Benefits of an on-camera interview as part of the legacy video.

One of the many benefits of creating your legacy video now, while you are still alive 'n kickin' is that you get to decide what story you want to tell. Many legacy, or memorial videos are constructed after we are already gone, and the guessing is left up to your grieving family members, who are not always in a position to think clearly. Sometimes, the memorial videos are made hastily by funeral home staff members, who try their best to take a compilation of photos and just produce a random slide show. Those slide shows don't necessarily tell your story.

My experience in working with families, is that they want a lasting video that has more meaning. They enjoy seeing a story played out that captures the essence of their loved one.

There is no better way to accomplish this, than to have an on-camera interview with the person who will be the legacy subject. They want to see their loved one speaking and responding to poignant questions from the interviewer.

Some of the grandchildren of legacy subjects that I have interviewed, commented on how wonderful it was for them to see Grandma, or Grandpa telling the stories themselves. They loved being able to see facial expressions, and hear voice inflections during the interview.

The greatest reward for families that I have witnessed, is finding out new information they never knew about their loved one from the interview. At Video Legacies, we utilize a written exercise that we give our subjects before the day of the interview, so we can design special question in an effort to uncover some hidden story treasures.