Do you ever wish you had sat down with a family member and preserved some of their stories and memories?
Using the power of video, it’s now possible to create a video interview with a family member and then publish it online and preserve it on DVD.
I have made a few videos with my own family and they have been very well received, so I have decided to make this service available to my clients as well.
So what is involved? I recommend that if you have an older family member you would like to interview, you try to make the whole experience fun, interesting, and exciting for them. The goal is to create an interview on video and have your family member answer questions and tell stories about their life and times. The footage would later be edited and photographs, video clips or graphics added. The end result would be a smoothly flowing, neatly edited video portrait of a family member.
Here are the basic steps I recommend:
- Decide on the topics you would like to cover.
- Write down a list of questions for each topic
- Talk in advance with your family member about what you will cover.
- Decide on who will do the interview. It can be more than one person.
- Gather photographs and personal items that can be used to help prompt memories.
- Set aside two hours for the interview
- Have only the interviewers and the subject (family member) present.
- Family members will conduct the interview (with my assistance and advice). Only the interview subject will appear on camera.
- Since it is being recorded for editing, any long pauses or inappropriate material will be edited out. The idea is to assure your interview subject that this will be a flattering personal portrait — not a time to dig up past grievances and family difficulties!
Once the interview has been completed, your video will be edited and published either on DVD or placed online. Photographs can be added during the editing process to illustrate the points and stories your loved one was describing.