We turn it into a visually stunning production
You Tell Your Story
A Purpose in Life
Your life is filled with meaning. You have wonderful memories that you need to share. But how will you be remembered? How do you create a lasting message that you can share after you die?
Can you somehow help celebrate your life, and at the same offer a livng memorial that brings love and hope for those left behind? Can you craft a rich vibrant tapestry that weaves together all the important threads of your life? Now there is a chance. Now is the time to tell your life story!
Your life is filled with meaning. You have wonderful memories that you need to share. But how will you be remembered? How do you create a lasting message that you can share after you die?
Can you somehow help celebrate your life, and at the same offer a livng memorial that brings love and hope for those left behind? Can you craft a rich vibrant tapestry that weaves together all the important threads of your life? Now there is a chance. Now is the time to tell your life story!
Your Story to Share
We create slideshows and videos of your life set to music and prose. By highlighting important aspects of your life, we are able to tell your entire story in chapter form. We use state-of-the-art digital processes to liberate the photos that you have hiding in shoe-boxes or in scrap-books. We give them new life on DVD and on the web. Our premium service comes with a professionally designed website dedicated to your life story. A dedicated site on the World Wide Web lets you share these specially crafted memories with all your friends and relatives near and far.
We create slideshows and videos of your life set to music and prose. By highlighting important aspects of your life, we are able to tell your entire story in chapter form. We use state-of-the-art digital processes to liberate the photos that you have hiding in shoe-boxes or in scrap-books. We give them new life on DVD and on the web. Our premium service comes with a professionally designed website dedicated to your life story. A dedicated site on the World Wide Web lets you share these specially crafted memories with all your friends and relatives near and far.
How Does My Life Story Work?
We take your precious family photos, old home movies, slides, videotapes and other memorabilia that have been hiding away in an attic or closet and bring them to life once again. We also produce a video that incorporates special effects, music, titles, and your voice-over or live on camera. With this testimony we transform these moments in your life into a heartwarming video that will live forever on DVD and the Internet. This living memorial forum lets you create and tell your own story for generations to come.
We take your precious family photos, old home movies, slides, videotapes and other memorabilia that have been hiding away in an attic or closet and bring them to life once again. We also produce a video that incorporates special effects, music, titles, and your voice-over or live on camera. With this testimony we transform these moments in your life into a heartwarming video that will live forever on DVD and the Internet. This living memorial forum lets you create and tell your own story for generations to come.
My Life Story Funeral Services
In addition to creating a My Life Story DVD (which can be shown or given away at funerals), and crafting a My Life Story website, Talk Story Films can also shoot funeral services in high definition video to help capture that final celebration of life. The highlights of the service will then be artistically edited together with still photos that match the service oratory. This final celebration can be put on a DVD and mailed to designated family members and friends, and uploaded to your memorial website.
In addition to creating a My Life Story DVD (which can be shown or given away at funerals), and crafting a My Life Story website, Talk Story Films can also shoot funeral services in high definition video to help capture that final celebration of life. The highlights of the service will then be artistically edited together with still photos that match the service oratory. This final celebration can be put on a DVD and mailed to designated family members and friends, and uploaded to your memorial website.
The best way to understand what we can do is to visit : www.jeriorfali.com
or you can click on the photo to see our recently crafted memorial website.
or you can click on the photo to see our recently crafted memorial website.
A real My Life Story
Celebrating the My Life Story of Jeri Orfali, we present this most recent example of a lasting memorial tribute website. Please click on the image on the left to view the actual website in a new window.
Celebrating the My Life Story of Jeri Orfali, we present this most recent example of a lasting memorial tribute website. Please click on the image on the left to view the actual website in a new window.
My Life Story offers four basic packages to choose from:
1. My Life Story on Slideshow.
2. My Life Story on Slideshow and on DVD.
3. My Life Story on Slideshow, DVD and Website.
4. My Life Story on Slideshow, DVD, Website, and Funeral Services.
For each of these options, you start by organizing relevant photos of your life. You organize these photos into "Threads" which will each tell a chapter in your life. You decide, based on your life, which threads are important, for example:
- Photos of Myself
- Photos of My Family
- Photos of My Friends
- Photos of My Career
- Photos of My Favorite Past-times
- Photos of My Travels
Next, write down a few words about each of these life threads. Simply jot down on a piece of paper how you feel about Yourself, Your Family, Your Friends, Your Career, and Your Life, about each of these aspects of your life, tell us what it is that you want people to know. Also give us the name of a song that you'd like to have played with this thread.
