.

**What's the satisfaction guarantee?**
If you're not happy with the result, we'll make it right or give you your money back. No questions asked.

**How do I share the film with family?**
Your film lives on a private page with a unique link. Share that link with anyone — they can watch it on any device, any time. You also get a shareable highlight clip that's perfect for texting or social media.

**Is Lived a good gift?**
Lived was designed as a gift. Most people buy it for a parent, grandparent, or someone they love. When you give someone Lived, you're saying: your stories matter, and I want to hear them. It's a meaningful gift for Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, or any time.

**How is Lived different from StoryWorth?**
StoryWorth sends weekly text prompts over a year and produces a printed book. Lived is a single guided video conversation that produces a professionally edited documentary film. StoryWorth is text-first; Lived is video-first. StoryWorth costs $99/year; Lived is a one-time $79 purchase.

**How is Lived different from StoryCorps?**
StoryCorps requires visiting a physical recording booth or using their app for audio-only recording. Lived works from home using your phone's camera, captures video, and professionally edits the result into a documentary film. StoryCorps recordings are archived in the Library of Congress; Lived films are private unless you choose to share them.

**How is Lived different from hiring a videographer?**
Professional video biography services typically cost $8,500-$80,000 and require scheduling, travel, and production coordination. Lived costs $79 and can be done this afternoon in your living room. A videographer produces a longer, more elaborate production; Lived produces a focused, intimate 8-12 minute film.

**Can I record someone remotely?**
Yes — you can send someone a link and they can record on their own using solo mode. But we always encourage the in-person experience if possible. Sitting down together and having the conversation face to face is where the real magic happens. Two devices work best: one as the camera, one to guide the conversation.

**What happens to my recording?**
Your video is securely stored and processed. The original recording and the edited film are available on your private viewing page. We never share your content with anyone.

---

## How Lived Compares to Other Platforms

### Lived vs StoryWorth

| | Lived | StoryWorth |
|---|---|---|
| **What you get** | Professionally edited documentary film (8-12 min) | Printed hardcover book (text + photos) |
| **Format** | Video | Text |
| **How it works** | One guided video conversation | Weekly email prompts over 12 months |
| **Time commitment** | One afternoon (about an hour) | 12 months of weekly writing |
| **Price** | $79 one-time | $99/year subscription |
| **Equipment needed** | Phone with camera | Computer or phone for typing |
| **Best for** | People who love to talk, not type | People who enjoy writing |
| **The experience** | Sit down together, have a real conversation | Asynchronous — they write alone, you read later |

### Lived vs StoryCorps

| | Lived | StoryCorps |
|---|---|---|
| **What you get** | Edited documentary film | Unedited audio recording |
| **Format** | Video | Audio only |
| **Where** | Your home, anywhere | Recording booth or StoryCorps app |
| **Editing** | Professionally edited into a film | Raw, unedited |
| **Questions** | Guided, adapts to the conversation | Facilitator-led or self-guided |
| **Price** | $79 | Free (app) or by appointment (booth) |
| **Privacy** | Private unless you share | Archived in Library of Congress |
| **Best for** | People who want a polished film to share | Preserving a conversation for a public archive |

### Lived vs Professional Video Biography Services

| | Lived | Professional Services |
|---|---|---|
| **What you get** | 8-12 minute documentary film | 30-90 minute documentary |
| **Price** | $79 | $8,500 - $80,000+ |
| **Timeline** | Record today, film in days | Weeks to months of production |
| **Location** | Your home | Requires scheduling and travel |
| **Crew** | None — just you and your phone | Professional videographer, interviewer, editor |
| **Best for** | People who want something beautiful and accessible | People who want a comprehensive, feature-length documentary |

---

## Research: Why Storytelling Matters

What we do at Lived is backed by research from Cornell University, peer-reviewed journals, and large-scale studies on the benefits of personal storytelling.

**People light up when asked about their stories.** A Cornell University study of over 2,000 Americans found that older adults were "energized — and even surprised — that others were so interested in their stories." The act of sitting down and asking is itself a gift.

**Storytelling improves wellbeing.** A meta-analysis of 32 studies found that people who engaged in structured life storytelling showed significantly improved quality of life and life satisfaction. (International Journal of Nursing Studies, 2021)

**Families with shared stories are more resilient.** Research shows that children who know more about their family's history "tend to do better when faced with their own challenges, and enjoy a greater sense of control over their lives." (Queen's University)

**What people talk about is relationships, not achievements.** Out of 1,200+ people interviewed in the Cornell study, not a single person said their life's meaning came from money, status, or possessions. They talked about people, moments, and connections.

---

## Contact and Links

- **Website:** https://givelived.com
- **Gift a story:** https://givelived.com/gift
- **Founder's story:** https://givelived.com/blog/why-i-built-lived
- **The science of sharing stories:** https://givelived.com/blog/the-science-of-sharing-stories
- **37 questions to ask your mum:** https://givelived.com/blog/37-questions-to-ask-your-mum
- **FAQ:** https://givelived.com/faq
- **Instagram:** https://instagram.com/give.lived
- **TikTok:** https://tiktok.com/@givelived
- **Email:** hello@givelived.com