Helping YOU preserve your precious family stories on video.
Our newest video service,
the Music 'n' Memories DVD™. See story.
Welcome
to the
February issue!
February: The month Cupid unleashes his arrows on lovers everywhere. This
year, it's also the month when Family Legacy Video lets fly with several new
offerings I hope you'll take to heart. They include an exciting new workshop
series, a wonderful and low-cost video service and new additions to the line-up
in the Family Legacy Video Theatre.
I hope you enjoy this issue of the Family Legacy Video™ Producer's e-Newsletter.
As always, please e-mail me at
steve@familylegacyvideo.com or phone me toll-free (1.888.662.1294) with
any questions or comments you have.
Imagine having a family photo album that plays heartwarming
music whenever you revisit your treasured snapshots. Such an album may or may not
exist, but Family Legacy Video now offers the next best thing: the Music 'n'
Memories DVD™.
The Music 'n' Memories DVD™ is the newest addition to Family
Legacy Video's menu of video production services. It's a low-cost,
professionally edited DVD (or VHS video) featuring your photos set to your
choice of music from the renowned Omni music collection.
The Music 'n' Memories DVD™ is a great way to celebrate the
special people and times of your life and is perfect for celebrations ranging
from anniversaries to birthdays, Mother's Day and Father's Day, quinceaneras,
reunions, retirements, Valentine's Day, etc.
The DVD is easy to order. Just send us your photos (or photo
files) and tell us your choice of music (you can scan the music library via the Internet and make
your own choice or let us decide on the music selection for you). Family Legacy Video does the rest. The basic DVD includes up to 30 of your photos set to one piece
of music, opening and closing titles and a custom-printed DVD.
Like to see a sample? A full-length sample is
currently playing in the Family Legacy Video Theatre. Click
here to find out how to reach the theatre.
Order by February 28, 2005 and take advantage of a special
introductory price of $295. That's $50 off the basic rate of $345.
On March 12, Family Legacy Video kicks off a
new, six-session workshop called "Produce your own family history videos." As
the title says, workshop attendees will learn professional tips, tricks and
techniques for planning, taping and editing their own family history videos -
and actually work on their own family videos throughout the three-month course.
Family Legacy Video president Steve Pender will
conduct the workshop. Steve is an award-winning video producer, director, writer
and editor with more than twenty-six years of experience in the video business. In
addition to fifteen hours of classroom instruction and hands-on practice,
workshop participants will consult with Steve between sessions via phone and
e-mail.
The cost for the workshop is $325. Additional
members of a family production team can attend for half-price, or $162.50. At
least one person in a family group must purchase a copy of the Family Legacy
Video Producer's Guide™. Since professionally produced family history videos can
cost thousands of dollars, this workshop is definitely a bargain.
The workshop takes place in downtown Tucson, at
33 Ochoa Street. (Directions will be posted on the Family Legacy Video Web site
and will be e-mailed to participants.) The Saturday sessions run from 9 AM to
11:30 AM.
Visit the Workshop page for complete details,
including session descriptions and ordering information. Attendance is limited
to twenty, so be sure to reserve and pay early.
A NOTE TO THOSE OF YOU OUTSIDE ARIZONA: Please
let Steve know if you'd be interested in visiting Tucson for a weekend workshop.
If there's enough interest, Family Legacy Video will look into booking space at
a local hotel for a weekend version of this new do-it-yourself learning
experience.
Most humans are visual thinkers. Our thoughts are composed of imagery and
pictures. And the right combination of images and sound coming from a TV or
movie screen can inspire a wide range of emotions that leave indelible memories
behind. In addition to emotional impact, photos, family films and other
memorabilia like newspaper clippings, trophies and medals lend your documentary
what video pros call "production value." In short, interesting and well-placed
visuals make your video more fun to watch. And you DO want your family to watch.
This is just as true for your family history video as for any Hollywood film.
That's why, after a Family Legacy Video client lets me know what he or she wants
to talk about during an interview, I always ask what visuals are available.
It's certainly great to have that interview with grandma and to be able to watch
her tell stories about growing up on the family farm. Couple those stories with
photos of her riding the old tractor or milking Bessie, mix in music that evokes
the country life, and you add visual and emotional components that serve her
story and make it even more memorable.
As you plan your interview, make a list of all the visuals you'd like to have in
the video. Ask your interview subject what he or she can provide. Reach out to
any other family members who may have resources. Collect those visuals and keep
them safe. Don't have anyone mail you one-of-a-kind photos. Have copies made
for mailing or, if possible, go to where the photos are and videotape them
there.
After the interview is over, you're likely to find there are additional visuals
you'd like. Remember to be as creative as possible and not to let a lack of
family photos get you down. If you don't have a picture of the farm, ask the
tourist board for the state where your grandma's farm was located to send you a
picture of the countryside. Or find a vintage map showing the farm location, or
a modern map that you can shoot and turn black and white or sepia using your
editing software. Then, as the music plays, you can pan across the photo or map
to set up the story about life on the farm. The possibilities are endless - and
fun.
You'll see a window containing a video screen with controls and a list of clips.
Decide which clip you'd like to view and click on the correct speed (High, Mid,
Low) to match your Internet connection. In the bottom right of the theatre
window is a list showing the appropriate speed for your kind of
connection.
Enjoy the clip!
Select another clip or close the theatre window.
The Family Legacy Video
Theatre is always open, and YOU decide when the show begins.
Steve Pender and Family
Legacy Video were recently welcomed into the
Association of Personal Historians. The APH includes professionals involved in
all aspects of preserving personal family histories and stories, whether on video or through
print or oral histories. Membership in APH offers the opportunity to spread the word
about Family Legacy Video and to exchange ideas with fellow APH members - which
can result in more products and services for Family Legacy Video customers. Click on the logo to visit the APH Web
site.
The following question was recently submitted
to the APH listserv. I thought it might interest some readers of this
e-Newsletter. -- Steve
Q:
This may sound elementary, but during a video interview what can you do to keep
your lights from reflecting in your subject's eyeglasses?
- - Loretta H.,
Avon Lake, Ohio
A:
Loretta, this is a challenge that can bedevil even the finest lighters. The
problem, of course, is that glass reflects light. The challenge is to make sure
your lights are angled so they don't reflect off your subject's eyeglasses
and into the camera lens. If you wind up getting unacceptable eyeglass glare, here's what you can try:
Ask you subject if he or she is comfortable
taking off his/her glasses. (Worth a shot. After all, it is the easiest fix.)
Raise the vertical level of the offending light. Sometimes just a couple of
inches is enough to change the angle and eliminate the glare.
Have the subject slip the glasses down the bridge of his/her nose just a bit.
This changes the angle of the glasses in relation to the light.
Keep in mind that your subject will move during
the interview, so it's possible you'll still catch a reflection now and then. I
wouldn't worry about this. As long your subject doesn't look like he/she has a
pair of spotlights where his/her eyes should be, you'll be fine.
Got a
question about any aspect of family history video production?
Send it to Steve at
steve@familylegacyvideo.com.
