With literally hundreds of events occurring throughout a single day, and a rolling sea of tens of thousands of technorati ebbing and flowing throughout downtown Austin, Texas, it was a miracle that I was able to hook up with ReelGenie’s David Adelman at Austin’s 10-day music, film, and interactive conference and festival known to the world as South by Southwest (SXSW). SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk was keynoting a session shortly, so David and I only had a few minutes to catch up on his new online collaborative production process that features intuitive interfaces and seamless social media integration.
In plain and simple terms, David has developed an easy way for people to create their own storytelling movies online. Out of hundreds of web-based product submissions to SXSW Interactive Accelerator – where the latest and most innovative online technologies are showcased – ReelGenie was selected to present in the “Social Technologies” category. Having had a sneak preview of the product, I am excited for people to discover the various and versatile features of this online production process that can be utilized for a number of creative outcomes, especially for family genealogy researchers who want to create family history documentaries or legacy films.
RecordClick was fortunate to be a part of the trial phase for ReelGenie family history video. I worked as part of a collaborative effort, comprising RecordClick and one of its clients – Mr. Bauer – a gentleman in his mid-80s who is currently writing his memoirs.
RecordClick approached Mr. Bauer and asked if he would be interested in encapsulating Chapter One of his life story into a seven-minute online movie. For someone who didn’t grow up in the digital age with smartphones, iPads, Kindles, and apps, Mr. Bauer entertained the prospect with gusto, recognizing it as the perfect gift to present his family in celebration of his 65th wedding anniversary. He views his family at the pinnacle of his life and success, and ReelGenie presented the perfect platform to tell his story.
Thus began the process of utilizing ReelGenie’s online digital tools – which include professionally-designed ready-made templates, music library, storyboards, and high-definition photos, etc. – to render Mr. Bauer’s life journey into key elements of a legacy film. Making the film became a family project. Mr. Bauer located photographs of his early life in Europe, including one of him as a little boy. The other photos he chose included his parents and sisters, snapshots of his war-torn country after WWII, passport pages, and the lovely girl from his village whom he ultimately married.
So what did the Bauer family think about the experience with making a storytelling movie? “It was a lineage project that involved young and old. The process rekindled the heart of the family through conversation and video storytelling,” explains Mr. Bauer’s son, who helped his father with the narration. “The entire process, including the voice over and the scanning and uploading of photos, was completed online, without additional software or complicated programs to download.”
What thrills me most is that RecordClick will be offering ReelGenie’s video storytelling technology as part of its comprehensive services available to its clients, who can now make movies focused on different genealogy-related areas, such as hitting a milestone in genealogy research. It’s also great for any number of other occasions, including a birthday, anniversary, or family reunion.
Elizabeth Khan, Founder and CEO of RecordClick.com is pleased to help clients turn their family history research into a multi-media film that has an emotional impact. RecordClick’s genealogical researchers and writers are available to help customers trace family history, as well as assist in writing scripts.
For more information, check out ReelGenie’s blogsite. For help in creating your family history movie, contact RecordClick. As if genealogy isn’t interesting enough, now there is a great new way to tell the story of your ancestors’ lives that will withstand the test of time.
