Guests love a good montage. They are a wonderful way of sharing important moments, memories, and milestones from your child’s life up to this point. It is also a great opportunity to make your guests feel special by including them in the photos.
One thing to note about montages is that they are entirely optional. While they can be fun, most people won’t even notice if you don’t show one. Do what feels right for your family.
In this article we’ll explain what a montage is, plus provide tips for making an engaging montage that keeps family and guests entertained to the end.
What is a Montage?
A montage is a video slideshow that weaves together photographs to tell the story of your child’s life. It is usually shown to guests during a Bar/Bat Mitzvah reception and is accompanied by music. Most montages are 8-10 minutes in length. Your guests will start losing interest if you go any longer than that.
10 Tips for a Memorable Montage
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Gather and Choose Photos Early
People create montages in all sorts of ways – from building a PowerPoint presentation to hiring talented creative professionals. Whether or not you make the montage yourself, you will still have to select the photos yourself.
Start collecting photos about 4-6 months before your child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah. This will allow you plenty of time to sort through your photos. Aim for about 125 images to create an 8-10-minute montage.
Make sure your child is comfortable with all of the pictures you choose. Let them veto any awkward images, even if you find that photo adorable. The last thing you want to do is embarrass them on their special day.
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Stay Organized!
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When it comes to the gathering process, you’ll first need to find a single place to save all of your photos. Some people create a desktop folder. We recommend using a cloud service – such as Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive. Cloud services are great for collaborating with others, making it easy for friends and family to contribute any photos they may have.
Once you have all of your photos together, you’ll need to sort them. Consider organizing your photos in chronological order or into specific categories such as family, friends, summer camp, sports, etc.
Don’t try to finalize all 125 pictures in one sitting. Start by spending a few hours going through all of the photos, removing the ones that are redundant or low photo quality. Wait about 3-4 days and go through the process again. You may need to do this a few times, becoming pickier and pickier as you go along. Eventually, you’ll end up with 125 of your best photos.
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Balance Screen Time
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People love to see themselves in pictures and montages are no exception. However, you need to be sensitive as to how many times a person appears in the montage. You may hurt someone’s feelings if you have 20 pictures of your child with Aunt Pearl and only 3 with Aunt Irma.
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Highlight Important Milestones and Memories
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As you go through your pictures, you will want to select some that celebrate special moments in your child’s life. Think about milestones such as when your child lost their first tooth or graduated from elementary school. You’ll also want to include pictures that bring back fond memories, such as a family trip to Disney, a day at the ballpark, or a daddy-daughter dance.
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Celebrate Relationships
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Look for photos of your child with your immediate family, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Include family who may no longer with be you, but who are always remembered. You’ll also want to include pictures of your child with their friends or teammates.
Keep your audience in mind. People feel special and included when they see themselves on the big screen. It also holds their interest. A great montage keeps viewers engaged and evokes emotion. Imagine your guests fist pumping the Bar Mitzvah boy one moment, while grabbing a tissue the next.
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Showcase Your Child’s Interests and Accomplishments
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Share a little bit about your child’s personality by including pictures of them engaged in activities they enjoy. It could be a photo of them diving into a pool, playing volleyball, or deep-sea fishing. You will also want to include pictures that show off their achievements, such as receiving a trophy or winning an academic award.
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Incorporate Your Family’s Jewish Heritage
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There are lots of ways you can show your child’s connection to Judaism. It could be as simple as a picture of your son or daughter lighting Hanukkah candles or staring as Moses in a religious school play. Such pictures serve as a reminder that today’s celebration is a Jewish milestone and distinct from a secular birthday party.
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Music Makes the Montage
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Enhance your montage by including music that compliments your theme or ties together a series of pictures. Depending on the length of your montage, aim to select 3-5 songs that align well with the video, avoiding any awkward gaps or abrupt endings.
Feel free to blend music from different eras. It is perfectly fine to pair songs like “Never Grow Up” by Taylor Swift and “With a Little Help from My Friends” by The Beatles.
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Technical Tips
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Pictures come in all different shapes and sizes these days. Choose high-quality photos and avoid overcrowding a slide with too many images. Horizontal photos are ideal because they fully utilize the screen space, creating a strong visual impact. You can still use vertical photos, but be mindful of how they will look on a big screen with blank space on either side.
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Do It Yourself or Hire a Pro?
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Now that you have your pictures and music selected, it’s time to create your Bar/Bat Mitzvah montage! Some people hire a company to assemble a montage. Other people do it themselves. While there is nothing wrong with doing it yourself, hiring a specialist typically results in a superior final product because of their experience and professional tools.
Most companies offer packages at different price points. Even an entry-level package can be quite sophisticated and typically includes features such as title sequencing, photo-music synchronization, moving images, and frame transitions. Higher-level packages include things such as special effects, 3D imaging, and extensive photo cleanups.
If you prefer to create your own montage, there are plenty of great resources for you to use. A lot of people use PowerPoint because it is easy to use, includes helpful tools for transitions and animations, and many people are already familiar with it. If you want to go a step beyond PowerPoint, you might consider using Canva or Adobe Express. If you have some serious video editing skills, check out Adobe Premiere Pro or Lightworks.
No matter if you hire a professional or prefer to create a mitzvah montage of your own, it’s going to turn out great!
Conclusion
A Mitzvah montage is about storytelling and creating a visual narrative of your child’s journey to this point. No doubt you will have many cherished photos that won’t make the cut, and that’s okay. Sort your photos with intention, and try to not stress too much. It will all be worth it when you’re at the party, surrounded by friends and family, reflecting on the great memories you’ve made and the new ones to come.
