10 things (apart from photos) to include in a video memorial

When a loved one passes, many people decide to create a video memorial to honor and remember them. (I have written about my first video memorial in an earlier blog: January 2009.) Time is usually short, and often the best that can be done is to gather the available photos and have them put into an automatically generated slideshow using programs such as iMovie or even Powerpoint.

Special care should be taken in preparing the montage images and I have given hints about that previously: Fixing photographs.

I like to help people create truly memorable tributes to their loved ones which will be treasured for years to come. Today I am going to help you go beyond the simple image sequence.

Your Story Here has created a number of video memorials recently (and sadly). And the basis for each one is normally a series of personal pictures. But what else can you include apart from photographs? Well, the idea is to gather as much and as varied material as possible that helps convey and preserve the uniqueness of the subject.

Stories: A passing is often the occasion for families to reunite - sons and daughters fly in (sometimes from interstate or even overseas) and people's thoughts turn to the happy memories. Some people will be writing and presenting eulogies. We try to take advantage of these impromptu reunions and capture short recollections of the subject from family and friends; often informally before the event. Where we can't record the person directly, we record via webcam or just record audio over the telephone (Skype can help with this) and have it played over an image of the person telling the story.

Captions: You may know the time, place, people and occasion of the photos. If you do, include that as a caption. And always look on the back! There is often a description; and if it's in the person's handwriting, then make sure you scan that and have it included (possibly with a split screen).

Old video footage: In most cases there is video footage of the subject somewhere in the family. You just have to ask! Nothing brings a person back into our memories better than film - ideally with audio also.

Cards and letters: Grandparents - especially - accumulate cards and artwork from their grandchildren. I have never met a grandparent who has thrown away a single picture or letter from a grandchild! These can also be included in the video memorial to show how loved and honored the person was in life.

Poems and sayings: Death, for all its pain, is a prompt to ponder the big issues in life. And a collection of sentiments that the person lived by or that represent their beliefs and philosophies helps us to focus our thoughts. Sometimes a person was known for their sayings or homilies. These can be included as simple text screens or as text "crawls".

Voiceover: One member of the family is often designated to present an overview of the person's life at the service. That same person is often well placed to supply narration or voice over for the visual elements of the video memorial. Sometimes it's enough for the person to review the images and other visual material then say a few words about some of them.

Clippings and memorabilia: Some people have been featured in newspapers or magazines or have kept scrapbooks of high school or college athletic or arts achievements. Some people have trophies and awards, or collections.

Handwriting: I always try to include samples of the subject's handwriting. It may be from a photo description, an old (possibly last) shopping list, or it may be a letter written a long time ago or even recently. It may be a signature from a driver's license or passport.

A DVD box cover: Having put together a stunning video memorial, you should have it packaged so that it is immediately identifiable and records the significant milestones of the person's life. You can also include maps. Family and friends will likely want a copy to keep so it's worth making the project recognizable.

A web posting: Actually, this is the 11th thing. But with the vast choice of free online web hosting available, many people opt to post their video memorial so that it is available at any time and from any computer for any friend or family member.

This is a lot to think about, especially if time is short. But after a while, perhaps with the anniversary of a passing coming up, folks sometimes revisit the subject of the video memorial. With the additional time and thought, a fitting video tribute can be created with photos, and other important artifacts of the life.

Death is life's greatest challenge. But it is only in death that we come to appreciate the true gift and miracle of a life. We encourage people to use the burst of emotion and energy that accompanies these occasions to create a fitting tribute to their loved ones. Make your video memorial truly memorable.