The last fluent speaker of an endangered language
Located the last fluent speaker through linguist networks and field investigation, then handled consent and on-site coordination.
Read the case ->SERVICES · CUSTOM
If others said no, send the brief here. Custom Japan TV research.
Lost letters from 1962, the last fluent speaker of a near-extinct language, a 1924-born couple still in love - the briefs other agencies decline are Freed's home turf. 30 years of difficult-case people-research practice.
Custom research is not private investigation.
We do not surveil people, do not bypass legal protections and do not undercut the consent of subjects. Custom-order research at Freed is a research practice for TV production: it goes through public records, archives, networks of practitioners and approved on-site outreach to find people, things and stories that fit a programme's editorial line.
Why difficult cases pick Freed
30 years of difficult-case files
If we have done a similar dig before, the new brief usually starts at week three, not week zero.
Cross-disciplinary network
Linguists, oral-history scholars, regional folklore researchers, archivists, religious-history experts.
Compassionate consent practice
For sensitive subjects (last speakers, bereaved families) we work consent first.
Bilingual brief intake
We accept briefs in English or Japanese. The international form takes 30 seconds.
Honest scoping
If a brief cannot be done within budget or window, we say so at the quote stage.
Selected custom-order cases
1924-born couple and a 1962 engagement letter
Three field trips and 11 weeks. Found a still-active couple born the year of the brand's founding, with their original letter.
Read the case ->Reconstructing a war-era oral history
Combined municipal archives, oral-history scholars and surviving family members to reconstruct a wartime story.
Read the case ->What we deliver
- Difficult-case scoping memo (what is doable, what is not)
- Subject identification report with consent path
- Primary-source pack (records, registers, letters)
- Outreach roadmap and field-visit logistics
- Consent and right-of-portrait paperwork
Team focus areas
- Senior researcher - oral history
- Linguist liaison
- Archive specialist - municipal & religious registers
- Field-visit coordinator
- NDA & ethics
FAQ - custom-order research
What kinds of briefs do you decline?
We decline briefs that compromise the subject's consent, that are essentially private investigation, or that conflict with applicable laws.
How are difficult cases priced?
Time and materials, with a clear weekly cap and check-in. We update progress weekly.
What is the typical timeline?
Eight to sixteen weeks. We give an honest forecast at the quote stage.
Related cases & pages
Brief us on a difficult case
"Find me this person", "verify this story", "reconstruct this archive" - send the brief in plain English.
Send a Brief in EN