Sorry I haven’t written in a few days. It’s been a very busy and exciting week!

I started editing another Family Legacy Video this week. After all the prep work – the interview, collecting and creating visuals and selecting music – it’s time for the “rubber to meet the road.” Editing video is a very intense and enjoyable creative experience for me and it’s pure joy to see my client’s story coming together so well. I just know she and her family will treasure the video. After it’s done I’ll post a clip on the Family Legacy Video Web site: www.familylegacyvideo.com.

Also, I found out that a local columnist is writing a story about the Olympic track footage I obtained for a Family Legacy Video client (see the post from May 12, 2005). The story should be out in about two weeks. I’ll let you know when it happens.

Now, back to video editing!

So what’s a cereus? And what does it have to do with video biographies?

Actually, I’m referring to a plant called a “night blooming Cereus.” It’s a droopy, spindly little cactus that exists here in Arizona. What makes it special is that it blooms only once a year, usually sometime between May and July.

It’s actually a pretty neat event. A plant that looks like a dead stick suddenly sprouts stalks topped with golf ball-sized buds that eventually open into beautiful white flowers. They last for just one night and morning, then wither away.

The Cereus is so nondescript that my wife and I didn’t even know we had two of them in our yard – until we saw some during a trip to the Tucson Botanical Gardens and realized, “Hey, so that’s what that strange plant in our yard is!”

Last year was the first time I went on a serious “Cereus watch.” When the buds opened, I was ready with a camera to document the event. Just last night our Cereus bloomed again – and my wife and I spent some time admiring the flowers that grace us with their presence just once a year.

So what’s this cactus got to do with Family Legacy Video and you? The blooming of the Cereus is a special event. If you blink, you can miss it. It’s such a rare event that it inspired me to document it through images I can now share with others. The stories that make up our lives and our family histories are also special and rare and deserve to be preserved on video, both to enjoy now and to pass on to other family members.

And don’t wait too long; in the blink of an eye your storytellers and their precious stories can be gone for good. So I urge you to capture your family storytellers while they’re in “full bloom.” Unlike with the Cereus, you might not get the chance next year.

There’s lots of low-cost video editing software available today. But software is just a tool. And before you start concentrating on which tool to buy, you should learn the process first. Believe it or not, you probably already have software that’ll help you do this for free.

Windows XP computers come equipped with free editing software called Windows Movie Maker (the software is also available for download). The latest Mac machines are loaded with iMovie. Both of these software packages are designed to work with DV video that you feed into your computer through your FireWire or iLink port. (By the way, FireWire and iLink are just marketing names – they refer to the DV connection on your computer.)

These are basic software packages, so you won’t be able to do a whole lot of video and audio layering. But, for free software, each is surprisingly good – certainly good enough to help you learn the basics of video editing.

After you’ve learned the basics, you may find that your free software meets your needs. In this case, you certainly shouldn’t spend money on additional software. If, however, your free software limits you creatively, it’s time to go shopping.

Welcome! If you’re new to the Cafe and to blogs, here’s some information that’ll help you.

First off, if all you want to do is read the posts, just click on the post titles. You’ll find the most recent posts on the main page. You can search for others in the archives.

You’ll notice that each post starts off with a short introduction. To read the entire post, click on the “Read more!” icon.

Like to leave a comment? It’s simple. You’ll notice a link under each post’s intro that says “comments.” There’ll be a number before “comments” that indicates how many comments have been left about a particular post. To add your comment, just click on this link. It’ll open up a comment window.

This isn’t the only comment link, however. As Yoda said in The Empire Strikes Back, “There is another.” After you open a post, you’ll see a “Post A Comment” link below the body of the post. Clicking here opens the comment window as well.

You’ll see three identification options:

1. If you’re already a registered Blogger user, your Blogger ID is displayed. Or, if you want to register with Blogger, you can register at this point.

2. Choose “Other” to leave your name and a link to your Web site along with your post.

3. Choose “Anonymous” to leave a comment without having to leave your name or a link.

Pick one of these options, type your comment, press “Publish Your Comment” and your remarks are added.

Finally, if you’d like to e-mail the post to a friend or family member, click on the envelope icon at the bottom of the post. This will set up an e-mail containing the post. You just enter in the address of the person to whom you want to send the message, along with a short message of your own, and then send.

ONE MORE THING: To visit the Family Legacy Video Web site, just click here, or on the Family Legacy Video link under the “Links” heading on the right side of the home page.

That’s it! I hope these tips help make your stay in the Cafe a pleasant one.

World War II veterans are dying at an alarming rate. Do you have a vet in your family? Preserve his or her story on video before it’s too late.

