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How to Make a Good Memorial Video

Memorial videos are thoughtful ways to pay tribute to loved ones who have passed on. A memorial video can be meaningful in saying "farewell" to those you love. It’s a video that pays a fond tribute to a special person and illustrates the life of the person, as well as honors the person's memory. Its a perfect way to let people see another side of a person, through the stories the video tells. Importantly, creating a tribute video can be therapeutic in the process of grieving.

The Use of the Video

Primarily, think about how the video will be shared. How the memorial is going to be viewed decides the length of the video and its style. If you are sharing the video during a service, think of the following aspects:

  • Photographs and songs (some the person preferred) should be included
  • Approximately 80 photographs may be used
  • The video length should be around 6-10 minutes

In case your plan is to share the memorial video in the midst of the reception, have a longer video of about 15 minutes without music. It can play in a loop in the background, letting people view it in passing. You can include more photos too.

Choosing the Photographs

While selecting photographs for the bulk of your video, choose ones representing the person, as well as honoring them. Think of these aspects for your tribute:

  • Portray the person's interests, hobbies, etc.
  • Show the person's personality.
  • Illustrate the person's childhood - this will be a new side to the person for viewers.
  • Highlight special moments in a person's life, like holidays, births, weddings, birthdays, etc.

Selecting the Tools

Typically, memorial videos are slideshows since they include still photography. If you are creating a memorial video on a Mac, you can easily use iMovie, as this lets you produce your own transitions, titles and effects. Additionally, you can add your own audio clips and songs. Alternatively, create a video using Photos on any other Apple device, even a smartphone. If you're a user of a PC, you can use "Animoto". This is a user-friendly portal that has templates of animations with various backgrounds and effects. Show your photos as a transition from one to the next, possibly in chronological order, keeping each photo lingering for about 2 seconds. Selecting two songs, each of a 3-4-minute duration, works well for the music.

 

Thanks for reading,

Karen