Share Your Stories By Mail

Ken Burns's THE WAR explores the history and horror of WWII from an American perspective. The film focuses on a handful of men and women from four American towns, but could have aimed cameras at any town in America for deeply personal stories about WWII.

WMFE is collecting stories from our community about the war. Online, you can search these local stories as well as similar ones from across the country in the section “Share or Explore Stories Online". And you can share your own stories online as well.

Or if you don’t want to do it online, share your stories by mail. WMFE is collecting stories for possible use in an upcoming extended version of The War: Central Florida Stories.

You can make a video tape and send it to WMFE by mail to:

The War: Central Florida Stories
WMFE
11510 E. Colonial Dr.
Orlando FL 32828

Suggestions for How To Make a Good Videotape:

1. Use a tripod.
2. For better sound quality, use a hand held microphone you can plug into your camera. If you do not have a microphone, the one on the camera will work.
3. Find a quiet location.
4. Frame the shot with the person in the middle of the screen and have him or her look directly into the lens.
5. Use a light on the person if you have one. If not, shoot in a bright room. A darker background works best. Avoid shooting in front of a bright window.
6. Put the camera lens on auto iris.
7. Check the focus. If auto focus is focusing on the background, put it in manual and focus on the person.
8. Keep your story to under 5 minutes.
9. Rehearse your story before rolling tape.
10. If you make a mistake, keep the tape rolling and start again. Send a note with your tape letting us know which take is the best.

Questions:
Email: thewar@wmfe.org