Click on the questions below and use the back button on your browser to return here
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| Q. What services do you offer? |
| Q. How do I know you will do a good job? |
| Q. Do you use good quality materials for archiving? |
| Q. I would like to buy one of your services. What do I do next? |
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| Q. What services do you offer? | Please click here to visit our services page |
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Q. How do I know you will do a good job? |
A: Our motto is that if a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well. Unlike some other businesses offering similar services, we will not take on more work than we can handle or otherwise compromise on quality. We will not overcharge and all charges will be made transparently and with the prior agreement of the client. After speaking to you in person, we prefer to confirm your instructions by email or letter so that everything agreed is clear and in writing. |
| Q. Do you use good quality materials for archiving? |
A: Absolutely. We use only high quality, branded CD-Rs, scratch-resistant DVD-Rs
(that is, recordable DVDs),
or professional standard VHS tapes for storing video or other data. This costs a little more than the
cheaper generic media, but you will have peace of mind that your data is
preserved on the best storage media currently available. With careful
handling, CD-R or DVD-R disks should last anything from 30 to 100 years. Please note: There are compatibility issues when playing DVD-R disks on some older home DVD players. Almost all newer DVD players are designed to play DVD-R disks without problems but we cannot guarantee your player will be compatible. For guaranteed compatibility with all DVD players we can arrange for your video to be replicated on pressed disks. However, this can only be done for a minimum of 500 disks and costs around £2 per disk. |
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Q. I would like to buy one of your services. What do I do next? |
A: Click here to go to our contact page. Please email us with details of the services which interest you and include your contact information. All information is treated as strictly confidential. We will be in touch with you as soon as possible — usually within a day or two and certainly within ten days. |
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Q. What special qualifications does your video interviewer have? |
A: Our interviewer is a fully qualified former journalist with a masters degree in journalism and many years of experience in interviewing. People he has interviewed in the course of his work on local and national publications range from Big Issue sellers to senior judges and government ministers. |
| Q. What equipment do you use for video interviews? | A: We use a broadcast-quality digital video camera with an additional microphone for added sound quality. Where natural light is unavailable or insufficient, we use a free-standing electric digital camera light (this is 'cold operating' and does not produce heat which might be uncomfortable for the subject). Footage is then edited on a computer and the final version 'published' to high quality VHS tapes or DVD-R disks. |
| Q. My dad is self-conscious in front of cameras. How will you make him feel relaxed? | A:
Please be assured that our interviewing technique is more
Parkinson than Paxman! The interview is conducted in a gentle,
informal and relaxed fashion, ideally with the subject in their own home
and preferably in their favourite comfortable chair. In our experience many older people are uncomfortable with technology and become distracted or shy when faced with a camera lens. For this reason, it is generally best to have the camera placed unobtrusively at some distance away, out of the line of sight, and to use natural light instead of the glare of electric camera lights. Equally, elderly people who tire easily might need to do the interview in several fairly brief sessions over more than one day. |
| Q. How much will I (ie. a close relative) need to be involved in preparation for the interview? |
A:
This will depend on how
much you (and/or the interviewee) want to steer the interview's content, for example by listing specific family stories or people that you want to be included. You don't have to do any preparation beyond a basic biography if you don't want to: for most interviewees a straightforward relaxed chat on camera is enough to draw out something of their personality and to record many of the highlights of their lives. |
| Q. How much input can I have into the editorial process? | A: This depends on the type of service you select. If you choose a basic or detailed package, the pre-interview stage is the ideal time to have your input. If you choose a custom package then it is pretty much up to you how much involvement you have. But bear in mind that your interventions and any extra consultation you require will add time to the process and this will incur additional cost. It is generally best to take a 'hands off' approach from the start to avoid disappointment. |
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| Q. I can find digital transfer services on the high street. Why go to you? | A: It is true that you can find firms offering digital transfer services on the high street or internet and in some cases, particularly where you want outdated film or audio formats converted, you would be better off going with them. What we offer is a personal attention to detail and flexibility that larger commercial operations cannot provide. For instance, our photographic scanning services are tailored to your archiving needs rather than dictated by our profit margins and overheads. |
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Q. Why should I transfer my family photos and films now? Eventually DVD will be replaced by something better and I'll have to do it all over again. |
A: You may need to upgrade again at some
point in the future, but can you be sure that
your original family artefacts won't deteriorate (or worse still, be lost or
damaged) during that same time period? Surely it is better to preserve your
memories now and upgrade later than to do nothing?
On a similar theme, a recent internet discussion of data preservation included this comment: "As someone with a lot of experience in film, I can tell you there's no substitute for simply saving things in as many places as possible. Start putting your home movies on DVD now, and send copies to relatives in other cities..." |
Q. How will you ensure the safety of my precious family photographs, films etc? |
A: We have experience of handling
old and fragile items. The utmost care will be taken at all times to
minimise the likelihood of any damage, although this always remains a
possibility.
We also use only registered post and recognised couriers to transport valuable items, but always recommend that where possible they are collected/delivered in person. Please also see our terms and conditions |
| Q. Should I give you the originals of my home videos, or copies? | A: You should always give us originals, since unlike with DVD the quality of video tapes deteriorates with each generation of copy. The final results should be better using the originals. |
| Q. How should I prepare photographs for a transfer to digital? |
A: Please ensure
they are completely removed from any albums or frames and are clearly marked (ideally in
capital letters in pen or soft pencil on the reverse) with any name or description that you want inserted
into the file name up to a maximum of 20 characters (ie.
AuntAdaPoole1967). This sort of detail cannot be corrected easily later
on once the archiving is done. Please separate colour or black and white photos or slides into bundles and mark them with the total number of images. Set aside any images in need of restoration work, also clearly labelled, bundled and with the total number. The more clearly the images are prepared, the lower the likelihood of mistakes. |
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Q. Are there any copyright issues to be concerned about with digital copies? |
A: We will not
reproduce any materials or content that may violate copyright laws. Please
submit only material for which you own the master or where no copyright
exists. Please also see our terms and conditions |
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