Add "breathing room" to interviews to hold viewer interest.

I'll never forget my high school biology teacher. Mr. Rutledge was terrific in the classroom. He was lively, funny and entertaining - in short, he made learning fun. Then came the the day he gave my class a taste of what many of our future college lectures would be like. Announcing that it was "college lecture day," he sat at his desk, opened a text book, bowed his head and read, in a monotone, for the entire class period. His voice never varied in pace or intonation. It was all I could do to keep from being lulled to sleep. In short, it was one of the longest lectures in my life - an object lesson in how not to teach.

So what does this have to do with video biographies? Well, a common mistake I see made in video biographies, be they professional or amateur, concerns pacing. Many producers never vary the tempo of their programs or give viewers a little bit of time to digest the information they're given. These shows are, in fact, the video equivalent of a monotone. And they send their audiences (at least me) to dreamland.

How can you avoid creating a "monotone" video biography? There are lots of techniques, but in this article I'd like to offer you one particular bit of advice: Let your interview "breathe." Y'see, many video biographers seem to think they need to present interviews exactly as they were recorded, with minimal cutting and shaping. They let the interviews set the pace, or tempo, for the video, instead of shaping the interviews and varying the pacing through editing.

Here's an example. Let's say you've got half a dozen photos of Granma Annie during her childhood years on the family farm. During the interview, however, Annie only mentions the farm briefly. There's not enough time to insert all the photos you have in the few seconds she gives you - so what do you do? Some producers cram in a few photos in the time available, resulting in shots that are on the screen for too short a time, which makes them distracting and also doesn't give the viewers enough time to enjoy them. Not good. The better option is this: After Granma mentions the farm, stop the interview, mix in some music, display the photos (perhaps dissolving between them as they pan left and right or zoom in and out) and then dissolve back to Granma as she continues her answer. This gap, or "breath" gives your viewers the time they need to process the information they've just heard in the interview and enjoy the visuals.

Family Legacy Video® - it's a trademark.

I'm getting to know how the folks at Xerox must have felt when people used their company name to describe any old photocopier. I've recently found several Web sites using the term "Family Legacy Video" to describe their video biography offerings. The truth of the matter is that Family Legacy Video® is a trademark of Family Legacy Video, Inc. - something these other companies now know - and I'm devoted to protecting that trademark. That's because a Family Legacy Video® is a unique brand, standing for professional, highly-crafted video biographies that are unmatched in the industry. And the only place you can get a Family Legacy Video® is through Family Legacy Video, Inc.

Working with your video biographer: Travel

In many ways, technology has certainly shrunk our world. All you have to do these days to get in touch with someone on the other side of the globe is dial a phone or log on to the Web; within seconds you can be chatting, either by voice or text. It's easy as pie. But let's say, after doing some research, you find that the video biographer you want to hire is located in another part of the country, like Tucson, Arizona? How easy will it be to work with someone who may be hundreds or thousands of miles away?

The short answer is that a long distance relationship with a video biographer can work quite well. In fact, I've worked with clients from coast to coast and points in-between. But there are some things to consider when looking for a professional outside your local area.

COST
Might as well deal with this issue first. Not a week goes by that I don't get a call from a prospective client asking me if I can travel to their location outside Arizona. When I say yes, the next question is usually, "Does travel add to the cost?" Quite honestly, it does. A video biographer living and working in your area doesn't have to bear the expenses that come with airfare, hotel rooms and rental cars. Your local pro also won't need to spend an extra day's worth of time traveling to your location and back home. In all fairness, it's only right to reimburse the video biographer you hire for travel expenses. Personally, I don't "mark up" travel - I just pass along the actual costs to the client. I can either add the costs to the agreed-upon budget or subtract them from the budget. Let's say I have a budget of $20,000 and travel expenses of $1,000. To be able to devote all of the $20,000 to the video, I would add the $1,000. The client would then pay a total of $21,000. If the client can't go as high as $21,000, I can subtract travel expenses, leaving $19,000 to devote to the actual video production.

