Video Biographies. Why Hire a Professional?

There are tons of reasons to create a video biography. Some people have a desire to share and pass down stories from one generation to another while others would like to leave behind a family or personal legacy. Whatever your reason is, while creating a video biography can an incredibly enriching and rewarding experience, it may also be a very daunting task.

There are many points to consider before you begin your project. Here are just a few:

The Story

It's my view that if your stories demand a good deal of details like date, time, place, clothes worn, and other historically factual information, then just pick a couple of stories to tell. Lots of individuals bite off more than they could chew and get frustrated when they begin to comprehend the effort actually involved in only putting together their narrative. If you want to tell several stories which tell of someone's personality or lessons learned than it's most likely not necessary to go to a substantial quantity of detail.

Who'll be Involved?

Are you working alone with this project or with a group of individuals such as other family members or friends? The more input you get from other people the longer time it can take to put together your content and story. This isn't a bad thing, just something to be conscious of.

Content

What types of content do you need to integrate into your production? Pictures, slides, video from other sources like VHS tape, 8 or 16mm home movies, documents, quotes, personal interviews, narration? The list continues on and on.

You're Audience

Who's the desired audience for your project? Is it close relatives or friends, will your Piece de Résistance be passed down to future generations for their viewing pleasure? Occasionally these questions should be answered before any other considerations as they may determine what sorts of tales and how much detail you may add.

The Delivery Method

For many years VHS cassette was the norm for viewing video in the home. However DVD has become the medium of choice for a number of reasons. On screen menus and chapters that allow for much easier navigation, superior audio and video quality, and endurance are simply a couple of reasons DVD has become so extremely popular. However the web has also become a viable way of delivering video. In case you've got a personal website then family and friends around the world can get your movie as soon as it's posted.

All the points above need serious consideration and experience. A professional video biographer can help you answer these questions and much more. They may keep you on task; help you keep focused, craft your job into a purposeful video biography that will be cherished by family and friends today in addition to future generations to come.