Hello!
Intro:
My name is R.H. Vincent-Vince for short or Sarge as I was known, from my Air Force days. Married with three grown sons and 5 grandchildren. We live and play in the beautiful state of Idaho. Jack-my dad, whom passed away last year, was the inspiration and my partner.
Curiosity:
Dad and I had been fans, of a new documentary filmmaker, named Ken Burns. His Civil War epic, which aired on PBS in the 90's, was the impetus for our curiosity. His use of still photographs and archival prints-along with his masterful use of Pan & Zoom-aka the "Ken Burns Effect," sparked our imagination. "How did he do that?" We wondered.
How it all came together:
Webbuilding:
A construction accident and long rehabilitation several years ago, forced me to look for other types of work. I started a military website with the old Tripod Site Buildier, moved up to Bravenet, then learned a bit of html and Front Page.
Photo Editing:
I found some damaged postcards from my grandfather during WWI. Wanting to restore them for the miltiary website, I purchased some software and learned how to fix them up. That led to colorzing old B&W images as Christmas presents for friends and family. Overtime, I have continued to upgrade and learn new techniques.
Video Editing:
One day, my dad and were discussing the thousands of images we had stored on our hard drives. He had fifty plus years worth, mostly old, but a lot of digital which he had taken during his retirement years. Most of mine were old 35 mm-photos and slides. He had seen the results of my photo editing, and knew I had been looking into video editing, since we viewed the Kens Burns Civil War film.
Out of the blue, he informed me that we should get into the video editing business. After months of research, he purchased multimedia computers and software for the both of us. Neither one of us knew much about computers, let alone video editing. Our estimate of six months to get up to speed was inaccurate. It took considerable time, to learn the in's and outs of our new computers, and an equal amount of time to feel comfortable with the software. To make a long story short, we spent nearly two years experimenting and learning the ropes.
Over that period of time, we made many, many videos for friends & family. From my folks trips around the country, to mine of the grandkids. My greatest accomplishment at the time, was a video highlighting dads Scottish heritage.
Online:
Dad wanted to advertise in a local newspaper, I wanted to go online. Looking back, I should have taken his advice. It took me over six months to research and build the site. Just as I was about to publish it, dad grew ill. A few months later he passed away. Prior to that, I had made two memorial videos of family members. My greatest accomplishment however, was dads memorial video, which we played at his service.
How it has evolved:
I eventually published the site and ran it for a year. It quickly lanquished, due to a lot of factors. Last summer, a developer friend, contacted me. He wanted a marketing video of several of his projects. The length and complexity of the marketing videos got the juices flowing again. I also got back into making videos for our family and friends. The thought of giving life to dad's vision has once again prompted me to go public with our efforts.
The Name, Faded Memories Reborn:
We were trying to come up with a catchy name. Dad-a teller of old stories, often mentioned that his memory was fading fast. It wasn't the case then, but it clicked. Faded Memories! I went home and quickly wrote out different versions, such as; Faded Memories Re-knewed, Faded Memory Video, Faded Video Memories and other not so good titles. I reviewed them with my wife, whom rejected each and every one. Asking what we were trying to do, I stated that we wanted to breathe new life into old images.
"Reborn!" She blurted out. Faded Memories Reborn!