Good Time To Get Family History

This is the season when many of us will give or receive video cameras or haul out of the closet and dust off cameras that we already have. Rather than just catching the scenes of your holiday, which for the most part will look much the same as the scenes of the year before, why not use that video camera to create something truly special, something that 25 years from now your kids and grandkids will appreciate more than any gift from Amazon.com or Macy’s.

During the holidays families gather for meals and celebrations. This is often the only time during the year that many families get together. What a great opportunity to ask our parents or grandparents or other relatives to share stories of their lives. This does not need to be a big production. All you need is a video camera, a somewhat quiet place and some time.

Find a room away from all the commotion of the celebrations and use that as your studio. It does not have to be soundproof and a bit of background conversation from other rooms is OK. Make sure the room is well lighted and comfortable. Don’t shine spotlights at the subject but make sure that they are not seated in front of a window or other bright colored wall. The light should come from the front.

I suggest that you mount your camera on a tripod or some solid surface. Focus it on the face of the person being interviewed and leave it there. There is no need for zooming or panning. A fixed shot is best. Since most video cameras have built in microphones, be sure the camera is no more than 6 ft from the subject especially if the person being interviewed has a quiet voice.

Have the person sit in a comfortable chair, turn on the camera, and just begin. The person asking the questions should be seated next to the camera. The interview should be a conversation between these two people; the camera should be ignored and will soon be forgotten. It may take a few minutes for everyone to relax and forget the session is being recorded.

You may begin with some simple questions about their holiday memories or what it was like when they were growing up. From there just let the conversation go. Don’t worry about pauses or hesitations. The interviewer should ask questions and clarifications but the key is to let the person being interviewed do the talking. These interviews can be targeted to a single topic like the time spent in the military or details of career or vocation, or they can be more open. One topic will soon transition into others. Have patience and just let it happen.

I suggest that you do not stop the interview before you are finished and play back a portion for the interviewee. Many will be self conscience and this will have a negative impact on the rest of the interview.

Once you are finished, you can edit out the long pauses using inexpensive video editing software. Then burn the interview on to a DVD and distribute to your family members. No gift will be more valued.

Your Grandkids Will Thank You Someday

OK, the holidays are over, the January-February grey skies and less than ideal Cincinnati weather have settled in. For many of us this is a period when we have some free time. I have a project that makes use of some of this free time and those electronic gizmos that you may have found under the tree this year. Not only will it be fun, it will have a lasting and increased value over time.

How about capturing the lives and stories of your family? I am not talking about sorting through that big box of photos and newspaper clippings that is gathering dust on the top shelf of the hall closet. I am talking about getting that new video camera or MP3 player with built in audio record feature and sitting down with some members of family and let them tell their stories.

I bet that during the holidays when you were sitting around the dinner table some of those stories came out. We all love to hear them but seldom make the effort to save them. Once Aunt Grace or Uncle Bob are gone the stories and your family history will be lost.

The technology today is inexpensive, easy to use and ideal for developing a record, both significant and trivial, of your family’s history. The “in” word for this is “oral history.”

Here are some suggestions. Start with the older folks in your relationship. In many cases they have stories and life experiences that are nothing short of extraordinary. Some may or may not be comfortable with a video camera or audio recording device so make it as unobtrusive as possible. Put the camera on a tri-pod and focus it on their face. Set this up around the kitchen table. Turn on the camera and begin asking questions. In a short time you both will forget the camera and you will be amazed what you can learn if you have patience. Try not to interrupt. Just let them talk.

If you don’t have a video camera, take a look at your kid’s MP3 player. Many have a record feature that captures hours of good quality audio. The audio is stored in a format that can be easily copied to any computer and then burned on to a CD disc. Of course, the video can be stored that way as well.

The value of your work may not be evident for decades, but it will be appreciated. Just think about a kid born in the year 2100 being able to see and hear their great grandfather talking about his life at the turn of the century. It will be nothing short of awesome.

These marvelous electronic devices we have access to today can offer us much more than “American Idol” on our smart phone. Give it a try.