INTERVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

     Congratulations! You are about to do something really good by being interviewed about your life. Understanding one another, what works and what doesn't work, how we have overcome challenges and made it through life . . . these are important topics central to our purpose, and they can be fun, too. Do not worry at all about this experience, and don't fear getting any answers wrong, for that is impossible. This is not more than an hour with you talking about your life, in terms which are meaningful to you. It's all about you and no one else. We will do our best to make it a good time for you. Again, congratulations!

CONTENT CONSIDERATIONS

     This video interview is intended to be an unscripted visit with you for not more than one hour. There will be only you and the interviewer in the room. Your interview is not intended to be a Hollywood production, it is not intended to be edited, and it is not intended to be perfect. We will turn the machines on, record some time with you, then turn the machines off. It is just a visit with you about your life. One way to think about what we are going to do is to imagine receiving a video interview of a relative you never had the opportunity to know. You would treasure the interview for what it is, an opportunity to experience time with someone helping you understand his or her life, the good and the not-so-good, and what he or she believed about life. What a treasure that would be, and the more real the interview is, the more you would treasure it. So, just be yourself and feel good that you are sharing the important parts of you life with people who care and who are authentically interested in what you have to say.

     There are only two questions you are certain to be asked. One is at the very beginning of the interview, when the interviewer will begin by saying something like this: "Today is Monday, March 6, 2018, and we are here in Eugene, Oregon, visiting with YOUR NAME. Good morning/afternoon. Let's start by asking about your family and where your family is from."  The only other question we are certain to ask you comes when we are within a few minutes of the end of the interview. The interviewer will ask you something like this: "Today we are making a record which will last for a long time. Many years from now and to someone who could not possibly have had the opportunity to know you, what with certainty would you want that person to know about you and your life?" Then, after your final answer, the interviewer will thank you for your time and will end the interview.

     We will loosely track the chronology of your life, in sequence from your childhood through to the present. We will take sidetracks and spend more time in some periods than in others, depending on the flow of the interview. Please be sure to share information which helps those viewing your interveiw understand the experiences which helped shape the person you are. We recognize that you are likely doing this interview for the benefit of others, and we want to help you make the experience informative, fun and meaningful both for you and your loved ones.

     In answering questions, try to keep in mind that those listening to your answers may not know the background behind your answers. So, consider answering the questions in ways that allow unfamiliar listeners to understand the situations.

     Take your time to think a bit before feeling you must start with your answers. There is plenty of time.

     In advance of the intervew and to help the interviewer do a good job, please provide us with the following information:

          Complete list of names likely to come up in your interview (help us with any unusual pronounciations or foreign names) and their relationships to you (e.g., granddaughter Sally, boss Andrew, wife Jean); we will use this list to help you if you find yourself being forgetful in answering questions touching on those on the list;

          Major places you have lived; help us with any unusual pronounciations or foreign names;

          Major jobs you have had;

          Any questions you definitely DO want us to ask you;

          Any questions you definitely do NOT want us to ask you.

VIDEO ENVIRONMENT/ROOM CONSIDERATIONS

     Wear solid, rich colors, rather than material which has stripes, dots or heavy texture. The reason for this is that there is visual distraction in the finished video as it tends to flicker as it oscillates between the stripes/dots/heavy textures. Using solid colors solves this, and darker and richer colors do best in this format.

     Unless you absolutely need them, consider not wearing glasses, which can reflect the camera lights and distract from the interview.

     Wear a top which buttons up or otherwise helps us disguise the lavalier (clip-on style) microphone. T-shirts and sweaters (turtlenecks particularly) make it difficult to hide the microphone and cable.

     Try your best to sit in a single position in the interview chair. Moving, rocking or other motion of your upper torso and head complicate keeping you in focus and properly framed.

     Do not touch the microphone or its cable, for doing so transmits an ugly, grating sound to the finished video.

     Please have pets be in another room, so as to avoid distraction.

     Please turn off fans, heaters, air conditioners and other sources of noise during the interview.

     Please turn off your cell phone and your land-line telephone during the interview.

     Place a note on your front door/doorbell letting anyone arriving during your interview know to come back in an hour.

     It is likely the interviewer will want to close the drapes/window shades in order to control light in the interview room and to minimize visual distractions.

     Coughing is not our friend, for it overloads the microphone and distracts from your interview. If you have a cough, please reschedule your interview.

     There should be no clocks visible in the interview room, and if you wear a watch, please do not check to see the time. You should do your best to ignore time during your interview.

     Be SURE to go to the restroom just before the interview begins. There are to be no poddy breaks once we start the interview.

PRIVACY

     A word about privacy is in order. The information you share in your interview is private between you and us. This is YOUR interview and about YOUR life. We are here only to serve you and your loved ones. Your video interview will be recorded. You will receive a physical electronic copy of your interview on a thumb drive. With your permission, your video may be held in a secure internet location, available for viewing only by using a passcode you are given. We will not distribute your interview to anyone not having your passcode, and physical electronic copies of your interview will only be given to those you give specific permission to receive them.