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 * __Cary__** **__Academy__** **__Oral History Project: Telling Their Stories – East__**

A Cary Academy Oral History Project in collaboration with the Urban School of San Francisco


 * I. Overview**

The genesis of this course is the Award-winning Telling Their Stories (TTS) project at the Urban School of San Francisco (USSF). After working with Howard Levin at USSF in the summer of 2006, the concept for a similar program at Cary Academy was developed. It is the hope of the Cary Academy Oral History Project (OHP) that CA and USSF will continue to collaborate on this project, and that the themes of our respective projects will compliment and augment the efforts of both.
 * Credits:**

The TTS OHP is a project-based elective course, which will focus on 20th century, elderly-based and/or trauma-based oral history interviews. The goal is to create historically significant oral history that will contribute to the larger body of the world’s historical knowledge. Interviews will be archived in a high-quality digital video format, as well as compressed for web-based public presentation and access.
 * Basic course description and objectives:**

The goal of the OHP is to engage students as active participants in what Howard Levin refers to as “Authentic Doing.” The students will not be simulating, they will actually be doing something meaningful. This is not “practice” for doing real historical research later in life, but is the direct engagement in historical research of real importance. The audience is broader than the teacher and students of the course; the audience is the global community. Scholars and non-academics all over the world will be able to benefit from the project as the work contributes to building a broader body of historical knowledge for all. The students will make a real contribution to historical research.
 * “Authentic Doing:”**

Weeks 1-2 – Course Intro / Identification of Subject / Practice Interviewing Week 3 – Pre-Interviews Weeks 4-5 – Content Learning / Research Weeks 6-7 – Interviews / Begin Editing Weeks 8-12 – Post Interview Production / Transcription / Movie Clips / Cleaning / Final Editing
 * II. Basic course framework:**


 * Assignment/Schedule details:**

Week 1 11/26 - Course Intro 11/27 - Develop prospective interview list 11/29 - View sample USSF interview; discuss prospective interviewees 11/30 - Select top interviewee choices; plan initial contact/confirmations

Week 2 12/3 - Assess interviewee confirmation status; select groups based on interviewee 12/4 - Group work on roles/logistics - plan interview strategy and tentative schedules 12/6 - Practice equipment set-up and conduct practice interviews 12/7 - View USSF www.tellingstories.

Week 3 12/10 - Status update on contacts and pre-interview dates; begin general background research 12/11 - General background research / pre-interviews Each person should find and distribute to me and their group: one scholarly journal article relating to general WWII topics to give background perspective on the historical context that your interview will be considering. 12/13 - Practice equipment set-up and conduct practice interviews 12/14 - Assess pre-interview status / Assess interview dates, confirmations

Week 4 12/17 - historical research 12/18 - historical research 12/20 - historical research 12/21 - 1/2-day; TBA

-- Holiday Break --

Week 5 1/3 - interview prep 1/4 - interview prep

1/5 - Interview #1

Week 6 1/7 - Group 1 moves to journaling, capture & production 1/8 - Groups 2 & 3 work on interview prep 1/10 - interview prep / capture 1/11 - interview prep / capture

1/12 - Interviews 2 & 3

Week 7 1/14 - journaling / capture / compression / export 1/15 - capture / transcription 1/17 - capture / transcription 1/18 - capture / compression / export / transcription

Week 8 1/22 -compression / export / transcription 1/24 - raw transcription 1/25 - raw transcription

Week 9 1/28 - raw transcription 1/29 - raw transcription 1/31 - transcription cleaninig 2/1 - transcription cleaning

Week 10 2/5 - complete transcription cleaning / final transcript editing 2/7 - begin webpage creation 2/8 - begin linking transcript to .WMV file segments

Week 11 2/11 - transcript linking 2/12 - transcript linking 2/14 - transcript linking 2/15 - transcript linking

Week 12 2/18 - transcript linking 2/19 - transcript linking 2/20 - complete transcript linking / final wrap-up 2/21 - final wrap-up / tie up all loose ends 2/22 - Last Day of Classes - Project Due


 * Creation of Student Interview Teams:** The OHP is designed for 12-15 students max., with students working 3-4 teams of 3-4 students each.


 * Identification of Subject**: Student teams will begin the course by thinking about topics and finding interviewees. Approximately 50% of interviewees will be found through personal connections; others may be found through organizations and programs. As you identify your subject, keep the following in mind: What is your criteria and procedure for identifying good interviewees? //Is there a story?// //Will the subject be able to relate to student interviewers?//


 * III. Pre-interview / Phone interview / Lunch interview:** Background research will be done prior to the initial pre-interview. Then again, after the pre-interview, additional research will be done based on the pre-interview. This research will be better targeted to the individual interviewee. Decision to make: //will your pre-interview be done as a phone interview or a lunch interview?// Teams will need to make decisions and iron out logistics.


 * IV. Interview Technique and Practice**: see Assessments section below.


 * Structure, Strategy, & Style:**


 * Pulling the Story Out**: The interviewers should try to “pull the story out,” not just ask questions and wait for responses. Good follow-up questioning skills are important. For example, “tell me more about...” and “what was that like?...” Allow your follow-up questions to flow naturally and conversationally. A good interview should be as conversational as possible, while still keeping the interview on target and generally moving forward chronologically.