Once you collect these photos and thoughts, we set up a convenient time and place to interview you. The My Life Story video crew is particularly expert at getting people to relax and open up in front of the camera. In some instances, you may decide to specify only a sound recording of your voice to be used as narration for the photo slide show. We can easily do this.
The interview consists of open-ended questions. We get you to talk about your life, family, friends, occupation, and past-times. These interview sessions typically take no longer than an hour to complete.
After the interview, the video crew will leave with the organized photos and your written prose. We will scan all your original photos and will store the digital images on a CD for you. We will begin editing immediately and you will have a finished demo product in less than one week.
The video crew will return the photos to you and show you the demo product. After watching the demo DVD or inspecting the website, you can tell us what changes should be made. We apply these changes and present you a final version within 5 days. After we obtain your signed approval of all changes along with your final changes, we then duplicate the DVDs and make the website go live. Professionally duplicated DVDs in plastic DVD cases with custom designed covers will be delivered within 10 days of final payment (in certain instances, this can be faster).
For Funeral Services, we will work out in advance arrangements for payment. The person who will execute your final requests will be introduced.
We start the work after receiving a 50% down-payment.
1. My Life Story on Slideshow.
2. My Life Story on Slideshow and on DVD.
3. My Life Story on Slideshow, DVD and Website.
4. My Life Story on Slideshow, DVD, Website, and Funeral Services.
For each of these options, you start by organizing relevant photos of your life. You organize these photos into "Threads" which will each tell a chapter in your life. You decide, based on your life, which threads are important, for example:
- Photos of Myself
- Photos of My Family
- Photos of My Friends
- Photos of My Career
- Photos of My Favorite Past-times
- Photos of My Travels
Next, write down a few words about each of these life threads. Simply jot down on a piece of paper how you feel about Yourself, Your Family, Your Friends, Your Career, and Your Life, about each of these aspects of your life, tell us what it is that you want people to know. Also give us the name of a song that you'd like to have played with this thread.
Once you collect these photos and thoughts, we set up a convenient time and place to interview you. The My Life Story video crew is particularly expert at getting people to relax and open up in front of the camera. In some instances, you may decide to specify only a sound recording of your voice to be used as narration for the photo slide show. We can easily do this.
The interview consists of open-ended questions. We get you to talk about your life, family, friends, occupation, and past-times. These interview sessions typically take no longer than an hour to complete.
After the interview, the video crew will leave with the organized photos and your written prose. We will scan all your original photos and will store the digital images on a CD for you. We will begin editing immediately and you will have a finished demo product in less than one week.
The video crew will return the photos to you and show you the demo product. After watching the demo DVD or inspecting the website, you can tell us what changes should be made. We apply these changes and present you a final version within 5 days. After we obtain your signed approval of all changes along with your final changes, we then duplicate the DVDs and make the website go live. Professionally duplicated DVDs in plastic DVD cases with custom designed covers will be delivered within 10 days of final payment (in certain instances, this can be faster).
For Funeral Services, we will work out in advance arrangements for payment. The person who will execute your final requests will be introduced.
We start the work after receiving a 50% down-payment.
Memorial Testimonials
In the days that directly followed my beloved Jeri's death, I found myself in a complete daze with a seemingly compulsive urge to collect pictures of Jeri during happier times. I needed something to help me immediately forget the last few days of Jeri's battle with cancer. In my grief, I had to recreate Jeri as she was most of her life. I needed to erase the memory of the last few weeks--the sick person in a hospice bed and the body I saw at the crematory. In other words, I needed Jeri minus the last few weeks. I had a hunger to visually reconnect with my Jeri.During one of my more lucid moments, I decided that the hodgepodge of pictures I had collected needed some structure. They had to be organized in a life story with threads (or chapters) that told Jeri's life. I also felt that I needed to make this story widely available to Jeri's friends and family to help them in their grief wherever they were--in Hawaii, on the mainland, and beyond. In another moment of lucidity, I decided to hire Jayne and Al to put together a memorial website to help get the story out.