COMMUNICATION
Staying in contact during the course of production is crucial. You're likely to have lots of questions about the process and your video biographer will also need information from you. Some people prefer chatting face-to-face or just feel more secure dealing with someone local. However, a professional video biographer, working long distance, can consult with you and conduct preinterviews over the phone just as effectively as in person. One word of caution: You and your video biographer SHOULD NOT rely entirely upon e-mail. E-mails can sometimes be cryptic and incomplete; they also don't convey emotion well. When I want to send a reminder or ask for a small bit of information, e-mail is fine. For anything more than that, I prefer to pick up the phone and call.

KEEPSAKES
If you do choose to work long distance, you'll need to decide how to best get your family photos and other mementos into your video biographer's hands for scanning and shooting. If you're comfortable shipping your items make sure you wrap them well and cushion them to guard against damage. Clients have been shipping me photos, singly and in albums, for years. Nothing has ever been lost. The only damage in all these years resulted when a client sent a glass-covered photo that wasn't properly protected, resulting in some breakage. While shipping long distance has worked fine, I understand that some families may be uncomfortable with the thought of packing up their old photos and trusting them to FedEx. That's why I always ask my long distance clients if they have any photos or other items that they aren't comfortable shipping - or that wouldn't be practical to send to me. Knowing that, I can build in some extra time before or after the interview taping to scan or shoot the keepsakes on location.

Working with your video biographer: Visuals

The foundation of a successful video biography is a well-researched, conducted and recorded interview. But just as important as what the storyteller says during his or her interview is what viewers see. Many times it's just fine to have the storyteller on screen. Other times, the interview can be wonderfully enhanced by visuals that illustrate the incidents, people and places being described.

What do I mean by visuals? Photos, certainly. But visuals can also include family movies, newspaper and magazine clippings, yearbooks, wedding invitations, journal entries and memorabilia like medals, awards and trophies, etc. Knowing what kinds of visuals can best enhance a storyteller's legacy video is one of the strengths a professional video biographer brings to the table.

When I first sign a client, we talk in a general way about the kinds of visuals that may be available within the family. Then, after I learn more about the storyteller during the preinterview process, I'll send the client a specific "wish list" of all the visuals I think will help contribute to the video. After the on-camera interview, I often follow up with a final list, based on other stories that surfaced during the videotaping. These lists guide my clients during their searches for the perfect images to include in their legacy videos - and will often give them ideas for items they might never have considered. After all, as a professional visual storyteller I'm used to thinking visually - and I use this experience to help direct and inspire my clients as they search through their family archives.

Knowing how to use these visuals effectively is another strength a professional video biographer brings to a legacy video project. But that's another story. Before you can use those visuals, however, you have to find them. And before you can find them, you have to know what to look for. A professional video biographer is just the one to guide you on "the hunt."

Helping a town celebrate its stories - and storytellers

Ajo, Arizona is a small town about a 2 1/2 hour drive west of Tucson. The town is chock-full of stories, thanks to its years as a copper-mining boom town and the mix of cultures (Native Americans, Hispanics and Anglos) who worked the mine. Preserving those stories, as told by the folks who lived them, became a passion for a group of history-minded Ajo residents. In 2008, they formally organized as the Ajo Story Gatherers. Their mission, to videotape interviews with the town elders, and incorporate their remembrances into a video for all to enjoy.

The group faced some initial challenges. One was funding, which was overcome when the Story Gatherers secured a grant from PRO Neighborhoods. A second, and perhaps more daunting challenge, was gaining the skills they needed to create the video. None of the group members had ever embarked on a video project like this before. So group leader Cheryl Langer set out to find someone who could provide the guidance the Story Tellers needed.

After searching the Web, Cheryl found Family Legacy Video's workshop page. A short time later, she placed a call to Steve Pender. Her question: Could Family Legacy Video hold a video biography workshop in Ajo? Steve and workshop partners Dan Crapsi and Ginny Temple were happy to help - and in October 2008 they travelled to Ajo. The Family Legacy Video team shared their expertise during two days of hands-on sessions (see the November 2008 e-Newsletter) and then wished the Story Gatherers good luck.

Then, this January, an invitation to attend the gala premiere of "Ajo Stories" appeared in Family Legacy Video's mailbox. Eager to see what the Story Gatherers accomplished, Steve and his wife Halina decided to attend. On the evening of January 30, they strolled into Ajo's historic Oasis Theatre - and were treated as honored guests. They were seated in the first row, alongside many of the town elders interviewed for the video. During her opening remarks, Cheryl Langer introduced the Penders to the packed house and said that the Story Tellers "couldn't have succeeded without the workshop conducted by Family Legacy Video." Then, the lights dimmed, the projectionist pressed "play," and Ajo's storytellers filled the big screen with their remembrances, some poignant, some hilarious, of Ajo's past.

