The Dos And Don'ts Of Making A Video For A Funeral
Making a video for a funeral can be either a good idea or a bad one. It all depends on how much heart, effort, time, consideration, and meaning is invested in the video. If you want to create a video for a memorial service, consider these dos and don'ts before you start the project.
Do Get the Approval and Cooperation of the Family
A video should be used in the ceremony only if the immediate family members want one. As long as they want a video, you should also ask for their approval for the specific way you want to present the deceased and also request photos or home movie footage from the family to use in the video.
Don't Assume the Funeral Home Has Audiovisual Equipment
Most funeral homes are not equipped with audiovisual equipment. While a funeral home will want to support you in the planning of the funeral that best serves your loved ones, never assume that one will have the equipment you need to deliver a quality presentation of your video at the funeral.
Instead, research what you will need to show the video at the funeral. You may need to bring along a large laptop or desktop computer screen to show the video. Let the funeral director know about your plans, and you can work together to ensure the video is presented in a tasteful way to all the mourners who attend.
Do Use Music
Music can be a very powerful tool to make the quality of a video stand out and also pay tribute to the deceased. If you don't know the favorite songs of the person who passed away, call those who were close to the decease and find out. You may choose specific snippets of songs that convey how the person was or how the mourners now feel because of the loss.
Don't Include Humor
Unless the humor is naturally occurring as part of the home video footage you reveal in the video, don't even try to be funny with a video that's made for a funeral. While some people may appreciate it, most will not want to feel the awkward need to laugh out of politeness during such a tough time.
Do Make Copies for Family Members
The video that's shown at a funeral is likely to become quite important to mourners. Make sure that the family members and close friends of the deceased are all offered a copy of the video. You can simply email it to them. If they would prefer you post it online, you can do that as well.
Finally, keep in mind that a video can be the one way that the mourners can see and hear the deceased on a day that's dedicated to celebrating the life of the lost loved one. That's significant and special. Take the time to do the video well, and you will contribute something very memorable to the funeral.