 * Interviewer Style:** How will you interact with the interviewee? Interviewer should pay attention to: affect, eye contact, and body language. How will you deal with tough/emotional topics/questions? How will you deal with the possibility that the interviewee may start crying during the interview if difficult or emotional topics are being remembered? Tip: In terms of “crying policy,” it is recommended that, however you deal with these moments, you do not turn the camera off at any time during the interview, as irreplaceable moments can be missed that cannot be recreated.


 * Jogging Memory**: What kind of first question(s) will be most effective in starting the interview off well and getting the interviewee warmed-up and ready? For example, “tell me about your first memory…etc.,” i.e., something to get the interview started and the interviewee comfortable talking. Later in the interview, do you want to use things such as photo albums or diaries to spur memory / ask for commentary / serve as location reminders. The use of “artifacts” may be useful. You may want to ask the subject to provide some documents, photos, or other artifacts to talk about. (See USSF Carl Lyon interview in the Liberators section for an example of successful use of a badge as artifact.)


 * Timeline:** You will want to bring a Timeline to the interview as a basic framework / “context cheat-sheet” for your interview. While you may not wish to simply ask your questions in order, the interview should proceed in a generally chronological order. The timeline you bring should be the basic biographic/geographic timeline of their life story, as gleaned from your pre-interview and research, intermeshed with the history of the time. This timeline will be extremely useful to you as a framework as you move through the interview.


 * Deciding on Strategy / Team Strategy**: Do you have a clear goal for the interview? Who will ask the first question?, who will ask the last question?, what type of teamwork or flow will you use during the interview?, what are you trying to accomplish / what are the goals for your interview?, how will you direct the interviewee in particular directions / keep them “on task” with the subject at hand?, how will you deal with tangents?


 * Listening / Questioning:** In addition to good questioning skills, it is also important for the interviewers to know when it is time to listen and when it is time to ask questions. Sometimes the interviewee will need a moment or two to collect their thoughts before responding, or may enter into an extended pause during a response. The interviewers must make good decisions about when and when not to interrupt the interviewee’s responses or reflective pauses. Interrupting a response can ruin an extremely valuable insight and interrupting a pause during a response prematurely with another question can potentially lose golden responses from the interviewee that you might never know about. Key: use good judgment. Be willing to allow pauses/silence/time for thought, or allow the interviewee to expand and explain, but also try to consider when it might be a good time to ask another question or re-direct the interviewee in a particular direction. There is no perfect rule on how and when – the interviewers must constantly judge and make decisions about the right course of action during the interview.


 * Wrapping Up:** As your interview comes to a close, have some closing questions in mind that can bring closure but also perhaps bring out new insights: “is there anything else you’d like to add?,” “do you have message for future generations that you would like to share?”, “why do you think participating in this project is important? / why did you decide to take part in this project?” Keep the tape running until you are actually breaking everything down – sometimes gems come after the actual interview is over, when the interviewee adds additional insights or memories informally and without prompting – don’t stop taping when the interview is “over,” let the tape roll until the last possible moment as you are packing up the equipment.


 * V. Implementation / The Interview:**


 * The Interview**: The “major,” videotaped interview will be a 1-3 hour interview either at the home of the interviewee or at Cary Academy in our studio. For on-site interviews at the interviewees home, set-up of the video equipment for the mobile capture will take about 15-45 min., depending on the speed and experience of the student team. It will be beneficial for each student team to have a fast set-up person. The teams’ mobile studio kits will shoot to video tape or capture directly to tablet at a quality of approximately 12GB/hr. Video capture will be to “Full DV” format, in other words, as an uncompressed .avi file.


 * Setting up the studio**: Whether you are shooting at the interviewee’s home or in Cary Academy’s studio, keep the following logistics in mind…


 * 1. Sitting set-up / Camera set-up:** Closeness – keep the interviewee as close as possible to the camera and the interviewer. Keep the camera so the interviewee is looking into open space when filming. Make sure that there are no mirrors or reflections that would allow the interviewee to see him/herself. Set lighting at a 45o angle from the side to create a subtle shadow and position a secondary light or reflecting board on the opposite side. You want a relatively high (wide) aperture setting – 2 or 3; the wider the setting the smaller the depth of field. This adds light and drops out the background. The wide aperture setting should work unless there are light issues in the filming area. Use a tripod w/ head that can pan; use fluid head panning w/tension. Use a tripod camera with a level, and be sure to open the tripod legs before extending neck. Use Velcro loops and/or gaffer tape to hold cords in place/out of the way. Use a black background – black felt works well. The interviewee should be as far from the background as possible and as close to the camera and interviewers as possible, which facilitates intimacy of conversation. The camera lens should be set up at or higher than the interviewee’s eyes. Don’t use auto-focus, camera person should use manual focus instead: zoom all of the way in on the subject, focus on the eyes, and then pull back. Generally, you want to keep the zoom as close as possible because the web image will be so small – you want the face to fill as much of the screen as possible when shooting. (You should, however, feel free to make some camera transitions during shooting – shifting and zooming during questions, such as zooming in on high emotion.) Be sure to set the zoom on slowest zoom possible. Don’t waste space at the top of the visual field – position the top of the head at the top of the screen, even cutting off a small part of the top of the head is o.k. The subject’s eyes should be about 1/3 of the way down the screen.


