How to record your story

We’re collecting stories from those living, working or being in Thamesmead to be stitched onto our sculptural balloon!

There are 2 ways to get involved and you can do either of these or both.

  1. Record your story as either as video, text, image or audio recording and upload to this site.
  2. Respond to a story of your choice via stitching, drawing or collaging and upload to this site.

Record with your phone or camera in LANDSCAPE MODE.  Don’t worry about the length, but in general about 3 to 5 minutes will be fine. You can set the video to 4K or HD but bear in mind that the maximum file size is 512MB.

Story content should include:

Please tell a story which illustrates an experience that is significant to you. We are particularly interested in locations around Thamesmead which hold memories for you. The story does not need to be unusual – it can be a very ‘every day’ story but will illustrate your life in the place that you live.  If you prefer, it can be a shared conversation between you and a family member or friend.

If you need any prompts then try these:

  • What is your connection to Thamesmead?
  • Tell us about a significant moment in your life.
  • Is there a specific place that is special to you in Thamesmead? Tell us why.
  • Share a funny family story that happened to you.
  • Do you have any photographs, objects or visual aids relevant to your story that you could share with us? Let us know as these could be very useful to the project. 

How to record your story on your phone or computer:

We’re not looking for oscar winning performances or Cannes Film Festival submissions here… It’s fine to use your mobile phone, Zoom or other Video conferencing App to film your story. Have a look at the demos below….

Here is an example of how to record your story on your own to give an overview of who you are (this film was simply made using a phone camera and without any editing):

Here are some top tips:

  • Consider the position of the phone and your background
  • Make sure your face is well lit
  • Check that there is no ambient noise interfering with your voice
  • Consider being at a location  which is related to your story
  • Play with the camera angle to frame what you want people to see
  • Is it a single shot to camera or wider shot of two people?

Here is another example of how to record your story with a friend and using objects to recall memories (this film was simply made using a phone camera and without any editing):

For those with a laptop or desktop computer and access to the internet there is the option of recording your story using a video conferencing programme. Here we show how to do that with the ‘Zoom’ application.

What happens to my story?

After a short review, each story will be uploaded to our project web site and be available for yourself or someone else to interpret in stitch. This will then be photographed and reproduced as a digital print on the final sculptural balloon and flown above Thamesmead as an exhibition with all the other stories.

Details of flights, events and project progress are available here.