Capturing Their Voices

The sound of a loved one’s voice telling a story is almost as comforting as a warm hug. It’s especially poignant when you can go back and listen to it again and again. With an oral history slideshow, we can help you record your loved ones telling their stories, and edit them together with a montage of family photos and historical images that will bring those stories to life. In the end, you will have a treasured video that preserves their voices, and keeps their memories alive for you and the next generations.

Your children and grandchildren can also be part of the process! We’ll help them think of questions and be one of the interviewers, allowing them to learn more about the storyteller’s life, and ask the questions they most want to know.

Example: Two Sisters Remember

On the occasion of Helene’s 90th Birthday, we recorded her and her 85-year-old sister Josie reminiscing about their childhoods, their strong sisterhood, and the remarkable paths each of their lives have taken.

How it works

For the typical Oral History Slideshow we will conduct and record a one-hour interview with your subject(s) and edit it down into 15 minutes of storytelling set to a continuous slideshow of your family photos. The final product is a digital video slideshow that can be burned to DVD, uploaded to the cloud, or shared on a video sharing platform such as Vimeo or YouTube. The original recording will also be given to you.

Process:

  1. Planning: We will meet with you by phone or in person to discuss the people you wish to interview and the stories you want to capture. AYL will help you come up with a list of interview questions and we’ll set the date and time of the interview.
  2. Interviewing: We will either sit down in person (or over Zoom or phone) to interview your loved one(s) and record their stories.
  3. Audio Editing and Photo collection: After the interview is recorded, we will identify the types of photos/images to be collected. We can assist you with scanning and digitizing old print photos. Extra historical research to capture images from the times can also be done. The audio will be edited down into 15 minutes of compelling storytelling.
  4. Photo editing and captions: The photos will be edited into a montage to illustrate the stories. Captions will accompany the slides to identify the people, places, and events in the story. You will be given opportunities to review the first drafts and give feedback.
  5. The slideshow is finalized and delivered to you to enjoy and share!