Videographer Josh Clement sent me his YouTube video “From 9 to 90,” which features an interview of his 90-year-young grandmother by his 9-year old daughter. I was so touched by the bond between them and their ease in front of the camera I’m sharing it.
Mary Brockway Dufort Bomyea, a lifelong resident of the Adirondacks in upstate New York, and her great-granddaughter Lennon Kathleen Clement discover how much fun it can be spending time together while revealing to the audience the positive impact of inter-generational learning. Josh hopes this video will inspire other families to keep the bonds alive between generations by getting to know each other better.
After watching this wonderful video, I wrote to Josh to ask him some questions.
How did you come up with the idea for the video? Why?
I feel it’s important that we stay in touch with our past. I once worked as an activities aide in a nursing home and was able to form special bonds with many of the elderly residents. They shared fascinating stories about their lives and I found the conversations to be captivating. This is also true of any chance I get to spend time with my Gram. The unfortunate thing about life is that we all get busy and often aren’t able to spend quality time with loved ones. I knew this documentary would be an opportunity for my daughter to spend time with Gram and encourage others to do the same.
Describe the process for making it.
I worked on the project on and off for about year. My job as Interactive Producer at Mountain Lake PBS has me involved in numerous things besides video production so the process was sometimes slow. Still, the project became a labor of love of which I devoted much of my own personal time.
What’s your background?
I grew up in the Adirondack Mountains of update NY where I still live today in the small town of Bloomingdale. I’ve been a construction worker, kitchen helper, bartender, bar owner, certified nursing and activities aide, direct support professional for people with special needs, college graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications (in that order.) I’m currently an Interactive Producer for Mountain Lake PBS in Plattsburgh, NY. I’ve also been playing guitar and singing with bands in the North Country region for 25+ years. I’ve written many songs and hope to write many more. I feel I’m growing as a songwriter and can’t wait to see where that process takes me. Music is a passion! In short I’m a husband, father of two, producer, videographer, editor, and diverse rock and roller with attitude! For me it’s all about remaining passionate; each new project pushing me forward both personally and professionally.
Both your grandma and daughter are so poised. How did you achieve that ease in front of the camera?
The subjects are my 9-year-old daughter Lennon Clement and my 90-year-old Grandmother Mary Dufort Bomyea. This allowed me to approach the piece in a relaxed manner. Although I wanted to do a story like this for many years, the time was perfect to examine a bond that existed right in front of me. I simply needed to get them in a room together and let the story tell itself. It was important for me to allow them to be as natural as possible. I think the best captured moments come when they aren’t contrived or overly produced. Perhaps this is more real than anything we see on reality TV. I like to think so.
What a perfect video! You can really tell how close they are! It really is important for grandchildren to keep in touch with their grandparents. Almost a million of grandchildren are in fact raised by their grandparents. It’s actually more common than you’d think but it’s good to see the close bond so elegantly done in this video.
Thank you for watching and sharing. We appreciate your kind words. It’s great to know that our little video is sending out this positive message. Cheers!
I didn’t watch the video yet, but when Danielle was about 9 or 10 we had her interview her 90 year old grandmother (Jon’s mother) on video. I recently watched it and it’s a treasure. I really should have Tali interview me. We also have one of my parents talking about how they met, etc. There is no substitute for having such priceless videos.,
I couldn’t agree more. I hope the video encourages others to capture their own memories. In the digital age videos like this could easily be passed to future generations. What a keepsake! Thanks for watching and sharing. Cheers!
Thank you Donne Davis and Ga Ga Sisterhood for watching and sharing! We’re very proud to know that our little video is making an impact in far off places. Cheers to all!