The Family Legacy Video™ Theatre is the online theatre where you can view all the video clips streaming from the Family Legacy Video Web site. The clips you see there will surely inspire you with ideas for your family video, plus you'll get to see Steve Pender talk about his passion for family history video in two television appearances.

Here's how you reach the theatre:

• First, click here.

• Decide which clip you'd like to view. NOTE: Please be patient - you may need to wait a few seconds before a clip plays.

• Enjoy the clip!

The Family Legacy Video™ Theatre is always open, and YOU decide when the show begins.

PS - If you have any difficulties playing the clips, please let us know.

Q: Dear Steve,
I've been receiving your newsletter for quite a while now and thoroughly enjoy it. It's very informative and really encourages me to get out there and build my business. My business has only been up and running for a few months and I'm not quite sure how to approach a video opportunity. I've done two relatively short interviews for a couple of families who were wanting their family members captured on video as they each are in their 90's. The length of the video was approximately 15 minutes and I feel I priced it fairly, given all the circumstances.

But I have been asked to shoot video at a 40th class reunion next year and what they are wanting is for those in attendance to sit down and give brief talks/interviews reflecting on the past 40 years since graduation. They want some graphics (photos of the past, etc) incorporated and really have no idea how long they want the video to be. They anticipate 50+ people who would be involved. This reunion is in a very small New Mexico town and cost might be a big thing. That leads to my questions:

1) How in the world do I price something like this? Flat rate, per interview, per hour?
2) How long should the video be if I'm the decider on that?
3) Do I ask for a minimum of DVD orders?

I'm sure there are plenty of other questions that might come to mind. But right now I'm a little lost on how to approach the committee with a price. I would really appreciate any help you can give.

As a side note, I was unable to attend your recent workshop and won't be able to in the fall either as my husband has been pretty ill. Hopefully next year will be different. I get really excited when I read and listen to the testimonials. Sounds like you do a great job!

- - Cheryl M., Midland, Texas

A: Hi, Cheryl.
I think you and your client need to give some thought as to what the final piece will be. Is it a highlight reel of the reunion, showing the activities interspersed with brief interviews with alumni, or are they looking for a DVD that contains interviews only? If it’s the former, you may need two cameras – one to cover the reunion activities and the other devoted to interviews. If it’s the latter, then 1 camera could suffice. But to get 50 interviews done you’ll need to be very organized. Attendees should come prepared to be interviewed and you should have an assistant or two who can keep you supplied with interview subjects during the event. You’ll get better quality if you can get a room or two adjacent to the room where the dinner, dancing, etc. is taking place. Have your camera, microphone and lights set up (or two complete set ups) and do your interviews there, where you’ll have more control over lights and sound. If that’s not possible, you’ll have to resort to shooting folks at tables in the main room, where it’s apt to be noisy and dark.

Some guidelines for pricing:

What’s your time, and the time of your crew members, worth per shoot day?

You’ll also need to figure in rental costs of your equipment – do you include your gear in your daily rate or charge extra for it? Adding a charge for the gear you supply and the tape you use is certainly right and proper.

You’ve edited a couple of 15 minute videos so far. How long did those take you to finish? How much did you charge? Subtract your costs and then divide what’s left by the number of hours to give you your hourly rate. Is it fair or should it be higher?

Once you have an hourly figure you’re comfortable with, do your best to estimate your editing time for the reunion piece. You’ll need to establish, with your client, a goal for the finished running time of the piece. Is it an hour, 90 minutes, two hours? Once you decide that, you can come up with an editing estimate based on what it took you to do those 15 minute pieces (this is far from perfect, but at least gives you a ballpark idea). For example, if your goal is a 60 minute video, multiply your editing time for the 15 minute videos by at least 4 times (or 5 or 6 to be safe). By the way, 50 interviews can make for a very long video, so you need to decide beforehand how extensive these interviews are meant to be and how you intend to use them.

I would definitely come in with a package price that covers your expenses and allows you and your crew to earn a fair wage. Base it on your estimate of the hours and costs involved to plan, shoot, edit and distribute the project. Selling DVD copies to earn some additional dollars is also a way to go – just make sure you have an agreement with the reunion committee beforehand that stipulates who gets the money from these sales or how the money gets divided. If your income for this video is based solely on DVD sales, then you’ll have to come in with a minimum price per DVD based on a minimum number of sales so you make what your efforts are worth. You might want to think about "preselling" the DVDs. When folks order their reunion tickets they could also order DVDs. If you reach your minimum number of orders, the video gets produced. If not, folks get their money refunded and the project doesn’t go ahead.

And whatever you decide, get everything in writing – draw up a letter of agreement that outlines what you’re providing and what the client is paying, get it signed and get a deposit up front.

I hope these general guidelines help. I’m available for more in-depth consultations on an hourly basis at the rate of $100/hr.

By the way, I hope your husband is feeling better soon - and I look forward to meeting you at a future workshop!