Keep the Days You'll Want Back — Family Films & Legacy Videos in Madison
Maple & Main makes real films of real family days — birthdays, grandpa's stories, ordinary pancake Saturdays — so the people you love stay exactly as they were.
The Films You'll Watch in Twenty Years
Your phone has ten thousand photos and none of the sound of your kid's laugh at four, the way your dad tells that story, the whole ordinary music of a house. We film families like documentaries — no posing, no 'say cheese' — and cut it into something your family will gather around for decades.
- ✓Documentary-style — nobody performs, everybody relaxes
- ✓Real sound: voices, laughs, the kitchen at 7 AM
- ✓Films delivered to keep, not links that expire
- ✓Every family's archive stored and re-editable
Six Ways to Keep a Day
Every film starts with a conversation about who you want to remember, and how.
Days We've Had the Honor to Keep
A few frames from recent family films around Madison.
At Home, Not in a Studio
The best family films happen where your family actually lives. We arrive quietly, keep the gear small, and let the day unfold — within an hour the kids forget the camera and the real film begins. No lights in the living room, no directing, no stiff smiles.
- ✓Small, quiet gear that disappears fast
- ✓Your house, your yard, your lake spot
- ✓We follow the day — never stage it
- ✓Grandparents filmed at their own pace
From First Call to Premiere Night
The Conversation
A call about your family, the day you want kept, and the people who matter most in it.
The Filming Day
We spend the day with your family — quietly, patiently, following the moments as they happen.
The Edit
Two to three weeks of careful cutting — real sound, real pacing, your family's actual rhythm.
Premiere Night
The film arrives ready for the couch — popcorn recommended, tissues probable.
The Legacy Interview
Every family says they'll record grandma's stories someday. We make someday a date on the calendar. A legacy interview is an unhurried afternoon in their favorite chair — childhood, the war years, how they met, the advice they want remembered — filmed gently and kept forever.
- ✓Unhurried, gentle sessions at their home
- ✓Their stories, guided but never scripted
- ✓Old photos and letters woven into the film
- ✓Full raw conversation archived for the family
Every Film Comes With
Your Family Archive
Every frame we film is stored and re-editable — future films can reach back years.
Real Sound, Licensed Music
Your family's actual voices, scored with music that's yours to keep forever.
Private by Default
Films delivered privately to your family alone — nothing is shared unless you choose to.
A Keepsake Copy
A boxed drive with every film and the raw moments — shelf-worthy and grandparent-proof.
Why Families Keep Coming Back
We hired them for grandpa's 80th and got something we didn't expect — forty minutes of his stories, told his way, laughing in his own chair. He passed the next spring. It is the most valuable thing our family owns.
The 'day at home' film made me cry at the two-minute mark. It's just us — pancakes, the dog, homework, bath time. Nobody poses. It's exactly what I was scared of forgetting.
Our year-in-review film has become the thing we watch every New Year's morning. Third year running. The kids narrate half of it themselves now — it's the best tradition we've ever accidentally started.
What Families Ask First
Will the kids act weird with a camera around?
For about forty minutes — then we're furniture. Small gear, no lights, no directing. By lunch the film is completely real, which is exactly the point.
What does a family film cost?
Milestone films and legacy interviews start in the mid-hundreds; full day-at-home films and year-in-review packages are quoted after a call. Most families call it the best money they've spent on something that lasts.
How long until we see the film?
Two to three weeks for most films — the edit is where the magic happens and we don't rush it. Milestone films tied to a party date are always delivered before the candles.
Our grandparents are camera-shy. Will an interview work?
Camera-shy grandparents are our specialty. Sessions happen in their home, at their pace, as a conversation with a person — not a production. Ten minutes in, they forget the camera and just talk.
Who sees our film?
Only your family. Films are delivered privately, we never post client films without written permission, and your archive is yours alone.
Can you use our old photos and home videos?
Yes — we scan photos, digitize old tapes, and weave them into new films. The year-in-review and legacy films are especially good homes for the shoebox archive.
The Best Time Was Last Year. The Next Best Is Now.
Kids grow, stories fade, and ordinary days quietly become the ones you'd give anything to see again. Put a filming day on the calendar.
Tell Us About Your Family
One business day to a reply, and the planning call is always free. Tell us who we're filming — we'll bring the patience.