FAQs

What stops me making my own interview with a camera or a cheap microphone? With Life Story Recordings it’s not only the ability to record an interview, but it also provides a professional interviewer who knows the right questions to ask and when to ask them. Access to studio quality equipment offers the great sound which all digital cameras and computers lack. When listening to someone’s voice, it is the timbre, warmth and sense of identity and expression, not just the words they speak, which make a great vocal recording. When you combine a skill in using professional equipment, great interviewing techniques, a fantastic end product and the package to have it all in one, that’s what Life Stories is here for.

Why do you use audio instead of videos? When most people have a camera pointed at them, they seem to feel overly conscious of the way they look, speak and feel, and the conversation becomes a lot more formal and forced. When a microphone is presented, it allows people to become relaxed and calm. People see it as having a chat rather than a scripted film, making it easier for conversation to flow and deeper memories to unfold. The way people speak tends to be similar throughout their life whilst a person’s looks can change dramatically over the years. Someone’s voice and mannerisms can often be the most memorable aspect of them; when listening to a voice it conjures your own memories of the way a person looks, and this is what sets audio above video.

What memories should I record? It is entirely up to you what to record, and you can spend an hour and a half on one subject, on two or on as many as you can fit in. We can, however, offer sheets to provide a structure and help you remember things that you may want to mention and forget. We can send this to you prior to the recording day or we can bring it along and spend a couple of minutes at the begining of the session going through the questions and detailing questions that may or may not be appropriate.

Who owns the rights to the recording? There is a vast amount of information available about copyright and ownership, but there are two parts to an audio recording, 1. The recording, and 2. The spoken words. The short answer is that Life Story Recordings owns the recording and the ownership of the spoken words remains yours – the interviewee.

Where will recording take place? The recording will take place where you live, or perhaps the home of a relative. It will need to be somewhere very quiet, away from traffic and other distracting noises so they will not be picked up by the microphones.

How do I book a session? There are a number of ways you can book with Life Story Recordings, one is to go to the contact page and fill out the form including the date you would like to book on as well as your phone number and a suitable time to contact you.

Can I cancel my session? Sessions cancelled within 24 hours before the session or without notice will be charged in full.

How long will the session take? Sessions can take between 1-3 hours typically depending on what kind of recording you would like to do but the actual recording will take  roughly an hour and a half to complete.

Should I bring or prepare anything? It is always wise to prepare a small script of what you are going to say. Just jot down some ideas of things you would like to speak about to help you remember. We do, however, bring along a large list of questions that we can go through beforehand and determine what you would like to speak about.

Can I read poems, a bible passage or sing a song during my recording? Yes! This recording is for you and if you would like to include you singing or reading something then you are more than welcome but these recordings are more based around conversation and telling your own stories so the real emphasis is on that.

Can I order extra CDs after we have recorded? We prefer if you choose what format you would like your recordings on on the day of recording as this saves hassle afterwards. If you do, however, want to order some CDs or MP3s after the original recordings have been presented to you we can make more but charges will apply.

Comments are closed.