“It’s like Desert Island Discs for everyday people. People like me.”
— Andrew, 2020
How It Works
Life Story Recording - Audio or Video, Online or In person
The Perfect Gift for a Big Birthday, retirement, anniversary Christmas or any special occasion.
After all, an extraordinary life deserves and extraordinary gift.
1. Questionnaire
The interviewee then completes a detailed questionnaire to provide us with all the information we need to create and conduct their Back Story interview.
The questionnaire will include details on their family, job/work, interests, hobbies and life philosophy etc.
Completing the questionnaire not only gives us the information we need to create their bespoke interview, but it will help the interviewee think more deeply about their life and times, something that many people don’t get a chance to do.
The interviewee will receive their Interview Outline prior to their interview so they can prepare, especially for any more open-ended, introspective questions.
2. Music Selection
The interviewee chooses the 10 recordings that form the soundtrack of their life.
What are their favourite tracks? What are the songs that remind them of important times in their life? What are the tracks that are attached to the important people in their life? What is the music that gives them goose bumps? How they choose is entirely up to the interviewee.
They don’t have to be a music buff. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ music. There is no ‘good’ and ‘bad’ music. Back Story is all about their music.
The interviewee doesn’t even have to be into music at all, but as they complete their questionnaire they’ll be amazed at the songs/recordings that come to mind. In fact, they’ll probably find it hard to limit their list to just 10!
3. Interview
The 2-3 hour relaxed and informal interview is best conducted in-person but we also offer online interviews via Zoom.
Together, we’ll listen to the interviewee’s selected recordings as they answer questions about their life and times. Think Radio 4’s ‘Desert Island Discs’, but for everyday people.
For online interviews we will send the interviewee some simple recording equipment (where necessary and appropriate) which they then return to us afterwards. For in-person interviews we bring all the equipment required.
It’s important to be real and authentic. Give your family, friends and future generations an insight into who you are and what makes you tick. Share your memories, share your stories, share your true self.
The entire interview is professionally recorded and will be handled in the strictest confidence. The interviewee remains in complete control of who hears/sees the final version of their interview and when they see/hear it. This means they can be completely open and honest throughout the interview process.
4. Edit
We professionally edit the interview and music selections to produce a stunning audio or visual recording.
The recording represents a little slice of the interviewee’s own personal social history, recorded for posterity.
Their voice, their soundtrack, their stories, their legacy. Recorded for family, friends and future generations.
5. Delivery & Share
The edited recording will be delivered to the interviewee on a personalised USB memory stick in a bespoke presentation box.
The interviewee can enjoy their Back Story with family and friends as they share those important moments, people and places in their life and, of course, the music that accompanies them.
Remember, the interviewee remains in complete control over who hears/sees their recording, and when.
For licensing reasons, Back Story interviews cannot be publicly broadcast. Sharing between friends and family is allowed.
6. Archive
We store all recordings safely in our vault.
Our aim is to record people’s Back Stories and preserve it as a slice of their family’s social history for future generations to enjoy.
Their voice, their story recorded for future generations.
More detail on how it works…
All Interviews
The interviewee completes the Back Story questionnaire and selects their music choices (their soundtrack). They can do this in whatever timeframe the like but the more thorough, honest, open and authentic they are on the questionnaire (and during the interview itself) the better the interview will be; for them and for anyone who listens to it for generations to come. The interview can be completed online or on a paper copy.
The completed questionnaire and music choices are then used to compile the bespoke interview. We will email the interviewee their interview outline in advance so they have a chance to think about how they might answer the questions, especially some of the more open-ended ones. The interview is all about being authentic and honest so having some time to prepare can be an important part of the process.
We arrange a date and time for your Back Story interview.
At this point things vary depending on whether you are having an ‘In Person’ interview or an ‘Online Interview’.
‘In Person’ Interviews.
It is best if the interview takes place in-person in the interviewee’s own home, and in a room in which they feel relaxed and comfortable. Ideally it should contain soft furnishings like sofas and curtains and this can help with the audio recording. It also should be quiet and somewhere were you are unlikely to be disturbed. The living room is often a good bet.
The interviewer will bring all the equipment required to record the audio/video of your interview. The kit is pretty unobtrusive and ensures we get professional quality sound/vision. We will also provide you with a reminder of your music choices and the order in which listed them.
The interview will last about 2-3 hours. It works best when things are free-flowing so think of it more as a chat that just happens to be all about the interviewee! Along the way we will listen to their music choices in the order in which they listed them. We can take breaks during the interview whenever they need to.
We then professionally edit the interview with their music choices to produce their Back Story recording.
A couple of weeks later we will send the interviewee their fully edited interview on a USB memory stick in a presentation box. They can then decide with whom to share their Back Story and when. We will keep a copy on file here should anything ever happen to theirs.
Online Interviews
We use Zoom for all online interviews.
The most important thing to understand with online interviews is that we will send the interviewee everything they need to record their end of the interview, where necessary and appropriate. This ensures that both ends of the interview are recorded to the same professional standard. The end result is that in the finished, edited recording it will sound like the interviewer and interviewee were actually in the same room.
To achieve this, we will send the interviewee a little box of recording equipment (where necessary and appropriate) shortly before your interview as follows:
‘Audio Only’ interviews
Professional microphone. This simply plugs into the interviewee’s computer or laptop. Don’t worry! We will help them set this up.‘Audio + Video’ Interviews
Professional microphone.
HD Webcam (if the one they have isn’t quite good enough quality or they don’t have one at all) that plugs into their desktop or laptop computer via USB.
Small ring light to ensure they are visible (also plugs in via USB).
Regardless of whether they are having a ‘Audio Only’ or ‘Audio + Video’ interview, we will send the interviewee a Zoom meeting invitation and full instructions. Once on the Zoom call the interviewer will talk them though what to do with the equipment and ensure everything is working properly. Please do not worry about the recording equipment; we will help the interviewee throughout the process.
As for an ‘In Person’ interview, an ‘Online’ interview will last about two to three hours. It works best when things are free-flowing so think of it more as a chat that just happens to be all about them! Along the way we will listen to their music choices in the order in which they listed them. We can take breaks during the interview whenever they need to.
We then professionally edit their interview with their music choices to produce your Back Story recording.
A couple of weeks later we will send them their fully edited interview on a USB memory stick in a presentation box. They can then decide with whom to share their Back Story and when. We will keep a copy on file here should anything ever happen to theirs.
Remember, we are here to help the interviewee through the entire process. It should be enjoyable and exciting from the very beginning right through to listen to and sharing their Back Story recording.
Got any questions? Check out our FAQ section