Everyone knows the influence of a voice, a laugh, a cheer. It can trigger the memory of a special time almost as much as a beautiful image of that perfect football pass.

Listen closely to the natural sound in the old videos you have dug up. It's a fact that folks will sit through poor images if the audio is good. Those gurgles of the baby or the pony whinnying in the pasture can swell hearts to brimming. Effects as simple as birds in the woods as the family shares a picnic at Gettysburg can bring the past alive.

If you shoot new material, monitor your incoming audio track with headphones. Undistorted barks of the dog and revs of the motorcycle have particular meaning - don't let them become unuseable. Never forget the importance of choosing the best soundtrack. Pick the music recital that brings chills to the ears, not the one with the bothersome audience noise.

The motto, picture without sound is merely surveillance, has great truth in it.

Now place your selected photos in folders, and an amazing phenomenon starts to happen. As your topics fill out, invariably you'll come upon stunning images that don't fit with the rest. Put these aside for later use - they are the threads that you will use to overarch the show.

You'll find that your unusual photos will come in handy, simply because they are so different. Your viewers will love the break from the expected. These can also be turned into title backgrounds or used in mini-breaks between sections.

Narration can be tricky and should be included only when information is vital for understanding what's not evident on the screen. A well-placed title can explain a great deal and is usually less invasive. Always avoid recording your own voice while filming live action.

Interviews should be well lit, kept to the point and supported by cutaways of things important to the interview setting, so you can edit rambling sentences. Shoot grandma's hands, her wedding ring on her finger, a photo sitting on the table nearby.

You may consider putting your camera to use in a special way: to grab the comments of camera-shy folks by being the proverbial "fly on the wall." Nestle the camera under your arm as a relative explains her beloved passion, and stay wide. Remember it's best to move only when your subject does, in order to avoid distracting the viewer with zooms.

Your gathered photographs and home movies can also inspire an interview. Bring your timid subjects to your studio, turn down the audio if it's a video memory and have the camera mounted close to them. Let them know you're rolling tape, but explain it's just for video notes, and keep your voice out of the soundtrack.

Recording grandpa's funny tales, told in his own words, is well worth the effort, if you want your project to be in a league of its own.

With your historical images located and your special interviews recorded, breathe a sigh of relief; a lot of the work is behind you! Everything you've done will dictate your next step, should you choose to take it: shooting new footage.

The impact of adding new footage can't be underestimated. Your movie will have more longevity, you will have more editorial choices and there will be visual "ground wires" between the present and the past. Years from now, the "new stuff" will be as precious as the old.

Start by capturing locations that are subject to change, such as house exteriors, streets, even the car. Cut between the family's contemporary lifestyle and the old times. Grab that shot of the calendar at this year's holiday meal and make it part of the video time capsule for future generations to discover.