 * 2. Audio Set-up:** Clip the mic to the camera during set-up to avoid tripping on cord. You will be using an XLR-S mic cord – keep the connection tight with tape if necessary. Don’t use automatic audio leveling – check and set audio recording level manually. In setting mic attenuation, you want to bring in the audio at a lower level and boost it later (approx. 60%) in the Cleaner phase. Place the mic high and center and away from where the interviewee is likely to mess with it; try to keep them from inadvertently messing with the microphone cord.


 * 3. Noise issues:** check site ahead of time to minimize noise issues – make sure doors are shut, post signs if needed to avoid interruptions, make sure dogs barking, lawnmowers, phones ringing, clock alarms, etc., will not be issues.


 * 4. Checklist:** Have a well-practiced and efficient testing routine. Have a checklist for sound, light, etc., so that you don’t overlook any equipment needs during set-up.


 * 5. Ground Rules:** “No family members present during the interview.” Having family members present can create subtle peer pressure that limits the interviewee’s candidness and may even result in family members correcting each other during the interview. Make sure ground rules are known to the interviewee well in advance and that they are followed during the interview.


 * 6. Interviewee Familiarity and Comfort:** It is a good idea to show the interviewee a picture of the set-up ahead of time in order to increase familiarity and comfort with the surroundings and procedures of the interview. The more comfortable the interviewee feels, the better the interview is likely to be.


 * VI. Implementation / Post Interview Production:**


 * 1. Video Capture and Archiving:** Goals include initial capture to a dedicated laptop for this purpose, and then later a transfer to 500GB HD archive. After capture in uncompressed .avi for archiving purposes, video files will be compressed and distribute among team members for the cleaning and transcription process. The 12GB/hr archival quality video files will be duplicated and compressed to 180mb/hr for web purposes.

Digital Capture Strategies:
 * 1) **Shoot to tape and capture later.** If shot in full uncompressed .avi to digital video tape, the capture transfer time will equal the actual length of the interview. For this reason it might be desirable, if the technology is available, to bypass video tape and shooting/capturing direct to tablet computer. //Problem is reliability and potential crashes at critical moments during shooting.//
 * 2) Shoot to tape capture to another device simultaneously
 * 3) Shoot and capture direct to tablet HD
 * 4) Shoot and capture direct to HD
 * 5) Shoot and capture direct to WMV - not recommended, due to lack of archival quality files to preserve.
 * 6) Shoot and capture direct to DVD - not recommended, due to some proprietary limitations of DVD and camera formats.
 * 7) In the future, shooting and capturing direct to memory will be possible.
 * 8) Shoot and capture direct to a mobile HD-computer – FireStore.
 * 9) Mac users – shoot and capture direct to QuickTime / computer compressed QuickTime.


 * Types of cables used for capture:** **1)** USB 2.0, **2)** 6-6 firewire, **3)** 6-4 firewire, **4)** 4-4 firewire.

How to White Balance the Camera: 1.) Make sure it is on manual focus (by the lens) 2.) Ensure it is on the middle dash (below the screen fold) 3.) Press white balance (WHT BAL by the battery) 4.) On the screen check to make sure it is the see saw (if it is not on the seesaw use the dial to move it to the seesaw) 5.) Focus on white sheet 6.) Press and hold the dial until the see saw stops blinking.


 * Cary** **Academy** **Video Capture with Adobe Premiere:** once video is recorded onto tape during the interview, it must be transferred onto a computer in order to work with it; this is called video “capture.” Video capture must be done using one of the school’s special “capture cameras.” We are investigating the possibility of capturing directly to the tablets during the filming of the interview, but, at present, recording to tape appears to be the most stable and reliable method.


 * 1) log into media lab computer with username: mmstudent, password:mediastu
 * 2) Put tape in the capture camera.
 * 3) Open Adobe Premiere or Premiere Elements.
 * 4) Select “new project.”
 * 5) Save to local drive - E: projects.
 * 6) Connect the DV cord from capture camera to computer.
 * 7) play/edit.(make sure camera on VCR mode)
 * 8) Select “cancel” when the dialog box appears.
 * 9) Using the File menu, select “file” -> “capture.”
 * 10) Click the “play / record” button to capture the video.
 * 11) Click “stop” when you have captured the desired segment of video.


 * 2. Compression:** the “Cleaner” software will address video/sound compression. The Cleaner will compress raw digital video .AVI files and convert them into .WVM or other compressed file formats. We will be using Adobe Premiere and/or Premiere Elements; (Autodesk Cleaner and Sorenson Squeeze are other commercially available products).

Interview video files will be compressed for web purposes. The compression for the web will be a minimum of 10 FPS minimum, with a recommendation of 12-15 FPS. Size will be 320x240. For frame of reference, an analog movie = 30FPS; 15 FPS @ 320x240 as a compressed .WMV file is appropriate for a CD-R. For web presentation, we will be limited to about 1-4 MB total, or users may experience poor performance while viewing. Recommendation is to aim for about 1-2 MB total, in other words, give up some size and quality of video (not much quality will be lost on the audio side). We will not need to use web streaming because we will be using small files that don’t require streaming to work well. Additional advantages of the smaller files we will be working with are that they are more protected and there is no wait on the other end for the viewer.

