TRIBUTE-WRITING TIPS

The most touching tribute comes from the heart, whether it is for your beloved parent, grandparent, spouse or dear friend. It is most challenging to write it yourself when your loved one had just passed away. This is when a professional tribute writer can assist (but I sincerely hope that you would create it for them while your loved one is still around, as a gift of appreciation and special memories).

If you would like to write it and produce the film/presentation yourself, the below are the main points that you can structure into the tribute, and the steps to create it:

Make notes of:

The most memorable moments spent with them, something that you would always remember them for. Get input of memorable moments from family and friends.
Their personality, values and sense of humour.
What is most remarkable about them, describe with 3 keywords. Then elaborate.
The role they played in your life.
Meaningful memorabilia. Take photos of them. Ie. Vintage or heirloom items, special gifts.
Their favourite song/s and why (if you could find out).
Their favourite quotes and principles that they live by, something that they always repeat to you. Their favourite prayer, poem or prose.

With all the above, set the tone and manner of the tribute by thinking about how your loved one would like to be remembered. For instance, if they are the eternal ‘class clown’, the writing style can be more relaxed, and include funny anecdotes and photos. Let the photos and videos tell most of their story.

For a written tribute slideshow (no audio/video):

Choose the desired PPT slideshow template. You can put about 10 pictures in sequence. Crop and beautify the favourite photos of your loved one to be placed in the PPT slideshow template. Place the written tribute–with legibility in mind (30–40 pts)–into the template.
The reading time/presentation running time should be within 5 minutes for maximum impact.

For the film montage:

Gather hi-resolution photos and video footages from your archives and also from family and friends. Shortlist about 50 photos and 5 videos that you can include into a film montage. Drag the photos into a Word document, make note of the year/date of those files and include short 1-sentence descriptions below each photo.
In a video production software like the highly recommended ——– for beginners and professionals alike, crop the photos for the desired focal point and crop and edit the videos for maximum effect. Type in the photo captions with each photo, type in the subtitles for the video clips. Often, you would need to edit the audio track to seamlessly blend in the music track (their favourite song). Include the written tribute as subtitles and whole pages in between the photos and video sequences.
Ideally, the length of the film does not exceed 8 minutes for maximum impact.

Polish the presentation or export the completed video.
View and share. You can upload the tribute onto Google Drive, an online cloud (save as original & copy) or your Youtube account (film montage only) and share the link with family and friends.
Your loved one’s legacy will live on.