A few years ago now, I was working a job in an area that I didn't really want to work in. Before that I had been to both college and university to study radio production and fell in love with the process of making audio documentaries. Then one day after a few attempts to apply for jobs in the radio or audio production industry that I had wanted to get back into I decided to begin my own business.
I had an idea that had been bubbling away in my mind for a while. I wanted to make audio documentaries for and about the everyday person. Then it clicked! What if I could do just that and record people's life stories in audio form. I get the benefit of meeting lots of interesting people and continuing to use my audio recording and editing experience. And the customer get the experience of being recorded by a professional and a fully edited audio recording of their story in their own words that they can then pass on to family and friends to keep their story alive and their family history preserved in a truly unique way.
The idea was that I would invest in professional recording equipment that was portable enough to take around to people's houses in order to record their story in an environment that that would feel comfortable in. Which I did. I would then use public transport to get around where possible to keep the carbon footprint of the business low. When recording the subjects I would ask them to prepare a bullet pointed list before hand to help them have an idea of what they would like to talk about. It also helps the subject sound more natural when they aren't reading out something word for word. Drawing on my interviewing experience from studying radio I will be paying attention to what they are taking about and asking for more information when I feel like they can add to what they are talking about. I also ask them specifically for songs that mean a lot to them from through their life to add to audio time capsule.
Once the interviews are done I take the all the audio, make sure all the speech is clean and understandable and cut it down to the most interesting and important parts. This depends on the length of the package chosen by the client. Then I mix the interview with sound effects to add some texture to some of the stories and help the listener picture what is happening. Finally I add in the songs that the subject has requested as a perfect way to reflect their personality. The final product is the audio time capsule that can be listened to whenever they like and shared with family and friends for many years to come. I thought this was a brilliant idea and something that will be so special to a lot of people.
I recorded these with my own family members to test out how they would come together and what the recording process would sound like. These have become some of my most treasured items. It was such a wonderful experience to record with my parents and grandparents. I learnt things that I wouldn't have known if I hadn't taken the time to sit down with them and talk about their lives. And I know these audio time capsules will be around forever, even when they aren't and although it's not replacement for them it is a comfort to know I will be able to hear their voice whenever I need to. This is why I came up with the tagline 'the gift of a lifetime' because I know I have the gift of their lifetime recorded so that I can remember them forever.
It felt so right that I should be using my professional audio producing experience to create these time capsules that can be a great way everyone to remember their loved ones. It means I get to do what I love and talk to the everyday person and record the interesting stories they have to make sure they aren't lost to time.
Since beginning Time Capsule Productions, I have recorded a few of these and loved everyone. I have also evolved to include audio guestbook phones as another service I offer. I felt like this was another way I could use my audio editing skills by combining the messages people receive at events with music that's special to them to make something easy to listen to and something that reflects their special day too. I've recorded a documentary for BBC Radio 4, a podcast episode for Scottish Communities Climate Action Network's 1000 Better Stories Podcast, recorded an aural history for a charity and worked with businesses to record their family business history. I look forward to what the future holds for me and Time Capsule Productions and am excited to record with more people and see what this small business will evolve into.
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