-- Read all of the following parts of the course syllabus on the course web page BEFORE you proceed with your transcription: Transcription, Raw Transcription, Transcription Cleaning, Note Clarification, Style Guide, Transcription Final Cleaning Steps, and Transcription “Super-Cleaning” Final Steps. It is important that you see the whole game plan before you commence because it will allow you to be more efficient and productive in the work you are doing, make fewer mistakes, and save you time in the long run by not requiring you to do work over again that wasn’t done right the first time.
 * 3. Transcription**: READ ALL TRANSCRIPTION-RELATED INSCTUCTIONS BEFORE BEGINNING THE PROCESS
 * --** Make logical paragraph breaks as often as possible where it is appropriate, with the goal being to break the entire transcript down into logical sections of 2-3 minutes each. These might be broken up logically by question & response, or by topics and sub-topics within a long response. While some sections might exceed 3 minutes, make every effort to keep them less than 5 minutes.
 * --** Note exact time code from the .WMV file as you go along for every section of the transcript. That is, the exact beginning and ending time code for each 2-3 minute section of transcript. Write this into your transcript as a note as you go along. This will save you a ton of time in the long run. You will use these timecodes to link the sections of the transcript to the corresponding sections of the video file when the final web version is up and running. Writing down the timecodes now will save you from having to listen to the entire file over again, cutting down significantly your overall work time.

> > **Main Window** > F1 Display Help > F2 Play Slow Speed > F3 Play Fast Speed > F4 Stop > F7 Rewind > F8 Fast Forward > F9 PlayF10 Play Real Speed > F11 Play Slow Speed > Ctrl+F11 Play Slow Pausing > F12 Play Fast Speed > Ctrl+Home Go to start > CtrlEnd Go to End > Ctrl+Del Delete File > Ctrl+A Copy All (Typing Pad) > Ctrl+B Set Bookmark > Ctrl+C Copy (Typing Pad) > Ctrl+D Dispatch File > Ctrl+G Go to Bookmark > Ctrl+H Attach a file > Ctrl+L Load File > Ctrl+Shift+L Load and Delete File > > Ctrl+N Done > Ctrl+O Recover File > Ctrl+T Insert Audio Time > Ctrl+V Paste (Typing Pad) > Ctrl+W Open Word Processor > Ctrl+X Cut from Typing Pad > Alt+F4 Exit Express Scribe > NumPad 0 Play (Current Speed) > NumPad. Stop > NumPad 1 Go to End > NumPad 2 Select next recording > NumPad 4 Rewind > NumPad 5 Stop > NumPad 6 Fast Forward > NumPad 7 Go to Start > NumPad 8 Select previous recording > > Default System-Wide Hot Keys > (can be changed using Settings / Control) > > F2 Play Slow Speed > F3 Play Fast Speed > F4 Stop > F5 Open Express Scribe > F6 Minimize Express Scribe > F7 Rewind > F8 Fast Forward > F9 PlayF10 Play Real Speed > F11 Play Slow Speed > F12 Play Fast Speed
 * Using Express Scribe Transcription Software:** The transcription process will use Express Scribe transcription software. Express Scribe is a free “listen & type” software that student team members will download and install from [|www.download.com] (Cnet). The interviewers will not be miced and the interviewer’s questions will not be linked or be audible. Transcribers will be able to hear the questions at a low volume level because they are picked up on the interviewees mic. Interviewers’ questions //will be// edited because they are not always clearly asked. Interviewee responses //will not// be edited, except as noted by the Style Guide during the Cleaning and Correcting phase.
 * 1) Open Express Scribe.
 * 2) Load the audio file you want to work on by going to: File -> Load Dictation Files, or Click the “Load” button.
 * 3) Click to highlight desired audio file.
 * 4) Click Play to begin listening and transcribing. (Note: You can type the transcript directly into Word or type in text box at bottom of screen and copy to Word later.)
 * 5) Use the horizontal scroll bar above the audio control buttons to select the time point on the audio file at which you want to begin.
 * 6) Use the small horizontal “Speed” scroll bar, next to the audio buttons and below the volume scroll bar, to adjust the speed of playback from 25%-225% of actual speed. Note: you will almost surely be slowing down the playback so that it will be easier for you to keep up with the playback while you type the transcript.
 * 7) To set the “step back” Rewind function, which you use if the playback gets ahead of your typing: Settings -> Playback Settings, and manually set the Rewind Step speed in milliseconds, i.e., if you want the step back to be 5 seconds every time you hit the rewind button, then enter 5000 in the Step (ms) box, and then click OK to save your settings.
 * 8) You can Rewind/Step Back by pressing the F7 button, by pressing the 4 key on the number keypad if you have one, or set a “Hot Key” of your own liking by going to Settings -> Pedal and Hot Keys.
 * 9) Below is a quick reference to Express Scribe keys and functions:

