The Open Door Collection — Shanachie Studios

THE OPEN DOOR COLLECTION — An oral history project during the time of COVID

Shanachie Studios, in collaboration with our sister company, Sevenpair Studios, aims to open the door to your family history by preserving the experience and memories of the older generation. We aim to collect these stories one phone call, one question, and one story at a time.

What are our goals for this project? We hope to increase intergenerational connection among family members, especially during this time of social isolation, while also documenting the oral histories of our eldest family members for future generations.

Why is this important? We can promote an increased respect and understanding between generations, fight against the challenges of social isolation for the aging population (which can lead to loneliness and a greater impact on their psychological and physical health) as well as provide a view into the past from which future generations can learn and grow.

VIEW SAMPLE ABOVE

How does this project work?

One Phone Call
One Question
One Story

What parts of your family history are you most curious about? A family member will work with our studio to record and preserve a 15 minute phone conversation with an older family member centered on one question related to their family history. A short video will be created with key elements of the recorded conversation along with a live video portrait, or favorite family photographs.

Your question can include: “What is your favorite memory from your childhood?” “How did you meet Dad?” “How do you want to be remembered?” “What’s the most important lesson you have learned in life?” “What is your favorite recipe and why?” -- These questions can focus on a range of topics depending on your interest and curiosity.

Our hope is that you will continue the conversation beyond this project and actively connect with your family member moving forward.

This project is provided to you at no cost — We just ask, if you are able, to donate a small portion to a nonprofit of your choice and pay it forward. If you need a couple of suggestions, explore some of our favorite organizations below:

FriendshipWorks Donation

Vermont Adaptive Donation

Interested in taking part in this oral history project? Complete the following form!

Name

First Name

Last Name

Your Phone Number

What question do you plan to ask? Why?

Name of family member you would like to ask

Relation

Is this your parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin? etc

Visual Elements

What visual elements would you like to include over the audio recording in the video piece?

VIDEO PORTRAIT - If your family member is local, our studio can film a video portrait your relative simply smiling or looking at the camera from their front door -- essentially preserving your family member’s mannerisms and personality in real time. ** This video portrait would be done at a safe distance of at least 10 feet from your relative's front door**

FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS - If your family member is not local, we can interweave your favorite 3-5 images of this family member against the audio narrative.

Any further questions or thoughts?

Collecting oral histories in Massachusetts and beyond

While located in central Massachusetts, our studio can open the door to your family history locally or beyond through the use of our phone recording technology. Learn more on this page!