About Lived
Lived is a cinematic video interview platform that helps families capture stories on film. You sit down with someone you love, Lived guides the conversation, and we turn it into a beautiful documentary film.
Lived is a $79 web-based platform where you sit down with someone you love, Lived guides the conversation with thoughtful questions, your phone captures the video, and we professionally edit it into an 8-12 minute documentary film. A few days later, it's yours.
No app to download. No special equipment. No subscription. Just a phone, a quiet afternoon, and someone whose stories you want to hear.
01
Think of someone special
A parent, grandparent, friend, mentor, or neighbour. Anyone whose stories you want to hear.
02
Sit down together
A quiet afternoon, a cup of tea, your phone. No studio, no crew, no special setup.
03
Lived guides the conversation
Thoughtful questions appear on your screen. You read them aloud. They talk. Lived adapts to the conversation, following interesting threads with follow-up questions. They can skip anything.
04
We deliver your film
A few days later, you receive a professionally edited documentary film (8-12 minutes) with clean audio, captions, beautiful background music, and documentary-style editing. Plus a private lifetime viewing page and a shareable highlight clip.
Lived was 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 with people who aren't comfortable with technology. The storyteller doesn't need to touch anything. They just sit and talk.
An 8-12 minute professionally edited documentary film, produced from about 45 minutes to an hour of conversation. The film includes:
The film is private by default. You control who sees it.
$79 — a one-time purchase. That includes one guided interview and a professionally edited documentary film. No subscription, no hidden fees. Additional stories can be purchased at a reduced price.
Satisfaction guarantee: love it or your money back.
The idea for Lived came from our founder, Jim.
In 2007, someone from the National Film and Sound Archive sat down with Jim's father — a pioneering Australian television director who created Bandstand, worked with Sinatra, and directed the Beatles' Australian tour — and asked him to tell his story. For two hours, an entire life came back. Stories Jim had never heard. Wisdom his father had carried for decades but never shared.
What struck Jim 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. They just needed someone to ask.
That's why he built Lived.
StoryWorth sends weekly text prompts over a year and produces a printed book ($99/year). Lived is a single guided video conversation that produces a professionally edited documentary film ($79 one-time). StoryWorth is text-first; Lived is video-first. StoryWorth takes 12 months; Lived takes one afternoon.
StoryCorps requires visiting a 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 publicly; Lived films are private.
Professional video biography services 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. Professional services produce longer, more elaborate productions; Lived produces a focused, intimate 8-12 minute film.
Detailed comparison with StoryWorth | Detailed comparison with StoryCorps | Best family video interview services 2026
You buy a story for someone you love (or yourself). You sit down together, and Lived guides the conversation with questions about their life. Lived captures everything — no app to download. A few days later, we deliver a beautifully edited documentary film.
Just a phone or tablet with a camera. For the best experience, use two devices — one to guide the conversation and one to record. But a single device works too. Sit near a window for the best light.
About 45 minutes to an hour. There's no timer and no rush. Go as long or as short as feels right.
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.
$79 — a one-time purchase that includes one guided interview and a professionally edited documentary film. No subscription. Love it or your money back.
Lived was designed as a gift. Most people buy it for a parent, grandparent, or someone they love. It's a meaningful, personal gift for Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, or any time.
Absolutely. You handle the phone and the questions. They just sit and talk. The less technology they see, the better the conversation.
Within 24-48 hours of recording. We'll email you when it's ready.
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.
Yes. Your film is shared via a private link that you control. It's never public unless you choose to share it. We never use your content for training purposes.
You can purchase additional stories at a reduced price. Many families come back to record different chapters.
Currently, Lived works best when you're in the same room. We're exploring remote recording options for families who live far apart.
If you're not happy with the result, we'll make it right or give you your money back. No questions asked.
Your film lives on a private lifetime viewing page with a unique link. Share that link with anyone — they can watch it on any device, any time.
Research from Cornell University found that people who share their life stories feel happier, more connected, and more alive. A study of over 2,000 Americans found that older adults were "energized — and even surprised — that others were so interested in their stories."
A meta-analysis of 32 studies found that structured life storytelling significantly improved quality of life and life satisfaction. And families with shared stories are more resilient — children who know their family's history tend to do better when facing their own challenges.
What people talk about most is relationships, not achievements. Not a single person in the Cornell study said their life's meaning came from money or status. They talked about people, moments, and connections. That's exactly what Lived is designed to capture.
Give someone you love the chance to share theirs.
Give the gift of a story