Afterwards, the excited and appreciative audience mingled over coffee and sweets - with the younger folks plying the elders for even more stories. "It was a great evening," said Steve Pender. "I applaud the Ajo Story Gatherers for preserving the remembrances of their town's elders. This was a huge undertaking for the group, and I'm honored that Family Legacy Video could be a part of their successful effort."

Of personal history and a special lunar eclipse.

It was about 1 AM in Tucson, Arizona, on the morning of December 21. I unlocked my front door, stepped into the night and looked up towards the heavens. There it was: a rust-colored moon in almost total eclipse, floating in and out of view behind a mottled layer of broken clouds. Even though the sky wasn't as clear as I would have liked, the view was gorgeous, and it was made all the more special by the fact that the next winter solstice eclipse isn't due until 2094 - eighty-four years distant. That's pretty far away in human time, but not as far removed as we in 2010 are from the last folks who got to see such an awesome sight.

It was 372 years ago, 1638, when a lunar eclipse last coincided with a winter solstice. As I sat on my front steps enjoying the spectacle in the night sky above me, feeling the gentle breeze brushing my face and hearing the mournful cries of some nearby coyotes, I couldn't help but feel a sense of connection with my distant ancestors. I don't know who or where they were, but somewhere close to four centuries ago, my forbears gazed into a star-filled expanse to watch the full moon redden and dim. It may sound a bit silly, but I felt connected to them, as if this celestial event was bridging time and linking us together in spirit.

I think part of that connectedness stems from the fact that, like the light reflected by the moon, each of us is a reflection of the generations of our family that preceded us. My DNA, physical characteristics and maybe even personality traits were bequeathed to me by those long-lost relatives; precious gifts of identity for which I give thanks daily. One thing they didn't pass along to their descendants were their personal stories - understandable given that, for them, just surviving was probably the order of the day. But thanks to today's technology, we have opportunities our ancestors in 1638 didn't have. You and I can pass along our life stories, including our reactions to the 2010 lunar eclipse, to coming generations in the form of personal video biographies. If we create these legacy videos now, before it's too late, our descendants won't be left wondering who we were. They'll know, because we'll be there to tell them each time they insert our DVDs and press "play."

And won't that be a wonderful reflection on us.

Why hire a video biography pro?

So you've decided that 2011 is the year you're going to create that long overdue video biography featuring your grandparents, or your mom and dad. You own a pretty nice consumer camcorder. You've dabbled in editing. You've even created birthday video DVDs for family members. Who's to say you shouldn't take on that long-awaited video biography project yourself, instead of hiring a professional video biographer? Who indeed. But before you decide, you might want to think about what a professional has to offer:

Organization
In order to proceed smoothly, a video project needs to be organized from start to finish. A professional video biographer can bring years of organizational experience to the table. A pro can talk with you about your goals and wishes for your video and then design a production that meets your needs and your budget. A pro knows how to start a legacy video project and then proceed efficiently each step of the way. A true professional treats you, the client, like the executive producer - consulting you and ushering you and your family through the process.

Creativity
A professional video biographer will be well-versed in visual storytelling techniques. He or she can offer you a number of ways to approach and treat your family stories and storytellers. And a pro will have a realistic idea of the cost and time involved in the different options he or she offers you. A real pro will be able to show you samples of past work so you can make informed decisions about the creative direction of your legacy video.

Production Experience
Your storytellers deserve to be presented in the most flattering way possible. A professional can insure that your storytellers look and sound their very best on camera. This means professional lighting, knowing how to compose a pleasing shot and using a high-end camera to capture the image, along with top-notch microphones to ensure great sound. A pro will also know how to make a storyteller feel safe and comfortable during the interview in order to ensure an effective "performance."

Editing Expertise
The final edit is where the magic happens. A video biographer who is an experienced editor can take all the raw elements collected during the production process (interviews, photos, films, music, sound effects, etc.) and turn out a program that exceeds your wildest expectations.

