With near professional cameras and comprehensive home editing programs available at any electronics store, the average consumer can feel like a Hollywood legend. Out of focus, blurry, long and boring movies are a think of the past. With flashy equipment, and easy to follow editing programs, you can turn your boring home movie into a masterpiece.
I think the element that is classic in home movies are people interacting when they aren’t aware of the camera. Shocked children’s faces while presents are being opened, grandpa asleep at the dinner table, the dog chewing on a bow…unique charming moments are the memories that everyone carries with them and treasures. In order to capture some heartwarming footage, stock up on mini DV’s and make sure someone constantly has camera in hand.
Include people talking directly to the camera, telling silly stories, or capture people while they are completely unaware you are in the room. Get a good mix of people’s interactions, humor and overall warm feeling for one another. Get some shots of your wife preparty getting food ready or shoot your dad shoveling the sidewalk before guests arrive. Go crazy! The more footage you get, the more options you will have for cutting together a stunning masterpiece.
When the holidays wind down, download your handy new software and input your footage. You can string together a montage of people arriving, kids running and people acting silly while blasting your favorite Christmas tunes over-top, or open your masterpiece with grandpa telling a scandalous story of when he was a boy. Choose an angle or overall theme and build your story around it.
If you want to get really creative, you can use writing captions to “introduce” each new person that arrives. You can choose to tell a story throughout your piece, or just use your footage as a platform for your family bonding and memories.
Experiment with what your software can do. Add black and white, still photos, captions, and sound effects to your heart’s content. Don’t stop with the movies alone. You can design stickers to put on the front of your DVD’s and boxes donned with your family memories to make professional looking cases.
Your home movie will make a great present next year, and will live on in prosperity. Although some people may opt to write a scripted home movie, I think the playfulness and honesty behind authentic family footage is what is truly heartwarming. Even the silliest, most non traditional family footage has a uniqueness and an integrity all of it’s own.
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