A Video Portrait is a moment captured in time. It can be a portrayal of an individual, the story of a family, the history of a corporation or institution. Or it can be used to celebrate a reunion, or record any other group with a common affinity. While each Video Portrait is unique, they are all based upon interviews of people and illustrated with appropriate visual material. These images may consist of your family pictures or corporate records, archival illustrations or scrapbooks. Period music is carefully chosen to set the scene, and titles enhance the organization of material. The standard Video Portrait runs for one hour, but individual Portraits may run any length. Westminster Productions, Inc., a producer of documentary and oral history programs specializes in the creation of historical Video Portraits. All Portraits are produced in full motion color with music and sync sound that can be played on any VHS VCR. Copies may be made for family members and friends.
A Video Portrait of an individual or family allows you to preserve the memory of a mother, a father, a grandmother or grandfather, or of a whole family to hand down to future generations. Cherished loved ones can be caught in time to be screened again and again for children, grandchildren, family members and friends.
Corporations, clubs, religious institutions or other groups are great subjects for Video Portraits. CEOs and retiring executives may be memorialized by testimonials to their exemplary service. Corporate histories provide an enduring human chain to the past. Video Portraits may be customized for stockholders, employees, or for local television broadcast on public access TV.
Family and class reunions preserve a moment in the present to be shown forever. Multiple interviews, colorful stories, and group activities all combine to allow for the creation of a vibrant, moving memento of a significant event.
The Video Portrait is based upon a series of interviews with one or more people. Where appropriate, activities are also recorded. Still pictures and films from family archives or historical libraries are reviewed and selected. This first phase generally takes two to three days. Interviews are then transcribed to text and editing is begun to select the best footage to tell the story. Specific slots are identified for the insertion of previously selected images. Appropriate music is added. The 'off-line edit' consumes about two weeks. The product of this phase is called the 'rough cut' and is sent to the client for review and comments. After incorporating the client's suggestions, the rough cut is taken to a post-production facility. The sync sound, music, effects and narration are incorporated in one sound track called the 'mix.' This is then married to the image to which titles have been added in what is called the 'fine-cut' to provide the final Master Tape. Top quality VHS tapes may then be struck from the Master Tape.
How does a Westminster Video Portrait differ from a home movie? Professional equipment makes a substantial difference in the technical quality of your Portrait. Westminster Productions uses the latest digital technology which creates sharp, brilliant images and crisp, clear sound. Carefully selected period music contributes to a professional production. Skilled interviewers put a subject at ease and know how to draw him or her out with warmth and humor. A professional director will know how to best integrate archival photographs into your Portrait to create a powerful final piece. An experienced editor knows how to shape raw material to create the most interesting Portrait possible. And professional post-production facilities ensure the highest quality on-line Master Tape. Our award winning staff uses the same skills employed in professional documentaries to make your Video Portrait a well-crafted piece of work providing you with pleasure for decades to come.
The president of Westminster Productions is a professional writer/producer/director who has won more than three dozen major national and international awards for his human interest and educational documentaries. He is professor emeritus at NYU where he was the director of the Department of Film, Video and Broadcasting and also taught at Harvard, his alma mater, and Columbia. He has produced a number of educational programs for Harvard, and is also a consultant to Harvard, the United Nations and The Consulate General of Japan. He is the co-author of Movie Making: A Guide to Film Production, a text widely adopted for film classes at a number of major universities.