Welcome to the Autumn 2020 issue!

COVID-19 is challenging us all. And I hope and pray this e-Newsletter finds you and your family doing well. In this issue, I’ll address a couple of the challenges confronting Family Legacy Video® as we try to continue helping folks like you preserve, celebrate, and share your life stories.

I hope you enjoy this issue of the Family Legacy Video® e-Newsletter. Please e-mail me at steve@familylegacyvideo.com or phone toll-free (888.662.1294) with any questions or comments you have.

Cheers! – – Steve Pender
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Conducting legacy video interviews during the pandemic.

“Do you still travel?”

“Are you able to safely shoot interviews during this time of COVID?”

Since the pandemic took hold, these two questions have become the first ones most folks ask when they contact Family Legacy Video® to ask about our services. And that’s completely understandable. In fact, I asked myself the same kinds of things once the health challenge we all face became clear: How can I lower the health risks now involved with traveling to storytellers’ locations – and then how do I minimize any possible health impacts during a shoot? After all, the last thing I want to do is sicken a client, or have me or my crew get infected. So, after some research and thought, here’s how I can answer these questions.

Do you still travel?
The answer is yes. Naturally, we want to come into contact with as few people as possible during the journey while we mask up and social distance during the trip. If the location is one my crew and I can easily drive to, all the better. If flying is involved, things get a little more complicated, since the crew and I will be around more people – both in the terminals and while we’re shut up in a pressurized tube zipping above the clouds. During the flight, masking and distancing as much as we can will still apply. Plus, once we arrive at our hotel, we’ll bag our traveling clothes, shower, and change into new duds before coming to see you. Overkill? Maybe. But I believe in being as careful as possible.

Are you able to safely shoot interviews during this time of COVID?
Having a room that’s big enough to accommodate the storyteller, the crew AND allow for proper distancing is key. Another vital consideration is ventilation. So if the room is big enough, and open, we’ll be in pretty good shape. In advance of the interview, we’ll probably want to have you send us stills showing location options, just to make sure we’ll have enough space. I still prefer shooting legacy interviews indoors as opposed to out, because we can better control lighting and sound when we’re inside. But we can certainly consider an outdoor location if necessary.

On the day of the shoot, the crew and I will be masked while we set up. During the interview, my face covering will come off only if the storyteller and I can properly distance. The same applies to the crew.

We all know there are no guarantees in life. But these common sense precautions and procedures give all of us the best chance of staying safe and healthy while we capture your life stories. And, of course, all the preparation for your legacy video interview can be handled via email, phone, or even Zoom – so no worries there.

I completely understand if you’ve decided to put your legacy video project on hold until we emerge safely from the other side of this pandemic. But if you can’t wait, rest assured that your well-being is top of mind here at Family Legacy Video®.

– Steve Pender