Time Management
Best of all, a professional video biographer can be working on your project steadily, not squeezing it in during a free moment here and there like you may have to do. This means your video biography actually gets done in 2011 - and doesn't get put off for yet another year.

True, you'll have to pay for the service - but in the end, the value a professional can bring to your project can be well worth the price.

World Digital Library offers fascinating glimpses of world history & culture

The history of the world is a complex tapestry of events, images and sounds. You'll find a small sampling of those images and sounds is available at the World Digital Library. The WDL is a free, online resource that allows you to view and listen to primary materials from a wide variety of countries and cultures.

The WDL currently offers over one thousand items contributed by institutions around the world. Included in the collection are manuscripts, maps, rare books, musical scores, audio recordings, films, prints, photographs, and architectural drawings. Users can browse by place, time, topic, type of item and contributing institution, or by an open-ended search. Navigation tools and content descriptions are provided in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Many more tongues are represented in the materials themselves, which are provided in their original languages.

So take some time to digitally explore cultural treasures from around the globe at the World Digital Library.

Have some fun with a "memory stir"

My mission in life is to help individuals, families, businesses and organizations preserve, celebrate and share their memories and their stories. But once in a while, as a change of pace, it's fun to delve into my own memories. I do this using a technique I call a "memory stir." It's pretty simple, actually. I sit down and ask myself a question meant to prompt a recollection or two. It can be amazing what memories float to the top once I start "stirring."

So let's have some fun. What was your most memorable store as a child. What do you remember about it? What made it special?

The store that comes to mind for me is W.T. Grant, on Main St. in the town of Rahway, New Jersey. When I was growing up in the 1960s, Rahway had a thriving downtown and Grant's was part of the mix. Some impressions: Old, single-story building. A slightly musty smell (not unpleasant) wafts out as the door opens. Thin-planked wood floors creak underfoot. Vintage tin ceiling. The main floor is stocked with linens and clothing; house wares, radios and toys are on the basement level. I feel a sense of excitement every time I descend the stairs to the basement - probably because that's where the "neat" stuff (radios and toys) is.

But there's one, specific memory related to Grant's that'll stay with me forever. I'm with my mom. She's shopping for something, maybe a tablecloth or some curtains. She doesn't see what she wants on the sales table. A salesman, neatly dressed in slacks, jacket and tie asks if he can help. She describes what she's after. He crouches in order to slide open the door to the storage bin under the table. But - before he crouches, he reaches down and hikes the legs of his pants up just a bit - to give his slacks some slack, if you will. Well, I'd never seen a guy do this before. The action seemed so effortless, practical and "grown up." Needless to say, the next time I wore slacks I copied the salesman's technique. And I've been doing it ever since.

Get the idea? Now stir up some of your own memories!

Capture your family cooks - and their recipes - on video

Stuffed cabbage: It's one of my ultimate comfort foods, as well as a delicious reminder of my Polish heritage. Luckily for me, my mother-in-law is the "Queen of Cabbage." She brought her family recipes with her when she emigrated from Poland in 1960. Forty-nine years later, she's still at the top of her game in the kitchen. For me, her stuffed cabbage is the stuff of which dreams are made. Few of her recipes, however, are written down. And when it comes to measuring ingredients, she basically works on the "a little of this, a little of that" standard, which makes preserving her recipes and techniques a bit of a challenge.

Sound familiar? Is your mom, mother-in-law, grandmother or other relative a great cook who works from memory and not from written recipes? Do you want to be able to recreate those scrumptious dishes and pass along your family's culinary traditions to your children and grandchildren? If so, how do you go about it?

Why not try video?

Heck, cooking shows and demonstrations continue to be all the rage on television. We even have entire cable channels filled with nothing but cooks and chefs frying, sautéing, poaching and baking up a storm. Why not take a cue from them and videotape your own family chef as he or she creates some of your clan's signature dishes?

Let's say your subject is stuffed cabbage and the cook in question is your mother-in-law. You might begin your video with a brief on-camera interview, during which she relates the history of the recipe: how she learned to cook it and any memories associated with it. Then we pick her up in the kitchen. She shows you the ingredients involved and then launches into the preparation. Along the way you check her food and spice measurements and she shows off her cooking techniques. Perhaps you throw a second camera into the mix in order to get some close-ups - just like they do on the Food Network. You also take advantage of your time together to chat her up and get her to tell some family stories. In the end, you not only document the creation of a wonderful dish, you also capture some fascinating and fun family lore. And what can be better than that?

