Tips for Creating a Celebration of Life Tribute Video

If someone dear to you has recently passed away, and you would like to create a tribute video for their celebration of life gathering, we can provide you with a few helpful tips. Our memorial venue in Las Vegas has hosted many celebration of life services where tribute videos are showcased. Because of this, we are able to share our knowledge of the topic, in the hopes of setting you on the right path to creating a meaningful remembrance video that will lovingly represent the dearly departed.

Making a Touching After-Funeral Tribute Video

You want to make a wonderful tribute video that will honor your loved one, but where do you begin, and how do you put it all together? If you have never created a video of any sort, creating one for the first time during a difficult time such as this, can seem a bit overwhelming. Fortunately, we are here to guide you, and make things more simple for you through this post that provides the tips you need to complete the task at hand. By the time you are finished, you will have a beautiful tribute video.

Let’s get started so you can learn more about how to create your touching memorial video:

Involve Family Members & Close Friends

When creating your loved one’s tribute video, getting the support of those closest to you and the dearly departed, can make the process much easier. Additionally, it can help in the grieving process to work together on such a meaningful project that pertains to the one you are all missing.

Those who were close to the person who has passed away may contribute photographs, video clips, stories, and ideas. You may get information about the person who has passed away that you were unaware of. Or, they can provide you with the help that you may need in putting the video together.

Determine the Aspects of the Their Life that Should be Highlighted

Before creating your video, you, and those who you have enlisted the help of, should brainstorm what may be important to highlight. Capturing certain essential aspects of your loved one’s life can really create a piece that truly represents them as a whole.

Here are some ideas to think about before starting:

What were their most notable milestones?
Time periods or moments of their life where they were the happiest.
Proud moments worth recognizing.
Favorite memories with your loved one.
Funny and touching moments.
Important people in their lives.
Special interests or hobbies worth sharing.

Create a Timeline of Your Loved One’s Life

In order to create a well rounded dedication video, it’s best to write out a timeline. This way, a story will unfold, a full picture of their life – from start to finish. After you have settled on all the aspects of your loved one’s life, put them in chronological order to create your timeline, and use this to determine what order to put all the elements in.

Gather Media that Will be Placed in the Celebration of Life Video

After you have determined all the essentials that should be highlighted, and your timeline has been created, it’s time to gather the media. When it comes to the media you can incorporate into your celebration of life tribute video, there are many options to choose from. Here are a few that you may want to consider:

Photographs: You and your family may have old photographs that can be scanned, or digital photos for immediate use. You can also take pictures of memorabilia, and other items that were important to them.
Stock photography: If you feel something is missing from your tribute video, and maybe beautiful background images would make it more well-rounded, you can obtain them from stock photography sites such as Adobe Stock or iStock Photo. You can find images of crosses, doves, flowers, and the like.
Video Clips: Adding actual video footage to your tribute video can add life to your presentation. Seeing actual footage of the dearly departed can be a touching element.
Music: Adding music can take your celebration of life remembrance video to the next level. Music can evoke emotion, especially with a meaningful song, or a piece of music that meant a lot to the dearly departed. Be mindful that if your video will be uploaded to a website, including social media sites, you should not use copyrighted music. If this is the case, a stock site such as Shutter Stock, would be the best route to take for obtaining music.
Written Words: If imagery is not available for certain elements you wanted to highlight, you can write out what the milestone was, or the special moment you want to describe. Also, you may know of some poems or quotes that meant a lot to the person who has passed away.

Putting Your Memorial Video Together

Although it may sound like it would be impossible to be able to create your own memorial video, there are many software programs designed for those with no experience. If you would like to make the video yourself, you can look into the programs below to see if you may already have one of them, or would like to purchase one. If not, you can do a search online for additional video creation software.

Microsoft PowerPoint: You may have this program and not even know it. It’s typically included in Microsoft Suite. So, if you have Microsoft Word, which most people do, check your applications folder for PowerPoint. This program will let you build a presentation that can be saved as a self-playing video. It’s very easy to use and can incorporate all the media elements mentioned above.
iMovie: This video making program contains many features, so it’s not as simple as PowerPoint. But, it’s created for those who have no video experience, so it’s still a great option.

If you are not technically gifted, or don’t want to spend the time trying to put your video together, the best option would be to hire someone who creates memorial videos for a living. A professional video maker can take all your media, and your instructions, and make a touching, beautiful video for you.

No matter if you make your celebration of life video yourself, or have a professional create it for you, be sure to contact your celebration of life venue first to ask which format they can work with when displaying it on their equipment. Common formats include .mov, mp3, mp4, and others.

Lake Memorials in Las Vegas – Commonly Asked Questions

Lake Memorials holds celebration of life services in Las Vegas, and during these services, we have seen many tribute videos. Because of this, we are capable of answering many questions pertaining to the subject. Below we are sharing three of our most common questions regarding memorial service tribute videos:

1. Is it appropriate to send copies of a tribute video to those who can’t attend the memorial service?

It’s not only appropriate to send copies to those who were unable to attend, it’s a thoughtful gesture. Some family and friends will not be able to make the drive, for one reason or another. So, receiving a wonderful tribute video might just mean the world to them. You can do this in several ways.

You can create DVDs of the tribute video and send them out by mail.
Place the video on a platform such as Dropbox. It allows you to create a link that you can send to others. They will then be able to view the video directly on the website.
Upload the video to a memorial/obituary site where others can easily view it. Send this link by email to everyone you want to share it with.

2. How long should my memorial video be?

We recommend your celebration of life tribute video be around 3-7 minutes long. This is a typical time. However, there are no hard rules on this. If you want your remembrance video to be 20 minutes because your loved one had a full life that provided many wonderful things to share, then that is perfectly fine.

3. When and where do I display my video at a Celebration of Life Service?

Celebration of life venues will have a designated area for your memorial video presentation. It’s typically an open area where the view screen is placed, and it’s visible throughout the room. The time that the tribute video is shown can be up to the host. Some set aside a designated time, where everyone gathers around to specifically watch the video. Others prefer to let the memorial video play while the guests enjoy their meal. In addition to this, the video can be set on a loop that plays during most of the service.

Helpful After Funeral Memorial Service Resources

If you need additional advice on other aspects of preparing for a celebration of life service, and other things pertaining to the passing of a loved one, we have listed a few articles below that may be of interest to you:

Contact Lake Memorials if You Need Celebration of Life Services in Las Vegas

If you are in need of a memorial reception hall in the Las Vegas area for a celebration of life service, we are here for you. Lake Memorials is a full service remembrance venue located in the Desert Shores area of Summerlin, right on the shores of Lake Jacqueline in Nevada. We can provide you with a beautiful indoor or outdoor space where you and your family and friends can gather to honor your loved one. You can reach our after-funeral memorial service venue online, or simply give us a call at (702) 762-2812.

(702) 762-2812

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