The goal is to capture as quickly as possible the words on tape. This generally moves very slowly for the first several minutes as you get used to the process, the person's voice and rhythm, and the tools you are using. Avoid multiple repeat listening to the same segment - you are not after perfection - mistakes will be caught during the next phase. Before you begin, first familiarize yourself with the [|**Style Guide**]. It is not critical that you follow this during the Raw Transcription Phase - but you will need to re-correct later to follow the [|**Style Guide**]. The key at this point is not to let all the rules of the Style Guide slow you down - but understanding the final format will help.
 * Raw Transcription**


 * 1) Listen and transcribe quickly using the software tool Listen & Type. Try to avoid having to replay audio/video sections.
 * 2) Use "Question:" to tag all interviewer questions and comments.
 * 3) Answers follow in next paragraph (double-spaced) - do not label answers - just begin typing responses.

__Example__ //Question: Describe when and where you born? I was born in a small village outside Hamburg, Germany in 1922.//


 * 1) Establish paragraph breaks at all obvious change of topics - force a break at all opportunities to avoid paragraphs that exceed normal writing. Quite often subjects will talk at great length in what appears to be a single sentence - but if you listen carefully, this will be filled with transitions. Take these as opportunities to create a paragraph break.

__Example__ //...the village was mostly Jewish, but after we moved to Hamburg we lived in an area that was filled with people from all walks of life because they came from..//

//...the village was mostly Jewish.//
 * Becomes this -**

//After we moved to Hamburg we lived in an area that was filled with people from all walks of life because they came from...//


 * 1) Put in parentheses (.....) all unintelligible names and terms, unknown spelling, etc. This our signal to make sure to revisit to clarify.


 * 4. “Cleaning” and Correcting:** Student teams will use the Style Guide to complete the cleaning and correcting process. After initial cleaning and correcting, each video/audio file will get a 2nd reading and listening from another team member.

The goals are to assure accuracy of the original transcription, to verify completeness, and to make the transcript more readable. You may discover gaps or overlaps in the transcription given the nature of this group project.
 * Transcription Cleaning**


 * 1) Run "Spell-Check" to quickly correct the most obvious typos and spelling errors.
 * 2) Listen and read transcription.
 * 3) Stop at each error and correct.
 * 4) Put in parentheses (.....) all questionable names and unintelligible terms - anything that needs double-checking later. Parentheses will ALL be either eliminated or corrected later. This includes questions to be asked of the subject later, such as spelling of questionable names or phrases.
 * 5) Record in parentheses (....) the TIME in "(minutes:seconds)" for every well-spaced question - this need not be exact - it just serves as a useful reference.

__Example__ //" (05:26) Question: And what happened next?"//


 * 1) Carefully follow the [|**Style Guide**]. It is now critical that you follow the [|**Style Guide.**]

The goal is to address, fix, and __eliminate all notes__. This will involve a combination of conducting further research for historical names and location spellings as well as contacting the interview subject for corrections.
 * Note Clarification**


 * 1) All spelling clarifications for historical names, events, and locations should be researched using library and/or Internet reference materials. __Do not__ ask interview subjects to clarify spelling on terms that you should be able to find using normal reference materials. In general, this applies to all geographic locations, names of historically documented events, and famous people.
 * 2) Record all questions that need to be clarified with the subject. Use the [|**Clarifying Questions**] sheet to record your questions. Contact the interview subject with your entire team's list of questions. This can be conducted via phone, email, or perhaps through another short follow-up visit. Your questions will likely include:
 * Names of relatives or non-historically documented individuals;
 * Location names that you have been unable to clarify in Step 1 above;
 * Non-English phrases (be sure to //italicize//).


 * Style Guide**

__Example__ //...the village was mostly Jewish, but after we moved to Hamburg we lived in an area that was filled with people from all walks of life because they came from…//
 * 1) Establish paragraph breaks at all obvious change of topics - force a break at all opportunities to avoid paragraphs that exceed normal writing. Quite often subjects will talk at great length in what appears to be a single sentence - but if you listen carefully, this will be filled with transitions. Take these as opportunities to create a paragraph break. Paragraphs should be no longer than approximately 2 minutes of speaking time (for both readability as well as technical needs to keep corresponding movie files short.

//...the village was mostly Jewish.//
 * Becomes this -**

//After we moved to Hamburg we lived in an area that was filled with people from all walks of life because they came from...//


 * 1) Surround with parentheses (.....) all questionable names and unintelligible terms, unknown spelling, or anything that needs double-checking or follow-up later. Parentheses will ALL be either eliminated or corrected later. This may include material to be asked of the subject at a later date, such as names.
 * 2) Surround with parentheses (.....) any notes that will eventually get eliminated - such as "(I'm not sure if this segment is in the correct order.)"
 * 3) Eliminate parentheses as they are fixed/clarified.
 * 4) Don't include action notes, such as "long pause," "takes a drink," "sobs lightly." Often oral history transcripts include this, however, since we are attaching the actual audio/video segments, this is unnecessary.
 * 5) Eliminate all irrelevant utterances (e.g., "uh," "er," "hmm," etc.) when they are spoken as verbalized //pauses in thought//. This usually includes words like "and," "so,""but," "well," and others, depending on the person's speech patterns. Speakers often insert these words during change of topic. This often is a prompt to begin a new paragraph.

