Why do a film of my house?

When is the last time you were really attached to a house and had to leave for a new beginning? Perhaps there was a baby on the way so you needed to go bigger, or perhaps you had to leave the large family home for a condo that was easier to keep clean?

As a personal historian I try to think of ways to reach beyond interviewing folks about their lives, and so I to set out to interview the house! They can have some wild answers! And the furniture that graces the rooms have stories to tell of their travels too.

What does interviewing a house look like? Well our trusty Canon camera takes unique video perspectives of each room in the house. Just walk us through it!

Sometimes before my life story interviews even begin my clients are telling me the story behind the kitchen table we're sitting at, or how long they had their china pattern. Artful old photos liven up a hallway as they walk me through towards a long cared for back garden. What happens to all these 'comforts of home' once you pack up and leave? Of course we set them up again somewhere new. Or do we?

Downsizing may mean dividing up the goods since there isn't much space left for such grand displays of the family china or art. My mother just dumped a nice old box of school memorabilia of mine on me that she's had for awhile. That was an easy thing for me to store away again - but what about the coffee table and chair that grandpa made?   What's to be done now that there's no room left for the room of model train displays that he used to work on in the evenings?

By now I'm sure you can see that having house-loving owners walk us through their abode, talking about their memories of times gone by in each room can be a wonderful addition to personal history films. 

My family had a tiny vacation cabin in the interior of BC for my childhood years. We have lots of pictures but no film. So I think I'm going to collect them all and make a musical and narrated slideshow tribute to that old cabin. Perhaps that's an idea that appeals to you too. It's better than letting the photos fade along with the memories. So pick up a camera, give an old home or antique 'new life' by filming it and adding its history. City archives in your local library are a great way to find out about your old house. Case in point: we used to live on what was called Berlin Street but it was changed to a British name during the war years! Go figure!

At any rate, make it a great day and happy home-making!