Narration turns a slideshow into a story. It does not need to be long or poetic. It needs to be true, specific and kind.
Start with small, true things
Ask the family for details, not adjectives. Not “she was generous” but “every July she left a bag of tomatoes on the neighbours’ step”. Specific memories make people in the room nod and smile; general praise slides past them.
Questions that open people up
- Where did they grow up, and what was the house like?
- What did they do for work, and what did they love about it?
- What did they always say?
- What did they make, grow, fix or cook?
- What would they want people to remember?
Give it chapters
Four to six chapters are enough for most lives: early years, growing up, love and family, work and passions, later years. One or two sentences of narration per photograph is plenty.
Write the way people speak
Read every line aloud. Short sentences work best when spoken. Use their nickname if the family did. Never put words in their mouth that they did not say, and never invent dates or facts.
Let someone check it
Ask a sibling or old friend to read the script before it is recorded. In Everleaf, the story is written only from what you share, and you correct every word before anything is narrated.