__Example__ //...living in the apartment was very difficult for me especially, through my eyes, and, and, um, ah, after that time we were forced to move to another town...//

//...living in the apartment with was very difficult for me especially, through my eyes.//
 * Becomes this -**

//After that time we were forced to move to another town...//


 * 1) Italicize obvious non-English words (e.g. "Shabbat"). These will often also be put in parentheses (....) if you do not know the correct spelling.
 * 2) Capitalize formal names and locations - do not italicize.
 * 3) Spell out all numbers below 100 except dates and formal name.

__Example__ //"eleven years old," "fifteen years ago," "about 200 other people," "1946," "September 1, 1939," "3rd Infantry Division," "ninety-eight died," but "102 survived."//


 * 1) Use a dash " - " (space-dash-space) to separate what might normally be labeled with parentheses. (These will all be converted to "em" dashes "—" later)." Speaker often stop mid-sentence to fill in details that occur to them as they speak.

__Example__ //"And I still remember that various objects - torah scrolls, prayer books, prayer shawls and so on - were taken out of the synagogue and in a muddy field just right near the synagogue the vandals set fire to them.//


 * 1) Slang words common in vocal speech should be corrected so long as the corrections do not change the meaning or flow of the spoken words.

__Example__ //"Before we landed in Belgium, we were, I mean—my family may have been in Italy for all I know."//

//"Before we landed in Belgium, my family may have been in Italy for all I know."//
 * ...becomes...**


 * 1) Avoid correcting what would normally be considered improper written grammar if this is part of their normal speech. The style of this site is to rely on the accuracy of the spoken words available via the movies. When grammar is changed significantly, this begins to alter the match between written and spoken language. That said, please correct simple word tense or verb agreements that only alters the form of words.
 * 2) Often a speaker will stop and correct an immediate thought, making the original phrase meaningless. Go ahead and DELETE these short phrases prior to the correction. You are not changing their speech, you are simply eliminating a few words that they in essence strike from their speech.

Please report additional suggested style points as you work with the transcript.


 * Transcription Final Cleaning Steps**
 * __Summary__**:


 * 1) Listen and read transcription via the Internet
 * 2) Stop at each error and correct via the editable version on your computer
 * 3) Run SPELL-check within Expression and fix all errors
 * 4) Keep track of questions you have - ask when appropriate

Your primary task is to move slowly through the transcript and paired movies to make sure all accurately reflect the spoken words of the subjects. This will involve some correcting of spelling, some light research of names for accurate spelling, and noting errors and notes in parentheses (..) that you are not able to correct.

In most cases students should have already completed all the transcripts, have accurate start-stop time codes for each paragraph, and have linked each paragraph to the .WMV file to play upon clicking each text section. You will likely encounter a wide range of errors.

Before you begin, carefully review the **Style Guide** for the conventions we are using. We want transcripts to follow a fairly uniform style and this often involves a careful balance between transcribing natural speech and correcting for grammar. The **Style Guide** should answer many of these questions of judgment.

Don't create additional paragraph breaks. If a break is highly desired, include this on the transcript as a note in parentheses. Why? New paragraph breaks impact the movie segments.

Don't combine paragraphs. If reading flow would be significantly enhanced by eliminating an awkward break, then include this on the transcript as a note in parentheses. This also impacts the movie files.

Be sure to also proof the questions. You will notice that in most cases the questions are not part of the .wmv files since we edited this out for audio-quality. Since questions are not available via the .wmv files, we can easily alter words and sentences to make them more readable. Again, hesitate making too many changes - instead focus on the most blatant problems.

Technical problems to watch for and mark with a note in parentheses:
 * 1) .wmv does not open
 * 2) .wmv opens in wrong window
 * 3) wrong .wmv segment opens
 * 4) .wmv clip is too long
 * 5) transcript spans multiple questions and answers but does not highlight as one unit
 * 6) .wmv cuts out or extends too long


 * Transcription "Super-Cleaning" Final Editing**

Overview - You will be reading all the text in your assigned section and comparing the written transcript with each paired movie file, taking note of all corrections needed, and forwarding your list upon completion. Note that all text—in theory—has already been through at least two full rounds of review: student "cleaning" and corrections last May/June followed by a parent volunteer editor. Your task is to make the final "sweep" - finding any blatant errors that remain. Although we obviously want accurate information, avoid excessive editing.

Transcribing from conversational speech to writing is fraught with inexactitude. Follow the [|**Style Guide**], and err on the side of the judgment of the previous editor if a proposed change is questionable.

Step 1 - Read carefully the [|**Style Guide**] - you might want to print this out for easier reference. This attempts to layout the desired transcription styles. Again, the previous editor should have already addressed all these issues - but the guide will help clarify why certain text remains.

Step 2 - Access the assigned section of the site.

Step 3 - Read, and listen to all corresponding movies - checking for accuracy and any other technical problems. BE SURE to also READ the QUESTIONS. You will notice that in most cases the questions are not part of the movie files since we edited this out for audio-quality. Since questions are not available via the movies, we can easily alter words and sentences to make them more readable. Again, hesitate making too many changes - instead focus on the most blatant problems.

