Happy Customer Testimonial

    Raphael, thank you, thank you for the great job that you did on Joe & Majella's videos.  The quality and sound was wonderful and the family loved it!!  This is a gift that all of us will cherish forever and we thank you so much.  Hopefully all is well with you and your family and may 2012 be a good year for you and your business.   Thanks again and come see us if you are ever out in the Wyoming area.

Take care,
Patty

Example of a Life Story video

I am very excited to show you an example of what I do.



I create Life Story videos. They are also called "Legacy videos". I love recording memories and allow families to remember precious stories. It's like the past is being brought back to life. What an enjoyable story telling time! You can read below the Ceal Maroon post that I created earlier this year: in it I described how the entire family gathered around Ceal Maroon and enjoyed the stories she was telling. I was so glad I was there to record them.

In the video: go to the 45th second: you will have a good example of how the interview is recorded.
I have to say that the intro and outro of the video were a special request. Usually my videos go directly to the interview. If you are interested in such an intro and outro, please let me know.

I encourage everyone to ask me to record their family stories. It is really easy to do: just sit down and ask questions. I take care of the rest (recording, lighting, sound).
As a final product, you will have a DVD that you will be proud of. A time capsule, that contains the sights and sounds of a loved one telling stories that matter to you and your family.

If you are interested, and for any price inquiries, please call me at 309.363.5368
or email raphaelATvideogeniqueDOTcom

PS: Thank you Linda Couri for allowing me to use footage of the DVD that I created for her.
Thank you Linda, your mom is such a sweet person. I was a true pleasure to record her memories.

Promoting my business and running an ad!

Hello everyone,
I am thinking of running an ad. Not on TV (too expensive) but on Facebook!
So if you like what I do and would like to help, here is what you can do: forward this video to everyone you know. Spread the word :-) I hope this works :-) Thank you!

Joe Tony Memories

Just finished wrapping up Joe Tony's trilogy of memories: 3 DVDs full of anecdotes and stories!
DVD1:  Childhood (duration: 1hour)
DVD2: World War II (3 hours)
DVD 3: Married life (3 hours)

Click on the discs below to see more details.

For each session, John Tony, his son, prepared a list of questions and interviewed his dad at the Itoo Hall in Peoria, IL. 3 separate recording sessions that would focus on a specific chapter of his dad's life.

While stories were being told and anecdotes remembered, I took care of all the technical side of the interview:
- 3 cameras (1aimed at John, 1 at dad and 1 aimed at the pictures displayed)
- 3 point lighting (making sure everyone was nicely lit),
- wireless lavalier mics (avoiding static noise, etc),
- recording (tape, focus, zoom,  etc),

It was great to see father and son have such a good time together. The recording was very casual and everyone felt comfortable even with all the equipment in the room!

I brought my laptop and scanner to scan documents and pictures that I would later use in the editing. 

All the pictures did not end up in the video. But I provided John with a CD containing all the scanned documents and pictures. 

John prepared a list of questions prior to each sessions. But the session evolved in such a way that the discussion branched off to new topics, raising new questions and making the recording that much more interesting and personal. 

Ceal Marron Memories

This project was a first for me! Never have I record an entire family interview! On Sunday, December 18 2010, the family of Ceal Maroon gathered for a family dinner. The interview was lead by Ceal's daughters and it was great to see the excitement and curiosity behind each and every questions.

Also everyone slowly and gradually gathered around the family room to listen to the stories.

Questions lead to answers that triggered more questions. Poor Ceal, she was submerged with requests to tell more and more stories, and after an hour, we all called it a day and the entire family enjoyed a delicious meal.
What a great day! I was so happy to be able to record Ceal Maroon's treasures of the past. Now they are alive, forever on DVD!

Update: Here is a testimonial of Maureen Maroon-Nelson, one of Ceal Maroons daughter's:
" The video turned out great! I couldn't stop watching it. You did a wonderful job as usual. I will let you know how many DVD's we will need. So far I will need 7 copies. I am waiting to hear from the rest of my family. I sent my family a message telling them that the video turned out beautiful and they could call either you or me if they wanted a copy. I will be in touch but for sure I will need 7 copies so far. I am going to be in Peoria on March 5th for the annual Down's Syndrome spaghetti dinner at the Itoo club on March 6th. So I will get ahold of you during that time to get the DVD's. Thanks so much for doing such a wonderful video of Mom. She looked so comfortable and relaxed for the majority of the time. You did so good...especially with my mom who does not like her picture taken at all !! "

" A great Experience"

After recording their memories, I like to ask my clients what they thought of the session. In this video, Jim and Liz explain why everyone should record their memories and how much fun it was.

How I can help preserve your memories

Voila! This is my card that I very proudly give friends, family and interested parties. Very proud because the picture features my grandpa and I. What a great picture. Of course, I don't remember what my grandpa was saying at that particular moment, but I just love the look, the intensity and the bond that is here portrayed. I love my grandpa. Unfortunately I have not recorded his memories on video. I wish I had discovered my passion for video earlier on. It would have been so great to have the sights and sounds of him recorded. So when I miss him, I could watch him again on video and hear his voice.
That is why I encourage everyone who love his/her family to record their loved ones on video. Today or tomorrow! Not next year. The present is a gift.
Many times I hear people telling me :"Oh, I wish I would have met you, 5 years ago! My dad had so many great stories. It would have been so great to have him tell them on DVD!"
If you care about your family legacy, if you care about family stories, if you want to remember your loved ones forever, give me a call 309.363.5368 or contact me via a comment to this blog.

Thank you,
Raphael