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Steve Pender boogies
with the bride.
(See the story below.)
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Welcome
to the
May issue!
I'm putting together this issue just a couple of days after
returning from a whirlwind trip to New Jersey. My wife and I attended a family
wedding and then spent the few days we had visiting with relatives and meeting
for the first time nieces and nephews who were born since our last trip out east
several years ago. These trips always reaffirm for me the importance of
maintaining and nurturing family ties, which is what Family Legacy Video is all
about.
I hope you enjoy this issue of the Family Legacy Video™ Producer's e-Newsletter.
Please
e-mail me at
steve@familylegacyvideo.com or phone toll-free (1.888.662.1294) with
any questions or comments you have. Visit Family Legacy Video on the Web
at:
www.familylegacyvideo.com.
Cheers! - - Steve Pender
Find past newsletters on the Family Legacy Video
newsletter
archive page.
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May's
video bio workshop is almost here. Reserve your seat by May 10. |
 Don't
miss your chance to learn hands-on professional video biography tips
and techniques! Family Legacy Video's three-day
"Create Your Own Video Biography" workshop is almost
here. The next three-day
workshop runs from May 19 to May 21 (Friday to Sunday) in Tucson, Arizona.
You're sure to leave the workshop inspired, energized and ready to
start creating your own family history documentaries.
The deadline for reservations is May 10. Complete details, as well as testimonials from
previous workshop participants, are on the workshop page of the
Family Legacy Video Web site.
Don't delay - register today!
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Of weddings, keepsakes and video biographies. |
They're white satin bags, fringed with lace and dotted with
pearl-like beads. They're bridal bags, designed to hold the cards given to a
bride on her wedding day. Even though they've been emptied of the cards, cash
and checks that once filled them, the bags are still filled with the love of
their maker and are cherished by the brides who own them.
 My wife Halina and I hopped a flight from Arizona to the New
Jersey in April to attend the wedding of my youngest female cousin. The service
was beautiful and the reception was a blast. Throughout the day's celebration, I
couldn't help thinking of my grandmother. Gram died suddenly in 1998. Before her
death she was a fixture at every family event and was always the life of every
party. It's a shame she wasn't around to attend the wedding of her youngest
granddaughter. But, when I saw the bride's aunt holding the satin bag, brimming
with cards, I knew that Gram was certainly there in spirit.
You see, Gram made it a point to sew a satin bridal bag for
each and every new bride in our family. It didn't matter whether the young lady
was related by blood, or was soon to be related by marriage. Gram didn't
discriminate. Gram also planned ahead. Realizing she might not live long enough
to attend the weddings of her two youngest granddaughters, she made their bags
far in advance and gave them to her daughter (her granddaughters' mom) for safe
keeping. And now, years after Grams death, each granddaughter in turn has spent
her wedding reception with one of her grandmother's custom made bags dangling
from her wrist.
So what's this got to do with video biographies? Quite simply,
your video biography, like one of those satin bags, is sure to become a
treasured family keepsake. Think of it as physical expression of your love,
filled with your memories, stories and values; a wonderful legacy that will
valued for generations.
- - Steve Pender
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Listen to sounds from the past. |
Before CDs, before vinyl LPs, before magnetic tape, before
78 rpm records, there were - wax cylinders. In the late 19th and early 20th
century, in the days long before mp3 files and iPods, wax cylinders were the
technology du jour for recording and playing back sound. Believe it or not, many
early, commercially produced cylinder recordings still survive - and you can
listen to them over the Web.
The Department of Special Collections at the University of
California, Santa Barbara, has digitized over six thousand cylinder recordings.
These recordings offer aural snapshots of our country's musical and popular
culture at the turn of the 20th century. Visit
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/index.php
and listen to Lieutenant E.H. Shackleton describing his south polar expedition
(1910), Teddy Roosevelt emoting on the subject of the farmer and the business
man (1919), the song stylings of Polk Miller and his Old South Quartette (1910),
and much more. You can download mp3 and wav file versions of the recordings or
simply stream them to your computer.
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Historical tidbit: Patter
with Patton. |
Last month, I invited readers to send in their personal historical tidbits.
E-newsletter reader Steve Parker reported meeting a World War II vet who served
under General Patton in North Africa. Young soldier Leroy Wollett was trying to
get some shut-eye when Patton happened upon him. Patton asked Wollett what he
was doing. "Just trying to get some sleep, sir," Wollett answered. Patton's
response: "You are the only son-of-a-bitch who knows what he is doing around
here."
If you
have a short story or memory to share, preferably one that highlights a little
known aspect of history, please
e-mail it to me at Family Legacy Video. I'd love
to include it in a future edition.
- - Steve Pender
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Come see the show at the Family Legacy Video Theatre! |
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:
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First,
click
here.
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This opens the
FLV Theatre welcome screen.-
Click on the "Click Here to Enter" link.
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You'll see a window containing a video screen with controls and a list of clips.
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Decide which clip you'd like to view and click on the correct speed (High,
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.
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Enjoy the clip!
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Select another clip or close the theatre window.
The Family Legacy Video
Theatre is always open, and YOU decide when the show begins.
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Ask
Steve - This month: A distance learning request. |
Q:
Dear Steve,
I am in the business of doing photo/video montages (slide shows) and am branching
into the video biography end of things. My main concerns are in the areas of
lighting and audio. I am looking forward to reading your guide and really
appreciate your Web site. Please let me know if you do any distance learning.
Thanks.
- -
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