Helping YOU preserve your precious family stories on video.
Steve Pender tapes birthday greetings from Tucson's Rodeo Committee. (See the story below.)
Welcome
to the October issue!
Temperatures are cooling (even here in Tucson) but here at
Family Legacy Video things are heating up as
we begin the last quarter of 2006. And that gives us lots to talk about. In this
issue you'll get an update on the November video bio workshop and learn about a
new Family Legacy Video offering. Plus, we'll offer you some tips on how to use
two cameras to capture family history interviews and tell you a little about
Family Legacy Video's community activities.
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.
"Create Your Own Video Biography"
workshop needs 6 more registrations by October 3.
We're on the verge of having to cancel our November workshop UNLESS six more
folks register by October 3. Why six? Well, Family Legacy Video has to make at
least a small profit, and that's the magic number that will help us do so. Why
October 3? We need to give the folks flying in from outside Arizona the "green
light" to buy those discount, advance, nonrefundable tickets and we need to know
we've met our minimum before we can do that. (Plus, since it's the early bird
deadline, you'll save money when you register by October 3.)
So if you've been on the fence about attending - hop off, surf on over to the
Family Legacy Video workshop page and register now.
For the folks who've already registered: If we do need to cancel, don't worry.
We'll notify you by e-mail on October 4 and then send you a full refund.
The Tucson workshop runs from November 10 to 12 (Friday to Sunday). The venue is
the meeting room at the Arizona Small Business Association, in the Crossroads
Festival Shopping Center, 4811 East Grant Road (the corner of Grant and Swan),
in Tucson.
"Create Your Own Video Biography" workshops from Family Legacy Video offer three
jam-packed days filled with inspiration, learning and fun - and leave you with
the tools you need to preserve your own precious family stories on video.
SO if you're itching to tackle your own do-it-yourself video biography
project - BUT you lack the skills and experience you need to move forward - THIS IS YOUR CHANCE to learn professional video production tips and
techniques.
Complete details (along with testimonials from past workshop participants) are
on the
workshop page of the Family Legacy Video Web site.
A new video service -
for the times when you need to speak straight from the heart.
It all began with a phone call. On the other end of the line was a lady whose
husband had terminal cancer. Her husband, while
he was still able, wanted to videotape messages to his children. We discussed
price, and then bid each other good day.
Thinking about the call, I realized there is a demand for a video service that's
less elaborate, and less expensive, than a
video biography. Whether it's creating an ethical will on video to pass along
guidance to your children and grandchildren,
saying "hello" to a long distance relative or pal, or creating a special
birthday or anniversary message, there are times
when video can help you communicate in a simple and direct way.
To meet this need, Family Legacy Video now offers the
Heart to Heart DVD™. For
a starting price of $795, the Heart to Heart DVD™ includes:
You, delivering your message (up to 35 minutes) directly to the camera.
A title at the beginning of the video.
2 copies of the completed video on custom printed DVDs or VHS tapes.
The $795 price applies to customers located within a one-hour drive of Tucson,
Arizona. Additional charges apply for more extensive travel and additions such as music, photos, family videos and messages
longer than 35 minutes.
You'll find information about Family Legacy Video's new
Heart to Heart DVD™ on
the video
production services page of the Family Legacy Video Web site.
Get double the coverage on
your next family interview - here's how.
"Two cameras! Why would I want to shoot an interview using two
cameras? I can barely manage one."
Okay, I hear you. And, for the most part, one camera is all
you're ever going to really need to videotape your family interviews. BUT, if
you're feeling adventurous, there are times when two cameras can really come in
handy.
Situation 1: Let's say you're doing an interview with a subject
who has very few visuals (photos, films, memorabilia, etc.) available to lend
visual interest to the finished program. Setting up two cameras (one a wide shot
and one a close-up), gives you the option of cutting from one camera to the
other during your edit. This lends some visual interest. It also helps when you
want to rearrange answers or cut out some material. Let's say you're on the
close up. You reach a point where you need to cut out some material. Simply end
the close-up and pick up the new segment on the wide shot. This'll help hide the
fact that you eliminated some of the interview.
