Should Memorial Services Be Videotaped

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
Ecclesiates 3:4

A time to say goodbye, a time to see old and dear friends, a time to spend the last few minutes with a loved one and you can not attend.

Is it proper or ethical to videotape a memorial service?

Videotaping memorial services is quickly becoming more and more common as we continue to enter into a world that separates us from loved ones, thereby preventing some family members and close friends not to be present and say goodbye.

At the request of the immediate family or the memorial home I’ve videotaped some 30 memorial services in the past two (2) years. One thing to remember is that a memorial service is, in effect, a celebration of life. It is a tradition we use as a way of saying our last goodbyes, remembering fond memories of an earlier time, seeing people who are/were very close to us. Very much like a wedding, it is the beginning of a new chapter. So, like a wedding, should it be recorded?

The answer depends on the family and how comfortable they feel with it. Obviously, if they ask to have the ceremony/internment videotaped, then they feel comfortable with it and that should be respected. On 2 occasions I videotape the memorial service because close family members could not attend – one was from Brazil and some family members of the deceased, still in Brazil, were not able to attend. The other was because a wife could not attend her husband’s mass and memorial service because she herself was too ill to attend.

According to Alan Naumann, a leading authority and author of "Funeral Videos" pg 10,
“Funeral Videography is more than just producing a slide show – it is using video to remind loved ones of the life that was lived. This can happen through the compelling use of photos in a video, and also by recording the service itself – especially if there is a time of sharing on the part of friends and family.”. "...A video allows children who are too young to understand what has happened to view the service with adult eyes later in their life. Video also allows the life of the deceased to be shared with friends and family around the world. This can even take place instantly through streaming video on the internet.”

What to look for when you hire a videographer to film a loved one’s memorial service?

Unobtrusive style – Someone who will blend in and not be conspicuous. Someone who will treat the event with respect and not get in the way of the service. Someone who will stay in one place and not move. Someone who will concentrate on the event and not the be concerned with the guests at the event.

Professional Equipment – both audio & video. This aids an unobtrusive style. This allows the videographer to obtain the best picture and sound from the ceremony without using bright lights and large banks of microphones. Small professional wireless microphones can be placed in inconspicuous areas of the facility, i.e. the podium, the altar area, perhaps on the officiator, etc.

To view a brief clip of a memorial service filmed and edited by PTM Video click "Memorial Service".