Life Story Recording

I help people tell their life stories and preserve them in book form for themselves, their families and future generations. In a typical project, the final result is a Memoir Book that is a lasting legacy of the narrator's life; preserving their history, memories and stories.

It is a collaborative process whereby I work with the narrator and assist in developing a narrative regarding their background, ancestors and events that have shaped their lives into a written memoir complete with photographs selected by the narrator. The final result is a beautiful and timeless book and a remarkable addition to any family history.

Storytelling is in our souls. Since the beginning of time, elders of a family or a tribe have used stories to teach us and preserve our history. Though the term personal history may be relatively new, it is really an extension of an ancient tradition of telling and listening to the story of our tribes. The most important story of all is our life, however, we rarely take time to record it properly. There is a growing interest in genealogy and ancestry, but as important as these are, they do not allow us to hear the experiences of the lives they outline. Recording our life stories, is an invaluable method of hearing the narrator, in their cadence and accent, outline their lives. 

Historically, recording one’s reminiscences was reserved for the elite, however, that has changed, with people realizing the importance of their own and their families’ history. Most people want to document their lives somehow but never get around to it, simply because it is so overwhelming. Life Story Recording provides people with the opportunity to save their stories whilst maintaining the principles of quality, integrity, ethics and tradition. 

Tell it, so they won’t forget it!  

The process begins with an introductory pre-interview with the narrator, either in person or by phone, to discuss the scope and definition of the project. It is preferable to conduct this in person in the place where the interviews will be conducted which is ordinarily the narrator’s home. As we can then choose the best place for the interview to be conducted. We can also choose the basic themes and format of the interview, gather family history and background information and determine the chronology of events to be covered. The pre-interview is also an opportunity to get to know one another, make sure everyone is at ease and explain the process. We will also set-up the timeline for the interview schedule 

The interviews can be conducted anywhere that is most comfortable for the narrator, which is ordinarily their own home. I will conduct background research to familiarize myself with the narrator’s experiences in advance and in preparation of the interview process. The interview process ordinarily takes place in two hour blocks. One question that is difficult to answer is how many interviews do you need? It depends on the scope of the project, however ordinarily the process usually takes around six recording sessions, however further sessions can obviously be added if required. 

After the six (or more) recording sessions, the writing of the memoir begins, this process takes three months from the final recording, in which the first draft of the memoir is written. The first draft is then presented to the narrator, who after reading it, makes editorial decisions if necessary - additions, alteration, deletions etc. After which, the final draft is written and the final form is presented to the narrator complete with whatever the narrator wants incorporated into the memoir - photographs, journals and letters, etc. 

russell@lifestoryrecording.com

Option 1

Audio

· Introductory Meeting

· Research

· Preparation for Interviews

· Conduct Audio Interviews 

· Editing Audio

· Presentation Box with USB copy of audio memoir recording

Option 2

Audio & Video

· Introductory Meeting

· Research

· Preparation for Interviews

· Conduct Audio & Video Interviews 

· Editing Audio & Video

· Presentation Box with USB of Audio & Video memoir recording

Premier Option 

Memoir Book

· Introductory Meeting

· Research

· Collation of photographs, archival material etc.

· Preparation for Interviews

· Conduct Interviews 

· Writing Book

· Editing Book

· Consultation with producers of book

· Presentation of Memoir Book