Jeri's funeral at sea took place about ten days after her death. During this extremely sad period all I did every day was work with Jayne and Al on Jeri's story. It was my daily grief therapy. I wrote MyJeri to help release my pain and tell Jeri's story from my perspective. This became the narrative around which we organized the entire website ( www.jeriorfali.com ). The boxes full of pictures were transformed into major threads that brought the narrative to life. In time, they became beautiful slithat helped me visualize the Jeri I knew and loved over the last thirty years.
On the day of the funeral, we used the material from the slideshows to create posters of Jeri's life. The narrative in My Jeri was my oratory. Al did a great job making My Jeri into a video by filming the oratory. Of course, he was also able to capture on film the rest of the funeral events--including the surfers paddling out and the scattering of Jeri's ashes in her favorite surf spot in Waikiki. A few days later, the video of the funeral was incorporated into the website along with a picture gallery of the event. This video was very helpful to Jeri's friends who could not make it to the funeral. It made them feel as if they were there.
In the days after the funeral, the Guestbook on the website helped me communicate with people who were grieving Jeri's death and learning about her life. Most people knew a little bit about Jeri but very few were familiar with the whole picture. Many were amazed at the multiple facets of that wonderful woman--Belly Dancer, Silicon Valley Executive, Author, and later Surfer Girl. What a beautiful story. Thank you, Jayne and Al for helping me bring it to life.
Today (two months later), the website is helping me in my grieving. I miss Jeri very much. I find the memories captured on the website healing. Every morning, I have my coffee with Jeri on the website. Regardless of how sad I feel, I can always get a smile on my face by playing the slideshows of the two of us on the Greek islands or of Jeri Belly Dancing or Surfing. Jeri was an amazing woman, so I will always have amazing memories. And, whenever there are happy memories there will always be love. As I play and replay Love of My Life, I know that I can never lose what I once enjoyed. Jeri will be part of me as long as I live. Consequently, I'm starting to realize that I cannot be alone as long as she's part of me. This is the key to my recovery.
So the website is helping me heal and it also tells Jeri's life story. Every life is a compilation of stories, and the website does this very well. Now, the regrets.
In hindsight, there are three things I would have done differently. First, I would have loved to have seen Jeri participate in the creation of her website. I think she would have had so much fun seeing those old pictures come to life. She could have recorded her story in her own words. I know she would have had a blast creating the narrative and then playing it on her website. She would have sent links to her friends and gotten back a lot of feedback and good laughs while she was still alive. Second, I wish I had some footage of Jeri talking about her life. After she died, I really missed her voice and hearing her talk (she had been in a coma-induced silence for the last two days on her deathbed). Now, her voice only exists on a greeting message she recorded for our phone. So I find myself calling our phone over and over again to hear her voice. Finally, I would have liked the project to have been developed on a more leisurely schedule. I can't tell you how hectic it is to put together a website in the crunch that follows a death. We should have done it earlier for all these reasons.
Because it was so helpful to me, I subsequently encouraged Jayne and Al to offer this service--including the hindsight observations--in the form of a business. As you can see from the website you are currently on, they're doing just that. I am in no way involved financially with their business. My only interest at this point, is that it will help other people as much as it has helped me. "The universe is made of stories not atoms." I hope you will have fun telling yours. I know that you can count on Al and Jayne to make it "visually stunning." They did a stellar job with Jeri's story.
Aloha,
Robert Orfali
Jeri's funeral at sea took place about ten days after her death. During this extremely sad period all I did every day was work with Jayne and Al on Jeri's story. It was my daily grief therapy. I wrote MyJeri to help release my pain and tell Jeri's story from my perspective. This became the narrative around which we organized the entire website ( www.jeriorfali.com ). The boxes full of pictures were transformed into major threads that brought the narrative to life. In time, they became beautiful slithat helped me visualize the Jeri I knew and loved over the last thirty years.
On the day of the funeral, we used the material from the slideshows to create posters of Jeri's life. The narrative in My Jeri was my oratory. Al did a great job making My Jeri into a video by filming the oratory. Of course, he was also able to capture on film the rest of the funeral events--including the surfers paddling out and the scattering of Jeri's ashes in her favorite surf spot in Waikiki. A few days later, the video of the funeral was incorporated into the website along with a picture gallery of the event. This video was very helpful to Jeri's friends who could not make it to the funeral. It made them feel as if they were there.
