An oral history is someone talking about their life. It involves recording someone's memories to create a living history of a person's unique experiences. An oral history can be about a particular event, a time, or an entire lifespan. It can be an interview with grandparents or older relatives. Most essentially, an oral history is the best way to record and preserve family history. An oral history movie begins with the right preparation, including both the technical and creative aspects of your shoot:
You need to bring to your shoot your camcorder, power cord, tripod, and a clip-on microphone. Audio is very, very important in shooting family memory movies, especially oral histories. Your camcorder mike will not be able to record your interviewee's voice well enough to hear it audibly on your video. Here is a list of essentials you should bring with you to your shoot:
In addition, you should bring any photos, old movies, or video you want your interviewee to talk about. Here is a list of other equipment you should consider taking with you:
Shooting an Oral History MovieYou should prepare for your oral history movie by writing down a list of questions ahead of time. If you already know the person you're interviewing, you can ask him or her about things you are curious about in the person's life. The following sections present lists of questions you can use to dig into the details of your interviewee's life. Asking Questions About Birth and ChildhoodYou can use the following list of questions to explore the person's early life in detail:
Asking Questions About Adult LifeYou can use the following list of questions to explore the person's adult life in detail:
Asking Questions About Broader ThemesIf it's appropriate, you can also ask questions about your interviewee's life that address themes. What does the person want other people to rememberabout a certain time, about the family, about him or her? Tips for Conducting Your InterviewHere are some additional tips for conducting your interview. Using Photos to Prompt the Interviewee for Specific MemoriesIf there are photos (or old movies or videos) you want to know more about, write down your questions about the photos and bring them with you to the interview. Having props is a great way to get people talking. Limiting Your Interview to a Comfortable Length of TimeIf your subject is a senior, you should plan to interview the person for no more than an hour (or less, especially if the person is not in good health). You can schedule additional follow-up sessions if you need more time with the person. Providing Questions in AdvanceIf your interviewee wants to or would benefit from seeing the questions in advance, you can share your list of questions with him or her ahead of time. That way, the person will have time to think about what to say. Promising to Provide a Copy of Your Edited MovieYou might offer to give your interviewee copies of the interview if he or she can would like one, so he or she can review your edited version and ask you to remove anything he or she doesn't like. Choosing a Quiet, Comfortable SettingIn shooting an oral history, you should arrange to interview the interviewee in the quietest place you can find. A private place is best so you won't be distracted or interrupted. It's a good idea to make pleasant conversation to put the person at ease while you're setting up. Asking for Permission to Use a Clip-on MicrophoneYou should put the camera on a tripod and explain that you would like the interviewee to use a clip-on microphone so the audio will be the best it can be. If video makes your interviewee uncomfortable or if you want to create a more intimate setting, you can record an audio-only interview with your camcorder. Conducting a Good InterviewYou should ask your questions and give your interviewee plenty of time to answer. If he or she doesn't remember something, you can come back to it at a later point during this interview or a follow-up session. Remember that your role is to get the interviewee to talk. You don't want to interrupt the person. It's what that person says that's most important to your videotape. But if you like, you can be in the video, too. If you allow the interviewee to tell you what's on his or her mind, you might uncover new material you never knew about the person. Directing an Interviewee Who Needs HelpIf your interviewee gives an answer that is too long or too detailed, you can ask the person to repeat it more succinctly, or, if the answer is too short, you can ask more detailed follow-up questions. Including More People in Your ShotOften people are more at ease if you interview two or three of them together because they overcome their natural camera-shyness if they have other people to relate to. You can also choose to be in the video with them. Tip For more ideas and tips about interviewing family members, see the web page "How to Interview a Relative" by Kimberly Powell, at http://genealogy.about.com/cs/oralhistory/ht/interview.htm. Considering Making a Transcript of the InterviewYou might want to transcribe the audio from your interview to edit it more easily or to share it with others. A transcript gives you a written version of everything that was said, which you could give to family members or include in print or on a CD or website. |