History Heard

Interviews must be in segments under 10 minutes. The format that we are using will not allow videos that exceed this limit.

If you think it will be long, that's fine. Simply stop and restart the video at an appropriate time around 9 minutes to separate it into shorter segments, or edit the video into separate segments at your computer after the interview.

No video will be accepted unless it is in a digital format (that means no tapes).

Students can not appear on camera at anytime. This rule is merely for the purpose of Internet safety.

Place the video camera on a tripod or a stable surface in order to maintain a steady picture. Holding the camera in your hand will almost always result in a shaky interview even if you have a steady hand.

The camera should be between 1 and 4 feet from the interviewee so that the audio and visual are clear. It depends entirely upon the layout and acoustics of the room. Once you think that the camera is in a good place, don't forget to do a thorough sound check.

Fill in the blanks and practice the introduction out loud before beginning the filming so that it sounds as professional as possible.

Before reading the introduction, turn on the camera and ask the interviewee to say a few words. Play back what you just recorded to make sure that the camera is picking up the audio. The last thing you want is to get home and realize that you can't use your interview.

Read the introduction near the camera but not in front of the camera.

Stand or sit opposite the interviewee and behind the camera rather than next to him/her so that the interviewee does not look over to the side at you but is looking in the direction of the camera.

Do not try to film the subject's entire body, but rather film from the chest up. There should be space between the interviewee's head and the top of the frame as well. (See sample videos for reference)

Students should facilitate the discussion using questions they've written that pertain to the given categories or History Heard's pre-written questions. These categories are fairly broad, so you should have no trouble fitting a historically relevant topic into one or more of them. If you think that there is not a category that fits a topic that is relevant, please let us know.

Stay on topic. Digressions are o.k. if they stay under one of the categories. Otherwise, ask a question that will get the interviewee back on topic.

For convenience and safety, it is best to conduct all interviews with at least two students present. Moral support when meeting new people is also quite helpful. However, there should not be so many students as to intimidate the interviewee. Leave parents or teachers outside the room. This is a student-run project.

Please dress and behave appropriately before, after, and during the interview. Remember that you are representing History Heard, your school, and yourself.

Be polite to the interviewee and be sure to thank him/her. Make sure that you contact him/her when his/her interview is uploaded to www.historyheard.com so that he/she can check it out.

Always explain to the interviewee that we are interested in their story and that all answers are correct answers.