Dan Curtis ~ Professional Personal Historian

Entries tagged as ‘mistakes’

Ten Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using Your Camcorder.

June 4, 2009 · 2 Comments

camcorder mistakes

For those of you who are new to doing video interviews for a life story, here are some common mistakes to avoid.

  1. Failure to read the manual. First and foremost know how to use your camcorder.  Read the manual.  Practice, practice, practice.  And then practice some more!
  2. Failure to use the color balance. Don’t want blue or green looking skin?  Learn how to set the color balance, which will improve your picture color.
  3. Dead batteries. Make certain your batteries are fully charged and that you have an additional back-up battery.
  4. Failure to check electrical outlets for AC hum. If you’re using an electrical outlet to power your camcorder, check to make certain that you’re not getting an electric “hum” on your audio.
  5. Dirty lens. Nothing marres a picture more than a spot or smudge.  Always clean your camera lens with a lens cleaning solution and lens tissue.
  6. Out of focus. Check to make sure your subject is in focus. Use the manual rather than the auto focus.
  7. Incorrect exposure. Make certain to check your exposure so that your subject is neither over or under exposed.
  8. Incorrect Recording Mode. You can choose from SP (standard play) and LP (long play). Use SP mode. It allows for downloading to computer and provides a better picture.
  9. Failure to monitor audio quality. Use a good quality lavaliere microphone if your camcorder has an external mic terminal. If it doesn’t, then make sure that you place the camera no more than 4 feet from your subject. Also try to record in a room that is quiet, one with rugs, drapery and padded furniture.
  10. Leaving a cassette in the camcorder. Rewind your tape when you’re finished and remove it from the camcorder. Failure to do so can cause the tape to become slack or damaged.

In future posts I’ll be talking about proper composition and lighting for your interviews.

Photo by Aleksi Aaltonen

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Categories: How to · Life stories · Personal historian · Tips · Video recording · interviewing
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Do You Make These Interviewing Mistakes?

November 12, 2008 · Leave a Comment

mistake

In a previous post I wrote about the elements of a good interview. In this post I want to look at some common interviewing mistakes.

Interviewing a family member or a client for a personal history project involves more than just sitting down with a recorder and turning it on. Like anything done well, there is a real skill involved in drawing out the best stories. Here’s a list of mistakes that lead to a poor interview. And believe me, I know because over the years I’ve committed all of these at one time or another!

  • Not leaving room for silence. This is especially important if you’ve asked a reflective question. Leave space for your subject to think. Don’t leap in with another question right away.
  • Sitting too far away from your subject. You want a degree of intimacy. This won’t happen if you’re sitting across the room. Make certain you’re no more than five feet away from your subject.
  • Interrupting your subject. Interrupting might work if you’re a journalist trying to get at the heart of a hot story. But you’re not. You’re gathering a person’s reminiscences about their life. Be gentle.
  • Talking about yourself. The interview is not about you. Don’t start relating how aspects of your life are just like your subject’s.
  • Offering advice. While you might  be tempted to proffer some words of wisdom, don’t. Your role is to unlock your subject’s rich treasury of memories. You’re not there as a therapist or counselor.

That’s my list. Do you have any other mistakes to add? Send me your comments. Love to hear from you.

Photo by Victoria

Categories: Personal historian · Tips
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