After all, the tastes and aromas of our signature family recipes carry lots of associations linked to the special people and times in our lives, including the love that generations of family cooks have liberally sprinkled into the mix. That's what I taste whenever I bite into one of my mother-in-law's homemade stuffed cabbage. It's also what you'll pass along to your children, grandchildren and great-children when you celebrate your own family cooks on video.

The value of recording life stories

Gene Edminster is a WWII veteran and a member of my Rotary club. I recently interviewed Gene for the Catalina Rotary Veterans Project, an initiative designed to preserve the military and Rotary service stories of veterans who are club members. At the end of our session, I impulsively asked Gene if he saw value in preserving his stories on video. He responded by talking about the war stories he heard from his father, a veteran of WWI, stories that are now thankfully preserved on audio cassettes. But then Gene turned his attention to his wife, recently lost to Alzheimer's Disease, and how he wished he'd recorded her stories. His answer is poignant, heartfelt and direct, so much so that I've included an excerpt in the Family Legacy Video Theatre.

To view the clip, visit the theatre and click on the first item in the playlist, entitled, "Why record personal history?" I don't think you'll ever hear a better answer to the question.

Interested in the video biography business? These Webinars are for you!

I can honestly say I average at least two or more calls or e-mails each week from folks looking for information about running a video biography business. Truth be told, I have my own video biography business to run and just can't take a lot of time out of my day to answer the many questions my callers have. Which is a shame, because it's a subject I love to talk about. But there is a solution - in the form of Family Legacy Video's new two-part Webinar series: The Business of Video Biographies.

Adapted from the in-person workshop I've presented here in Tucson, each session of the two-part Webinar offers practical advice based on my own experiences. In session one, we'll touch on "nuts & bolts" stuff like deciding on a business structure, to pricing and promotion. In session two, you'll meet ace graphic designer Dan Blumenthal. He'll give you invaluable tips on how to create a professional look and identity for your business - and brainstorm ideas with you during the session!

The dates: Wednesday August 18 and 25. Choose from morning or evening sessions. The online classes are a bargain at $40 each or $75 if you sign up for both. For more information and to register, visit our Workshop & Webinar page. Join us! You'll be glad you did.

But - as they say on those late-night infomercials, "Wait, there's more!" If you didn't get a chance to take part in Family Legacy Video's Video Biography Basics Webinar series last winter - you're in luck. The entire six-session series is online. Video Biography Basics provides an in-depth overview of the entire video biography creation process, from planning your project to taping your interviews to editing - and much more. Simply sign up for the sessions that interest you (or the entire series) and you'll be sent links to each recording, which you can stream at your convenience. Again, you'll find all the information you'll need to know on our Workshop & Webinar page.

Study affirms benefits of personal legacy projects

The reported benefits of family legacy videos are usually more anecdotal than clinical. But now and again an official study affirms what video biographers know: personal legacy projects often have profoundly positive mental and physical impacts on storytellers and their families. Who says so? Researchers at the University of Michigan and University of Alabama, that's who.

The "Legacy Project" study is one of the the first studies to examine the benefits of family life review efforts. The study concentrated on individuals with chronic, life-limiting illnesses, aged 60 and older. Researchers helped patients and their family caregivers create personal legacies in video or scrapbook formats; the participants were surveyed throughout the course of the project.

Less difficulty breathing, reduced stress and depression and greater social interaction are some the benefits documented by the study. According to co-author Louis Burgio, a research professor at the University of Michigan, "Working together on a joint project called a legacy improved the quality of life of both patients with life-limiting illness and their family caregivers."

For more details, click here.

Family Legacy Video wins two awards!

Exciting news! Just got word that Family Legacy Video, Inc., has won two Awards of Distinction in the 2010 Communicator Awards competition. Our honors came in the History/Biography category. The winning entries were A Legacy of Family, featuring the life stories of Tucson couple Bill and Wilma Hansen and Charlie's Story, featuring WWII B-17 pilot Charlie Wilson of Austin, Texas.

