Frequently asked questions

Help! I don’t know which film to choose.

Fill in the submission form on the Contact page or send us an email at hello@chapandcharlie.com describing what you’re looking to capture, and we’ll get back to you with suggestions.

I have so many videos and it’ll take me ages to choose the best ones. What’s the best way to do this?

You don’t need to worry about choosing the videos for your film - we’ll take care of that for you. Once you’ve determined for what event or period of time you’d like a highlights film, simply select all the videos associated with that event or period and send them all to us. Yes, all of them (provided the number is within the limit recommended for the film package you’ve selected - see below). We’ll do the hard work of watching all of the videos and identifying the best moments. We’re parents too and we have a pretty good idea of what makes important footage for your family.

Here is our recommendation for the number of video files for each film package we offer:  

The Mini: 30 to 80 videos.  

The Short: Up to 150 videos. 

The Feature: Up to 350 videos. 

I don’t think my videos are of a good enough quality to use in a film. As well, most of them are vertical because I’ve taken them on my phone (upright).

Of course, the better the footage, the better the highlights film, but never think that your videos are “not good enough”. Your videos feature your family – no matter the quality, they will be precious to have and to look back on for years to come. While we recommend steady hands and horizontal (landscape) footage because it looks best on the big screen (i.e., computer monitor or TV), all footage is welcome and will be used if it captures important moments in your and your family’s life. For any videos used that are vertical (portrait), they will run in the centre of the screen with black frames on either side.

How do I send the videos to you?

Once you’ve completed the submission form, we’ll get in touch with you by email and provide all the information you need. If your videos are saved in iCloud, Amazon Photos or Google Photos, you can simply send us a link to them. If your videos are saved on your computer or smartphone, we'll provide you with a link to an online folder where you can upload your files.

Why these prices?

The fee per film covers a number of hours spent organizing and reviewing the videos, selecting the best moments, editing to music, editing audio and improving colour. The exact number of hours depends on the length of the film selected. Also, the music used for each film is purchased from a music licensing site, so part of the fee per film pays for that too.

What will I get back from you?

We’ll send you a link to an MP4 file of your film that you can download and save on your computer and smartphone, and share on social media too if you choose!

What if I don’t like the film?

We are confident that you will love your film! But if there is something you would like changed, you will have five days after receipt of the film to request these changes. We’ll do our best to accommodate the changes. We want you to love watching your family film!

After that 5-day period, we’ll consider the film finalized and close out the project and associated files.

What do you do with all the video files that we send to you?

The video files that you send to us are precious and private, and we respect that. The files will be imported into our editing software and used in the creation of your highlights film. Once the film is completed and finalized, we’ll save the film for 1 year and we’ll delete all the original video files that you had sent to us.

Will you share our films online?

Sharing our work is the most effective way to spread the word about what we do and grow our business, and we do love to share films on our website and social media (Instagram and Facebook). But we respect your privacy and your preferences. When you review and sign the service agreement, you will be able to indicate whether or not you are comfortable with our sharing your film.

Can I share the highlights film?

Yes! As an MP4 file, you can share your video easily on social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. (Tag us if you can!) If you have or intend to have many videos like these produced, you may also wish to create your own personal YouTube channel where you can upload the videos, share links to them with family and friends, and also pull them up easily at home to watch them on your SmartTV.

Can I choose the music?

The music used in your film is carefully selected from a catalogue of licensed music that we’ve purchased for your personal use at home and for sharing on your personal social media platforms. After you’ve booked your film, you’ll have an opportunity to tell us what genre of music you’d like or you can indicate that you’d like to review song choices. We’ll send you a link to our playlist of songs.

Unfortunately, songs by your favourite artists are not typically an option due to copyright law.

Can I include photos?

While our goal is to provide a solution for your video files, if there are important photos that you would like included in your film, please send them with your videos. Photo quality degrades quickly on the big screen, so any photos included should be a minimum of 1 MB.