COMMON QUESTIONS
WHAT IS LIVING MEMORY?
Living Memory preserves stories and legacies using immersive media like virtual reality (VR). Through a series of careful, caring interviews, we create a one-of-a-kind experience that helps you feel like you’re sitting across from a person as they tell their story in their own words. Our most common client requests include:
Sitting down with a parent or grandparent to interview them about their life and preserve their story
Interviewing a founding member of a company or nonprofit organization to honor their career & achievements
Capturing milestone events (weddings, anniversaries) or everyday moments (kids before they grow up)
Documenting a place during a particular time period (historic buildings, natural sites)
WHO IS THIS FOR?
Living Memory is for people who care deeply about passing on stories and preserving legacies. Interviewees sometimes reach out to Living Memory themselves, but we usually get approached by their adult children or grandchildren.
WHY IMMERSIVE?
Often, the only traces that remain of a person after they’ve passed are their belongings, writing, or maybe a few voicemails. It can be heartbreaking to realize just how little of their essence and story remains.
Regular video only conveys a tiny part of what a person is like because you view them through a flat screen. Living Memory uses 8K, 3D video and virtual reality to create the sense that you’re sitting across from someone as they tell their story.
When viewed in a virtual reality headset, the quality of sound and picture in an immersive video is enough to create a sense of physical presence. Video is not the final evolution of immersive media, but it’s the best tool we have today for a cost-effective approach to preservation.
WHAT IF I JUST WANT A REGULAR VIDEO?
We can absolutely conduct interviews with standard 2D video, but we recommend the immersive option.
DO I NEED ANY SPECIAL EQUIPMENT?
If you want the full experience, yes. We recommend viewing your interview in a virtual reality headset like the Meta Quest. However, you can also view a “flat” version with any smartphone or computer. The cost of your project goes towards support for viewing it on your device, and tips to preserve the file for use with future VR technology.
WHAT’S MY ROLE?
Before, during, and after an interview, we’ll ask for your input regularly (unless you prefer otherwise). We do our best work when we have guidance from our clients about their expectations, which stories they want us to preserve, and any unique family dynamics we should consider. Living Memory will bring technical and interviewing experience, but you know your family or organization better than we do. The work of capturing and preserving someone’s story can be emotional, but it’s massively rewarding.
WHAT QUESTIONS ARE YOU GOING TO ASK DURING THE INTERVIEW?
Our goal is to help preserve peoples’ stories in their own words. That means we shape every interview around what a person wants to share or pass down to their family. We identify thoughtful questions during a “pre-interview” conversation. We don’t push people to answer personal questions that will make them uncomfortable. Here are some examples:
What is your full name?
When were you born?
Where were you born?
Can you walk us back through your family tree?
Who did you look up to when you were young? Why?
What gave you strength during difficult times?
What did parenthood teach you?
What is important in a successful relationship?
Did you ever take a memorable trip or vacation?
What would you say to your younger self?
What do you want to make sure your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren hear from you?
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?
From start to finish, the process can span 3 weeks to 3 months depending on your needs and availability.
There are a few steps to the Living Memory process: pre-interview, interview, post-interview editing, two rounds of notes and revisions, final approval, and delivery of the finished interview.
After we’ve delivered the finished interview, we’re available for client support in case you need help viewing your interview or archiving it safely.
WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?
Living Memory is located in western Pennsylvania, but we can travel to wherever you are.
For clients beyond our home area, we include travel costs in our estimates.
HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN YOU INTERVIEW AT ONCE?
Our typical approach is suited for interviewing and recording 1-2 subjects, but every interview is tailored to the client’s needs.
If you need a group interview, please contact us so that we can learn more about your needs.
HOW DO I KEEP IT SAFE?
The cost of a Living Memory project goes towards creating an immersive video file, which you can transfer to your digital storage device(s). However, if you want to take additional precaution to keep your Living Memory interview safe, we can help you identify a preservation method that meets your needs and budget. We recommend finding the digital preservation method that works best for you, and you can start with this webpage from the Library of Congress.
WILL THIS BECOME OBSOLETE?
It’s no secret: immersive media technology is evolving rapidly. Living Memory creates master video files at 8K resolution, then compresses them appropriately for VR hardware that’s available today using standard video file formats.
Even if VR hardware changes dramatically, the master files will be usable for the foreseeable future.
WHO OWNS THE FINISHED PRODUCT? HOW WILL IT BE USED?
This is such an important question.
Living Memory will never claim ownership of your loved one’s story, but we ask to retain a license to the interview materials in order to maintain backups for our own records- you can always decline. With the interview subject and client’s consent, we may use interview materials for promoting Living Memory to future clients. Discretion is a priority for us and our clients, so we’ll never share any part of your story without your permission.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Creating immersive media requires a significant amount of computing resources, and interviews are a delicate process. Living Memory is proud to face both of these challenges and create one-of-a-kind immersive experiences of the highest quality. Our entry-level service package (1 interviewee, 1 location, 3 hours, recorded in 180° 3D video) starts around $3950.
After we get a chance to understand your needs, we’ll provide an estimate for the cost of your project. We’re happy to accommodate multiple recording days, additional interviewees, multiple, locations, travel, and other customizable add-ons.
We’re confident that a Living Memory interview will be one of the best purchases you ever make.
WHO DOES ALL OF THIS?
Living Memory’s founder, Trent Spivey, is a conservatory-trained filmmaker and immersive media creator.
You can learn more about Trent at trentspivey.com.