The Holidays are here!
One of my all-time favorite gifts from the past is a collection of old home movies, compiled on DVD. My aunt knew the value of these movies in our family history, and she also knew the old 8mm film and projector would not last forever. Her foresight prompted her to do something that created access for the entire family to a treasure of memories. A number of years ago, she had the 8mm film transferred to DVD, and gave copies to the entire family for Christmas.
My copy is one of my “prized possessions,” surely in part because it contains footage of my mother. To see her form a smile versus seeing the smile formed and static (as with a photo) is of greater value to me than I can describe. This DVD also contains footage of grandparents, great-grandparents, and various great-aunts and uncles, many of whom are no longer living. Some of the later footage includes siblings, cousins, parents, aunts, uncles, and a host of other important people. Knowing I can easily access any part of that footage at any time is somehow comforting, and would not have been possible if the whole collection was still on 8mm film at my aunt and uncle’s place.
I treasure my DVD more with each passing year as I more fully realize its value.
If you have old home movies, you are already ahead of many people. Video tells a story that pictures can not fully tell. Think about that. Which would you rather have, a few snapshots from your great-grandparent’s wedding day, or the video on DVD? For many people, there simply aren’t any “old home movies” to watch, let alone transfer to DVD, but for anyone who has them, I urge you to consider transferring your home movies to DVD. Reasons include the following.
- DVD media lasts forever.
- DVD media takes less space to store than traditional film or video.
- It is easier to put in a DVD and watch than to set up the film projector.
- DVD media will not deteriorate and/or age as traditional video and film will.
- DVD compilations can include photos AND video.
- DVD compilations make great gifts.
Your 14-year-old may not thank you for a DVD of his family, but consider this, your 14-year-old will one day be a 35-year-old and will likely be most thankful to you for preserving the special memories unique to him and his family. You may even become a hero!
Some tips for your home movies:
- Take LOTS of footage, you can always have footage edited for highlights, but you can NEVER go back in time and capture more footage.
- Be sure to fully charge your batteries.
- Get at least one spare battery.
- Take along plenty of extra video tape.
- Always tape in plenty of flattering light.
- Avoid harsh lighting.
- Avoid the use of “in camera” special effects. These types of effects can sometimes cause you to miss critical moments of your shot and can never be edited out. Special effects are best left to editing software.
- In addition to typical posed shots, get plenty of spontaneous footage.
“Memories fade. Videos linger.”