Situation 2: Maybe you're interviewing two or three relatives
at a sitting. What you can do is set up your first camera on a wide shot, so
that you always see the entire group. Use your second camera to zoom in on
whomever is speaking. You can hide any sloppiness that occurs as you move your
close-up camera from subject to subject by covering those moves with your wide
shot. And again, always having two different angles can hide cuts you make
within the interview.
Of course, there are some challenges that result from using
multiple cameras. You'll have double the amount of tape, for one. Plus, you need
to have a plan for recording audio on both cameras. And then you'll have to line
up the footage from both cameras in your editing timeline so that the audio and
video from both cameras are in sync. If you'd like to learn how to do this, let
me know and I'll address the subject in a future issue of the e-Newsletter.
Family Legacy Video
supports the Tucson community.
Happy Birthday Tucson!
Family Legacy Video believes in giving back to the Tucson
community. As you learned in the September e-Newsletter, Steve Pender pitched in
to help with the city's first annual birthday celebration - by videotaping
birthday greetings from Tucsonans. The video birthday cards will be used in
future birthday promotions.
The Miracle of Play
But that's not all. Steve Pender is a proud member of the Catalina
Rotary Club of Tucson. The club recently spearheaded an effort to build the
first playground in Arizona accessible to kids of all physical abilities. Thanks
to Milagro Playground ("milagro" is Spanish for "miracle") physically challenged
children can play right alongside kids who have no disabilities. It's a truly
inclusive and unique play area. Catalina Rotary Club members helped with some of
the hands-on work and raised money for the project. To learn more, visit
www.catalinarotary.org.
Public Radio/TV Sponsorship
Finally, Family Legacy Video has become a sponsor of Tucson's
public radio and TV stations, KUAZ-FM and KUAT-TV.
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.
Ask Steve - This month:
Getting the video training you need to start your video bio business.
Q: Dear Steve,
I am writing to seek some advice. I am a retired school psychologist. I have been wanting to
develop my idea for what I have been calling "The Legacy Project." My project is
based on my belief that it takes someone who is very sensitive and empathic and
intuitive ... like me ... to do this particular aspect of "video biography" and
that this is worth doing.
What I have in mind is three-pronged:
1. Hospice patients and their families who want to create
legacies of their life stories ... interviews, photos, whatever media can be
gathered. Create a DVD that captures the essence of their lives, along with
anything they want to say about their experience in preparing for the end of
life.
2. Children with life-threatening illnesses ... again,
something that captures the essence of who they are, both now and before their
illnesses.
3. Assistance to families who have lost children suddenly
through accidental death. Creating legacies of their lives while memories are
fresh, something that commemorates their lives.
My real talent ... the one that sells ME for this work ... is
not my technical knowledge but my background and experience and sensitivity and
COMMITMENT to capturing the essence of a person's life, what they may not even
be aware of wanting to say. I know some photographers who take great pictures. I
know one or two who capture something more in their photos. I am interested in
the "something more."
But I lack the technical knowledge of how to set it up
properly. I want to learn. I am sorting how how to acquire that knowledge. I
have an "eye" for framing a shot, at least in photography. However, with video I
am less confident in how to frame a shot, how to set it up. Do you have
suggestions for how to approach the training I need for this project?
- - Saoirse C., Golden, Colorado
A: Hi, Saoirse.
I applaud your idea and wish you much luck with it. You might want to check out
an organization to which I belong: the Association of Personal Historians. The
group's Web site:
www.personalhistorians.org. The association has a very active listserv and
other resources for personal historians.
As for learning the video craft, I'd recommend you look for
colleges or technical schools in your area that offer classes in digital media.
Once you learn the basics of lighting, videotaping and
editing, find some willing volunteer subjects and create videos for them (either
for no cost or low cost). Track the time you spend on each project (I do this
using an Excel spreadsheet). These early projects will provide much needed
practical experience, give you a realistic idea of how long the projects take to
complete and leave you with samples you can use to market your services.
Good luck! Let me know how you make out.
Cheers, Steve
Got a question about any aspect of family history
video production?
Send it to Steve at
steve@familylegacyvideo.com.
