For those of you who have been following AncestoriesXR’s progress for a while, welcome back. As you can see, the site is different. It has been beautifully redesigned by UIGuys and captures the very essence of what we do—telling our families’ stories. New technology and tools allow us to tell these stories in weeks, rather than months — and that makes us happy. It allows us to take the family’s research, add archival information, and unfurl it in a way that is accessible to family members on devices they use every day – smartphones, tablets, laptops, and even big-screen TVs. You don’t need a gaming console or a fancy headset to see it.
At RootsTech in Salt Lake City this past March, the largest genealogy conference in North America, we admittedly had the plainest booth. But from hour one of the expo’s opening, we had customers who loved what we were doing. They kept coming, asking questions, then coming back and buying. It was validation of the decision to switch from gaming-based storytelling to filmmaking. We can still integrate 3D immersive scenes into the mix, but we are focusing on well-told, beautifully crafted stories about our ancestors. It’s been a thrill for us to deliver finished films to customers, born of their own research, and to get feedback that is so heartfelt and genuine.
Other feedback we heard at RootsTech was that some people felt they did not have enough data to create a longer 3-5-minute film, so we’ve created an additional product – a shorter, 2-3-minute film about those ancestors where you have limited information. What you have is great, but then the trail runs cold. I have one of those, an ancestor who joined the Revolutionary War at age 15 along with his cousin. I know what he looked like, how tall he was, that he was a free mulatto farmer, and when and where he signed up back in Chesterfield, Va., and who his parents were. I know what happened to his cousin, Benjamin Bartley, but not the teenager. His story deserves a film because it inspired me to start AncestoriesXR. I wanted to bring this free farmer alive in a way that my own son, who was just a year older than his ancestor was when I stumbled across his records, could relate to. So hats off to you, Godfrey McLin Bartley. I wish I knew what happened to you.
So for those of you with limited information, we have the One Ancestory film, which centers on one person, and for those of you with much more data, we have the Family Film, which can feature up to three characters to tell the tale. You can always package several films together to create a richer narrative of your family during a specific period, such as when they emigrated to the United States or moved from one part of the country to another.
Fall is rapidly approaching, and Ancestories will make a wonderful holiday present. Or maybe you want something special to show at the Thanksgiving gathering. Get your order in. Slots are limited
With respect,
Retha