The Communicator Awards is the leading international awards program honoring creative excellence for communications professionals. The international video competition attracted 7,000 entries this year. The Communicator Awards are judged and overseen by the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA), a 550+ member organization of leading professionals from various disciplines of the visual arts dedicated to embracing progress and the evolving nature of traditional and interactive media.

Jump cuts: Now you see 'em - now you don't.

So you're watching a taped interview on the evening news. The interview subject starts to answer a question, but after about ten words the position of her head suddenly changes from leaning forward to leaning backward. Then, after a few more words, her head suddenly tilts to the left. The audio sounds fine, so what's going on with the video?

What's going on is this: When they got the tape back to the studio, the producer and editor decided to slice and dice the interview a bit. Maybe the subject made a mistake that needed to be eliminated; maybe the producer decided to slap the beginning of one answer onto the end of another; maybe the answer ran too long so the producer had to trim a bit to stay within a defined time. Whatever the reason, the driving factor behind the editing was the audio. And if you closed your eyes and listened to the interview again you probably wouldn't guess it had been edited. But with your eyes open, the edits are obvious. These kinds of edits are called "jump cuts" - because the video image seems to jump at the point of the edit. Jump cuts can be pretty ugly and distracting. But there are ways to apply a little video "sleight of hand" to either hide the jump cuts or at least minimize them.

Cover 'em up:
The best way of dealing with jump cuts is to hide them under visuals. If you have photos, films or other visuals that apply to the subject being discussed, insert them before the jump cuts occur and continue with them on screen until it makes sense to return to your interview subject. If you don't have photos, you might be able to construct something - maybe a text screen that has some relevant information. Whatever you use, just make sure it relates to the topic at hand. Throwing in a visual that doesn't pertain to what's being covered in the interview distracts your viewers from what's being said. Choose the right visuals, however, and they'll reinforce and enhance the interview while hiding those distracting jump cuts. Your viewers will be none the wiser.

Smooth 'em out:
What if you really need to make a cut but you don't have a visual to use as cover? In this case, your best option is to "soften" the cut. One way to do this is to place a dissolve at the cut point. The duration of the dissolve could be as short as three to four frames (known as a "soft cut") or as many as ten. You'll have to experiment and see what looks best to you. While it'll be obvious to viewers that you're making a cut, at least it'll be easier on their eyes.

Another technique you can use is known as a "white flash." Using your editing software, or graphics software like Photoshop, create a graphic screen that is white. Place the screen at the point of the interview edit, let it sit for a few frames, and then dissolve back to the interview. Experiment to see what looks best to you. You might even want to dissolve to the white screen a few frames before the cut, let it linger for several frames, and then use a longer dissolve as you return to your interview. The white flash will help "dress up" the cut a little and make it less distracting.

Chapters: A great way to organize a video biography.

You've videotaped your family interviews and collected your photos, films and other visuals. But now that you sit down to edit, the prospect of creating a video that may run a hour or longer is daunting. Just how do you put together a video biography that's informative and entertaining without getting overwhelmed in the process?

Think: Chapters.

Any large project can be intimidating until you break it down into smaller steps or tasks. Editing your video biography is no different. And organizing your video by chapters is a great way to whittle away at it a little at a time.

If you organized your interview questions efficiently you're probably ahead of the game. It should be easy for you to group your interview segments by themes like "Grandparents," "Parents," "Earliest Memories," "School Days," "The War Years," etc. As you edit, focus on one chapter at a time. Treat each chapter as a "video within a video" with it's own title, musical theme, tempo and unique beginning, middle and end. Focusing only on the chapter you're currently editing will prevent you from being overwhelmed by the total length of your project. Before you know it, you'll be done.

Structuring your video biography around chapters also makes the viewing experience more enjoyable and manageable. It's much easier for your audience to digest material in smaller bits. And by varying the mood and feeling of each chapter you help keep your viewers engaged and interested. A long video without chapter breaks and no variety in music, mood and pacing can lull your audience to sleep - and the last thing you want your family members to do is to wind up using your video biography as a sleep aid.

Chapters also make things easier for folks who don't have the time or the attention span to view an entire video in one sitting. By keeping track of the chapters they watched they'll know exactly where to pick up when they sit down to continue. And if someone wants to revisit a particular section of the video, chapters make it easier to do that, too.

