Heritage Films
Orientation

The purpose of this page is to properly and thoroughly explain the reasons for your interview and the goals we wish to achieve in the process. The scope is broad and we will not be able to accomplish every element possible; but, by introducing the many avenues open to us we can explore the ones that are meaningful to you and those that that will benefit your family and friends most. One's total life experience cannot be distilled to 1 or 2 hours; however, we aim to get the skeleton of your life’s path (facts) and upon that you will add the flesh of your experiences (feelings). In this way we hope to achieve a balance of details and impressions that may help your loved ones, today and tomorrow, understand and appreciate you more fully. We want to help you share your family’s heritage.

We will ask you questions to guide you through the narrative of your life. Some questions will lead you to factual answers –and some will encourage you to speak about your thoughts and feelings in broad terms. You are free to indulge any and all tangents or associated stories. We want you to be yourself –comfortable and natural. You need not perform for the camera. You need not ignore the camera, either.

We will require about an hour to set up the equipment and prepare for the interview by reviewing any notes you may have jotted down for us. We will require one electrical outlet and a comfortable area with adequate lighting and no noise in which to conduct the interview. Usually, a living room is perfect.

The total time of our visit will be 3-4 hours. Of course, if you have a great deal to say, our visit may need to be longer. We can continue as long as you feel comfortable. You may wish to consider what time of day you are most lucid and comfortable to sit and talk to us.

We recommend that you review the following suggestions and ideas to help orient you and ensure that the final product is the best that it can be.

Take some time to go through some pictures, music, or old documents so we may augment the DVD/Video with authentic details of your life. We can place still pictures into the narrative or play some of you favorite/special memory music in the background to add some extra flavor to the biography.

We will need to take any photos or documents in order to scan into our computer. We will return them promptly. We understand that these items are one of a kind and precious to you. We will treat them with the appropriate care and caution. We will need to take brief notes on them in order to be accurate with their placement.

Things to consider:

This is about you . . . try to refrain from describing (at length) the experiences of your children or grandchildren . . . their experience is with them . . . we are trying to communicate your experience.

You are speaking to the future. Among the people who will find this biography most interesting are the adults of the future. You may wish to explain rare terms or items that may not be common today. You are speaking to your grandchildren for years to come. This is your opportunity to speak to them as matured adults of 40-50-60 years old. They will view your thoughts through the prism of their own life experiences.

Try to respond to questions in full sentences - since our voices and the questions themselves will be edited out.
For example:
Q: Where and when were you born?
A: “I was born in Mercy Hospital on Broad Street in New York, NY on December 20, 1930.”

You may elaborate at any time. Go with the flow and your spirit.

Try not to rush through an explanation . . . the story can be edited and abbreviated later in the editing. Try to explain the richness of each story . . . the good, the bad, the lessons . . . it’s up to you.

Details are good! (addresses, place names, dates) Whether included in the edited version or simply in the raw footage, details of your life constitute a historical document for others to absorb. Some descendants may wish to visit the neighborhood or home in which you spent your formative years . . . or the business you built from the ground up . . . or the vista that inspired you in years past. (details can be passed on through scanned in documents, pictures, recipes and such, as well.)

Don’t rehearse. It is not necessary and could ‘dry out’ the feel of the interview.

Don’t worry about mistakes. They can be edited out later.

Feel relaxed and natural . . . as if you are just having a drink with a new friend.

Here are some questions we may ask or you may wish to think on:

What is your first memory of . . . being an adult, being an individual, being responsible?
How did you feel . . . your first kiss, girlfriend, love?
Describe your first date.
How did you feel about school, WWII, the depression, social changes (civil rights, social security, the 60’s, American culture)? How have your feelings changed over the years?
What traditions have you practiced through your life? How did your parents practice them? How did you pass them on to your children? How do you feel about them now?
Do you have any brushes with greatness, death?
What words of wisdom do you wish to share with your descendents? – love, marriage, values, etc.
What lessons do you wish to share?
How do you feel about the government?
How do you feel about the direction of our country, our culture is heading?
How do you wish to be remembered?
What do you think is your best contribution to your family?
Who do you miss the most?
Do you have any regrets? – in business, relationships, life
Do you have any desires unfulfilled?
How were you disciplined as a child?
What was it like to live in the 19..;s?

An outline may aid you in your story telling and communication of your experiences. Please keep in mind that while the easily communicated nuts and bolts of your life such as where you lived and what you did for a living are important, they are the framing for life’s richness of emotion and spirited impressions. We wish to capture both the ‘bones’ of your life, as well as, the ‘flesh’ experiences that give warmth and cherished human elements to a narrative.

In the days before the interview, you may wish to go over the pockets of your mind and memory to uncover some events or stories that have been tucked away for a while. You may wish to jot down a note to remind yourself. If you wish to put them in chronological order, it will help create an organized interview.