subject: Family Tree Digital Video: Ideas for a Family Tree Project [print this page] Family Tree Digital Video: Ideas for a Family Tree Project
A family tree digital video can be great fun when you are creating your family tree. And the best part is that it's really easy to make; just the same way that you would make any other kind of family video, you would do the same to get this one done.
What do you need? Not much, fortunately. All you need are some details of your family history or some genealogy, your video camera and a voice recorder.
You'll start by making an outline of what you want your video to tell. Maybe you want it to tell the story of a particular person in your family. You will gather all the information about that person, the people who were close to him and learn all the events that shaped his life that made him or her so compelling.
After that, you are ready to start filming, but before you do, you need to get organized so that at the end, everything is in chronological order. Maybe you will want to use different folders for the different kinds of information that you will need as you film. You will be using your video camera while talking to all the people who will make your story come together. It helps to let them know in advance that you will be filming them so that they can be ready. As you film, make sure that you capture your voice very clearly as that's where your narrative is coming from.
You may get to the point where you want to film places and things that were associated with a particular person. You can give the narrative yourself on your voice recorder. Filming places can be a little tricky because it may require that you travel to the place where this person lived. This of course is an excellent idea because you get the feel of their life better and you can also talk to the people who knew him or her. If you can't really travel, you can use Google Maps accompanied by voice narrative.
It's likely that there are older people in your circle of family friends who have some early memories of your great grandparents and other members of your family. Maybe they remember the town as it was in the 1930's or what impact one of the wars had on the family. Maybe they went to school with the uncle who never returned from the war. You won't know until you start investigating!
These people are invaluable sources of information that can describe people and events on camera. Be aware that you can have someone else record or interview for you if an elderly person would be more comfortable. If there's someone they are particularly used to spending time with and with whom they feel a bit freer, let them do the interviewing for you as you film.
Don't forget that you can lay out photographs, school reports, awards and certificates and video those. Record yourself describing them. If the person who owns the photos and awards is alive and able to assist you, ask them to do the narrative description as you do the filming!
Your family tree video can also include family mementos and pieces of furniture, old houses, buildings and schools. Include everything that you can think of that has been associated with the family for years.
Once you have planned what you want to record you are now ready to put your film together. Edit it as well as you know how, add music and any other features that will make it seem more real. Because you have organized your material in advance, this should be easy to accomplish.
Get as creative as you want when thinking up family tree ideas! By planning your project ahead of time you should come up with a compelling family tree digital video that the rest of your family will treasure and enjoy.
Margaret Ravenscroft has been a genealogist for over 20 years and has traced her family back to medieval times. If you have found this article helpful, visit Family Tree Digital Video to discover more. Click Here for your FREE Minicourse http://www.genealogyandfamilytrees.com
