An 80th birthday film is rarely made by one person. It is made by a family: the children who hold the albums, the grandchildren who record the messages, and the great-grandchildren who steal the show. Plan it so that each generation has a small, clear job and nobody has to do all of it.
Give each generation a job
The children find and scan the photographs and know the years. The grandchildren collect short messages and clips. The youngest simply say happy birthday to the camera. One person organises, and everyone else adds their part from the invitation link.
Ask about traditions and ordinary days
The historic events are in the newspapers; the film is for the things that are not. The recipe, the card game, the saying everyone repeats, the way they answer the phone. Ask each contributor for one ordinary moment they would miss.
Include the whole cast
A long life has many people in it, some of whom are no longer here. Photographs of a late partner, a brother or an old friend, placed at the right year, are usually the moments the birthday person is most grateful for. Check with the family first and follow their wishes.
Plan the viewing as carefully as the film
Choose the largest screen and the clearest sound you can, in a room where everyone can sit comfortably. Keep the film at a length the birthday person can enjoy in one sitting, and plan to give them the file afterwards so they can watch it again in their own time.
Bring the collection into Videmory
Invite friends and family to add photos, real video and messages from one link. Add the years or ages you know, review the collection — from your phone or, for the tidying, a computer, since the same birthday opens on either — and let Videmory build the film in the order it happened. Making the film and watching the complete watermarked preview are free; you pay only if you want to download the finished film without the mark. Introductory launch offer: AU$49 for your first finished film, AU$15 for each additional version. Introductory pricing is available for a limited time and may increase in the future.
See a life fall into order · Collecting and dating photos · How many photos you need
Your questions, answered
Is an 80th birthday video too long if we include everything?
It can be. The full film keeps everything worth keeping, and Videmory can also make a highlight version of up to six minutes from the same collection for the party itself, so you can show the short film on the day and give them the full one to keep.
Can relatives overseas contribute?
Yes. The invitation link works from any phone or computer with a browser. A cousin in London adds their photographs and records a message the same way as someone in the next suburb, and the organiser sees everything in one place.
What happens to the photographs afterwards?
They stay in the birthday until the organiser deletes it, and only the people who were invited can see them; contributors see only their own. Deleting the birthday permanently erases every photograph, video, message and film for everybody, so download the film first.