Welcome to the June issue!
It’s always an honor and a privilege to help folks preserve, celebrate and share their life stories. And sometimes those folks live in fabulous places, like Hawaii! I’ll tell you all about our recent Hawaii shoot in the July e-Newsletter. This month, we celebrate another video biography award and address the issue of gathering family photos for use in legacy videos. Oh, and I’m also hoping you’ll tell me what social media sites you prefer.
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 (888.662.1294) with any questions or comments you have.
Cheers! – – Steve Pender
_________________________________________
Family Legacy Video® wins a Telly Award!
Tucson’s Family Legacy Video, Inc. and its president, Steve Pender, have been honored by the 35th Annual Telly Awards for the company’s video biography work. Family Legacy Video competed with nearly 12,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries. Pender and his company were recognized for a video biography celebrating the life story of George Tullock, who emigrated from Scotland to the U.S. in 1839. It was commissioned by Tullock’s great-granddaughter, Mary Louise Tullock Gunderson, and her husband, Bob Gunderson, of Des Moines, Iowa. The Telly is the fourth award won by Family Legacy Video in 2014.
You can watch a clip from the award-winning video here.
The Telly Awards was founded in 1979 and is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest video and film productions, and online commercials, video and films. Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world.
_________________________________________
What social media sites do you prefer?
There’s no doubt about it: Social media can play a major role in helping to spread the word about the importance of preserving our life stories for generations to come. The question is, which outlets would work best? Would you take a moment to let me know which social media site or sites you use? Just click on this e-mail link, type in the names of the sites you like the best, and click “send.” I’ll sure appreciate your feedback. Thanks in advance!
– Steve Pender
_________________________________________
Working with your video biographer: Collecting visuals.
One of my responsibilities as your video biographer is to usher you through the production process and make the experience as easy for you as possible. That includes taking the time to learn your stories, crafting custom questions for your on-camera interview, and making sure you look and sound your very best on screen. If we’re working together to create a Premium or Deluxe Family Legacy Video®, another critical part of the process involves collecting the photos and other images we’ll use to illustrate your stories and give your legacy video that big-budget documentary look.
So, what kinds of images are we talking about? This list will give you an idea:
• Still photos
• Newspaper/magazine clippings
• Diplomas
• Wedding announcements
• Plaques
• Trophies
• Medals
• Paintings
• Drawings
• Letters
• Keepsakes
• Souvenirs
• Childhood toys
• Family videos (or films transferred to video)
Pulling together all these visuals may appear daunting at first. And there’s no getting around the fact that you’ll need to help with some of the work. Here’s how we’ll collaborate to collect the visuals that’ll help make your video biography so special.
WHAT FAMILY LEGACY VIDEO WILL DO.
After we wrap up your preinterview, I’ll draft what I call an Initial Wish List. This is simply a list of photos and other images I think would be great to accompany the stories you’ve told me. I fully realize you may not have all, or sometimes even most, of the items on the list; it’s just something to help you start your search.
WHAT YOU’LL DO.
You’ll go through your albums, shoeboxes and other archives to see just what you have that’s on the Initial Wish List. You may also want to contact family members to see what visuals they may have. Sometimes you’ll discover photos you forgot about and that will stimulate other stories we can cover during your interview. While the visuals search can be a bit time-consuming, it’s far from being drudgery. Think of it as a process of exploration and discovery. I guarantee you’ll have fun! You’ll need to set aside the photos you find. If possible, make notes in pencil (or use sticky notes) on the back of each photo regarding dates, places, and people. If labeling the photos is too much of an effort for you, we can add some time to do this together after we record your interview.
WHAT FAMILY LEGACY VIDEO WILL DO NEXT.
After reviewing the visuals you’ve collected, I’ll either scan or shoot them at your location, at the Family Legacy Video office in Tucson, Arizona, or a combination of both. I fully understand that you may have photos or other family heirlooms that may be too fragile to ship or that you don’t feel you want to part with. That’s quite alright; I’ll certainly respect and accommodate your wishes. If the budget allows, I can arrange to have an extra crew member whose job is to scan your photos while we’re conducting your interview.
THE FINAL WISH LIST.
It’s not usual to get ideas for additional visuals after shooting your interview. If this is the case, I’ll send you a Final Wish List detailing the extra items I’d like. Again, you may or may not have some or even all the items on the list. But heck, it doesn’t hurt to ask. If you can provide extra material, we’ll arrange to ship it to the Family Legacy Video office. Or, if you have a family member or friend with a scanner, I’ll send you the dimensions I require and you can then either e-mail or snail-mail the digital files to me.
THAT’S ALL THERE IS.
Of course, there’ll come a time (usually after you receive the Final Wish List) when I need you to tell me I’ve gotten all the visuals you can provide. Once I get that word, I’ll focus on using the images I have to their greatest effect.
So don’t let the prospect of having to comb through your family archives stop you from pursuing your video biography project. I guarantee I’ll make the process as easy on you as possible. Plus, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’ve given your family photos and other visuals new lives that will enlighten and delight generations of your family to come.
– Steve Pender