Step 4 - Keep track of all your notes and send these to me upon completion. For some, it might be easier to print out the sections and hand-write your corrections. For others, record them via note form - just be sure it is clear where on the transcript to look ("page 4, following the words....."). You simply need to reference a few words on either end of the correction — I can find the section using a "search" command - no need to write lengthy descriptions of the location. Either email or send in print of all your corrections.

Please let me know if you have any needs, questions, concerns, and especially suggestions - it is my pleasure to help make this process as smooth as possible.

And finally, thank you for your willingness to help. This whole project is a lengthy and complicated process - but in the end, you are helping to publish first-hand accounts to a world-wide audience. Hundreds of people will eventually see this work so the meaning extends far beyond the service it provides to Cary Academy students.

Happy editing!


 * Using Express Scribe Transcription Software:**


 * 1) Open Express Scribe.
 * 2) Load the audio file you want to work on by going to: File -> Load Dictation Files, or Click the “Load” button.
 * 3) Click to highlight desired audio file.
 * 4) Click Play to begin listening and transcribing. (Note: You can type the transcript directly into Word or type in text box at bottom of screen and copy to Word later.)
 * 5) Use the horizontal scroll bar above the audio control buttons to select the time point on the audio file at which you want to begin.
 * 6) Use the small horizontal “Speed” scroll bar, next to the audio buttons and below the volume scroll bar, to adjust the speed of playback from 25%-225% of actual speed. Note: you will almost surely be slowing down the playback so that it will be easier for you to keep up with the playback while you type the transcript.
 * 7) To set the “step back” Rewind function, which you use if the playback gets ahead of your typing: Settings -> Playback Settings, and manually set the Rewind Step speed in milliseconds, i.e., if you want the step back to be 5 seconds every time you hit the rewind button, then enter 5000 in the Step (ms) box, and then click OK to save your settings.
 * 8) You can Rewind/Step Back by pressing the F7 button, by pressing the 4 key on the number keypad if you have one, or set a “Hot Key” of your own liking by going to Settings -> Pedal and Hot Keys.
 * 9) Below is a quick reference to Express Scribe keys and functions:

F1 Display Help F2 Play Slow Speed F3 Play Fast Speed F4 Stop F7 Rewind F8 Fast Forward F9 PlayF10 Play Real Speed F11 Play Slow Speed Ctrl+F11 Play Slow Pausing F12 Play Fast Speed Ctrl+Home Go to start CtrlEnd Go to End Ctrl+Del Delete File Ctrl+A Copy All (Typing Pad) Ctrl+B Set Bookmark Ctrl+C Copy (Typing Pad) Ctrl+D Dispatch File Ctrl+G Go to Bookmark Ctrl+H Attach a file Ctrl+L Load File Ctrl+Shift+L Load and Delete File
 * Main Window**

Ctrl+N Done Ctrl+O Recover File Ctrl+T Insert Audio Time Ctrl+V Paste (Typing Pad) Ctrl+W Open Word Processor Ctrl+X Cut from Typing Pad Alt+F4 Exit Express Scribe NumPad 0 Play (Current Speed) NumPad. Stop NumPad 1 Go to End NumPad 2 Select next recording NumPad 4 Rewind NumPad 5 Stop NumPad 6 Fast Forward NumPad 7 Go to Start NumPad 8 Select previous recording

Default System-Wide Hot Keys (can be changed using Settings / Control)

F2 Play Slow Speed F3 Play Fast Speed F4 Stop F5 Open Express Scribe F6 Minimize Express Scribe F7 Rewind F8 Fast Forward F9 PlayF10 Play Real Speed F11 Play Slow Speed F12 Play Fast Speed


 * 5. Web presentation layout / format:**

Intro Page: The Intro Page of the web presentation will include the interviewers and interviewee’s names, date, location, a brief bio of the interviewee, and a brief description of the interview topic. This Intro page/information will be short and objective (no analysis).

Transcript: The transcript will be displayed on the left of the screen and will be linked to the web video using a hover-over mouse effect, with one-click to start the video clip.

Video: The video box will be displayed at the top right of the screen. The 1-2 hour long interview video will be divided into about 100 smaller clips of 1-2 minutes in length. The web viewer will be able to read transcript, watch the video, and listen to the audio: read, watch, listen.


 * 6. How to access/open the site for editing:** In Microsoft Web Expressions, open site. Go to the I: drive, click on “Curriculum” then “ohp” . Don’t click on any specific folders, just click “open” to access the site. Then drop down the “oral history project” folder to edit pages.


 * 7. Transcript-Video Linking**: Microsoft Expression will be used for web editing. The interview transcript and video file will be divided into about 100 clips of approximately 1-2 minutes each, corresponding to the Question and Answers of the interview transcript, or the Topics/Subtopics into which you have divided your interview transcript if your interviewee spoke in length without the interjection of your questions. The linking process will link the transcript text to the corresponding segments of the .WMV audio/video files for web viewing. You will need to put the .wmv file(s) in the I:\streaming\projects\ohp folder and all of your web files (.html and .asx) in the i:\curriculum\ohp folder. The .html file will set up your overall webpage. The .asx files are the small individual files that access specific segments of you r .wmv files. You will need to bulk copy/produce 100 or so .asx files from the template (below), and then type in the specific "start time" and "duration" for each segment that will be accessed individually from the transcript.

