So, you’ve read my other blog posts about documenting your memories through photos and videos… but now what?
Okay, let’s create!
It’s amazing to have loads of videos saved in your camera roll. Tiny, meaningful glimpses into your life. But crafting a video with music and a storyline can turn those memories into something extra special.
For me, I take videos of everything, so my camera roll is full of random, unorganised moments. That’s exactly why I often create full-length videos with a clear purpose. One example is my Hen Do. I had all my friends capturing clips, along with myself. But honestly? I knew I’d never sit and scroll through each individual video. So, I made a ‘Hen Do’ video. A full story, pieced together with music and emotion. It became something I truly wanted to watch back, rather than just a pile of disconnected snippets.
Editing Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
If you’ve never edited a video before, don’t worry! There are loads of great, easy-to-use apps out there. My go-to? iMovie. Yes, I still use iMovie! It’s incredibly beginner-friendly and makes the whole process feel doable.
Thanks to Instagram Reels and TikTok, many people now understand the basics of cutting, trimming, and syncing clips. Editing longer videos is really just the next step up, it’s like building a reel, but with more room for storytelling.
Portrait vs. Landscape: My Honest Opinion
Now let’s talk about a big debate: portrait vs. landscape.
If I’m being honest, anytime I’ve created a video in portrait (iPhone) format, I’ve regretted it. Movies are landscape. Old home videos? Landscape. TV screens, laptops…all landscape. So why crop our memories into a smaller frame?
When you’re older, snuggled on the sofa with your grandkids, you're not going to be rewatching precious memories on a phone. You’ll want a big screen, because lets be real, your eyes won’t be what they used to be, and because sharing a video feels better when everyone can gather around and see it clearly.
So unless you're filming something specifically for a Reel, film in landscape. It gives your video more space for emotion, context, and that beautiful cinematic feel.
Organise as You Go
A top tip: create albums in your camera roll as you go. If you’ve just had a baby, make an album with their name and add clips over time. For my hen do, I had an album titled ‘Hen Do’ and dropped every photo and video in as it happened or when I laid in bed in the evening. It took seconds, but saved so much time later.
(Confession: I don’t always follow my own advice! Most of my memories get stored in iCloud or on a hard drive—not the random screenshots or 0.5 pics, but meaningful content like birthdays, holidays, and milestones.)
If you want to start organising, but don’t know how to group your content, here are a few ideas:
- Baby ___’s First Year
- Summer Holidays / Easter Holidays
- Christmas 2025
- Family Moments (Jan–March)
- Around the House
- Church Outings
- First Year of Marriage
- Moments in the Garden (2024)
Organising this way also makes editing easier, you can just import the album into your video editor and go from there!
Choosing the Right Music
Music is where the magic happens. It sets the tone, evokes emotion, and helps tell the story.
It might be tempting to use your current favourite song, but ask yourself: Does this match the story I’m trying to tell?
Say you filmed your family at the beach, everyone’s laughing, playing in the waves. You could choose a fun, upbeat song that captures the energy, or a more sentimental track that highlights the love and connection. Both can work, but the music choice will completely shape how the final video feels.
I’ve attached an example video below showing just how much music affects the tone.
Why Sharing Matters
Now, the best part: sharing your videos.
Back in March, I went to visit the house I lived in last year with my friends. I had created three videos: one of our belated Christmas together, one of all our little moments, and one from our trip to Canada. That night, we sat around the TV and watched them all. We laughed, we reminisced, we remembered things we’d forgotten. One memory led to another: “Wait, do you remember after that, this happened?”
It was honestly the most wholesome experience, and it made everything worth it.
Another sweet detail? My friends now associate certain songs with those videos. Whenever a particular track plays, they’re instantly taken back to that exact day or feeling. I’ve even made a Spotify playlist of all the songs I’ve used in my videos, and the nostalgia it brings… it’s like emotional time travel!
Make It Yours
You don’t have to upload your videos to YouTube to make them meaningful. Share them in a family album, save them to a hard drive, burn them to a CD, whatever works for you.
What matters most is that you share them. These are the things that connect us, the stories that last a lifetime.
Final Thoughts
How you choose to film, edit, and share your memories is totally up to you! I’m just here sharing a piece of my passion.
Creating intentional videos isn’t about perfection—it’s about preserving moments that matter. So grab your camera, tell your story, and most importantly… enjoy the process.
