We’ve all heard them – those wonderful tales our relatives love to tell at family gatherings. Sure, sometimes we even hear them more often than we’d like. But when you stop to think about it, at some point those stories will eventually be lost forever. And although we can try to repeat that information in our own words in order to preserve the memory, it’s always more meaningful and accurate coming directly from those who have lived the experience.
So, if you agree your family history is worth holding on to, it’s time to take action and capture the memories once and for all – literally!
There are companies, like DeMello Video, that can provide professional video services to meet your family memory needs. But if hiring a pro is not feasible, you can just take matters into your own hands.
But before you run off and point the family camcorder at Grandma or Uncle Bob, here are some tips to help you be successful in capturing your family history on video.
Do It Sooner, Not Later
As people get older, memories fade or worse, so the first tip is do this ASAP. If there’s not a family gathering of some sort already planned in the near future, consider being the one to initiate a get-together. Be sure to tell the participants in advance that you plan to set aside time at the event to videotape one or more interviews to capture one-of-a-kind family memories. Also consider asking someone with video camera experience to operate the camera while you ask the interview questions. This will enable you to focus on getting great content while sharing production tasks with another family member.
Choose Your Interview “Stars”
Many times, it’s ideal to include two or more people together on-camera to obtain the most amount of information. Getting siblings or couples to tell a story together tends to keep the conversation moving while eliminating “stage fright” or self-conscious awkwardness. Seeing the interviewees interact while story-telling also gives future video viewers a sense of their relationship, which can validate or refute family lore.
Find a Good Place
Choose a quiet spot where everyone can focus without distractions or interruptions. Usually this requires a place indoors where you have more control over the surroundings. You don’t want nosy strangers standing around gawking. Pay attention to the background of the shot and make sure it is fairly neutral. An approach we professionals use is to move the subjects’ chairs away from the walls toward the middle of the room, so the background isn’t competing visually with the subjects.
Steady, Freddy
Always use a trusty tripod when videotaping an interview! You want the scene to be steady and look professional. There’s nothing more distracting, annoying or headache-producing to a viewer than a jumpy, wobbly video. And if you’re holding the camera in front of your face, that’s what you’ll get!
It’s All About the Audio
Too often our sole attention is on the visual composition of the shot, when in reality, what’s being said is the most important feature of the video. Ideally, you should use an external microphone, such as a lapel mic, placed on a shirt or dress collar or a jacket lapel a few inches from the speaker’s mouth. If that’s not available, make sure your camera’s built-in microphone is close enough to the speakers. We always recommend a sound check test prior to taping the actual interview. Ask your subjects to state their name and the alphabet in a normal speaking voice while you roll about 30 seconds of tape. To make the test most effective, use headphones on your camera to monitor the sound while shooting. Play back the test footage to be sure the audio is loud and clear enough. If possible, have another person operate the camera so you can focus on the conversation and listen over the headphones. Then if the voices get too low, you can subtly signal the speakers (without interrupting them) to adjust their voice level.
More Conversation, Less Q & A
The goal of your interview should be a conversational style with your “stars”, rather than just getting them to answer your questions. After you set-up your camera, step to the side and conduct your interview from there. Asking questions while you make eye contact with the subjects (rather than being a disembodied voice behind the camera) will make the interaction feel more personal; your subjects will be talking to you, not the camera.
Ask questions beginning with who, what, where, when, why and how. Avoid questions that can be answered with a one-word ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If you’re having trouble thinking of good questions, General categories of questions that work well are about childhood memories, education, career, hobbies/Interests, marriage and children, faith, life lessons and perhaps some wisdom to share.
Sometimes interviews can last longer than anticipated once a good dialogue gets started. Take pre-arranged breaks as needed every 10 minutes or so, to ensure your subjects are always at “their best” on camera.
Plan Ahead
Prepare for the interview well ahead of time. Put real thought into the type of information you want to preserve on video. Have all your questions written in advance. Conversations may flow differently than planned, which is fine, but a written list will help you stay on track to cover your key topics.
Bring photo albums to the interview to help spark memories. These can also be good topic starters, as it’s easy to describe a photograph you’re viewing. This is also a great way to elicit spontaneous and genuine emotion.
Especially with people who may be shy on camera, tell your participants a few days in advance about the types of topics you will be talking about, so they can be gathering memories and organizing their thoughts. Consider showing them your list of questions so they’re not taken by total surprise. Remember that many people are reluctant to answer questions off-the-cuff, especially when their discomfort or fumbling for answers is being recorded as part of family history.
Share Your Video
Once you have your interview “in the can”, it’s time to share it with everyone. Not only will family and friends love watching the video, but also this distribution strategy ensures back-up copies will be stored in different locations, increasing the odds that your video will be around for future generations to enjoy. You may only get one chance to document these precious memories, so the more copies are spread around, the better.
Gratitude
Be sure to thank your participants – your interview subjects, camera operator and anyone else who contributed to this team project – for their time and effort. Make them each feel like “stars” by gift-wrapping their personal copy and enclosing a home-made certificate of appreciation. You can also quietly ask everyone at the event to sign a Thank You card that expresses the family’s appreciation to the video subjects. If the stars use email, encourage family members to send their own statements of gratitude. Think about other ways to show thanks for their contribution to the worthy cause of “family history”.
Questions?
If you need more tips on making your family video a start-to-finish positive experience, stop by and tell us how we can help you achieve your goal.
