

Show HN: From Them to Us, Elderly Folks Sharing Their Take on Life in Video - ekianjo
http://fromthemtous.com/

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l33tbro
Intereting idea. I must admit I found the cinematography great, but the
interviews themselves not so engaging.

I think your interviews would benefit from something like Errol Morris'
'Interatron' (1). Basically, this allows you to make eye contact with the
interview subject while they look directly to camera. This creates a far more
intimate connection between audience and subject. There are even simpler
systems out there where you don't need a teleprompter (2).

Also, a bit of sound post would add another 10 percent to your production
value.

On the other hand, I actually really like how you've used no music. Let's the
wisdom speak for itself.

(1) [http://vimeo.com/80076226](http://vimeo.com/80076226)

(2) [http://www.eyedirect.tv/](http://www.eyedirect.tv/)

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ameego
Thanks for your feedback. I've just started to watch part of the interview
you've shared, the fact that the interviewee looks directly at the camera is
indeed very engaging. The tool is pretty pricy but it's good to know such
solution exists – I did not know at all about this. I'll dig more in Errol
Morris' filmography.

Regarding the sound, do you mean adding a light music in the background? I try
to keep the videos as raw and with as less cuts as possible for the
interviews, in a way to preserve the words of people and to make them at the
center of all this, with less distraction. I could give this a try but I feel
that adding music would be pretty much like an interpretation of their words.

Thanks for sharing all this, this is helpful!

Cheers, Robin

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l33tbro
No, I think you nail it with the rawness and lack of music. Maybe do a little
research into noise gating and micing techniques. I also think the more you
shoot in rooms without reverb, the closer we'll feel to the subject. I'm a
film-maker myself, so happy to reach out and go into more detail if you have
an email.

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ameego
Would be great! ameego[at]gmail[dot]com. Thanks.

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ameego
Designer here. I'm Robin; I've started this project last June to record
thoughts and perspective of old folks I meet. I live in Singapore which gives
me access to pretty different profiles. It's easy to go abroad from here so
I'm trying to meet people from different country. I do everything alone which
makes the update not as regular as I wish. I'm trying to make people
contribute now with videos of their own grand-parents that they would record
with their smartphone. I'm considering enabling an upload feature.

Any feedback is welcome in terms of design, videography, or anything that
could help me to improve the site, the videos, or make the "Your Videos"
section more appealing.

Cheers, Robin

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j45
Hi Robin,

I love this idea. Wish I could have a video like this from my grandfathers.
One thing that leapt out to me was wondering what the questions were that
kicked off the video -- if I wanted to make, could there be a list of
questions that gets the topics and wisdom flowing?

Also, if you're looking to implement direct upload, something like red5 would
be able to give you the ability if you wanted to run it yourself, otherwise
there's always youtube which everyone can use the app.

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ameego
Thanks for your message. Generally, it all start with a casual conversation
around the idea of transmitting a message to new generations. I feel that
people are very encline to share when they're listened to. Once the valve is
open, the flow does not stop :) John for instance kept talking for 45min
without me asking any questions.

You have a point though: people need to have references in terms of questions
to be able to do interviews on their own. I will think about how to integrate
this in the site. Thanks for the idea and for the red5, I will look into it.

Robin

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Gnarl
I really like this and enjoy the fact that the interviews aren't fast-paced,
snappy-answers kind of drivel. Its OK to take your time, think, reflect, stare
out the window - and that's coming from a true expert ;). I don't have a
mobile-phone, only a landline and an answering machine. Never lost a friend or
a client due to that. On the contrary. I find that people value my presence
more because I don't make myself immediately available. That's scarcity
economics in effect. Feel free to copy.

Its hard to beat the life experience of a 80+ year old person. Its like a fine
whiskey. Distilled and aged. Some have survived wars and famine. I think its
time to stop talking about so much of today’s vapour values and listen to
someone who has managed to get to 80+ and learn a bit about what really
matters in life. Someone who's lived through wartimes should know.. right?

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zaphar
This is fantastic!

A valuable resource preserved for future generations. It's frank and intimate.
I'll others comment on how you could improve the production values. I just
wanted to say that I appreciated this a great deal.

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ameego
Thanks, I'm glad you liked the videos!

Cheers, Robin

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sdrothrock
Are there any plans for English subtitles?

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ameego
Yes, the videos are already english subtitled: you need to click on the CC at
the bottom right of the video. For now, Vimeo does not support default
subtitle for the video, looking forward for this feature.

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sdrothrock
Oh, I didn't realize that the different videos would have different languages.
The one showcased on the front page had only French, so I went and assumed
that they were all only French.

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ameego
You have a point :) you make me realise that I forgot to add the english subs.

