A Gift That They’ll Never Forget
It’s becoming more and more popular for parents to create keepsake gifts for their children. Gifts that can be can be prepared throughout their life and given to them once they’re older. In most cases, this sort of gift will be used to chronicle their upbringing. And, of course, they are a great idea. Making a short documentary or film for your child, to capture memories that they will never remember is a great way to make keep the times alive. It has to be done right, though. Otherwise, you could find that you don’t have the resources to make the gift you want to. To help you out, this post will be going through some of the best ways to make the best possible video gift for your kid.
Like anything long-term, this all starts with a good plan. It’s important to get a good idea of what you want to focus your video gift on. One of the best ways to do this is in a sort of mockumentary-style. But, of course, a lot of parents will want to take their own approach. Your plan should cover exactly which shots you’ll want to get. And, when you will be getting them. Along with this, you should consider the timeline for the project’s completion. Each project like this will be unique which is what makes it such a beautiful gift. So, if you have to make compromises along the way; that’s alright. Your kids will be very moved by the gesture, regardless of the quality or content. A big part of planning is sourcing the tools you will use to get the work done.
Your plans should give you a good idea of when you need to be recording your children. But, you have to be careful with this. It’s not worth missing out on their actual lives to be stuck behind a camera all the time. Instead, it’s best to have a camera ready for when the perfect moment strikes. There are loads of options out there for inexpensive cameras, which can be carried wherever you go. Along with this, you could also consider setting up stationary cameras when big events are going on. A tripod with a camera recording a birthday party will be non-obtrusive and will allow you to enjoy the event yourself. Just remember to ask other parents if they mind you recording their kids.
Over the years, the amount of footage you gather will become unmanageable. So, if you leave all of the editing until the very end of the project; you’ll find that you have loads of work to do. It’s best to handle this sort of work throughout the project. This gives you the chance to tie together the memories as they are still fresh in your mind. And, will teach you how to edit a steady pace; if you’ve never done it before. A lot of people go for basic software when they start something like this. But, industry leading examples like Adobe’s Premiere Pro and After Effects suites will give you way more flexibility. And, they don’t take too long to learn.
Of course, you probably won’t be able to create all of the media for your project yourself. Instead, you’ll need help with a few different parts of it. Any good production has music in it. This is used to set the scene and reflect what’s playing on-screen. Without this, the video will feel like it lacks something. Thankfully, though, you don’t have to pay for something like this. Instead, options like Melody Loops offer royalty free music, which isn’t found on every piece of video under the sun. Along with this, you might want to invest in some high-quality artwork for your videos. Graphic designers often charge very reasonable fees for their work. And, you’ll have plenty of time to save up; if money is an issue.
As part of your initial plan, you’ll probably come up with some ideas of how you want to give this gift to your child. For a start, this sort of effort will work best if you keep it from your children that you’re doing it. It should be a big surprise when you give it to them. Events like graduations and big birthdays are perfect. But, of course, you will have to find your own best way to present your work to them. However you do it, they will be touched and delighted with the present. The most important thing you have to consider here is who will be around when they see it. This time could be emotional. And, while this is positive, it could be hard for your child to express their emotions with loads of people around.
Hopefully, this will inspire you to start working on a gift which will stay with your child forever. A lot of people lack memories from their early childhood. But, having something like a video to look back on will change that, for sure. You just have to start early enough and avoid procrastination.