Recording your family story can feel daunting. Which stories do you tell? How do you get your family involved? What is the best method for storing these memories? Do you invest in a historian, build an extensive family tree, or preserve your heirlooms? At Legacy Lock, we are here to help you record your family story right from your pocket and store it one place that all of your family can access in real time. Here's how to do that like a pro.
It would be a shame to go through the work of recording your family stories only for them to be blurry and too hard to hear for your family to enjoy them. Fortunately, these are mishaps that can be avoided by employing a few simple quality control steps first. Phones are so high quality today that these few simple tips can help you record high quality family videos without needing to hire a professional.
Cameras tend to make interiors look yellow and dark. To avoid this, choose to record in front of window with lots of natural light. This can be either sitting in a chair next to the window, or setting the phone between you and the window, phone facing you. Either way, your goal is to have the light of the window shining on you. Alternatively, if you choose to record outside, pick a cloudy day, or sit in the shade. This is because harsh sunlight can wash out your features on camera, but shade will make you shine bright and beautiful.
We touch our phones an estimated 2,000 - 5,000 times a day (eek!). This means our camera lens, front and back, are often smudged with fingerprints. By simply taking a second to wipe off the camera lens you are using, you will avoid a blurry, foggy looking videos that you can never edit away.
We naturally shake and move a lot, and if you talk with your hands even more so. By propping your camera on a still, sturdy surface you are free to focus on your story and gesticulate to your heart's content. The reason it is helpful to have it propped just above eye level is this is simply a more flattering angle. Shooting from below will make you appear larger, and too high will feel unnatural. Eye level, or just above, will capture you most accurately.
An easy and affordable tool for recording high quality family videos yourself is buying a phone tripod. There are many options on Amazon to choose from, here are a few we recommend. Traditional phone tripods like this will allow you to set up on a surface and adjust the height to where you need. If you plan to shoot on different types of surfaces, then a flexible tripod like this may be a good option. You can bend the legs to get the right angle and even wrap the legs around poles as you film on the go. Don't have a great window with natural light? No problem! A phone tripod with a ring light like this is an excellent way to have great studio lighting for your videos no matter where you are.
When recording your family videos you want to make sure the camera can hear you and that you are comfortable. So pick a place where it's quiet and if you are camera shy, consider sitting in one of your favorite places so you can be as comfortable as possible.
Again, the camera needs to hear you! We don't realize how quickly we talk nor how often we mumble, so recording ourselves can reveal how hard we are to hear or understand. If you are naturally quiet, or tend to mumble make a conscious effort to speak up and be clear as you can while telling your story.
The best part about hearing our family's stories is all the personality that comes through from that person we love. You included! So when you tell the story allow yourself to be present and feel any emotion that comes up. You may laugh, or shed a tear, you may backtrack when you forget parts of the story but all those quirks are what makes our family love us so much. Be brave and allow yourself to be fully you when you are recording.
There's no rule that says you have to watch yourself talk while you record. If this is distracting you, flip the camera around to the front facing camera. NOTE: You can do this by clicking the circular arrows on the recording screen of your app. If you are recording alone, you will need to reset your phone because you won't be able to see yourself sitting down to know what you look like. When you set up your phone (this is where a tripod helps) make sure it captures the full seat where you will be sitting and don't forget to leave room for your head! If you aren't sure then take a practice short video and go back and watch it to see what you look like. Repeat this until you like how the camera is set for you to record.
If sitting alone talking to your phone is just not something you can do, ask a friend or family member to record you instead. Talk to them as you share the stories, let them even ask more questions if you want. This is often the easiest way to be natural when recording your family story.
You don't have to be a one hit wonder. If you pause for super long because you can't remember part of the story or you got it totally wrong, it is ok to delete and record it again. In fact, often times, a test recording to get the story out will help you remember how you'd like to tell it, so the second take will be exactly what you would like to save.
Finally, let yourself be natural. Your video likely won't be completely perfect but that is life. It is more important that you capture the story and pass it onto your family than recording an Oscar worthy production. Your family loves YOU and will enjoy being able to see you just as they remember you for years to come.
Hopefully these simple tips give you the confidence to capture your story today and begin sharing it with family. If you haven't recorded a video yet, open Legacy Lock and pick the simplest prompt to record a short 30 second story and push submit so you can experience just how easy it is to capture your memories. Share this with a family member and ask them to send you a story. By starting small, you can begin to build the legacy you wish to preserve one story at a time.