So learn to put together your video biographies one chapter at a time. It'll make things easier on you and more enjoyable for your audience.

Facing the Music

(Disclaimer: I am not a copyright lawyer - I don't even play one on TV. This article is not meant to take the place of professional legal advice.)

Music. It's a key creative ingredient in video biographies. Music can establish pacing, create moods and evoke historical eras. But there's another aspect of music use video biographers need to heed: the legal side. Why?

Let's look at a couple of hypothetical situations.

A. The storyteller you've just interviewed described herself as a devoted fan of Nat King Cole. Based on that, you decide to feature the song, "Unforgettable," as the music track for the opening and closing of her video biography and to use other Nat King Cole songs as background music throughout the program. You buy a few CDs or download the songs you need, and set to work.

B. Your legacy video subject is a musician. He talks about how early Bebop influenced his musical style. You demonstrate the influence by playing a few bars from a Charlie Parker tune, then segue to your storyteller playing his own saxophone composition.

So, are these legal uses of copyrighted music? If not, what risks do you take by using it?

The answer to question one depends on how you interpret the fair use provisions in copyright law. Fair use allows you to use copyrighted material, without licensing it, in your documentaries and personal video biographies under certain conditions. Those conditions are outlined in a great guide, entitled "Documentary Filmmakers' Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use." A pdf download of the guide is available at the Web site of the
Center for Social Media. The link to the best practices guide is
on this page. I urge you to visit the site, download the guide and acquaint yourself with fair use.

According to the guide, there are two key questions courts consider in copyright cases:

1. Did the unlicensed use "transform" the material taken from the copyrighted work by using it for a different purpose than the original, or did it just repeat the work for the same intent and value as the original?

2. Was the amount and nature of material taken appropriate in light of the nature of the copyrighted work and of the use?

Judging by these two questions, I'd consider example A to be a blatant violation of copyright law. Importing a copyrighted piece of music into your video without licensing it and using it to underscore your video doesn't transform the music at all. You're simply just repeating it. Example B is probably another story. Here you're using a short excerpt of copyrighted music in an appropriate way - to illustrate a point. Much different.

So what do you do if you really want to use copyrighted music in your next legacy video? The answer: You need to license it. That means going to a music publisher or a rights agency, telling them how you want to use the music and finding out what it'll cost to get permission. Sounds simple, but it isn't. Most music publishers aren't interested in dealing with those of us creating videos for limited distribution. They don't see profit in it. And if they do respond to your inquiry, you can very likely expect the cost to bust your budget. By the way, the kind of license you'll need is a music synchronization license. Unlike the right to just listen to a song that you buy, a synchronization license gives you the right to synchronize that music with visuals in a film or video.

Other options? If you really, really want a specific piece of popular music, you might try a licensing service called ZOOM. It offers low-cost music synchronization licenses for wedding and event videos, photo presentations and other productions. I haven't used the service, so I can't vouch for it.

I can, however, vouch for stock music. There are lots of companies offering music specifically designed for use in film and video. Depending on the company you choose, you may pay an annual licensing fee or a per use fee. Or, if you choose to buy royalty-free music, you'll pay just once - to purchase the song - and then retain the rights to use it in any number of productions. The stock music library I license has a wide variety of music that gives me the creative options I need - and I never have to worry about rights, since the synchronization rights are included in the licensing agreement. Clean and neat - no muss and no fuss.

You may also choose to build your own music tracks by purchasing software that enables you to layer rhythm and melody samples. Or you might search craigslist (try "creative" under the "services" category) for a budding musician willing to let you use his/her tracks for free or low cost in return for acknowledgement in the video and perhaps a copy the musician can add to his/her portfolio.

So what do you risk when you use unlicensed music? The copyright holders can sue you, of course. But so far I haven't read about many lawsuits directed at folks creating video biographies or wedding and event videos, even though some of them make extensive use of popular music. That's not to say that someday publishers won't wake up and realize that all our small companies taken together represent a potentially tidy profit for them. If and when that day comes, I don't plan on being a test case in court.

Aside from protecting myself legally, the other reason I don't use unlicensed music falls under the ethical/moral category. Folks who create music deserve to profit from their creations. I feel it would be wrong for me to generate income from the use of their work without reimbursing them. And since the current system makes such reimbursement difficult and expensive, I take an alternative route: stock music.

