Helping YOU preserve your precious family stories on video.
Family Legacy Video's new blog,
the Family Legacy Video Cafe,
is open for your comments!
To learn more, click here.
Welcome
to the
June issue!
The big news this month is that Family Legacy Video is blogging! I invite you
to take part in this exciting new and free Family Legacy Video offering (you'll find
more on the blog below).
Now that Memorial Day has passed, the summer season is here. I urge you to think
about how you can use this summer to plan and create your own family history
video or video biography. Don't let another year go by without capturing your
family storyteller and his or her priceless family stories on video. Feel free
to visit
www.familylegacyvideo.com to learn how Family Legacy Video can help you.
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.
Family Legacy Video's new blog, the Family Legacy Video Cafe,
is open for business! You won't be able to order a triple mocha cappuccino
(although you're free to bring your own) but you will be able to peruse and
comment on entries made by Family Legacy Video's president, Steve Pender, and
other visitors.
"Blog" is actually the nickname for "Web log." It's basically an online journal
where you can read and comment on the entries. The Cafe's mission is to foster
the growth of an online community of people interested in preserving family
stories on video. As a leader in the family legacy video field, it's only
natural for Family Legacy Video to make use of this latest Web technology.
How do you participate in the Cafe? Simply visit the blog at
http://familylegacyvideo.blogspot.com/. Read the posts that interest you and
feel free to leave your comments. Commenting is easy and you don't have to
register to do it.
Visit and comment as often as you like. Invite your friends. Help make the Cafe
the in-spot on the Web for those interested in sharing stories, information and
inspiration about preserving family stories and histories on video.
On
May 21, Family Legacy Video
president Steve Pender finished a six-session do-it-yourself video workshop
series in Tucson. The final two sessions focused on editing, with Steve
introducing workshop participants to the joys of video editing on the computer (see
the
photo at left).
The workshop was great fun. It was also a learning experience for all
involved, including the instructor. Here's what Tom Wood, who attended the workshop
along with his son-in-law, Matt, had to say: "I enjoyed your workshops and feel
we got a lot from them. We wouldn't have any idea how to start without them. I
feel with the skills Matt has learned and our both understanding the method we
should be able to do a good job keeping our ancestors alive for future
generations."
Steve's students are already engrossed in videotaping and planning for their
final edits. The group plans to reunite near summer's end for a margarita party
and video screening.
Family Legacy Video is still hoping to hold a weekend workshop in Tucson this
autumn. Look for more information in next month's newsletter.
If you're interested in attending,
e-mail Steve Pender.
Family
Legacy Video radio broadcasts still available
On June 6, 2005, Steve Pender makes his last appearance on KGVY-AM in Green
Valley, Arizona. The broadcasts, however, will live on in cyberspace on the
Family Legacy Video Web site. What do you have to do to hear them? Just click on
the antique radio!
So many people today believe their life is so boring that nobody would possibly
want to learn their life story. But many of these same people would admit that stumbling
upon an old journal or the writings of a great-grandparent, for example, would be a
treasure beyond contemplation.
I ask you - what's the difference between your life and that of an ancestor?
The parallels between the lives your ancestors lived and the life that you now
live are relative.
Your great-grandmother didn't write about her life because she didn't think her
life was anything special. To hear her tell it, her life was boring. You don't
write for the very same reason. Your great-grandmother now has
great-grandchildren wishing that she had done and thought differently. Someday
you'll have great-grandchildren that will wish and hope the same of you!
Great-grandmother lived to see some of the biggest events and inventions known
to man. She most likely lived through The Great Depression. She witnessed the
invention of the automobile, the airplane, the telephone, radio, television and
so much more!
You live in an age of the Internet, fiber optics and high definition TV. Space
stations share the heavens with satellites that warn of approaching storms. You can e-mail someone on the other side of the globe and have your
message arrive in light-seconds!
You've lived through the Watergate scandal, Desert Storm, 9/11 and witnessed the
collapse of communism. What do you mean your life is boring and that nobody
would want to hear what you have to relate?
Do you ever wonder what great-grandma thought about the invention of the
automobile?
Did she love it?
Did she think it was a crazy idea that wouldn't amount to anything?
Did she keep using a horse and buggy for as long as she could?
Or, did she embrace the idea and become one of the first automobile owners
in her town?
Someday your great-grandchildren may wonder the very same thing
concerning you and, say, personal computers.
Your descendants will someday number in the thousands. Don't
underestimate the impact that your stories and remembrances will
have on future generations of your family. Your life isn't boring - it's
important. You owe it to your family to tell your story.
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.
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.
Ask
Steve - This month: Computer hardware & software questions
Q:
Dear Steve,
I enjoy your newsletter and keep trying to make a DVD video. I have used some of the SE programs that come with equipment and am not sure of which way to go. What application do you recommend for turning DV
camera footage into a DVD? Also, how much RAM do you need to edit a DVD?
- - Gordon M.,
Clearwater, Florida
A:
Hi, Gordon.
I'm assuming you want to import DV footage into your computer, edit the footage to create a program and then export the completed program to DVD. I'm also assuming that you have a Windows platform, as opposed to Mac (let me know if I assume incorrectly). I recommend the following:
Computer:
Windows XP (home or professional), with service pack 1
Processor: 2 GHz or higher
RAM: 512 MB
Hard Drive: As big as you can afford. An hour of DV footage takes up approx. 13 GB of hard drive space. If you are editing on a desktop computer and plan to work with video often, I'd recommend installing a hard drive that's dedicated solely to video and installing your editing software on this drive. If a laptop computer is your editing tool of choice, think about purchasing an external drive you can hook up via the FireWire port on your laptop.
Application:
Take a look at Adobe Premiere Elements. It's a very full featured program that allows you to edit video and create DVDs. It offers good online help and sells for under $100. You can also buy it bundled with Adobe Photoshop Elements, which you can use to touch up photos and create artwork for your video. Adobe offers a free trial version of Premiere Elements which is available as a download (it's a large program so be prepared for a long download). Adobe's Web site:
www.adobe.com.
One more piece of food for thought: Before I create a DVD I export my finished video as an avi movie file. I find the DVD creation process goes much more smoothly when
I transcode from an avi than from the editing timeline.
Thanks for writing back and good luck with future DVDs. Cheers, Steve
Got a
question about any aspect of family history video production?
Send it to Steve at
steve@familylegacyvideo.com.
