Thanksgiving interview booth questions
November 26, 2024 5:16 PM Subscribe
This Thanksgiving I'm planning on setting up a video interview booth. We'll have a couple dozen extended family hanging around for a few days. Kids ages 4 through 12. Adults ages 22 to 79. What should we ask them?
I'd like to take advantage of the gathering to get some video footage of people talking .... really about anything. What's important to them in life. For the young, their hopes and dreams for the future, the minutae of their current obsessions. For the old, their fun stories and sage advice.
I plan to setup one professional camera and a mic, in front of a chair, with decent lighting, in an out-of-the-way way area. (I have camera gear available through my job). One person would act as an off-camera interviewer, documentary style, asking questions. I thought I might assign some kids to do this for a while, and to write their own questions, if they're interested.
What questions should we ask or what prompts should we give?
If you've done this kind of thing before, do you have any other advice on making this fun and productive?
I'd like to take advantage of the gathering to get some video footage of people talking .... really about anything. What's important to them in life. For the young, their hopes and dreams for the future, the minutae of their current obsessions. For the old, their fun stories and sage advice.
I plan to setup one professional camera and a mic, in front of a chair, with decent lighting, in an out-of-the-way way area. (I have camera gear available through my job). One person would act as an off-camera interviewer, documentary style, asking questions. I thought I might assign some kids to do this for a while, and to write their own questions, if they're interested.
What questions should we ask or what prompts should we give?
If you've done this kind of thing before, do you have any other advice on making this fun and productive?
How about... what are you thankful for? What do you hope to be thankful for in the future?
posted by vrakatar at 7:52 PM on November 26
posted by vrakatar at 7:52 PM on November 26
What is the funniest human job you can picture a turkey doing? What would the turkey wear for that job?
Why did Constantinople get the works?
(not sure the kids would get it)
posted by TimHare at 8:20 PM on November 26 [1 favorite]
Why did Constantinople get the works?
(not sure the kids would get it)
posted by TimHare at 8:20 PM on November 26 [1 favorite]
Tell about favorite moment between you and another family member
posted by metahawk at 10:52 PM on November 26 [1 favorite]
posted by metahawk at 10:52 PM on November 26 [1 favorite]
What's the earliest Thanksgiving you remember?
What was the best Thanksgiving you remember?
posted by tmdonahue at 5:26 AM on November 27
What was the best Thanksgiving you remember?
posted by tmdonahue at 5:26 AM on November 27
The Proust Questionnaire might be fun? Also fun to look at celebrity answers and compare later.
posted by Sweetchrysanthemum at 8:23 AM on November 27
posted by Sweetchrysanthemum at 8:23 AM on November 27
I have 25 questions saved for “interviewing older relatives” (some work for all ages) that apparently came from Postsecret? I don’t remember more context. Anyway, here goes:
Can you tell me about your best friend when you were a kid and one of your adventures.
What is the oldest story you know about our ancestors?
Is there something about me that you have always wanted to know but have never asked?
Can you describe a favorite memory about a family member?
If this was to be our very last conversation, is there anything you would want to say to me?
Do you have a favorite snack, song, television show, recipe, comedy?
What is your first memory?
Did you ever get into trouble as a kid? What happened?
If there was a biography of you, how would you want to be described?
What choice are you thankful that you did not make?
What is the best advice you remember from your father?
Is there anything you wish you had said to someone but didn’t have the chance?
Can you teach me something?
What is something you would like me to ask you?”
What do you wish you would have spent less time worrying about?
What is something you deliberately did not tell me as a child and why?
What is the best part of your day? What makes you feel most alive?
What is the last thing you changed your mind about?
What things helped you get through a difficult time in your life?
Over the course of your life what trip or place was most special? Why?
What would you like to re-experience again because you did not appreciate it enough the first time?
Can you tell me something about yourself that I don’t know that you think would surprise, shock or delight me?
What habits served you the most through life?
What is the best mistake you have made, and why?
What do you hope my siblings and I have learned from you?
How are you doing right now? Is there anything on your mind right now that you’d like to talk about?
posted by ClarissaWAM at 2:18 PM on November 27 [2 favorites]
Can you tell me about your best friend when you were a kid and one of your adventures.
What is the oldest story you know about our ancestors?
Is there something about me that you have always wanted to know but have never asked?
Can you describe a favorite memory about a family member?
If this was to be our very last conversation, is there anything you would want to say to me?
Do you have a favorite snack, song, television show, recipe, comedy?
What is your first memory?
Did you ever get into trouble as a kid? What happened?
If there was a biography of you, how would you want to be described?
What choice are you thankful that you did not make?
What is the best advice you remember from your father?
Is there anything you wish you had said to someone but didn’t have the chance?
Can you teach me something?
What is something you would like me to ask you?”
What do you wish you would have spent less time worrying about?
What is something you deliberately did not tell me as a child and why?
What is the best part of your day? What makes you feel most alive?
What is the last thing you changed your mind about?
What things helped you get through a difficult time in your life?
Over the course of your life what trip or place was most special? Why?
What would you like to re-experience again because you did not appreciate it enough the first time?
Can you tell me something about yourself that I don’t know that you think would surprise, shock or delight me?
What habits served you the most through life?
What is the best mistake you have made, and why?
What do you hope my siblings and I have learned from you?
How are you doing right now? Is there anything on your mind right now that you’d like to talk about?
posted by ClarissaWAM at 2:18 PM on November 27 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks everyone! These are all great. And the StoryCorps website is a fantastic resource.
posted by hovey at 4:04 PM on November 27
posted by hovey at 4:04 PM on November 27
Have them talk about a relative who's not around anymore who they admired and really miss.
posted by wats at 8:11 PM on November 27
posted by wats at 8:11 PM on November 27
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If you want more of an amorphous conversational-style video, StoryCorps has some great tips.
posted by moosetracks at 6:10 PM on November 26 [4 favorites]