Movie Magic: Inventive Video Ideas for Birthday Cards, Gifts, and More
Looking for interesting ideas for a birthday video for your friends or family? Then you’re sure to find a stroke of artistic inspiration in this list!
Looking for interesting ideas for a birthday video for your friends or family? Then you’re sure to find a stroke of artistic inspiration in this list!
Since technology is better and cheaper than ever, there are practically unlimited ways to incorporate videos into a super-awesome birthday surprise. From sending a virtual video card to crafting an Oscar-worthy short film to capturing the birthday festivities for posterity, we’ve got a whole bevy of options for you to consider.
Especially during these strange COVID times, online birthday cards (and online birthday parties) have been a real lifesaver. Why not add even more pizzazz to a socially distant birthday by turning your birthday card into a creative video?
If your priority is something quick and easy, try out one of these online video card makers:
Each tool is a little different, but they all let you create a video birthday card by either uploading your own photos/videos or pulling from a stock media library. You can add in some “Happy Birthday!” text and choose some background tunes, and you’ve got a customized video birthday card in just a few minutes.
Of course, online tools like these do cost something, so if you’re looking for a totally free option, then you’ll be better off making your own video. Fortunately, most phones and computers come with pretty great tech options already, so it’s probably easier than you think—and we’re covering some ideas next!
If you do prefer to DIY your birthday card video, it’s pretty simple! You can shoot a basic video on your phone and then use the built-in editing options to trim the video length, add a colorful filter, and perhaps even add text or animations, depending on your phone’s capabilities.
A sweet and simple option would be to gather friends and family to sing happy birthday. The video will take just a few minutes to capture and save, and you’re done!
If a simple birthday song isn’t quite grand enough for your artistic vision, you can download some free video editing apps to take advantage of snazzier creative options right from your phone. Some of the most popular free apps include Adobe Premiere Rush or Quik and Splice (iOS only) by GoPro.
To get the ideas flowing for your birthday card video, try creating a short scene featuring something the birthday boy or girl enjoys:
Tip: If you’re going to make your own video from scratch, you can get even more inventive by incorporating other people’s work. Check out the Public Domain Project for free video clips you can use and remix to your heart’s delight—including some surprisingly famous shots!
If an entire video production seems too big to devote to just the birthday card, then why not make the video the gift? Below are some fun ways to incorporate videos into your birthday gift, whether you actually make them yourself or not.
If your loved one is celebrating a major milestone in life, you can help them reflect on their accomplishment and celebrate their progress with a touching video montage from their closest family and friends. Websites like Tribute make it easy to gather clips from many different contributors and combine them into a single video.
To make your collaborative birthday video more cohesive, try to provide a central theme for all participants to follow. For example, you could ask video contributors to talk about:
Then when you combine all the clips, the video will come together into a nicely packaged birthday surprise, filled with meaning and impact.
Lots of people skip the birthday gift-giving once they reach a certain age and instead ask friends and family to donate to charitable causes. If you’re doing a good deed in honor of the birthday boy or girl, take a quick video and send it!
(Video or it didn’t happen…right?)
Just make sure that filming is appropriate for the situation and that it doesn’t make anyone else uncomfortable. You could send a quick video of you dropping groceries at the local food bank, for example, or participating in a local park clean-up event.
A birthday video from you would be cool and all…but a video from a favorite celebrity? That’s next-level birthday stuff!
Unless you just happen to know a bunch of a Hollywood agents, the best way to arrange for a famous birthday surprise is through a website like Cameo. You can hire musicians, actors, comedians, and all kinds of celebs to create a custom birthday video.
Those of us over the age of 30 or so likely have stacks upon stacks of old home movies—now on outdated equipment that we may not even be able to use. (Hello, VCR!) To preserve these precious memories and surprise your loved one on their birthday, consider digitizing some of this older technology!
This gift is great for anyone, but it’s especially touching during times of life transition or major milestones. For instance, you might give this type of birthday video to:
Tip: For old film or tape reels, you’ll probably need to hire a pro to do the digitizing. Try online services like Legacy Box, or check out your local convenience store or superstore. Walmart and Costco both offer digitizing services.
If the birthday boy or girl happens to be into the creative arts, then this whole “birthday video” theme can be taken one step further. Nurture their interest by choosing some type of videography tool, equipment, or resource as their birthday gift.
Depending on your budget, you could gift something like:
For more video birthday gift ideas that won’t break the bank, check out this list of low-budget filmmaking must-haves.
There are hundreds if not thousands of courses online, ranging from high-budget one-time payments to affordable yearly subscriptions. For a budding filmmaker, you might try:
Make the birthday party itself more fun and capture all the special memories with some of these video ideas.
This idea is perfect for kids—or for the grown-up drama kids among us! Take the video/movie concept and turn it into the entire theme of your birthday party (IRL or zoom).
For example, you could:
Especially during these COVID days, it can be difficult to get together with loved ones, even when we don’t live so far away. If you’re stuck having a small birthday party with your immediate household due to quarantine or social distancing, make it a Zoom birthday party!
You can either make it a real virtual party—with activities, games, trivia, a theme, the whole shebang—or you can do it quick and easy through a short video call or livestream of you blowing out the birthday candles.
If you want to do a whole party, check out our tips on a fun virtual birthday party!
If you are able to have an IRL birthday party like the good ole days, then think about setting up a tripod in the corner and capturing the day’s activities! Especially if the party is for fast-growing kids or aging loved ones, these irreplaceable memories are wonderful to capture and hold onto for later years.
Another awesome way to make use of the amazing technology we already have at our fingertips is to start capturing a birthday video journal! Journaling is one of our favorite birthday self-care ideas, and taking a video can be more accessible if you don’t love writing.
Every year, make it a point to sit down for 15 minutes and talk about what’s going on in your life:
No matter how old you are, it’s never too late to start this practice. Just make sure that you store these annual birthday videos in a particular place, or they’ll certainly get lost among the thousands of other photos and videos that will accumulate on your phone.
Whether you’re making a birthday video yourself or incorporating video technology in some other way, we hope you’ll enjoy the creative process! Whatever you do, don’t forget to have fun and send a birthday card.
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