Frequently Asked Questions

At Big Moment Films, we work to hard to make sure the process of creating the perfect montage is easy for our clients. We hope the questions and answers below will help make your decision-making process and planning for your project easier.

> In what areas of the U.S. do you work?
> Besides digital photos, what other materials can I include in my montage?
> I want to create a montage for my parents' golden wedding anniversary. Many of the pictures are faded and some are even torn. Is there anything you can do to restore these snapshots?
> How many pictures do I need for each song I want to include in my video?
> Can I scan the photos myself and e-mail them to you?
> What do you do to make photos look better in the montage?
> In what order should I put the photos?
> How should I label my photographs so you know how to use them in the montage?
> What's the best way to ship my materials to you?
> How long will it take to complete my project?
> I'm on a very tight deadline -- can you help me?
> How do I choose the music for my montage?
> Do I send you an original CD or can I send an mp3 I downloaded?
> Will the DVD you send me play in my DVD player or just on my computer?
> I have a video iPod. How can I transfer the montage on my iPod or iPhone?
> Can you put captions in the video to identify some of my images? What about credits?
> I've seen that other companies offer a selection of themes and backgrounds to use in their slideshows, but you do not. Why not? Can I get them anyway?
> You say you offer DVDs with laser-etched or inscribed labels. What does this mean?
> I want to create a montage to give as a gift. What do you to do make this easy for me?

Q: In what areas of the U.S. do you work?

A: All of them -- as well as Canada. Because our business is focused on the creation of professional video montages for special events, we work with clients all over North America. We consult with our clients on the phone (our toll-free number, 1-877-424-4664, makes this easy) and show them drafts of their project via the web. We are based in Los Angeles, California, and though it's not necessary, we're happy to meet in person with local clients.

Q: Besides digital photos, what other materials can I include in my montage?

A: Just about anything. Well, just about any photo, document, video or film format. Besides snapshots, we can include almost any document -- newspaper clippings, diplomas and certificates, letters, or drawings, for example. If it can be photocopied, it can be scanned.

We download MiniDV tapes and almost all digital video files directly into our editing system, but we send video footage from VHS, S-VHS, VHS-C, Betamax, Video-8, Hi-8 and Digital-8 tapes as well as 8mm, Super 8mm, and 16mm film reels to a state-of-the-art video conversion facility to ensure they show up in your montage at the highest quality possible.

Q: I want to create a montage for my parents' golden wedding anniversary. Many of the pictures are faded and some are even torn. Is there anything you can do to restore these snapshots?

A: Definitely! When we scan your photos, we also color correct and digitally retouch them, doing our best to bring them back to their former glory. We always include full resolution jpegs of all of your images on the same DVD as your video, so you can copy those images to your hard drive and print them at home, or even upload them to an online photo archiving/printing service to share with everyone in your family. If you give us some printed photos and some digital ones, we consolidate all the photos on your DVD. (Many clients find this service extremely valuable, as it allows them to share pictures easily among family members.)

Q: How many pictures do I need for each song I want to include in my video?

A: While it's always up to the client how we present their photos in the montage, what will look and feel best depends on the tempo of the song. The faster the song, the more photos per minute that you'll want to include. A good starting point is 15-20 photos per minute (3-4 seconds per image).

Q: Can I scan the photos myself and e-mail them to you?

A: Yes, of course. The photos may be too big for e-mail, in which case you can use our file transfer system or mail us a CD-R of the photos. Be sure to scan smaller pictures at a high enough resolution to ensure they'll look their best in the video. Standard resolution television screens are are approximately 720 x 480, so be sure your finished files are larger than this. To be safe, when scanning, make sure your image will be at least 800 pixels across, whether it is a vertical or horizontal image.

Q: What do you do to make photos look better in the montage?

A: First, we scan them at a high resolution, so you'll be able to make digital reprints later. Then we color correct them, which can restore faded colors, correct for poor lighting and improve contrast. Sometimes we can make decades-old photographs look better than they did originally.

We also can remove some "red eye", and digitally repair minor blemishes, dust and scratches. If any of your photos require extensive retouching, we will contact you to discuss the costs. But most photos just need the level of touch-up that's included.

Q: In what order should I put the photos?

A: Generally, chronological order (with earliest photos first) works best. However, you may want or we may suggest minor changes to the order once we put the photos over the music your choose. If we think the video would flow better by shifting certain photos around, or if we think certain pictures would make good introduction or closing photos, we'll discuss it with you once we've received and reviewed all of your materials. Since we give our clients final cut authority (meaning that you -- and not us -- decide when the video is done), if you decide our suggestions don't work, we'll change it back.

Q: How should I label my photographs so you know how to use them in the montage?

A: Very carefully! We recommend labeling photographs with a post-it note on the back on the print, and use a pencil so ink doesn't smudge the next picture. Number digital photos by changing the beginning of the filename to a 3-digit number (001, 002, etc.) before any descriptive text. If the seventeenth picture you'e using is "23rdbirthday.jpg" rename it "017-23rdbirthday.jpg".

Q: What's the best way to ship my materials to you?

A: Pack your source materials (photos, documents, DVDs, videotapes, film reels, and all materials) in a sturdy box or heavily reinforced shipping envelope. You may want to put anything fragile in a zip-loc bag as well for waterproofing. Ship via an insurable, trackable carrier (such as FedEx, UPS, or USPS Express Mail). We will return your completed DVDs and all source materials via UPS unless you specify otherwise.

