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We’ve all heard them, those wonderful tales our relatives love to tell at family gatherings. Sure, sometimes we even hear them more often than we’d like. But when you stop to think about it, at some point those stories will eventually be lost forever. Although we can try to repeat that information in order to preserve the memory, it’s always more meaningful and accurate coming from those who have lived the experience. So, if you agree your family history is worth holding on to, it’s time to take action.

There are companies, like this one, that will perform these services professionally for you. Sometimes that’s not feasible and you have to take matters into your own hands. But before you run off and point the family camcorder at Grandma, here are some tips to help you be successful capturing your family history on video.

Do It Sooner, Not Later
People get older, memories fade or worse, so the first tip is do this ASAP. There should be a family gathering of some sort in the near future so take that opportunity to set aside some time to do an interview.

Choose the Participants
Many times, it’s ideal to include two or more people together to obtain the most amount of information. Getting siblings or couples to tell a story together is usually a good way to keep the conversation going and is more comfortable for the participants. It also can give the viewer a feel for what their relationships are like by watching them interact.

Find a Good Place
Choose a quiet spot where everyone can focus without distractions or interruptions. Usually this requires a place indoors where you have more control over the surroundings. You don’t want any onlookers standing about and consider what’s in the background of the shot as well. Make sure it is fairly neutral. One good approach is to move the subject’s chairs away from the walls to the middle of a room so the background isn’t competing visually with the subject. Always use a tripod, the interview will never work holding the camera in front of your face.

It’s All About the Audio
Too many times our focus is on the visual composition of the shot when in reality, it’s what’s being said that is most important thing to capture. Ideally, an external microphone, such as a lapel mic near the subject’s mouth, should be used. If that’s not available, make sure your camera’s microphone is close enough to the speaker. A sound check prior to the interview is recommended here along with headphones to monitor the sound while shooting. If possible, have a second person man the camera so you can focus on the conversation.

More Conversation, Less Q & A
The interview should take on more of a conversational style rather than just answering questions. After you set-up your camera, step to the side of it and conduct your interview from there. This will make the interaction feel more personal because your subject will be talking to you, not the camera.

Ask questions beginning with who, what, where, when, why and how. Avoid questions that can be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If you’re having trouble thinking of good questions, specific interview questions can be found online. General categories of questions that work well are childhood memories, education, career, hobbies/Interests, marriage & children, faith, life lessons and perhaps some wisdom to share.

Sometimes, interviews can last much longer than anticipated. Take breaks as needed so that your subject is always fresh and alert on camera.

Plan Ahead
Prepare for the interview ahead of time. Have all the questions you want to ask written in advance. Conversations may flow differently than planned, which is fine, but you want to make sure you get your key topics covered and the written list will help you stay on track.

Bring photo albums to the interview to help spark memories. These can also be good topic starters as it’s easy to describe a photograph you’re viewing.

Also, it may be a good idea t advise your participants on what types of subjects you will be talking about a couple days in advance so they can be gathering and organizing their thoughts.

Share Your Video
Now that you have your interview “in the can” it’s time to share it with everyone. Not only will everyone love watching the video, but this also serves as back-up copies stored in different locations giving your video the best chance to be seen by future generations. You may only get one chance to document these precious memories, so the more back-up copies, the better.