I’ve read that we’re losing between 1,000 to 2,000 World War II vets every day. I’m sure Korean War vets aren’t too far behind. I think it’s a tragedy that so many of them pass on without leaving a record of their experiences – in war and in peace, for their family archives.

The sacrifices made by our veterans are tremendous. Their stories need to be preserved so their families can truly understand and appreciate what their relatives did in defense of freedom.

If you have a vet in your family, I urge you to make a Memorial Day resolution: Don’t let another Memorial Day pass without capturing your veteran’s life story on video.

Here we are, on the cusp of another Memorial Day weekend, certainly a time to reflect and focus on family history. It’s the perfect time to start planning a video biography. Start now, and by the end of the year your production could be ready to present to your family. Imagine what a wonderful and unforgettable gift that will be.

Please leave a comment to let Cafe readers know about your video biography plans and hopes and dreams. You may get some useful feedback and you may inspire someone else to capture his or her family stories on video.

Short commercial: If a video project seems daunting, don’t forget that Family Legacy Video stands ready to help – with how-to guides and workshops, or by providing complete video production services.

Capturing a loved-one’s story on video is a fantastic experience. But even the most compelling interview can cause an audience to nod off if all they’re seeing is a “talking head” on the screen. A variety of visuals can help make your interview entertaining and take your video biography to a higher level.

What visuals can you incorporate into your family history video? Photos are the most obvious choice, of course, and can lend great visual impact to your family story. But, they are by no means your only option. Family films (transferred to video) can also be used to great effect. Don’t forget about letters, journal and diary entries, magazine and newspaper clippings, wedding announcements and invitations, plaques, trophies, medals, etc.

In short, anything visual that supports the story and that can be shot or scanned can be a part of your next Family Legacy Video.

Just a short note today to say how excited I am about the first six-session do-it-yourself Family Legacy Video workshop that finished today!

It began in March. We started small, with four extremely motivated students who had very little experience shooting, producing and editing video. In just three short months they organized their productions, shot interviews and learned the basics of editing. It’s been great for me to see their progress and the participants are jazzed as well.

We plan to meet later this summer, when their videos are completed, for a screening session. I can’t wait! This makes me all the more eager to move on with planning for a weekend workshop in Tucson this autumn.

With each passing day I’m more and more convinced that the practice of preserving family stories is gradually catching fire. What stories do you want to preserve and pass along?

It never fails – after each and every speaking engagement or workshop session, audience members approach me with stories about their families. I enjoy hearing the stories of course, but most of all what I really love is watching the people telling them. They’re always excited and proud and actually glowing as they relate the family tales that mean so much to them.

I do think there’s a growing awareness of the importance of capturing family stories in some form to pass along to coming generations. And yet a lot of people, the same people who so value their family stories, never do preserve them. Maybe they’re inhibited by technology or the time and effort they think it would take or the perceived expense.

What about you? Are there family storytellers and stories you want to save? What are they? What’s keeping you from starting your family history video project? I invite you to leave some comments. Perhaps I and other visitors to the Family Legacy Video Cafe can offer the advice and encouragement you need to get started.

Here in Tucson the Saguaros and Palo Verdes are in bloom – a gorgeous site! This means summer is near. It’s the time of year when most of us vacation (or go on “holiday”). It’s also prime time for family reunions and for reconnecting with family members we see only once every few years, or just once in a blue moon. If you’ve been wondering when and where you can capture footage and interviews with distant family members, an upcoming reunion or family visit can offer the perfect opportunity. Follow a few simple tips and you’ll leave your next family get-together with a smile on your face, a passel of great memories and some video interviews you and your family will cherish for generations.

Tip #1: Plan ahead. Contact the relatives you’d like to interview before the reunion. Make sure they’re willing, and brief them on the questions you plan to ask.

Tip #2: Schedule a time for the interview. Figure out a time that will work best for you and your subject – then stick to it. Having a firm appointment helps both you and your storyteller prepare and is a statement of commitment. If your attitude is “we’ll get around to it sometime during the reunion,” chances are you never will.

Tip #3: Set up away from the crowd. You’ll need a quiet place away from the crowd in order to avoid distractions, keep your subject from feeling self-conscious and guarantee sound that’s as noise-free as possible. Maybe your hotel room is the best bet, or maybe your host has a room you can use. Be sure you’re set up and ready to record when your subject arrives.

Tip #4: Use the same room for all your interviews. If you have multiple interviews scheduled, don’t waste time looking for different locations for each of them. Use the same room! You’ll only have to set up all your gear once. Then, between interviews, shift your camera and subject positions slightly. Simply shooting into a different corner of the room or changing some of the background objects can give the same room a whole new look on video.

Tip #5: Treat your tapes like gold. Label them. Don’t leave them in hot cars. Do whatever it takes (legally, of course) to get them (and yourself) home safe and sound.