Personal Biographies

Personal and Family Videos; Interviews as part of family documents

Johannsen Video Production has taped and edited family documents of every kind - weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, demo tapes of high school athletes seeking scholarships, even bodas y quinceañeras en español.

Because we are coming from a background in documentaries, practically every family document contains interviews or personal statements.

Personal Biographies; Video memoirs of an elderly family member

Typically, a 40 or 50-year old client hires Charles Johannsen to tape a video interview of parents who're in their 80s or 90s.

We ask them about childhood, their parents and siblings, whether they knew their grandparents, and ask for stories about great-grandparents. Sometimes, fragments of family stories surface from four or five generations back.

The interview covers the subjects' lives until the point where their kids are starting to grow up.

We accomplish this interview in two sessions. The first is primarily for storytelling. The second includes stacks of old photos and memorabilia used to prompt additional stories and memories.

A simple edit cuts out pauses and mistakes
("Here's a picture of my mother and her uncle in 1916. Wait, I don't know who that is."). We cut in close ups of the photos and newspaper articles.

Sometimes we add maps, pictures of former residences, even old city landmarks that are mentioned. One family included old 8mm home movies, narrated by Mom.

Cost is approximately $1000, depending upon travel expenses and additional production costs, such as transfer of old film and video.

Each project is different. Contact us about the particulars of your situation.

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