Video Biographies: 'Stories from the Heart' conference in Austin

What are you doing this weekend? Yes, I'm talking about February 5,6 and 7.

Well, Story Circle is hosting their 5th annual conference here in Austin - "Stories From the Heart" and I'm very excited by it. So far, more than a 100 women from across the country have registered, and apart from the conference program, it sounds like there will be ample opportunity for fun, games and forging new friendships. But before I get distracted by that, let me tell you a little bit about the conference.

The focus of the 3-day conference is, quite simply, stories. Stories from our day-to-day lives. Stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. Stories of lessons learned. Mistakes made. Stories of heartbreak and overcoming heartbreak. In short, the stories of a lifetime.

Over the course of several workshops, one learns to give voice to these stories - either through memoir writing, blogging, poetry or... you guessed it, video biographies.

I will be accompanied by two very accomplished writers / editors - Jane Ross and Pat Flathouse - in giving an informational talk on how to effectively use video as a medium to document individual histories, without getting intimidated by the technology involved. Needless to say, the three of us are very excited to be presenting this 'new' resource in storytelling!

Moreover, there is an opportunity for individual consultations on Friday - so that if anyone has very specific questions, they can get one-on-one talk time with professionals and experts from the field. And there's a silent auction. Open mike. a sinful sounding dessert reception (!). Informal interactions. Slumber parties - okay, so I made that one up but only to test if you were still paying attention! Rest assured, it will be an experience. And if that appeals to you in any way, come on over to the Wyndham Hotel. Online registration may have closed at the moment but there's still the opportunity to register at the door... and I know we're glad to have you there!



Aditi

Video Biographies: What to do with inidividual accounts of history?

Last week, I gave a talk on 'Using Video to Preserve Our Family History' to a very warm and lively branch of the Rotary Club. And one of the questions that I was asked towards the end was how to make individual accounts of personal history count on a larger scale. More precisely, how to make the story of one's life accessible to the community at large.

A wonderfully insightful question, I thought. After all, there is a lot to be learned from life, and not just one's own.

There are a number of ways to make your story count. Below are just a few that I know of or have heard of... but don't just take my word for it! The idea is to get you thinking - I'd strongly recommend reading up more about them on their websites or speaking with a representative to know the true behind-the-scene workings.

Within Austin, there is the wonderful Austin History Center (AHC - http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/ahc/) where community archives are greatly valued, appreciated and preserved. Whether it is a written memoir, a collection of photographs, newspaper clippings, oral recordings or whatever other ingenious means of recording one's story one comes up with, the AHC is a great place to make a contribution to... and as far as I can understand, they are happy to receive originals or make copies of them.

There is also the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History in Austin - with a handy link on their website (http://www.cah.utexas.edu/donations/collections.php) to more information about why one should consider donating personal records and what to keep in mind etc.

Oh and I've heard good things about the Institute for Oral History at Baylor University, though it sounds like at the moment they only accept recordings that meet certain guidelines they've set for themselves. Their website has information about an upcoming online introductory workshop - 'Getting Started with Oral History' (http://www.baylor.edu/Oral_History/index.php?id=64487).

The Veterans History Project (http://www.loc.gov/vets/about.html) is an initiative to collect and preserve records of war from people actively involved in it in order to create a better understanding of the realities of war for future generations. They offer a variety of ways in which people can contribution their stories.

Other organizations to look into include The American Folklife Center (http://www.loc.gov/folklife/cg.html) and StoryCorps (http://www.storycorps.org/initiatives). This list is very preliminary - and are just a few organizations that come immediately to mind. There are many more! But the idea is to get those wheels turning... and if anyone has any other places that they know of, please write in to me and I'll be happy to add them.


Aditi

Video Biographies: From Austin to India

So where have I been this whole past month? India. Chicago. A little town called Shelbyville. And now safely and happily back home in Austin.

Most of the trip was to visit family and to feel like a little girl once again, sleeping in 'my room' back in my parents' home. But a little part of the vacation was reserved for work.

I had been approached by a gentleman right here in Austin whose father lived in India, and well more specifically, right in the city where I grew up - New Delhi. When you ponder about the size of America and India, and then the number of people who live in each of these countries, and then the number of cities in both of these places... it felt like karma that I just happened to be visiting the very city his father would be visiting at the exact same time of the year when he's always there! So obviously, I was very excited to create his own, unique Video Biography.

And even though the worlds we inhabited were so extremely different from each other, even though we had grown up in different times in history... even though he was 50 odd years older than I am... there is something so wonderfully universal about life that the 2 hours interview session flew by without us running out of conversation. The main focus of the Video Biography was to be his career in the police service - and indeed the stories of run-ins with criminals, corrupt officials, and so on were fascinating. But more so were his memories of his childhood. His parents. The story behind his marriage. And a special message to his grandchildren.

There is something wonderfully universal about life... be it family, love or an inherent desire to do what is right. And it's stories like this one that make you pause and remember that. And be thankful for it.



Aditi

Third Year Reflections

It’s now been almost exactly three years ago that Save Their Story, Inc. was launched and it’s rather poignant for me to reflect on all of the families I’ve met and the interviews my associates and I have conducted since that time. We’re so fortunate that they place their trust in us as they share the stories that are important to them. And the gift I receive in turn from their trust is truly enriching.

In addition to the history I have learned through hearing about their experiences as well as the significance that chance occurrences played in many of their lives, I also come away with a very positive sense of family. The obvious reason for this is that families that are in conflict with one another do not seek us out to preserve their stories because perhaps they’d rather forget than remember those experiences. But I am encouraged by the interviews of clients where accounts of serious family strife are told with an emphasis on the lesson learned of not repeating the pattern once they were adults with families of their own. These are lessons they instill in their own children just by the power of their example. And I can’t think of a better legacy they give to their children than breaking that pattern of dysfunction.

--Bridget Poizner

Personal History Videos: A Sampling

Excerpts from Video Biographies that 'Save Their Story' has created for families across the country.

Note: If you don't have Quick Time player, copy and paste this link to your navigation bar to be redirected to YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_7jeH6VVYI

Recording Family Stories: Let the kids do all the asking.

Children ask a lot of questions.

"Is the Tooth Fairy related to Santa Claus?"
"Is your hair really white under the black, like Mom says it is?"
"Can we return the baby in exchange for a puppy?"
"Can we have Thanksgiving everyday?"

And questions are paramount for a Video Biography interview.

So... put two and two together and this holiday season, try a fun experiment. Gather all the children in the family and have them 'interview' the Grandparents on video! It will be entertaining... and educational. Not only will the children gain a sense of accomplishment being in charge of the whole project, but they will also learn more about the elders in the family. And not just the 'boring' stuff! No, it's their opportunity to discover that Grandma and Grandpa were once 'real' people just like them... to hear their crazy adventures and experiments, and to establish their own special bond with their Grandparents.

The best part is that you'll have that candid video to cherish for years to come. Even after the children grow up and have children of their own. Even after Grandma and Grandpa begin to forget parts of their own stories. Even after your memories of the event begin to get blurry... the video shall stand witness to a fun afternoon of getting to 'know' each other better.


"Why haven't we done this earlier?" Just be prepared for that one!



Aditi

Check out our new video

We are making some changes to our web site and this new sample is the first one. Take a look:

http://www.savetheirstory.com/video/testimonials.htm

--Bridget Poizner