In the days after the funeral, the Guestbook on the website helped me communicate with people who were grieving Jeri's death and learning about her life. Most people knew a little bit about Jeri but very few were familiar with the whole picture. Many were amazed at the multiple facets of that wonderful woman--Belly Dancer, Silicon Valley Executive, Author, and later Surfer Girl. What a beautiful story. Thank you, Jayne and Al for helping me bring it to life.
Today (two months later), the website is helping me in my grieving. I miss Jeri very much. I find the memories captured on the website healing. Every morning, I have my coffee with Jeri on the website. Regardless of how sad I feel, I can always get a smile on my face by playing the slideshows of the two of us on the Greek islands or of Jeri Belly Dancing or Surfing. Jeri was an amazing woman, so I will always have amazing memories. And, whenever there are happy memories there will always be love. As I play and replay Love of My Life, I know that I can never lose what I once enjoyed. Jeri will be part of me as long as I live. Consequently, I'm starting to realize that I cannot be alone as long as she's part of me. This is the key to my recovery.
So the website is helping me heal and it also tells Jeri's life story. Every life is a compilation of stories, and the website does this very well. Now, the regrets.
In hindsight, there are three things I would have done differently. First, I would have loved to have seen Jeri participate in the creation of her website. I think she would have had so much fun seeing those old pictures come to life. She could have recorded her story in her own words. I know she would have had a blast creating the narrative and then playing it on her website. She would have sent links to her friends and gotten back a lot of feedback and good laughs while she was still alive. Second, I wish I had some footage of Jeri talking about her life. After she died, I really missed her voice and hearing her talk (she had been in a coma-induced silence for the last two days on her deathbed). Now, her voice only exists on a greeting message she recorded for our phone. So I find myself calling our phone over and over again to hear her voice. Finally, I would have liked the project to have been developed on a more leisurely schedule. I can't tell you how hectic it is to put together a website in the crunch that follows a death. We should have done it earlier for all these reasons.
Because it was so helpful to me, I subsequently encouraged Jayne and Al to offer this service--including the hindsight observations--in the form of a business. As you can see from the website you are currently on, they're doing just that. I am in no way involved financially with their business. My only interest at this point, is that it will help other people as much as it has helped me. "The universe is made of stories not atoms." I hope you will have fun telling yours. I know that you can count on Al and Jayne to make it "visually stunning." They did a stellar job with Jeri's story.
Aloha,
Robert Orfali
Dear Jayne and Al
I would like to express my thanks and my gratitude to you for making two websites like this available to everyone who has known my husband Walter. You are to be highly recommended for the effort to help me to create a website on my low budget. I have found much comfort in both reading the details and seeing the photos, as well as listening to my husbands beautiful music.
It is a joy coming back from time to time to visit.
Best regards,
Gisa Ruf
I would like to express my thanks and my gratitude to you for making two websites like this available to everyone who has known my husband Walter. You are to be highly recommended for the effort to help me to create a website on my low budget. I have found much comfort in both reading the details and seeing the photos, as well as listening to my husbands beautiful music.
It is a joy coming back from time to time to visit.
Best regards,
Gisa Ruf
A Military Funeral for Leonard Paul Cozzo
"Aloha Albert,
We are speechless. Thank you so very much. It brought many tears and we are very appreciative of the heartfelt effort you and Jayne took in honoring our father. My family and I want to express again how deeply we were touched by your video. It was perfect and meaningful in every way. . Thank you again for the beautiful tribute. We feel that he was truly honored by your work. Your portrayal of the human condition is truly heartfelt."
Pat Cozzo
1/30/2012
We are speechless. Thank you so very much. It brought many tears and we are very appreciative of the heartfelt effort you and Jayne took in honoring our father. My family and I want to express again how deeply we were touched by your video. It was perfect and meaningful in every way. . Thank you again for the beautiful tribute. We feel that he was truly honored by your work. Your portrayal of the human condition is truly heartfelt."
Pat Cozzo
1/30/2012