Video biography is a new and unique development in the $5 billion family history industry. It’s a long-form, highly-curated, strictly professional medium that transcends the wedding or memorial service slideshow to more ambitiously explore, preserve, and celebrate your life, or the life of a loved one. And while the technology is readily available, few families have the time or professional experience to really do justice to either the format or the subject. All of this can make a video biography project seem daunting.

But wait!

There are two things you need to think about before you get daunted. First, the video biography is increasingly vital in today’s world. With mounting barriers such as geographic distance, economic uncertainty, and the increase in technology in our daily lives, families need new methods to keep relationships intact and meaningful, and also to preserve a legacy into the future. Time invested in these methods will not be wasted.

Embarking on a video biography project is also exciting and enjoyable. It’s a rare and welcome opportunity these days to celebrate and invest in our most fundamental institution: the family.

While wedding and memorial service slideshows are useful in marking a milestone, they don’t usually require the skills needed for a long-form project. But when a family chooses to try something new, something innovative and more long-lasting, that’s when my phone rings.

The video biography plays a new and exciting role in family history work. In this biographer the family finds a seasoned professional, a compassionate listener, a trusted confidant, a captive audience, a navigator of delicate subjects, and, of course, a devoted champion of the subject and their many relatives, friends, and future generations. With this skill set, a video biographer gets to the center of a person’s life and family, and contributes something that will last. For an elaboration on the role of video biography in the family and the community, see [link to article]

Second, the video biography is ultimately a practical undertaking. Our older citizens today face unprecedented challenges: isolation, decreasing contact with family, an epidemic of loneliness, economic uncertainty, chronic health conditions, a frustrating healthcare system, and both the

fear and reality of dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and more. Many of these are mitigated or even reversed by the very elements that make up the video biography: social engagement, mental stimulation, a renewed sense of purpose, increased self-esteem, and the opportunity to share joy with others. There is simply too much at stake to pass up opportunities for improvement when they become available.

The best video biography takes into account multiple perspectives. The finished product must be consistent with the subject’s values, efficient in the interview and filmmaking involved, sensitive to broader needs of the family, and ultimately enjoyable to viewers of all generations. Each of these elements has different needs, and crafting a finished product that works tolerably well for most of them – on time and within budget – is one of the real challenges in this work. It is a challenge worthy of the best minds, and your legacy deserves nothing less.

So welcome to the exciting world of video biography. It is sometimes daunting but always rewarding. It will, without doubt, be a growth experience for you and your family.