I have been fortunate enough to recently see the work of a video editor, Torrie Hansen, from a company "Red Thread Stories". What is so unusual about her company and the work she does is the focus on helping adoptive parents tell their story using digital media. In speaking with her it becomes evident that through her own experience, and working with clients, she has gained an appreciation for the issues parents face when trying to sort through, organize, and produce a customized "mini-movie" that tells a story that can be shared with their child, or friends and family. As a Lifebook can serve as a tool to discuss origins with a child, so too can a video combining photos and, video, music, and journal-like text. The DVD can be a multimedia scrapbook, preserving memories and giving a child a generation appropriate glimpse into their adoption.
We at "Tapestry Adoption Stories" have invited Torrie to share with our readers her thoughts on producing a great adoption "mini-movie".
Telling Your Story
You’ve been home with your child for a few months now. Life is adjusting to its new routine. You finally get a chance to sit down and look at your video tapes from your adoption journey. About ten minutes in you are wondering why you recorded all 30 minutes of the bus ride from the airport. Or why the little zoom button was so fun at the time when it’s now giving you motion sickness. Believe it or not there IS a cohesive story in all that footage.
Any story can be told in 15, 10 or even 5 minutes. Every story has three sections. The next time you look through your footage, look for the three sections in your very special story.
Section 1. Introduction. This section is setting the scene. It explains to a viewer who the main players are and what their goal is. Here you would include shots of before you meet your baby, your child’s referral photos. If you are traveling, shots of heading to your child’s country would be included in this section as well as scenic shots of your child’s city.
Section 2. Climax. Here is where the viewer is lead up to the big moment of meeting the child for the first time. The effectiveness of this section is enhanced by showing shots of the location where you met your little one, how you were feeling moments before she or he was handed to you and finally that moment when it actually happens.
Section 3. Conclusion. This section shows the new baby and parents adjusting to their new situation. Shots of dad making the baby laugh, or baby’s first bath go well here. This section leads to your ending, which should be almost as touching as the climax moment. If you have shots of the baby’s homecoming, this is a wonderful note to end on. Or sometimes a touching quote does just the trick.
To see snippets of these three sections, take a look at the video sample. This is what my company, Red Thread Stories does.
"We take your video footage and photos and professionally edit it into a beautiful DVD movie. It is your unique story to relive and share with your family and your child."
Torrie Hansen
Torrie is an adoptive parent and a professional video producer and editor. "I created Red Thread Stories as my way to help others share their own family journeys. It's my goal to create a wonderful tale of your adventure for you to share with others and most importantly to share with your child in the years to come."
Till next time, Thank you Torrie......
