Thanks to advances in technology, making a high-quality home movie is easier than ever. This means graduations, little league games, family reunions, and Christmas mornings can all be documented and preserved for generations to come. Easy DIY home videos have also increased the popularity of legacy videos.

What is a Legacy Video?

In lieu of a scrapbook, some families have started making short documentary-style movies, called a legacy video, to document their aging parent’s life and achievements. These videos will normally consist of casual interviews with the aging parent, their children, and their friends. It can also include some old photos along the way to illustrate their life.

How to Make a Legacy Video

The first step is to get your equipment squared away. Using your smartphone will be the easiest option, but you can upgrade to a DSLR camera with a video function if you want. Regardless of the camera, you’ll probably want to invest in a good mic and tripod. These two pieces of equipment will make a huge difference in the quality of your video, and you can pick up both for a pretty reasonable price. They even make tripods and mics for phones! Here are some quick tips for shooting great iPhone footage.

Next, you’ll want to make a list of people you want to interview. It’s best to give your interviewees a list of questions and prompts you’ll be asking them ahead of time so they can plan their answers. Scheduling interviews around holidays and family gatherings is an easy way to knock out a lot of interviews in one day.

While you’re working on getting all the interviews, you can also ask people for photos and memorabilia. This can take a while so it’s best to start this process early. Ideally, you’ll want to get photos of the events and stories that are being discussed in the interview.

Now the only thing that’s left to do is put it all together, which isn’t as easy as it sounds. Before you start, it’s best to think about all the stories you’ve heard and try to write out a rough outline of the narrative you want to tell in the video. This will save you a lot of time sifting through footage.

Legacy videos allow families to remember their loved ones after they pass, and they can even help the grieving process. Getting to hear their voice again and learn about all the great things they did in their life can be a great comfort. 

Fear of public speaking is among the most common phobias in Western culture, often coming in ahead of dying. So the combination of death and public speaking can easily rattle a person’s confidence. When putting together a eulogy, it’s not uncommon to struggle. The good news is that there’s no right or wrong way to start. You can take your eulogy in just about whatever direction you feel. However, it can be helpful to have a bit of structure to follow when putting pen to paper.

Here are a few guidelines you can use to write a eulogy.

Start with the Introduction

It might seem unnecessary, but it’s normally a good idea to start by introducing yourself and defining your relationship with the deceased. Talk about how long you’ve known them and how you met.

Pick a Direction

This can be the hardest step to complete. As previously said, there are a lot of directions you can take a eulogy. You can tell your favorite story about the deceased that you feel best describes them. You can talk about what you admire most about them. Or you can say what you’ll miss most about them. When picking the direction, just ask yourself ‘what’s the one thing I want everyone to know about them?’ Once you’ve answered that question you can figure out what style offers the best solution.

Pick a Theme

Now that you know the style of eulogy you’ll be using, pick a theme. You can use a central theme to tie all the stories, introductions, and images you plan on talking about. The theme could be an answer to a question, the deceased favorite catchphrase, a defining moment in your relationship, or whatever you feel best defines their life.

Practice and Have a Backup

Once you’ve finished writing, make sure to do a few practice runs. It might feel strange, but saying the eulogy out loud at least once will help you iron out any awkward phrasings. No matter how confident you feel the day before, ask someone to be your backup just in case you can’t make it through the entire speech.