What to Include in a Memorial or Funeral Video

A practical checklist for deciding what belongs in a memorial or funeral video: photographs, home videos, music, captions, voice recordings and personal objects, plus guidance on what you don't need to include, and how to choose between similar photos.

By Chris C, reviewed by Scott G

The best material for a memorial video is usually whatever is genuinely meaningful, relevant and recognisably connected to the person, not the biggest possible collection of photos. Most families have more material than they think, but that doesn't mean everything needs to be used. This guide walks through the main elements worth considering, so you can decide what actually belongs in your video.

Start With the Purpose of the Video

What you include can depend on how and where the video will be shown. Think about this early, since a video for one setting might need different choices to a video for another:

• Funeral or memorial service. Often more formal in tone, with a defined running time.
• Wake or visitation. May play quietly in the background while people talk, so pacing and captions can matter more than narration.
• Celebration of life. Often allows for a lighter, more personal tone than a traditional service.
• Private family sharing. Can include more personal or detailed material, since the audience is smaller and closer to the person.
• Online memorial. Needs extra care around privacy, copyright and who might see it, since it's more publicly accessible.
• Anniversary or remembrance event. May call for a shorter or updated version of the original video.

An in-person service video, a private family video and a video intended for online sharing may reasonably include different material. What's appropriate for a room full of close family isn't necessarily right for a video anyone could find online.

The Core Elements of a Memorial Video

Photographs

Photographs are usually the backbone of a memorial video. Worth considering:

• Portraits. Clear, recognisable images, though not necessarily formal ones.
• Candid images. Often feel more true to how people actually remember someone.
• Family and friendship groups. Helps represent the breadth of their relationships.
• Different life stages. Childhood, early adulthood, middle age, later years, where available.
• Work, hobbies and community involvement. Reflects how they spent their time and what mattered to them.
• Everyday moments. Not every photo needs to be a special occasion; ordinary moments often carry real weight.
• Recent photographs. Helps those who knew the person more recently recognise them, alongside older images.
• Image quality and duplicates. Check resolution before relying on an image for a large screen, and avoid including several near-identical photos of the same moment.

Home Videos and Short Clips

Video clips can add something photographs can't: movement, voice, mannerisms. A few points:

• Short personal moments often work better than long recordings. A few seconds of someone laughing or talking can say more than a full minute of footage.
• Voice and movement bring a different kind of presence to the video than still images alone.
• Informal footage, old home videos, phone clips, even shaky or imperfect footage, can still be genuinely valuable.
• Clips that show personality, a distinctive laugh, a familiar gesture, a way of speaking, tend to resonate strongly.
• Why shorter clips are often more effective: a memorial video usually moves at a fairly steady pace, and a long, unedited clip can slow that pace down more than intended. Trimming to the most meaningful few seconds usually works better than including a clip in full.

Names, Dates and Captions

Simple factual information helps orient the audience, particularly for anyone less familiar with the person's history:

• Full name, as the family wishes it to appear.
• Birth and death dates, where the family wants them included (this is optional, not required).
• Locations, events and years. Useful context for photos that might not be self-explanatory.
• Short captions. A few words are usually enough; captions don't need to be lengthy to be useful.
• Avoiding uncertain or disputed facts. If a date, name or detail is unclear or contested within the family, it's generally safer to leave it out or confirm it first rather than guess.

Music

Music does a lot of work in shaping how a memorial video feels. It can:

• Reflect the person's own taste or a song that had meaning to them
• Establish the overall tone, from reflective to celebratory
• Support the pacing of the video
• Help connect different sections or themes
• Add cultural or religious meaning, where relevant

For a full guide to choosing music, see: Best Songs for a Funeral Slideshow or Memorial Video

Voice Recordings and Spoken Messages

If a genuine recording of the person's voice exists, it can be one of the more meaningful elements available. Consider:

• Existing voice recordings. Voicemails, old videos, recorded conversations.
• Family messages. A short recorded message from someone close to the person.
• Readings. A poem, passage or piece of writing read aloud by a family member.
• Short memories. A brief spoken recollection from someone who knew them well.
• Narration. A short voiceover guiding the video, if the family wants that structure.
• Consent and suitability. Check that everyone recorded (family members contributing new recordings, for instance) is comfortable being included, and that the content is appropriate for the intended audience.

Personal Messages and Family Contributions

Many families like to involve more than one person in shaping the video. This can include:

• Short written messages, shown as on-screen text
• Recorded memories from different family members or friends
• Favourite sayings or phrases associated with the person
• Shared stories, kept brief and consistent in length
• A closing message from the family

In practice, it usually helps to have one person coordinate these contributions, collecting messages, setting a rough length or format, and managing the back-and-forth, rather than gathering everything in an ad hoc way from multiple people at once.

Opening and Closing Screens

Most memorial videos use a simple opening and closing screen to frame the video. This might include:

• The person's name
• Relevant dates, if the family wishes to include them
• A short phrase or line that feels appropriate to them
• A closing acknowledgement, such as a simple thank-you to those watching
• Service or family information, where appropriate (for example, details of a gathering afterwards)

There's no single correct wording for these screens. What matters is that it feels right for the specific person and family, rather than following a stock phrase because it's commonly used elsewhere.

