A LIFE WELL TOLD
Let Your Story Live On
A unique opportunity to have your life story
professionally recorded and edited.
Tell your story in your words and have it
sound like a well-made radio program.
Capture the story of your life
in a tailor-made audio production
A chance to preserve your legacy and to share your stories and reflections on life with your loved ones and with future generations.A deeply satisfying experience on your own terms: All you have to do is relax and enjoy being listened to, and together we will create an enjoyable and enduring listening experience of high quality – all about your life and perspectives.
About Me
My name is Cornelius and I am a Danish-born freelance audio storyteller & radio producer based on Hornby Island, BC. I have been recording people’s stories since 2010 and producing audio stories since 2015. I have also produced written articles for magazines and newspapers in Australia and Denmark and audio content for Danish national TV and Radio as well as Canadian community radio.In my life I have travelled and worked my way around the world while collecting great stories and gaining a broad variety of life experiences. Through hundreds of interviews I have honed my skills in producing audio stories and I thoroughly enjoy the process.I believe that all of us have amazing and valuable stories to tell, and I am excited to help you with telling and preserving your own unique and fascinating story.
How It Works
1: Preparation
Before we start recording your story, we meet up for 60-90 minutes to discuss your wishes and ideas at your preferred recording location. This is preferably a quiet place where you feel comfortable.Whether you just want to preserve some of your most eventful chapters or stories in your life, or tell the full story of your life in chronological fashion, you and I will tailor-make a timeline that is both meaningful and efficient.
During this first visit I will present you with an inspirational list of questions and prompts to support your story telling, and we will talk a bit about best practices. I will also be scoping out the location for the most ideal recording conditions and make you familiar with my microphones.Once we have arrived at a mutual understanding, we will sign a project contract and arrange a time for your first interview. The contract includes a confidentiality agreement and your story will not be shared by me with anyone but yourself, without your written permission.
2: Interviews
Depending on your wishes and the length of your stories, the interviews will be conducted either once or several times during the course of up to 4 weeks.All interviews will be kept at a 2 hour maximum, but more importantly, your story will never be rushed. If we need to pause then we simply take a break.This is your time to shine and this interview is all about you feeling comfortable and excited to share your story.
Although we come prepared with an outline of what you want to tell, the conversation is open to flow in any direction you may wish, and that is often where the most interesting stuff comes out.I know when to listen and when to use gentle prompts and questions to help you share your stories about, for example; your childhood, parents, grandparents, friends and other important people in your life; family lore passed down from your ancestors; memories of coming of age and leaving home; falling in love; challenges you have faced; careers and work-life; passions and hobbies: The list goes on.Along the way, I will encourage you to share your feelings, reflections, thoughts and values crucial to the memories and stories you choose to tell.
3: Editing
This part of the process is where I polish the audio quality of your interview(s) and cut out any unnecessary pauses, ‘uhms’, coughs etc.. If need be, I will move some of the segments around to create a seamless chronological story telling.Depending on your choices I can divide your story into distinct chapters – usually around 10-20 minutes duration each. I can completely remove my own voice from the recording or include relevant questions and prompts from me as you wish.If you have any original music or field recordings by yourself or any friends/relatives who give their permission, I can incorporate these. It is also possible to explore licensing your favourite music and songs to include in the final audio file.After the initial editing, I will send you a version you can listen through and either approve or suggest further edits, delete certain passages on second thought or tell or re-tell segments that we missed or that you wish to tell differently. Remember; you are in full control of the final product and I am just here to facilitate exactly the story you wish to tell.I usually offer up to two initial editing rounds before we arrive at a final version.
4: Final Production
& Delivery
When you have approved the initial editing, I will finalize the audio file and deliver it to you on a custom-designed USB drive with your name on it, presented in a beautiful walnut-wood box. A standard CD is also available.You will also receive a one-time download link for the file. The USB drive holds 30GB data and will easily fit digital images or other videos and recording you may like to include as illustrations and supplements to your story.
And that’s essentially the end of our work together, all that is left now is simply to lean back and enjoy your well told life story all over again, and to share it with whomever you may wish.
A beneficial experience
Let your loved ones hear your story
Secure and share important family lore
Enjoy exploring your own life experiences once again
Give future generations a chance to know about your life and hard-won wisdom
Product range & pricing
The Single Stories
Around
$1200 + GST
This is for you who simply want to preserve one or a few short stories from your life or important family lore et cetera. This includes the following:
60-90 minutes initial visit
2 recording sessions of up to 1 hour duration each
Up to 5 hours of editing time as needed
1 initial listen-through with editing requests by you
Up to 2 hours additional editing as needed
Final listen-through and approval by you
Delivery of personalized USB drive in walnut box
Download link for audio-file
The final audio file will typically be 20-45 minutes long
The Life Story
Around
$2000 + GST
This is for you who want to preserve the general chronological story of your life, including many highlights and for example stories of your ancestors and some words of wisdom for your descendants.
60-90 minutes initial visit
3 to 4 recording sessions of up to 2 hours duration each
Up to 8 hours of editing time as needed
2 initial listen-through with editing requests by you
1 extra recording session if needed
Up to 4 hours additional editing as needed
Final listen-throughs and approval by you
Delivery of personalized USB drive in walnut box
Download link for audio-file
The final audio file will typically be 45-90 minutes long
The Comprehensive
Around
$2700 + GST
This is for you who want to tell the full story of your life, including as many details and highlights as possible, stories of your ancestors, words of wisdom and really whatever you might like to preserve for your loved ones and for future generations.
60-90 minutes initial visit
4 to 6 recording sessions of up to 2 hours duration each
Up to 12 hours of editing time as needed
2 initial listen-throughs with editing requests by you
2 extra recording sessions if needed
Up to 6 hours additional editing as needed
Final listen-through and approval by you
Delivery of personalized USB drive in walnut box
Download link for audio-file
The final audio file will typically be 90-180 minutes long
My Setup
Over the years I have acquired multiple professional microphones and various software to be able to create high-quality audio productions. Here are some specifications if you are interested.I use a portable multi-track ZOOMH5 field recorder as my interface when I am out and about, and depending on the acoustics where we record your story, I use a Sennheiser MD46 or a Shure SM7b microphone. I also have an optional ZOOM F2 lapel mic that can be clipped on to your shirt, if you are uncomfortable talking into a bulky microphone in front of you.For my Digital Audio Workstations I use a mix of Hindenburg Pro and Ableton depending on the need, and I also have the RX11 audio clean-up package to remove any unwanted hum or buzzing noises for example.I will bring the necessary stands etc. as well as acoustic panels if there is too much reverb at the recording location.
"A life well told is a gift that lasts forever"
A Life Well Told
Cornelius Lundsgaard✆ (+1) 778 585 7788
✉ [email protected]Services available on Hornby Island,
Denman Island and the Comox Valley
Thank you for your interest!
I will get back to you as soon as possible and I look forward to discussing your story ideas and tailor-make a solution to capture your unique and interesting life story.All the best,
Cornelius
