How to interview and old friend
July 21, 2015 1:32 PM   Subscribe

I'm preparing to video record an interview or interviews with my friend who is 95 years old. I'm making lists of questions and another friend has the video equipment, editing software and experience using them. But I'd like some sources of information about how to best and most creatively accomplish this project -- the interview, the editing, and the final format.

I see there's an app from Storycorps.org. I'll take a look at this.

If anyone has experience, ideas, or sources that will help me with this project, they're appreciated.
posted by partner to Society & Culture (6 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
Storycorps also has a list of great question. Remember they have a 20 minute time limit. It might be good to observe this and then have a break and start again.
posted by parmanparman at 1:40 PM on July 21, 2015


(witchen's advice and links look great. One other thought from a non-expert, here...)

Is it possible to have both of you on camera together doing something? (Looking through photo albums? Having tea?) It might be much more personable and interesting to watch if we could actually see some sort of exchange rather than just talking-heads. Just my $0.02.
posted by Zephyrial at 2:16 PM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]


Record the audio using an external microphone or field recorder. It'll not only sound better but it will open up a lot more room in the editing.

And working off of witchen's advice, try to avoid a single talking head image. If he is still active, get footage of him working through his daily routine and interacting with friends/loved ones. Try to balance stories of the past with those of the present. He is still alive, after all, so it's important to focus on the life that remains rather than the life that's passed.

If this is just a way for you to record his personal memories and stories, I'd consider working only with audio. It's an easier, more forgiving medium for that kind of archiving. If he is in poor health and/or inactive, think very carefully about how/why you're choosing to document his present in images.
posted by AtoBtoA at 2:24 PM on July 21, 2015 [1 favorite]


This site has a lot of resources: Family Oral History Using Digital Tools.
posted by amf at 12:54 AM on July 22, 2015


I've been wanting to do the same for my grandma, but have been wary of video. I can imagine it would be awkward. I love the above suggestion of an audio only interview.

This is the list of questions I had planned to adapt for the interview.

http://diy.storycorps.org/great-questions-list/
posted by guy72277 at 1:43 AM on July 23, 2015


If you have a friend with video recording and editing experience and your subject is comfortable with video, that may be a viable option. I would also have a separate audio recording just because audio is a more stable format.
This is the best book I found with information about the whole process and the final product, even though it is older. It contains a wealth of questions and recommends working with the person you are interviewing beforehand, in the event there are questions that are too sensitive for him.
posted by Altomentis at 1:08 PM on July 23, 2015


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