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Midweek Mugging: Sandy Clipsham and Forever Tree Films

Guelph historian captures the stories and mannerisms of family members for future generations
2017 07 19 GuelphToday Midweek Mugging Sandy Clipsham 01
Sandy Clipsham owner of Forever Tree Films. Troy Bridgeman for GuelphToday.com

A personal experience of loss and regret inspired filmmaker Sandy Clipsham to create a service that allows families to preserve the memories and wisdom of loved ones in their own words.

“My grandmother died a year before I started the business,” said Clipsham. “She was a remarkable storyteller but there was no video of her or even audio of her talking.”

A similar experience inspired Clipsham to produce a coffee table book about his grandfather, a high school teacher and amateur photographer who died when Clipsham was 18 years old.

The book contained photos taken of and by his grandfather along with stories collected by his parents.

It is a cherished record of his grandfather but Clipsham recognized that still photography and written text have their limits when it comes to capturing the quirks and mannerisms that reflect a person’s character.

“With the tools we have available today it is easier than ever before to record video of people, ” he said. “You can get a much more complete record of someone’s personality and reach more people with video.”

The videos produced by Forever Tree Films are of great value and comfort to older family members but have even more value to children who are too young to remember or weren’t even born before a loved one passed away.

“I recognize mine and my grandparents’ mannerisms in my own children,” said Clipsham. “I see how children benefit from seeing and hearing the stories of their elders so we have to capture them while we can because real life doesn’t come with a rewind button.”


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Troy Bridgeman

About the Author: Troy Bridgeman

Troy Bridgeman is a multi-media journalist that has lived and worked in the Guelph community his whole life. He has covered news and events in the city for more than two decades.
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