We have an intro call with you to talk through the Zoom format, discuss ideas for the interview, and get you comfortable with being on camera. We schedule our Zoom recording date, ensure you have a good space to record from, and we're good to go!
We meet on Zoom and capture your stories. No need to be a seasoned actor with a perfect performance. We have relaxed conversations where you can start over if needed, and our highly-skilled video editor will make you look like a pro.
We edit the content and assemble the footage to get the most impact out of your stories. We'll show you the video before it is shared with family members and friends, so you can give feedback or even ask us to edit segments out, if you wish.
We send your edited video to you in a variety of formats, so your stories can easily be accessed, viewed, and saved forever. Then you decide how you want to share it with family members and friends, and we will gladly help you to do so.
Click on the questions and the answers will appear!
(Be sure to check out our FAQ section below this one too!)
Yes to all of the above! Recordings can consist of:
We'll ask about your childhood, parents, siblings, anything you know about your ancestry, education, military experience, dating/love/marriage, career, children, their spouses, grand/great grandchildren and all kinds of other things that are unique to you and to your life. Of course, not all of the above will apply to you, or there may be some topics you don't want to talk about. The content of our interview is entirely up to you.
Recording life stories has truly been such a joyful privilege for us. We have cried (like really cried) along with our clients during the difficult parts, almost fell off our chairs laughing with them during the humorous ones (we've got video proof!), and navigated our way together through everything in between. We've been amazed to witness how people, once they get into it, let their guards down (even in the virtual Zoom setting) and really talk. We definitely want to know if there's anything we can do to make the experience more comfortable for you, and we hope you'll let us know.
Some of our favorite parts of the life story interview recordings are the "Lightning Round" questions. They are such an amazingly fun way to capture things about yourself or your loved ones that others likely don't know, or that you or they have never taken the time to really think about. The questions often cover parts of your personality and life experiences that might not come up during a traditional telling of your story.
You'd be surprised how many people tell us they don't have enough stories to fill up an hour, and then ask to book additional time because they discover more they want to share once they start talking!
We like to think of the longer videos as a library of information about a person or couple. You can check out a story about them, listen to a "chapter" whenever you'd like, and the people recorded have the peace of mind knowing we've captured all they wanted to share.
Yes, absolutely! Our crew can travel to wherever you are. Please check out The Specifics above for some info about the interviews, and contact us to discuss everything in further detail from the shoot set-up to the interview format, from pricing to how we can make the experience as meaningful as possible for you and your family.
Yes, for sure! We can do a short session on a particular aspect of your life (how you met, anniversary celebration, etc.), family interviews (with each member, including young children), family reunions (we recently finished a 31-person gathering), conferences (interview participants on topics covered), weddings (thoughts from the guests on the couple and their memories with them), compilations for an upcoming celebration, work-life stories with colleagues (in offices, fire stations, restaurants, you name it), video "booths" at a celebration/event (we conduct super-short interviews on each person), life celebrations of those who have passed, and much more. Check out The Specifics above, and contact us to talk through ideas!
Yes! We'd love to help capture the story of a Family Office and how it all began. Sonderful can record different family members and/or office leaders sharing different aspects of the family's history and values as well as the family's present day role. We have a lot of ideas for this (and Donna has some experience with Family Offices from a prior career she loved)…so let's talk! Please visit our Contact page to set up a call.
We welcome all ages! While many of our clients are aged 60 and above, we have recorded people in their 30s, 40s and 50s, and even younger clients who have realized it's never too soon to start capturing their stories and their family histories. We've even been approached by families with very young kids who plan to record each family member with us every couple of years so they can document their lives along the way!
This is definitely a tougher topic for some folks to think about but yes, some of our clients reach out to us at a time they consider almost too late to capture their parents' stories. They are filled with regret at not recording when their parents were healthy or had their memories intact, but they still want to get something and just don't know what or how. We are always so glad when they get in touch.
In this type of situation, we touch on questions about the person's past as well as some of the "Lightning Round" questions mentioned in The Specifics section above, and take our cues from the interviewees on the types of questions that seem to make them feel the most at ease. We build on the conversation as they relax into it with us, and we often find that as we go along, some memories or much-loved aspects of their personalities begin to surface.
Yes, absolutely! If you have a desktop computer, laptop, or iPad (we've even recorded through iPhones when no other options were available), we will work with you during our Intro & Zoom Tech Test session (a different day than the actual recording day) to ensure you are ready to go! Recordings take place on Zoom, but you do not need to have a Zoom account to do a Sonderful recording.
For those who really don't feel comfortable arranging a Zoom session for themselves, we suggest scheduling a recording when family and friends are around to help (vacations, holidays, family gatherings, etc.) or having a neighbor stop by to assist with the set up. We will make it as quick and easy as possible!
Sure! Click here to hear one of our clients provide a testimonial along with her perspective on answers to the questions we get asked the most. Additional clips can be found on our Videos & Testimonials page.
Yes! Gift cards are available in both wrapped-and-ready-to-send formats, as well as electronic versions. Please send us a note through our Contact page for more info.
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