How long can a Group Video be?
Short Answer:
A Group Video can be up to 1 hour (60 min) in duration.
Detailed Answer:
There are two aspects to why the limit is 60 minutes:
- The limits of the storage system and
- Making a great group video
What are the limits of a Group Video?
While we offer guidance and suggestions (see below), we've never wanted to impose rules on our users when we don't have to. Your Group Video is your creation. So since the beginning of Memento, we have not imposed strict limits on individual video length (they can be several minutes), the number of videos that can appear in a Group Video, or the total length of a Group Video. Our users have created Group Videos featuring 100 video clips (wow!). Whether that's a video anyone will have the stamina or attention span to watch is another question, but our system has been able to handle it. Bottom line: If you're creating something shorter than an hour, you should be fine.
What makes a great Group Video?
Memento is all about making incredible keepsakes. Most people are more deeply touched when 25 of their family and friends send them their love, instead of just one person. While there is certainly strength in numbers, having fewer people (e.g., less than 10) in a Group Video doesn't necessarily make the result any less powerful. Who the individuals are and the message they are conveying can have just as significant an impact.
The other factor we often refer to is pacing. If a Group Video is too long, the person receiving it may not have the stamina or attention span to watch it all, and it may lose some impact. It's like receiving a birthday card where someone has written a 2000-word essay on the inside.
The same goes for the individual Video Clips within the Group Video. While we certainly think that a spouse, parent, child, or sibling might have more to say than a not-so-close friend, everyone should avoid recording a video that is several minutes long; it negatively affects the video flow. Individual videos can also be too short, especially when you account for the half-second cross-fade transition. This is why we suggest an ideal time of between 10 and 60 seconds for each submission.