This is a quick 10 minute lesson in how to make a good interview . Do it cheap but good. Using a low cost video camera and a good light plus an external mic makes all the difference. Extra notations are included in as text overlays. Yes - of course you can spend a lot more money and have a lot better equipment - but a person using the tips in this video will outshoot any uninitiated amateur on better equipment. This is a very basic approach and will get you going. You can learn more about making videos at the VIDEOMAKER website. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS FORMS AND "HOW" TO NOTES

VOLUNTEER - FREE - interviews are scheduled Periodically. All Seniors are considered for Interviews including NON-veterans with stories to tell about earlier times). NOTE: The "guidelines" here, are not cast in stone. The response has been OVERWHELMING. Volunteers are encouraged. PLEASE check ME3TV office. ME3TV.org is designed as a non-profit organization serving the community. In NW NJ, we have no public access TV and even if we did, projects such a video interviews with historians or with veterans - would be lost to the public once they aired on cable. If we had public access it would be nice, but another issue about cable-tv is only about 20% of the public in this county subscribe to it - so overall the exposure is low and only for a short viewing period. Presenting features on the web extends the life and usefulness of educational topics.

Interviews with veterans is one of those unique educational projects that can return community value in education over a very extended time period. As a goal, ME3TV plans to donate one day per QUARTER to videotaping veterans (or other senior's) stories. It will help if the veteran is escorted and supported by students or other younger people who want to help their story to be told. Volunteers are also encouraged to join in the effort and - learn interviewing and taping skills and how to use tools like "youtube"- to submit their own veteran features ... or just help with tapings at other locations in the area.

Here are some general guidelines:

Email vic@buzzcreek.com with the information on the veteran you want to have interviewed (or your own information if you are a volunteer - name - location - phone - email - skill?) You can also open a dialogue for planning an interview on this site (see "threads" below). Post a message to begin planning.

• Contacting and arranging the interview is the task of the veteran and/or supporters. There is a fee of $500 for sessions that are outside of the once quarterly donation from Buzz Creek.
• For reasons of time and distance - local veterans to NW NJ are our FIRST focus for donated sessions.
• ME3TV will work with supporters and the veteran to lock in a time.
• Ideally several interviews are done at single convenint locations - VFW - American Legion Halls, Schools, Churches, Fire Houses, Nursing Homes, and other public facilities can be arranged. The supporters or the veteran may need to arrange any taping location other than places arranged for "a day of interviews". Some volunteers are workng to set up locations all over the state. When we have dates and places we will contact vets in the area who are in our list of contacts. (This only applies to the quarterly donated sessions).
• The veteran will hopefully come with a collections of photos and memorabilia that support their story. See an example of an interview using photos at ME3TV "USS Franklin".
• Sample questions and some preparatory work - practicing for an interview is encouraged.
• Ideally the veteran will need to focus on a single event or period in their service to permit the best editing results for broadcast. Long stories and entire careers cannot be effectively presented in a short video - Typically one hour is allotted per interview and filling that time is OK. For paid sessions - the time is billed at $500 minimum. per half day. Several veterans can fill that time.
• Plan to focus on about a 5 minute "story" for best impact. Ten minutes is the long side of an effective video interview - or story. Longer interviews are FINE and can be helpful to record, but expect "archive to DVD" longer interviews. The shorter parts may be broadast on the web and (with permission only) offered as DVD format to Community Access TV Stations or ETV stations. A DVD of the whole interview will be sent to the Vet and to The Library of Congress. (Paid interviews receive 25 DVD copies with the half day package).
• Bring friends to the interview - they will help put the veteran at ease (in most cases) and the story can be told more naturally as opposed to a "detailed account". However, veterans are individuals too and some may wish for a more private taping experience.
• Additional information and planning can be accomplished by email.
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Vic Campbell volunteers his time to do this for ME3TV and the public, once each QUARTER. Campbell is a veteran of Vietnam, having served in the Navy. His ship is noted at www.ussocallahan.org. In his Buzz Creek media business, he has produced several veteran documentaries including Veterans of The Battle of The Bulge "Memories of Christmas - 1944" .. and "The Last Stand of the USS Houston".

These can be found at the Buzz Creek Website. . These videos can also be purchased wholesale for fund raisers.

ME3Tv has aligned itself with the national effort to record veteran's memories. THE VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT is sponsored by the Library of Congress. ME3TV will provide forms for groups that wish to participate and will provide training for interviewers. Forms and materials from the History Project are located HERE.

Me3Tv is not yet an official Non-Profit. We will work with other non-profits in our quarterly donated sessions if the non-profit wishes to use the session for a fund-raiser.

Some veterans want to contribute printed material. I like that idea but I need to work out logistics. My thought is to scan it and make it available on the web and send the hard copies to the Library of Congress. But this may require some extra paperwork to clarify copyright ownership and freedom to re-pubish in print or on the web.


Return to ME3TV.org
Links www.ussocallahan.org www.usshouston.org www.buzzcreek.com www.nousnyc.org Vic Campbell - Sparta, NJ vic@buzzcreek.com

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