Preserving personal histories, telling Stories with a Heart

HALLIE EPHRON: We Jungle Reds tell made-up stories of fictional characters. Filmmaker Leslie Wittman tells what she calls "Stories with a Heart" -- the stories of real people, preserving personal history. Today I'm pleased to host her on Jungle Red.

I met Leslie when we were both working at Digital where she developed corporate videos, more years ago than either of us care to count. How serendipitous, after Sunday's discussion of our favorite WWII novels, that her first project as a personal history videographer was capturing memories of WWII survivors.

LESLIE WITTMAN: About five years ago I got a call from someone who asked if I could help with a large WWII Memories project being undertaken at a local retirement community. 

As a child of holocaust survivors, WWII was not something we talked about. I didn’t know if I really wanted to or was able to “go there” by being involved in this project. 

However, having the opportunity to hear the stories of bravery and selflessness that people had in order to save people like members my family filled me with gratitude. 

This project ended up being a turning point in my life both professionally and personally. I began to focus my work on capturing and preserving memories and stories of elders as a legacy for their families or communities. I’m privileged to see and hear so many examples of ways that people are vibrantly and creatively engaged in life in their later years and it inspires me to discard any assumptions I may have had about aging and to live my own life boldly and with purpose.

HALLIE: A case in point! I love your video, Moving from Foot to Foot, about two women who dance again. It's so delightful to watch.  

Moving from Foot to Foot from Stories with a Heart Videos on Vimeo.

Can you tell us the back story of how you ended up creating that video?

LESLIE:  I was working on a video about two people in their 90s who’ve become poets and recently published their work. I went to videotape a class taught by their poetry instructor and a woman in that class told me I needed to come meet her mother who does ballroom dancing at her assisted living facility. 

What I found there was a truly inspirational dance instructor and a wonderful story.

HALLIE: How do people connect with you?

LESLIE: By word of mouth. Often it’s the grown children who contact me because they want to preserve their parent’s stories. I conduct a pre-interview so I can get to know the storyteller and then at another time we do an on-camera interview using questions I develop. Oddly it’s often not until later when I review the recordings and begin editing that the story begins to emerge. 

HALLIE: Leslie, all of the writers reading this will relate to this. It's how so many novels and essays come together. By feel. How do you know when you're done?

LESLIE: A video program can be cut and pieced together in countless ways. I can edit and re-edit until the end of time. At some point I have to decide that this is the story I’m going to tell.

HALLIE: It's spooky how much this is like writing a novel. And what YOU end up with every time are stories that do, indeed touch the heart. Do you ever contemplate putting your videos together into a documentary? 

LESLIE: I’ve produced two short documentaries—one about how food helps people stay connected to their to cultural heritage, and the other a living history of a small New England town, featuring elders who grew up there. I am contemplating crafting another one with material I’ve been collecting in my “Age is Only a Number” series.

HALLIE: THANK YOU! I love writing older women--they have starring roles in THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN and in YOU'LL EVER KNOW, DEAR, so I am particular taken with Leslie's work. 

Have there been older women in your life that have touched your heart and led by example?

Reach Leslie at storieswithaheartvideos@gmail.com

Visit Stories with a Heart Videos website and watch video clips.