"Three Important Points to Consider When Creating a Profile Movie, According to Editor-in-Chief Marry"

2022.09.29 published

Points to Consider When Creating a Profile Movie!

To everyone who is about to create a profile movie♡

Due to my job, I watch many wedding movies.

From what I've seen, there are a few points that I would definitely implement if I were to create one myself, but these might be unknown to many brides, so I'll introduce them in a list.

The goal is to create a movie that is easy to understand, keeps everyone engaged, and conveys personality.

To achieve that goal, I believe there are three main points.

① Use solo photos for profile pictures, not cropped group photos

First, the first point.

This is quite a basic thing, but...

It pertains to the initial profile pictures.

Specifically, it’s about the cover photo that indicates, "Now, let me introduce the groom's life!"

It is better to avoid using "part of a group photo" for this cover image.

Guests who are unfamiliar with you might wonder, “Which person is that?”

(I have thought that myself.)

If you only have cropped group photos where others' shoulders are appearing... It might be unavoidable if that’s all you have, but using a photo of three or four people as the cover photo for a profile movie should definitely be avoided.

Even if past photos don't have good quality, please make sure to take good individual photos for the profile movie.

Photos taken at night in the house are also fine. We are in an era where iPhone features allow us to crop photos.

By combining it with a nice background image, you can surely create something perfect!

② Do not use photos of the couple in the individual parts

I think this is an area where many people's awareness is lacking.

In my opinion, "it’s best not to use photos and stories of the couple from the time they’ve been dating in the groom's and bride's parts."

Normally, the flow of a profile movie is:

① Groom's part

② Bride's part

③ Couple's part

If you include memories of the couple in the bride's and groom's segments (by using photos), it will feel like the time rewinds when transitioning to the couple's part, starting with "We met in the year ○○ at...".

It feels like, "Wait? Just now, we talked about going to the mountains every weekend with the bride, but now we're talking about the time before we were dating, going back to square one..."

It's better to introduce the groom's individual part without the bride and the bride's individual part without the groom; this way, the storytelling for the couple’s part afterwards has more distinction and impact, so I recommend it.

(I really think it’s better to do that!)

③ Pair the comments for each part with feelings, not just facts!

I think many couples creating the movie might not be aware of this.

From the viewer's perspective, it’s better to focus the messages attached to each photo on feelings and stories rather than just facts.

Photos can be categorized into

✅ Memories with family

✅ Personal character traits

✅ Memories with friends

✅ Work-related experiences

✅ About the couple from when they met until today

The style is to provide explanations and include gratitude towards surrounding people in the comments for each category.

"Not just facts but also feelings and stories" means, for example:

✅ If you want to share that you got a sibling...

❌ When I was 3, my younger brother was born, and I became a big sister!

👍 When I was 3, my younger brother was born, and I became a big sister! When I first saw him, he was so cute that I had a nosebleed!

✅ When using a family photo from Disneyland:

❌ Our first family trip to Disneyland!

👍 Thank you for taking me on an outing despite your busy schedule. Thanks to all the experiences, I found what I love.

(It's obvious from the photo that we went to Disneyland, so the explanation is omitted for the message. This is an example.)

✅ When posting a travel photo with friends:

❌ Went to India with ○○! Got pickpocketed and panicked!

👍 A friend I can consult about anything. We’ve traveled to ○ countries together. Let’s keep traveling all over the world together!

✅ When including a photo from a dinner date with your partner:

❌ Had our first anniversary dinner at a restaurant with a view!

👍 For our anniversary, I booked the restaurant that ○○ (the bride) had always wanted to go to, and the kind ○○ (the groom) surprised me.

👍 We’ve been together for ○ years now, and by this time, we both thought, “We’re probably getting married…”

✅ When including a photo of a proposal:

❌ Surprise proposal was a big success!

👍 A surprise proposal. The groom was nervous, and the bride was in tears.

👍 While we had already decided to get married, the proposal made the reality of becoming a couple sink in.

And so on...!

This is just one example, so it's not a definitive answer, and there are as many variations as there are personalities, but do you understand the rules or the thought process behind it?

I believe considering what messages you want to convey along with the facts and adding them enhances the appeal and impact of the movie for those watching.

I personally prefer not to use text for information that's clear to see.

There can also be issues with the amount of text....

However, to resolve these issues, constraints regarding the character limit that can be set in the movie come into play, making it quite challenging.

Moreover, the reason there is a character limit per slide is due to important issues such as,

✅ If it’s too fast, you can’t read it.

✅ If it’s too small, you can’t read it.

Therefore, you need to be creative in these areas yourselves.

For instance, for family scenes, you could use two slides to display text on one page to convey the event and show the message on the second page...

Since it varies by template, it’s okay as long as you can create the best movie for yourselves.

I believe that a profile movie is a valuable opportunity for guests to see the photos of your upbringing and love story until the big day arrives, so while keeping the three points mentioned above in mind, please create a wonderful movie!♡