Last month's item on scoring your video bios with music you or your family create generated some interesting and amusing feedback.

Barbara Kiernan of Tucson wrote in with a great idea. Says Barbara, "All families usually have favorite songs and one or two people who can plan something. In my next video about my own family, I have asked my sister, a pianist, to record some of the favorite songs she used to play in our family. Even some of the very early ones (The Volga Boatman) would bring back fond memories."

Like Barbara, if you have a relative or friend who is a musician, you may very well be able to have him or her play and record some of your family's treasured tunes and use those recordings in your family video biography.

Jack Kieley from Baltimore wrote to ask, tongue firmly in cheek, "What if In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the song of your lives?" First, you'd need to ask the 60's psychedelic band Iron Butterfly for its permission to use the piece. Then, considering the song's length, be prepared to edit a very loooong credit roll or photo montage.

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Family Legacy Video has decided to "go wide." The company is currently editing its first widescreen (16:9) video biography project. With more and more widescreen TVs taking up residence in our nation's homes, it makes sense to offer videos tailored to the new screen size.

The 16:9 aspect ratio (16 units wide by 9 high, as opposed to the 4:3 ratio offered by conventional TVs) offers some exciting creative and technical challenges. For example, there's more onscreen real estate available, meaning that photos meant to fill the entire frame need to be scanned at a larger image size. And more horizontal area allows for greater flexibility in positioning and layering of text, graphics and photos.

Then there's the challenge of how to incorporate older film and video shot at the 4:3 aspect ratio. They can be horizontally stretched to fill the screen, expanded vertically and horizontally to fill the screen (so they don't look stretched) or simply kept at their original size and layered over black or a graphic background). The choices you make will depend on the look you're trying to achieve.

By the way, 16:9 does not necessarily mean high definition. That's another animal altogether. High definition is on the near horizon. But, in the meantime, Family Legacy Video will continue to create video bios in standard definition, with a mix of projects in 4:3 and 16:9.

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Last month, reader Margaret Flowers wrote, "Steve, I always look forward to your newsletter. I would like to see some video samples of those who have taken your courses or just samples from amateurs. While viewing professional work is good, I would like to compare my videos to other amateurs."

Other readers and customers have asked about screening amateur videos and about having their own videos critiqued. I'd certainly like to offer this service, but I'd need to do it in a cost-effective manner. Let me explain: While I strive to offer lots of information through the Family Legacy Video Website and e-Newsletter, I also need to sell products and services. Otherwise - no more Family Legacy Video. The clips in the Family Legacy Video Theatre are meant to demonstrate the high level of Family Legacy Video's production expertise and to inspire those of you looking to create your own video biographies. Posting and critiquing the videos created by Family Legacy Video's customers and clients would require additional time and expense and wouldn't be appropriate for the theatre.

However, I have an idea. Family Legacy Video could establish another page or site devoted to posting and critiquing amateur video biographies. This would need to be a fee-based site. For an annual fee, you would be given a log-in and password. If you wanted to have me post and critique your video, another fee may be involved.

So that's my idea in a nutshell. Now, I need to hear from you. Let me know if you'd be interested in such an online service and what you'd be willing to pay for an annual fee and to have your videos posted and critiqued. If there's enough interest to make this work, I'll move ahead.

Of course, I'm willing to entertain other ideas. Please let me know yours.

- - Steve

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