Shortly after my great-grandad passed away, my aunt scanned and sent us a series of letters that he had written to his daughter, my grandmother. He and my grandmother were both avid genealogists and knew the importance of sharing family stories for future generations, so these were comprehensive letters telling of the joys and hardships of everyday life. They told of big events and small – from tales of World War 2 to a list of his favorite sounds out on the farm. I was fortunate to know my great-grandad well – he
lived to be 100 years old, and he didn’t pass away until the year I graduated college. So in reading these letters, the words leap off the page in familiar ways – I can hear the mannerisms of his speech and his famous sense of humor.
Years before those letters were written, in the 1970s, my grandmother had interviewed her grandfather (my great-great-grandfather), recording the answers on tapes. I digitized those tapes a few years back and got to hear his voice for the very first time as he told stories about living in San Antonio around the turn of the 20th century and what the city was like back then. This was hugely valuable and interesting to me, especially as having his recorded voice added so much life and color to the stories that I wouldn’t
otherwise have been able to imagine correctly. That recorded voice gave me an added insight into his personality that I never had the opportunity to know.
While these written and spoken stories are incredibly valuable to me, it’s no surprise as a video professional that I’d make the leap to wondering how much having video of those stories could have added to the experience. Having the voice of my great-great grandfather recorded is special, but though I’ve seen pictures of him before, I wouldn’t be able to describe what he looks like from memory. I can’t picture his smile or his eyes, or how they may have lit up when talking about the things that bring him joy. These are all small details that we can preserve with video. When I filmed weddings, I used to love capturing moments of pure joy and emotion – moments that we intuitively recognize as real and special. It’s the contagiousness of a smile or a laugh; moments of connection, recognition of our shared humanity in another. Never in history has there been a better medium for holding these moments in time for future generations.
For myself, another important advantage of recording these stories on video is that recordings like these are quickly becoming one of the last uniquely real things we have left to treasure. In an era where AI is abounding, and it becomes more and more difficult to distinguish between what’s real and what’s fake, our personal relationships and family stories remain one of the few undeniably authentic pillars in our lives. To be able to remember and capture these core memories feels more important now than ever
before.
So I would encourage anyone curious to ask themselves what small details they appreciate about their loved one’s mannerisms, quirks, and way of telling stories. Take time to appreciate these little things that make our relationships vibrant and authentic, often without us noticing. And consider preserving these moments on video to make their stories come alive for years to come.
Ryan Anderson is an award-winning editor and videographer whose work has been featured on NBC Sports, Esquire Network, USA Network, Fox Sports, and the Pursuit Channel. He is owner of Ryan is the owner of Paper Ketchup Productions in San Antonio, TX & a part of the Sacred Stories Advisory Group. The tagline for Ryan’s business is “Your Stories. Brought to Life.”