There are four steps to making the web site that will allow users to select a question and have the portion of the video play that answers the question. The video files themselves will be located at I:\streaming\projects\ohp, while the .html and .asx files will be located at i:\curriculum\ohp.
 * 1) Put the .wmv file or files onto the broadcast server at the following location: I:\streaming\projects\ohp
 * 2) Make an .html file containing the questions and some code that plays the video.
 * 3) For each question make an .asx file that tells where the time-code is in the video for that question.
 * 4) If you want for a title to show in the video window when the web page opens, make the title in Photoshop, save it as a jpg, and put it in the same folder as the .html file.

For this example we are using a video that contains 6 questions. To see it for real, go to this [|link]. The way all this works is that there is one or more very large video files (.wmv files). When a user clicks on a question, an .asx file (called a playlist) tells the video where to play to answer the question. Each .asx file has a name like jasonstone1.asx, where jasonstone is the name of the interviewee and the number 'connects' the question with the place in the video to be played. The template code below are copies of the actual files that you will make. There will be one .htm file and a separate .asx file for each question. You should copy the template files to the web site where your project is and change them as explained below.
 * Example / Details:**


 * Details of the central HTML file / template for modification and use:**



 function StartPlaylist(listnumber) { Video.URL='JasonStone' + listnumber + '.asx'; var title = document.getElementById('videotitle'); title.innerHTML = 'Question ' + listnumber; } 

//Test for the player current state, display 'Clips' when the player stops. var title = document.getElementById('videotitle'); if(NewState == 10) { title.innerHTML = "Clips"; }// else title.innerHTML = "State=" + NewState;

Questions:

1. What did you do in the war?

2. Did you shoot the bad guys?

3. Who would have guessed the Spanish Inquisition?

4. DeInterlace Test

5. Show us your gun.

6. Quistidore ipsum sipsum con?

Clips

       


 * Details of the .ASX file template** for the specific segments of the .WMV file that will be accessed when specific parts of the transcript are clicked, i.e., using this template, Save As and create individual files for each of the 100 or so Q&A or Topic/Subtopic paragraphs in your transcript, inserting in each .asx file the specific start-stop time code positions (start time / duration) for that particular video segment.

 Interview Jason Stone  Question 1</TITLE> <starttime value="00:01:04" /> <duration value="00:00:10" /> </ENTRY> </ASX> <span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125)">
 * 8. Final Production / Collection of Digital Materials:** After all phases of production, student teams will return all of the following completed files for assembly and public posting: all .mov, .html, and .transcript files used for the creation of the project.


 * 9. Archiving:** We will be retaining full uncompressed DV at an approximate quality of 12 GB/hr for archival purposes. If we shoot direct to full uncompressed digital video or capture direct to tablet, we need to transfer to a separate dedicated HD so that it is stored in both places; important archival data should not be deleted from the dedicated hard drives, but transferred to new drives if necessary. Cost of archiving will vary over time. We will be archiving high-quality uncompressed digital video at a quality of approx. 7MB/sec or 12GB/hr. HD’s currently range around $.50/GB. At a rate of 12GB/hr., a 500GB HD will hold 40 hrs. of video. Software may be desired for cataloging drives. A CD= ¾ GB, or about 6 min. of video; a DVD = 2-4 GB, or about 20 min. of video.


 * 9. Long-term Goals and Year-to-Year Project Timelines:** The collecting, correcting, publishing process from start to the final product will, in a mature program, be completed about 1 year after interview: this would include two rounds of listen and review by parent volunteers for final proofing and correction. (In the future, there is the potential for parent volunteers to correct and edit transcripts during the 3rd Trimester.) A secure internal site would be used to facilitate this final 2nd review. In addition to the compressed video available on the web, “Full DV” uncompressed .avi video archives would be maintained.


 * VII. OHP methods of assessment may include the following, as applicable:**


 * 1) Assessments on history lectures / guest speakers: tests, etc.
 * 2) Journals
 * 3) Wiki participation and contributions
 * 4) Student presentations
 * 5) Research papers
 * 6) Class participation
 * 7) Role play practice interviews / modeling / active listening skills
 * 8) Non-role play practice interviews / modeling / active listening skills
 * 9) Quality of transcription
 * 10) Homework, misc.
 * 11) Peer evaluations
 * 12) Progress chart
 * 13) Website/class/project management – quality of finished product.
 * 14) Notes / brainstorm ideas from class
 * 15) Other?

5% – Introductory stats - name, age, background, interests. 25% – Build a history/background of personal steps leading to interest in oral history and/or interviewing. 65% – Implementation ideas for this course. 5% – Conclusion - what do you hope to be able to get out of this class?
 * Sample Practice Interview (non-role play):** (time duration variable based on needs)

Mirror actual interview format; student takes historical persona.
 * Sample Practice Interview (role play):** (time duration variable based on needs)