Letters, Objects and Meaningful Documents

Beyond photos and video, some families include other material that adds depth:

• Handwriting samples, such as a signature or a short note
• Letters or cards that had personal significance
• Recipes, particularly for someone known for cooking or baking
• Artwork, whether created by the person or given to them
• Certificates or awards
• Sporting or community items connected to their interests
• Personal possessions that carried meaning

A privacy and permission note: if any of these items involve other people, a letter written by someone else, a shared family document, an object connected to a private matter, check that everyone involved is comfortable with it being included, especially if the video will be shared beyond the immediate family.

What You Do Not Need to Include

It's worth being clear that a memorial video does not need to include:

• Every photograph you have
• Every achievement or milestone
• Every family member or relationship
• Material that is poor quality or repetitive
• Content that may cause unnecessary distress to those watching
• Private information intended only for a small audience
• Images or recordings without appropriate permission
• Anything included only because someone feels pressured to add it

There's no obligation to use everything available, and leaving something out isn't a judgement on its importance. It's simply a practical decision about what serves the finished video best.

How to Choose Between Similar Images

When you're deciding between several similar photos, a short set of questions can help:

1. Does the image show something meaningful? A genuine moment, expression or setting, rather than just a technically clear photo.
2. Is the person recognisable? Especially important for anyone less familiar with earlier photos.
3. Does it add something different? Or does it repeat what a nearby photo already shows?
4. Is it suitable for the intended audience? Consider who will actually be watching.
5. Does the family have the right to use it? Particularly relevant for photos taken by someone outside the immediate family, or professional photography.
6. Does it support the overall sequence? Sometimes a slightly "less perfect" photo fits the flow of the video better than a technically stronger one.

How Much Material Do You Need?

The right amount of material depends on:

• The overall length of the video
• How many people and life stages you want to represent
• Whether you're using captions or narration, which can reduce how many images are needed
• The music and pacing you've chosen
• Whether the video is a simple slideshow or a more produced tribute with multiple elements

For more detail on numbers and pacing, see: How Many Photos Do You Need for a Funeral Slideshow?

If you're working with a limited photo collection, see: How to Create a Memorial Video When You Only Have a Few Photos

Organising Material for Production

Once you've decided roughly what to include, a little organisation goes a long way:

• Create one working folder for all memorial video material
• Separate photos, videos, audio and documents into clearly labelled subfolders
• Keep original files rather than only heavily compressed or edited copies
• Use clear filenames where practical (e.g. by date or event, rather than generic camera filenames)
• Note names, dates and captions alongside the relevant files
• Mark which material is preferred and which should be excluded
• Record music preferences in the same place
• Identify one family coordinator to manage contributions and decisions
• Keep a backup copy, ideally in more than one location
• Confirm the intended audience early, since it affects what's appropriate to include

For a full preparation checklist, see: How to Prepare Photos, Videos and Information for a Memorial Video

Still Frames' Role

Deciding what to include, and what to leave out, can be one of the more time-consuming parts of putting a memorial video together, especially when there's a lot of material to sort through. Still Frames makes it simple: choose from purpose-built templates, add your photos and videos, and pick from our curated music library. No editing skills needed, just simple guided steps from start to finished video.

Ready to start? Create your memorial video and see what the templates guide you toward.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many photos should be included in a memorial video? There's no fixed number. It depends on the video's length and pacing. A shorter video might use around 30–60 photos, but a smaller, well-chosen set can work just as well. See our detailed guide on photo numbers for more.

Should a memorial video include videos as well as photos? It can, though it doesn't have to. Short home video clips can add voice and movement that photos alone can't, but photographs on their own are enough to make a meaningful video.

Can I include voice recordings? Yes, if a genuine recording exists and the family is comfortable including it. A voicemail, old video or recorded message can be one of the most meaningful elements in a memorial video.

Should I include captions and dates? This is optional, but captions can help orient viewers, particularly for older or less familiar photos. Keep them brief; a few words is usually enough.

What should not be included in a funeral video? Generally, avoid material that's poor quality, repetitive, could cause unnecessary distress, or involves private information or people who haven't given permission to be included. There's no obligation to use everything you have.

Conclusion

Choosing what to include in a memorial video comes down to a few practical principles: favour meaningful material over sheer volume, aim for variety and honesty rather than only formal or curated images, consider the audience and setting for each version of the video, and check permission where other people are involved. A video doesn't need to be exhaustive to be right. It needs to feel coherent, and true to how this person is remembered.

For the process end to end, see How to Create a Memorial Video: The Complete Guide. Once the material is chosen and the video is being prepared for the day, Funeral and Memorial Video Technical Checklist covers format, audio and venue playback.

About the author

Chris C Chris C writes Still Frames' guides on the creative side of a memorial video, covering music, storytelling and what actually belongs in a tribute that feels right. He focuses on helping families make confident creative choices without turning the process into a production.

Reviewed by Scott G.