Home videos are a great way of entertaining family and friends during the holidays or any family festivity. Before you laugh and skim to the next article, hear me out. I'm not referring to your old VHS tapes collecting dust in your basement. Leave those in storage where they belong and give them to your kids when they get older. Instead, I'm talking about the directed-and-produced, semi-professional home video - the one that is edited, artistic and tells a story like the ones on the silver screen.



Every family has a few good stories to tell. Why not share them? If you think it may bore your guests, employ these five smart tactics to help you transform an ordinary home video into a theatrical masterpiece.

1. Choose A Theme - There is nothing worse than watching a home video that has no plot. Your guests put on a fake smile and feign like they're entertained. In reality, though, they're just wondering how quickly it will end. Make sure you choose a single theme that fits the occasion, and never share a film that doesn't add value to the intended point of the gathering. If the party is light and festive, choose pictures and videos that are funny and lift peoples? spirits. Leave out the video that stirs up sad memories of lost loved ones (save those for reunions and New Years). Nothing dampens a festive party more than one with a handful of people sobbing in the corner. In short, know your audience and pick a video with an appropriate theme for them and the occasion.

2. Edit! Edit! Edit! ? Most people don't enjoy watching home videos because they have to endure through all the boring clips in order to get to the good stuff. Nobody cares about seeing you pack your clothes, drive to the airport, strapping on the parachute, giving a hug and kiss good-bye to loved ones or watching the plane take off ? they just want to see you jump out of the plane at 10,000 feet! Please, just show the highlights, rather than making people endure thirty minutes of things they don't want to see just to get to the thirty seconds of footage that they really like. If possible, get a friend to review the clips that you want to include and tell you whether or not they're interesting. There are many high-quality, easy-to-use editing software programs available on the market, so take the time to learn how to use them on your films.

3. Add Music ? Adding the right type of music to your home video can really accentuate the mood that you are attempting to create. It can also be used to assist in scene transitions and, especially, during climactic points of the film. Just remember to only use music that agrees with the overall theme. For instance, if you're trying to evoke intimate memories during a 50th anniversary party, AC/DC's Highway to Hell is probably not the right song. Forever Young by Rod Stewart or Remember When by Alan Jackson might be a better fit. Music adds emotion to your film, so choose the songs wisely to add to the experience.

4. Art and Animation ? Using art and animation is a fantastic way to give your home video a professional feel. Movie software, such as Microsoft's Movie Maker, is a great tool to add titles, special effects, and transitions to your film. In addition, you can use presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint to add festive backgrounds and bring everything together in one single file. If you're really feeling adventurous, you could add animated characters to the film to really impress your friends and family ? just make sure it doesn't distract from the plot.

5. Get Feedback and Review ? Before you share your video masterpiece to a crowd, show it to a friend from beginning to end and get some feedback. You might have thought something was clever or funny, but oftentimes others don't get the joke. Don't take the feedback personally, and realize that the final decision is up to you. Review the video for both content and quality, and make changes necessary before ?opening night;? otherwise, you might be walking down the red carpet to embarrassment and humiliation.

There is a Director in us all, and it's a lot of fun to let that person out. Show your creativity to family and friends by producing high-quality home videos. If you have other tips that you wish to share, feel free to write a Blog entry about them at ArtisticPursuit.com. Let the Director come out in you!