ARCHIVE TALK is a documentary filmmaking studio dedicated to preservation of family histories through oral testimonies and their related archival materials.
Family histories are never only chronologies of events. They are living constellations of voices, memories, gestures, and inherited ways of seeing that continue to shape how individuals understand themselves across generations.
Organisations and businesses, too, carry memory: of beginnings, risks, craftsmanship, and transmission over time. Their histories are shaped not only by institutions, but by the people whose decisions, labor, and experiences have sustained them.
About
This practice emerged from the conviction that the intangible, essential part of our identities, our memories, requires time and attention to surface and be shaped into form.
Individuals within the family are invited to activate memories through photographs, letters, home movies and documents from their personal archives while sharing their recollections in filmed conversations. Stories unfold at their own pace, according to the wishes of those telling them.
AT Studio regards the production process as a valuable part of the work itself, equal in importance to the completed film our clients desire. Thoughtful planning is invested in ensuring the most considered experience for all participants, so that the production itself becomes a memorable moment in the family history timeline.
The Working Process
The following is an overview of the leading aspects through which each commission is constructed:
Preliminary Conversations
A documentation project begins with a pre-production inquiry to estimate the scope and duration of the work. We will review the family's history and present moment: What is the earliest known documentation of the family's origins? What kinds of materials are available within the personal archive? What languages are present – both within the archival materials and among the individuals who will participate? How many people are intended to take part, and in how many locations will the production take place? Each project is then shaped, with you, accordingly.
Projects are structured around the needs of the individuals and the histories they wish to document. In some cases, a single person carries and articulates the story of an entire family; in others, a family or legacy business is explored through multiple participants who contribute different perspectives to its oral history and heritage.
Privately owned Archival Materials
Archival materials are understood as any object that carries the meanings and connecting threads of your family's history and legacy: photographs, letters, diaries, home movies, audio recordings, negatives, slides, VHS tapes, 8mm or Super 8 films, institutional documents, as well as landscapes and buildings related to or mentioned in your family history.
When necessary, materials can be digitized, restored, scanned, or developed through trusted professional laboratories and archival partners. Additional historical and institutional archival research may also be undertaken upon request.
Filmed Conversations
Conversations are conducted by a single filmmaker, not a crew, working with professional yet unobtrusive camera, lighting, and sound equipment, intentionally chosen to preserve the intimacy of the space and allow stories to unfold without the distraction of a hectic production environment. The filmmaker brings extensive experience in research of personally held archives and in the documentation of delicate family histories and legacies.
These filmed conversations are set within a classical or contemporary format of testimony, unfolding over several sessions and allowing time for memories, reflection, and the stories that rarely get told to emerge.
Filming takes place within family homes, offices, or other locations of personal or collective significance. Participation is fully adaptable: some clients choose to appear on camera, while others prefer to have only their voice present in the film.
Editing & Narrative Composition The final film is composed from the filmed testimonies and archival materials. The intention is not to create an exhaustive historical account, but a cinematic portrait shaped around the themes, memories, and narratives most meaningful to those involved.
Preservation & Delivery
Upon completion, all filmed and digitized materials are handed over in full to the client. This includes: The completed film and the entire raw materials and digitized archival materials created throughout the project.
No copies are retained by AT Studio upon delivery. The materials belong entirely and exclusively to the client.
Confidentiality
The films are commissioned for personal use. All discussed and produced materials, including the client's identity, conversations, recordings, and archives, are handled with full discretion at every stage of the work. Specific confidentiality agreements and archival handling protocols are available and signed prior to each project.
Languages
Projects may be conducted in French, German, English and Hebrew. Additional languages may be accommodated through translation and interpretation arranged by AT Studio when required.
Contact
For further information, examples of previous work and request for a quote, please get in touch.