The bottom line for me when it comes to music: Unless it qualifies as fair use, I never use a cut I haven't licensed or gotten permission to use. For me, doing otherwise would be illegal, unethical and unprofessional.

Video biography connections - a personal story.

Video biographies are all about making and reaffirming connections - between the past, present and future and with the family, friends and sometimes complete strangers who help us on our journeys through preproduction, production and post production. Here's a case in point.

Ever hear the story about the shoemaker's kids? Their dad was always so busy mending shoes for customers that he neglected his own children, who went around with ever-growing holes in the soles of their own shoes, and maybe even barefoot.

Now, my business is custom legacy videos, not footwear. But the old cobbler and I share a common dilemma: How to shoehorn family projects into a schedule dominated by "paying" work. Well, this year I went the shoemaker one better and finished a family project I started three years ago: my mom's video biography.

The three years since her November 2006 interview just flew by - and I resolved at the dawn of this year not to let a fourth slip past. So this summer I started devoting free hours to the project. My initial goal was to have the video finished in time for Christmas. Then Halina and I invited Mom to visit us for Thanksgiving, giving me an incentive to finish earlier so we could premiere the video during her stay.

Having that deadline did the trick. I felt a great sense of accomplishment (and relief!) as we screened the video in our Tucson living room, as well as the joy that came from sharing the video with family and friends as my Christmas gift this year.
So where do connections enter into the picture?

To start with, the video gave me an opportunity to reconnect with my mom's cousin, who lives in Guatemala. I haven't seen or spoken with her since I was a youngster, but since a portion of my mom's remembrances touched on her husband (my grandfather's brother) I thought she might enjoy a copy of the video. I asked Mom for her cousin's address, packed up the DVD and shipped it off to South America, all the while keeping fingers crossed that it reached the intended destination. What a surprise I had when, a few weeks later, I opened my inbox to find an e-mail with the subject heading, "Hello from Guatemala!" My mom's cousin was overjoyed by the video and had already shared it with many members of her family. She called the video "a travel through time" and invited me and Halina to visit when we could.

I made new connections and resurrected old ones throughout the process. From the antiques vendor who sent me photos of many of the makeup compacts and lipstick cases produced by a company my grandmother once worked for, to the friendly real estate agent in New Jersey who provided pictures of the retirement community where my mom's parents lived for a time, to an old friend of my mom's who e-mailed me some images from their days as Army wives in North Carolina - and to a former next-door neighbor I tracked down who fished out an old snapshot that showed what my boyhood home looked like just before my parents bought it in 1959.

In a larger sense, this personal project left me feeling more connected to my passion for video biography than ever before. It's a passion I know will continue to drive me to help others to preserve, share and celebrate their life stories on video.

A "Miracle on 34th Street" in Tucson

Last week I finally saw "Miracle on 34th Street" on the big screen. Not that weak color remake, mind you. I'm talking about the original, in glorious black and white. After all these years of watching the film on TV with "minimal commercial interruptions" I saw the film as it was enjoyed by audiences during its initial release in 1947.

Many thanks to the Fox Theatre, here in Tucson, Arizona, for including "Miracle on 34th Street" in its holiday film series. The Fox, by the way, is a classic Art Deco movie house, recently restored to its original glory; it's the perfect venue for classic films like "Miracle." If you're ever in Tucson, be sure to check out the Fox - it hosts live performances as well.

Learn "Video Biography Basics" in January 2010

Get ready to dust off your headsets and double check your Internet connection - Family Legacy Video's next Webinar series is on the calendar!

Family Legacy Video is proud to present "Video Biography Basics," a six-session Webinar series led by award-winning video biographer and Family Legacy Video president Steve Pender. If you've been wondering what it takes to create a legacy video, this series will answer your questions and give you practical and professional tips and techniques you can apply to your own do-it-yourself video biography project. The sessions are designed for beginners and advanced beginners.

Choose from morning or evening sessions. The dates: January 19, 26; February 2, 9, 16, 23. Individual sessions cost $40; sign up for the series and save 10%.

For more information and to register visit Family Legacy Video's Workshops & Webinars page.