Making the best of it - a special interview

I've snagged an interview with the oldest veteran in the US for next week.  (Who knew he was in my city?) In addition for scheduling time away from work and hauling tail on my prepwork, this is making me nervous if only because I want it to be really, really good.  Now, here are some interesting contingencies going in that don't normally apply:

• We already know a lot of his story from many interviews he's done recently.
• As he is older, his time is more precious.
• As he is a celebrity of sorts, he has even more limited time.

So for the next few days, I'm going to figure out what to ask him and what needs to get into the archive above all else.  I have 30 minutes tops (which is the minimum to get the interview into the archive) to ask him questions, so I need to be focused and to keep him interested.  I also have to get my camera setup and sound issues fixed as quickly as possible once I get there.  Finally, I have to prepare all my paperwork in advance and work with an assistant to make sure it's correct before and after - it's simply not worth his time.

Here's what I'm taking away from this project, and I'm hopeful it's useful for you as well.

• Keep in mind that anyone's time is precious who is allowing you to share their story.
• Always be prepared - know as much going in as you can, and keep the paperwork short and sweet if possible.
• Treat every interview as your most special interview.

Wish me luck!

Spitfire 944

I'll be back soon with more posts, but in the meantime Mike was kind enough to share this video with our volunteer group.  In "Spitfire 944", a young man digitizes his great-uncle's films and then locates a veteran from the footage who he then interviews.  Wow!

http://www.sundance.org/festival/article/shorts-break-honor-memorial-day-with-two-stories-of-compassion-amid-war/