Based on your budget (please see the pricing guide), select the number of photos that tell the story you want to convey.

The Video Can Be Strictly Chronological - For example, for a Wedding Anniversary, start with pictures of each of them with their respective families before marriage and end with the couple today; begin and end each chapter with a milestone or meaningful photo. We suggest generic music, or music from the time period of the photos with this method.

Each Chapter Can Represent A Theme - For example, Chapter 1: Birth through High School, College, the service, or the end of single life.
Chapter 2: Dating, engagement, wedding, honeymoon, married without children. Chapter 3: Arrival of children, they grow up and marry, along come the grandchildren. Chapter 4: Recap of the entire family (all generations) through the years. Other Chapters In A Thematic Video Could Include Extended family and friends Vacations and Travel Professional Life, Volunteer/Charity Work Special Occasions and Events.

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What Is A “Chapter”?
A chapter is a group of photos that cover a specific time period or theme. For pricing purposes, a chapter is 25 images coordinated with one song. If’ you’d like to group more than 25 images into a chapter, then the song you choose must be long enough to work with the number of images.

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What About Music?
We have a fairly extensive music library consisting of standard, classic tunes ranging from Big Band to Contemporary Easy Listening.

When supplying us with your own music, it must be on CD or cassette. CDs are preferred due to their higher fidelity.

If you supply us with a homemade cassette, please record the entire length of the song, in the order they are used in the video and leave at least 10 seconds of blank between tracks on a high bias tape.

We will only use as much of a song as needed for a group of photos in each chapter. We usually synchronize 5 - 6 seconds of music per picture based on the tempo of the music. We fade out the music at the end of a chorus, lyric, or thought. We can not piece together sections of a song.

We use any instrumental intro with the first song in a video (unless it is talking or a soliloquy), and back end the last song in each video. (Back ending is starting the song at an appropriate point so the end of the song synchronizes with the end of the video.)

We start each of the other songs just before the first lyric. You may request that we start on a particular lyric or chorus of a song (the only limits are that there is enough music for the number of photos, and there is no piecing segments of a song together).

If you would like to have certain lyrics coordinate with certain photos, this is referred to as sound synchronization and is based on additional editing time in creating your video photo album. Details and pricing can be worked out when you come in for your appointment.

Please, do not try to fill up a song unless you are doing a single chapter video. In that case, we can let you know how many photos are needed when you call.

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What Is A Title?
The opening and closing messages at the beginning and end of the video are referred to as titles. Think of them as a Video Greeting Card, or a written, personal sentiment.

They can be a sentimental message, a quote or a catch phrase that has meaning to the recipient, or as as simple as “Happy 50th Anniversary, Mom & Dad”.

Think of the closing message like how you would sign a card. We play the first song behind the opening message, and the last song behind the closing message. Please keep that in mind when selecting music for these chapters (so there is enough time for both the images and the messages, please figure about 1 second per word for timing).

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When Selecting Images, Remember:
We can use photos, slides and any flat artwork (newspaper clippings, drawings, diplomas, etc.) but there is a format change charge when going from photos to slides and visa versa.

We can use photos as small as a postage stamp and as large as 8 x 10.

We insist that all photos be taken out of albums and frames (if they are not permanently sealed). We will use albums, i.e. wedding albums and sealed framed photos, but we must charge a handling fee and request that you try to limit the number of them.

We hand shoot each image to balance them on the screen - vertical photos will be appropriately cropped (using the zoom lens of the camera) to fill the screen and not compromise the integrity of the photo. If a vertical can not be cropped, there will be black borders on each side.

If you have any specific cropping instructions that would not be obvious to the editor, please note the instructions, including the photo number, on a post it note. This also includes if you would like a photo double shot, i.e. zoom in on the couple in the middle of a group. (Requests for double shooting a photo count as two images in the image count.)

Keep in mind in a large group photo, faces are not easily identifiable. We will shoot multi shots if requested.

Old black & white photos, as well as sepia tone photographs reproduce beautifully, but cracks and rips will show up. Some older color snapshots tend to turn yellow. We can shoot them as black & white if you prefer.

Scenic photos are lovely, but people in the photos make the video more interesting. Candid photos rather than posed portraits are usually more relaxed.

Black & white photos come out great! Polaroid's are not of the highest resolution to begin with, but still can be used with great effect.

Captions written on photos restrict creativity and proper focusing. We can superimpose a caption on a photo (please see pricing on titling). Please note on a post-it note the caption you would like, the number of the photo (in case the post-it falls off) and affix it to the front of the photo.

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When You’re Ready To Place Your Order
Before calling for an appointment, please go through the following checklist so that we may better help in putting your video together.

1) You have your images numbered in consecutive order and divided by chapter. REMEMBER: USE ONLY BALL-POINT PEN, PENCIL OR PHOTOGRAPHY CRAYON. FLAIR PEN OR MARKER WILL BLEED THROUGH OR SMUDGE AND DAMAGE YOUR PHOTOS.

2) You have made your musical selections and have them on CD or cassette. When you call for the appointment we’ll check to see if we have any of your selections. If we don’t, then you will need to supply them. If you need some help in selecting music, then please have an idea of what artists or type of music that the recipient likes so we may better help you.

3) Please have thought about your titles, and have them either typewritten (preferable method) or hand printed (legibly, please) on a separate sheet of paper. (Because of the nuances in name spellings, this is the only way to guarantee against typographical errors.)

PLEASE ALLOW THREE (3) WEEKS TO PROCESS YOUR ORDER. IF YOU NEED IT EARLIER, PREMIUM SERVICE IS AVAILABLE and is determined by when the video is needed and how many images are involved in your production.

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What To Expect At The Appointment
Included in the package price is 1 hour of pre-production time for every 100 photos in your album. At that time, we’ll go over any questions or special requests that you may have, and make sure that there is an appropriate amount of music for the number of images in each chapter. If you are stumped on music, we will make some suggestions for you, and be happy to play you a few of them to make sure it’s the right choice.

What Happens If You’re Feeling A Little Overwhelmed?
It’s not uncommon to feel a little overwhelmed in putting your Scattered Pictures together. In some cases, this can be a very emotional undertaking and it’s not always easy to decide which photos to use, or what would be an appropriate song to go along them.

If you would like help in organizing your video album (there are just too many photos to choose from and music in not necessarily your forte), then creative consulting is available. During this process, we will work with your very closely in putting together video photo album. Creative Consulting is based on an hourly fee.

We look forward to working with you!