One of the services we provide at The Scan Zone is producing “family documentaries” for our clients. We take hundreds of photos, some videos, music, write a script and actually produce it as a 30-minute documentary. A key component of the piece is an interview with the matriarch or patriarch of the family as well as any other family members who can talk about a family’s history.
I always suggest to people that they sit down with the older members of the family and get their perspective on what life was like in early days, how they came to this country and what they thought of the changes in America from then until now. It's mind-boggling to realize that this living testament to the continuity of family has seen so much and is sitting in front of you. Its one thing to read about those seeking a better life coming here or life during the Depression or living through World War II from books or other sources. But it's another to hear it from directly from your grandmother or uncle and know their stories are not only real, but ultimately lead to you.
However, there is one daunting universal truth: Your time with these special people, with all that experience, is finite. They won't be here forever.
Why is it important to videotape them? For several reasons. It puts these key family members on a long lasting DVD in an interview format talking about their lives. It locks in a family’s history from as far as the interviewees can remember straight through to the youngest members of the family right now. It gives context to a family’s story---and the pictures move and they sound like themselves.
Unfortunately, the best of plans don't always work out. Very dear friends of mine were considering doing a family documentary. In fact, we were already at the point of blocking the story and figuring out when to get these folks on tape. But a sad thing happened. The matriarch of the family slipped into an illness that resulted in her being placed in a nursing home with little chance that she will ever again be capable of participating in the documentary.
This is extremely sad. It makes me think of my own life. I have very little material on videotape from my father, mother or grandparents. Yeah, I have hundreds upon hundreds of photos, even some film, but next to no video. In fact, that gives me little, if any, examples of how my Mom or Dad talked. I’d love to let my kids embrace a grandpa they never met, but it will have to be done without voice or movement.
If you’re lucky enough to have people alive and vibrant who you can get on camera, think about doing that. We can even help you do it professionally. If you have videos they are in, please protect them and transfer them to DVD. If you have photos featuring them, scan them and keep them safe. Then you can begin to think about a family documentary that features them and the rest of your family.
Time is a fleeting enemy. Here today and gone tomorrow. That's particularly poignant when thinking about our older family members.
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