Attention Beginners in Video Creation! Essential Tips to Know Before Making a Message Movie

2022.03.31 published

At Weddings, the Classic "Message Movie" ♡

A message movie is a surprise video that compiles messages from many guests to the newlyweds, typically prepared by key guests.＊

It's often created as a surprise video letter from the groom to the bride or from the bride to the groom, as well as for special performances during the reception! ♡

Everyone must have had moments when they were moved to tears by congratulatory messages from friends who couldn't attend the wedding or from former teachers. While it's a classic, it can actually be one of the most appreciated gifts! ♡

There are surely brides who are thinking of trying their hand at making a message movie for their friend's wedding or as a surprise for the groom!

How to Create a Message Movie? *

Making a message movie is very simple! Just gather videos from everyone, string them together in order, and add text and background music! ♡

Even brides without any experience in video making can do it as long as they have a smartphone or PC! If you have a Mac, you can use free software like iMovie that is already installed, and nowadays, you can even edit videos using mobile apps like CapCut.

Pitfalls of Making a Message Movie… !!

The editing process of a message movie is not that difficult. So, what determines the quality of the message movie??

It's the quality of the "videos gathered from everyone!" If the gathered videos have poor quality, if the messages are all the same, or if the lighting is bad and faces are hard to see... if you have a collection of such low-quality videos, you can't create a good message movie. There are limits to what can be fixed in editing.

It's not an exaggeration to say that "the success of making a message movie hinges on the video gathering stage!"

That's why conveying instructions at the beginning is crucial!

To avoid the worst-case scenario, it’s essential to communicate the "important points to be careful about" when asking for video recordings to prevent the collection of low-quality videos.◎

You might think, "Isn’t it unnecessary to stress that? Everyone will be careful," but that's not the case!

I've made message movies several times, and many times I've regretted during editing, "I should have conveyed this beforehand..."

If it comes to needing to ask someone to shoot the video again, it’s a waste of time for both parties.

To prevent that, let me share "the absolute points you want to communicate" during the collection of the message movie♩

Important Point to Communicate When Collecting Message Movies ① Vertical or Horizontal?

This is an incredibly basic aspect, but it's essential to communicate whether you want the video shot vertically or horizontally. Those who have experience editing movies know intuitively that "it should be horizontal," but many people shoot vertically since it accommodates the characters better.

Although you can change the orientation during editing, sometimes it ends up looking unnatural as one person might be too zoomed in. Always specify, "Please shoot horizontally (or vertically)!"

@sato_sunny_wedding

Important Point to Communicate When Collecting Message Movies ② Length

When requesting video recordings, be sure to specify, "I’d like it to be around XX seconds!" If some videos are too short or too long, it can disrupt the tempo of the movie.

Also, make sure to ask them to record with a buffer of [3 seconds] before and after they start speaking. If they begin talking right after the video starts, editing them together becomes challenging! You can say, "Please count to 3 before you start talking, and after finishing, just pause for another 3 seconds♡ It's fine to wave your hands too!"

Important Point to Communicate When Collecting Message Movies ③ Video Quality

The message movie will be played on a huge screen at the reception venue. Because of the large screen size, any flaws in video quality become very noticeable!

There are two main reasons for the poor quality of the message movie videos. The first is "using the front camera." When filming alone, people tend to use the front camera to check how they're looking. However, the front camera has lower quality than the rear camera, so it's best to avoid using it.

It's better to have someone else film it or properly set up the shot using the rear camera.◎

@yuki_txs

The second reason for quality loss is "sending via LINE." When collecting videos from many people, it's indeed the easiest to ask them to send it through LINE！

However, LINE compresses the data, significantly reducing the video quality just by going through it…!

Although it requires a bit more effort than LINE, ask them to send the recorded videos via "Fire Storage," "Takuhai Ru-bin," or "Dropbox." You can use it easily from your smartphone without registering, so it shouldn't be too much trouble!

This way, you can download the videos in high quality, nice and clear! ♡

➡ Fire Storage here＊

➡ Takuhai Ru-bin here＊

Important Point to Communicate When Collecting Message Movies ④ Content

If you simply ask for "a congratulatory message for XX," you might end up with the same typical messages like "Congratulations on your marriage" or "Wishing you happiness." It’s fine for one or two, but if most messages have the same content, it feels quite lackluster…

To avoid overlapping message content, it’s advisable to suggest themes such as "What you like about XX," "What you respect about XX," or "Memorable stories with XX." Setting a fun theme might make it even more engaging! ♡

@nao_0111_0422

Important Point to Communicate When Collecting Message Movies ⑤ How to Collect from Family?

Surprise congratulatory movies are often collected from friends, but having messages from the couple's families can make it even more touching! ♡

When asking family for videos, it's ideal to have close family friends or childhood friends arrange it, or have siblings reach out to convey the request to the parents. ◎

@mame_san0

Conclusion *

If there are many instructions to convey, creating a template can be very helpful!

~~~《Template Example》~~~

◆ Theme: One thing you love about XX!

◆ Please shoot horizontally♡

◆ Limit the length to 10 to 15 seconds♡

◆ Please shoot with a buffer of 3 seconds before and after! ♡

◆ If shooting with a smartphone, please use the rear camera instead of the front camera! ♡

◆ Please share the video using Fire Storage, not LINE (let me know the URL)

◆ Other notes (close-up of the upper body, no sound, holding a pose, etc.)

Create a Touching Surprise with a Message Movie! ♡

I’ve summarized the key points you want to communicate when collecting videos for a message movie! ♡ The gathering of videos is the most critical part of the message movie. Ensure clear communication in advance so that wonderful videos are collected! ♩

For brides creating a video for the first time, please refer to this article as well.

➡ For brides making their own videos♡ Recommended video editing software for DIY movies＊

Introducing Convenient Apps for Making Videos ♡

When incorporating messages from guests into the movie, having "captions" can make it easier to read, but…

Manually adding them can be quite a hassle.

The video app "Telorain" automatically detects human voices and adds captions, which can significantly shorten the time needed to create the movie! ♡

It’s a very handy app, so give it a try! ♩

➡ Free app "Telorain" that can automatically add captions