About the interview

Many may wonder: what goes on in an oral history interview? Below, I attempt to answer the most frequently asked questions (FAQs).

1. WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?
Ahh, my favorite question. It is always best to be as comfortable as possible. The video recording is simply taken as a back-up for the audio recording. In the terrible case that something should go wrong (audio-wise), atleast I will still have the interview recorded elsewhere.

2. WHERE WILL WE FILM?
Routinely, I film/record interviews in the interviewee's home. We try to pick a room or area of the home where there are few to no distractions and a calm background (such as solid colored walls, etc). A good degree of natural light is also essential as I do not travel with light equipment. Other than that, all we need are two-three chairs.

As far as equipment, a hand-held microphone on a stand will be set up behind the interviewee. It should be out of the interviewer's direct line of vision but may be seen peripherally. I will manage both the audio and video equipment by wearing headphones and constantly checking mic levels on both pieces of equipment. The interviewee will not be required to wear a microphone on his/her person.

3. SHOULD I PREPARE IN ANY WAY?
There is no preparation required for the interview; one should think of it as a long conversation. It is my hope that the interviewee will be able to silence telephones and other electronic equipment during the interview. If this is not possible, it is helpful to have another member of the household available to answer phones, the doorbell, etc.

4. WHAT IF I HAVE PICTURES I WANT TO SHARE?
Wonderful! I encourage all to bring out those dusty (or not so dusty) pictures and memorabilia from any/all periods of one's life. This is a complete oral history (as in a life history) and most interviewees will have lived in or visited different places in their lives. I would rather save the pictures for the very end instead of try to integrate them into the actual interview. I travel with a scanner for photographs in order to digitally record them onto my computer. These pictures will be added to the written transcription of the interview.

5. HOW MUCH TIME SHOULD I SET ASIDE?
A minimum of one hour up to as much as you'd like. It can be very exhausting to talk about oneself (hard to believe but very true!) and I never expect people to exceed three hours. Even so, it does happens and I will block off at least five hours for each interview. I stay in each city for at least a few days and will be able to return to an interviewee's home for added thoughts and second interview installments. The heart and soul of this project IS the interviewee and I will do everything possible to make this process comfortable and convenient for all involved.

All interviews will utilize the following equipment:
Marantz 660K PMD Digital Recorder
Panasonic 3CCD Mini-Camcorder + tripod
Beyer Microphones and stands
and the assistance of many manuals.

6. I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS, CAN I CALL YOU OR EMAIL?
Absolutely! I am eager to speak with each and every one of you. Until September 15th, please contact me at: 713.667.1483 (Stateside) or in El Salvador at 503.7787.7189. Also, please feel free to contact me via email at any point in time: jessicaalpert@yahoo.com


Until tomorrow...