Welcome to the Summer 2020 issue!
“I wish we had done this when my father/mother/uncle/aunt was alive.” That’s a common reaction I get from folks when I explain what legacy videos are. Many times, families put off recording the recollections of their family storytellers until it’s too late. But, judging by the rise in the email and telephone inquiries coming into Family Legacy Video’s office these days, this may be changing – and I believe the pandemic could be a contributing factor. After all, over one hundred thirty thousand Americans have succumbed to the virus as I write this. That more than anything else forcefully drives home the message that life is fleeting – and that there’s no better time to preserve, celebrate, and share our life stories than the present, pandemic or not.
So don’t wait. Contact Family Legacy Video® – we’ll be happy to answer your questions (either over the phone or via an online Zoom meeting) and start planning your project.
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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Grandi notizie! (Great news!) Family Legacy Video receives accolades for an Italian legacy video.
Helping individuals and families preserve, celebrate, and share their life stories is always rewarding. But sometimes it’s “awarding” as well! And this Spring proved doubly so when Family Legacy Video received not one, but two awards for a legacy video entitled, “Benvenuto in Italia! A Scappaticci Family Homecoming”. Shot on location in August 2018 with a combined U.S. and Italian crew, directed and edited by Steve Pender, the video follows members of the Scappaticci family as they trace their roots in Italy’s Frosinone province, a mountainous farming area south of Rome.
On May 13, the production received an Award of Excellence from the 26th Annual Communicator Awards, an awards program sponsored by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts. Family Legacy Video’s Communicator Awards entry vied with over 6,000 others across the US and around the world. Two weeks later, more kudos came our way. The Scappaticci legacy video received a Silver Telly from The Telly Awards, a festival honoring video and television across all screens, that attracted 12,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents.
Like to see why the video so impressed the judges? These two excerpts will give you a good idea.
When you watch the clips, you’ll see why the sky’s the limit when it comes to our legacy video productions (thanks, in this case, to our effective use of drone footage). To learn more about the shoot, check out the September 2018 Family Legacy Video® e-Newsletter. You’ll find additional info about the drone in the January 2019 issue.
It’s always nice to be able to add some new hardware to our trophy shelf and to know that our legacy video productions rate so highly with the video industry pros who judge these competitions. But what really matters, more than any statuette, is the feedback Family Legacy Video receives from our clients. I invite you to read some of their testimonials.
Finally, while I can’t guarantee that your Family Legacy Video® production will take home a trophy, I can promise it will receive the highest award of all – your family’s thanks – both now and for generations to come.
– Steve Pender
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To Zoom or not to Zoom…
If you’ve watched any TV news lately, you’ve seen guests and panelists piped into studios from their homes and offices using Zoom or other online video applications. I’m sure you’ve also witnessed their video feeds freezing and dropping out fairly frequently – not to mention their voices sometimes being reduced to the audio version of scrambled eggs. When it works, the Web is great. But because the quality of computers, webcams, and Internet connections varies widely, conducting a live video interview over the Web can sometimes be a dicey proposition.
I mention this because I recently got a call from a prospective client who wanted me to conduct a legacy video interview using Zoom. Ordinarily, because Family Legacy Video’s standards are high, this isn’t something I’d entertain. But given that travel is limited right now, I decided to experiment using my Zoom platform before agreeing to the project.
So, can you record a Zoom interview? Yes. Should you use it to capture a legacy video interview? In my opinion, only if time is of the essence and you have no other choice. I take great pride in the video and audio quality Family Legacy Video® crews capture in the field. A platform like Zoom allows very little control over lighting, shot composition, and sound.
Not being able to guarantee a quality recording, I’d personally shy away from using Zoom for our professional legacy video work. But I never say never – so if you have an urgent need, please contact Family Legacy Video® – I’ll be happy to chat with you and offer some options.
– Steve Pender