So here is the deal, I am going to take every last picture that I took of my 13-year old child since the day they were born with every person that they’ve ever known and put it into a video for everyone at the party to see…right? Wrong. The definition of montage is the process or technique of selecting, EDITING, and piecing together separate sections of film or pictures to form a continuous whole.
I would like to focus on editing. There is nothing more of a party killer then the 20-minute or more montage video. While we like people to see everyone in our child’s life for 13 years, the critical word is EDIT and edit carefully.
Typically, your categories are the Mitzvah child, parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins all in one, and then friends. Some people choose to have a montage theme ie: sports, dance. Some people choose to have a narrated video. Whatever you choose, keep it streamlined and condensed.
All I can tell you is as much as you love your photos and truly, they are amazing and do introduce your crowd to the key players in your family’s lives, don’t overdo it! People love a video, but they love it short and sweet. 8-10 minutes maximum and if you have more, be prepared to pass out blankets and pillows.
Montage music- this is the time to make everyone ooh and Aaah! Looking at the pictures to emotional music can make anyone shed a tear. Mix up the music and pick tunes that are appropriate to the feelings and the people in the video. Common montage songs are ‘You’re My Best Friend’ by Queen and ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’, A Toy Story movie hit and of course what would a montage be without ‘Sister Sledge’ and ‘We Are Family’. My recommendations are, be creative and have fun, it’s your montage and the music choices should be perfect for you and your family.
My last piece of advice is to start working on this project well in advance because sifting through pictures from an entire lifetime can take an entire lifetime. I hear Kenny Rogers’, ‘Through the Years’ playing, don’t you? Block out time and get to work and yes…I do suggest keeping a box of tissues close by.
Happy Montaging!
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