We promise to take excellent care of your photographs, whether they are fragile one-of-a-kind photos or snapshots that you took last week. We will return them to you in the same condition in which we receive them.

Q: How long will it take to complete my project?

A: We ship your completed DVDs, on average, 14 days after we receive your materials. If you send all digital photos, it takes a little less time. If we are converting film or video as part of the project, it might take a little bit longer.

A week or so after we start editing the digital materials, we will send you a link to view a rough cut (a first draft of your montage) on the web. Depending on your comments and feedback, we'll make changes and either send you a new link for a new draft to look at, or complete the project and ship you the DVDs.

Q: I'm on a very tight deadline -- can you help me?

A: We hope so! Contact us right away and tell us about your project and your deadline. If we can complete the project quickly for you, we will -- without any rush charges. If we aren't able to accommodate your schedule, we will do our best to refer you to a company that can.

Q: How do I choose the music for my montage?

A: Choosing music for your montage is one of the most important decisions about the project, because the music significantly affects the tone and the tempo of your video. A fast-paced, high-energy rock song will work best with fun, exciting photos and use a lot more images per minute than a slower song, where the pictures will linger on screen longer.

We suggest using music that's special or significant to you or to the audience that will watch the video. If you commission Big Moment Films to create a "through the years" montage to show at your wedding, you might pick songs that were popular as you were growing up. With a montage from your wedding photos, you may want to use music that was played at the ceremony, the song you danced your first dance to, or anything special to both of you.

Q: Do I send you an original CD or can I send an mp3 I downloaded?

A: Yes and no. That is, we can use music from your original CD, but not a copied CD or an mp3. In order to use copywritten music legally, you must purchase a copy of the song. You can send us original music CDs, or we can purchase the appropriate tracks on iTunes on your behalf. If your project requires more music, or if the tracks you want to use are not available on iTunes and we have to buy the CD we will pass the cost of the additional purchases (as well as the CDs!) on to you.

If you plan to use your montage in a commercial setting, let us know and we will research and purchase royalty-free music.

Q: Will the DVD you send me play in my DVD player or just on my computer?

A: Both! (And, technically, since we send you two copies of your completed project on DVD, you could play one on your computer and one of your TV at the same time... though, honestly, we have no idea why you would want to do that.) We use the highest quality DVD-R media, and DVD-R discs play on almost all DVD players manufactured in the last few years. If you aren't sure, note the model of your DVD player and check its compatibility with "DVD-R" using this online tool. If your DVD player won't work with DVD-R media, contact us and we will research alternate DVD formats for you.

Q: I have a video iPod. How can I transfer the montage on my iPod or iPhone?

A: Just ask. If you'd like, we'll include on your DVD -- at no extra charge -- a version of the video optimized for the iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch... or, frankly, any video device. You'll be able to copy it into iTunes and download it to your iPod/iPhone. We hope you will show the video to lots of people -- and tell them Big Moment Films produced it for you!

Q: Can you put captions in the video to identify some of my images? What about credits?

A: Yes we can. Just as in a magazine where captions describe or explain a photo, you can add captions to your video if you think the audience would appreciate the extra information. We will work with you to determine the most attractive way to do so.

We can also add credits to your montage. Whether you want to use credits to acknowledge the people in the film, the people who helped you plan the even at which you're showing it, or even if you want to do something completely tongue-in-cheek, we can help you have fun customizing them.

Q: I've seen that other companies offer a selection of themes and backgrounds to use in their slideshows, but you do not. Why not? Can I get them anyway?

A: We believe that your story and your images should be the star of your show. If you include background colors, patterns and images it means that your photographs are not center stage. The background often distracts from your photos. We recommend against creating a montage purely in that style, because your photos will be smaller, and even the most subtle "themes" will clash with some of your images.

We create custom introductions and closings for every montage. In between, we use a variety of techniques to make your video montage fun and exciting. We bring a great deal of experience with a wide variety of video projects to each project, and we draw on that experience to deliver for our clients. Since each client is unique, so too should every project be unique from start to finish. And if you would like to include backgrounds in parts of your show, or you have specific graphics or "looks" in mind for the opening and closing, let us know and we will be happy to follow your instructions and we'll make sure the finished video looks great.

Q: You say you offer DVDs with laser-etched or inscribed labels. What does this mean?

A: This means that your DVD will never smear or smudge. Instead of an inkjet label, we use a special kind of DVD media onto which an image is laser-etched. Our DVD burner uses the same laser that burns the data onto your DVD to etch an image onto the face of the disc. This image will look perfect long after the ink on a color label fades out. Here's an example:

Q: I want to create a montage to give as a gift. What do you to do make this easy for me?

A: Wow, that's a softball to end the FAQ. Who wrote these questions anyway?

Big Moment Films offers gift certificates! You can buy gift certificates in any denomination of $50 or more. We ship the gift certificate in a gift box and the same metal DVD case as our finished videos, making a nice gift presentation. We will of course include a gift card with your personalized message.

Big Moment Films gift certificates are a great way to help a newly married couple make a video album of their wedding photos, encourage new parents to assemble and share photos of their baby, or help anyone celebrate or remember an important milestone such as a birthday, anniversary, bar mitzvah, bat mitzvah, retirement -- or any big moment in their life.

Second, if you want to order a montage as a gift, we'll work with you to create a video that will have maximum impact as a gift. Groups of people, such as family members, often go in together on a montage gift. Our DVD packages come with two copies of the complete project, but you can order additional DVDs for $15 each (or less with bulk purchases) so the givers and the receivers get a copy of the project.