Mini Montage for Zoom Mitzvahs!

As promised, we have been hard at work on innovative and supportive ways to offer our Mitzvah families the opportunity to celebrate and connect with loved ones even as Mitzvah Celebrations have had to move online, or change in shape and style.

We are now thrilled to announce a brand new product for Mitzvah Families around the country!

Meet the Mini Mitzvah Montage, designed as a unique entrance video to a Zoom Mitzvah. The new Mini Mitzvah Montage helps you set the tone for your Zoom Mitzvah, to truly make it feel like a special, exciting, social event  Not just another login to a meeting or learning session! 

We understand that you are struggling with so many unforeseen challenges, disappointments, and restrictions, all while wanting more than ever to feel close to and celebrated by the ones you love.

Contact us to talk about kicking off your Zoom Mitzvah in the most special way.

Mini Montage for Zoom Mitzvahs:

Duration: 90 seconds - 2 minutes

Number of Photos: up to 50
Price: $350
Production Time: 2 weeks

The Mini Montage for Zoom Mitzvahs can be completed entirely remotely.

Many Voices, One Celebration

Lately, we have been thinking a lot about how traditions sustain us, especially when times are difficult. This is one of the reasons we love being a part of Mitzvah celebrations for families around the country.

We have asked some of our clients - and their children - what is most important to them. And we have learned that more often than not, it is the little things that connect us as a family and a community that have the most lasting impact on our memories and on our hearts.

Special Messages from Loved Ones

Especially now, when it is difficult to see each other in person, the ability to share messages of love and support across generations is essential and sustaining. For young people who are going through the process of preparing for a bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah, it is especially encouraging to hear stories and experiences from their older relatives.

Becoming a Part of Family History

At a time when they are exploring and learning in this unique and special way, connecting to family history takes on new meaning and even greater value for them.

This is a beautiful opportunity to deepen connections across generations and to find new ways of connecting with and appreciating family members and our shared histories.

Honoring Connections

We are hard at work on some new ideas that we are excited to announce soon. We are inspired by connecting across generations and across distance, and motivated by our commitment to helping families celebrate their shared lives one moment at a time.

Stay tuned for our announcement soon… we can’t wait to make your Mitzvah experience even more special!

Continuing Traditions

Here at Portraits that Move, we are grateful to be able to work in the face of Stay at Home Orders and the uncertainty that faces all of us. This time has been a reminder of the importance of resilience and the beauty of simple moments and family traditions.

We are so very grateful to the clients who continue to trust us to help honor their most important moments and to be a part of their celebrations and their traditions, even when those celebrations and traditions have had to change their shape. Even when Bar Mitzvah celebrations have been postponed, or moved to the virtual space.

Throughout all of this, it is becoming even more clear how special simple things like a truly beautiful, professionally edited Montage can be. Our montages provide so much more than a way to celebrate a child’s bar or bat mitzvah, or a way of celebrating milestones like birthdays, anniversaries, and retirements.

From sorting through pictures, to talking with clients, to working with our editors, to delivering the final film, we are able to give families what we all need now. And what we all realize is so important. We are able to highlight connections, remember quiet moments, cheer each other on, and embrace and celebrate who we are, and how very much we all mean to each other.

So, friends, we thank you. We thank you for your trust. We thank you for sharing your moments with us. And we thank you for helping us create, honor, and celebrate your stories.

To create a Mtizvah Montage, or a Milestone Montage for your family, contact us now. We can’t wait to help you share your story!

Balancing Joy and Challenges

As difficult as all of this has been - and it seems the difficulty comes in waves - we find the greatest comfort comes in the moments we spend calmly and joyfully with the ones we love. And so, that is driving home even more, the importance of remembering and honoring the moments, big and small, with our families. The milestone moments that we can recall when things feel most difficult, and the every day moments that make up our family life and our shared history, are what we seem to crave the most.

We acknowledge that this time of social isolation is especially difficult for families who have spent a tremendous amount of time, energy, and love preparing for upcoming events like bar and bat mitzvahs. Suddenly, it feels like the months and years of dreaming, and planning, and working, are ripped away. The creativity, enthusiasm and strength that we are witnessing in the face of this disappointment (felt by children and parents in equal measure), is inspiring us to work harder and to do more.

Some families have used Zoom and other technology to host virtual bar mitzvah celebrations. Others are putting the party plans on hold and coming up with even more fun, creative ways to celebrate when we can finally all be together again to revel in our traditions, and our families. Sharing new stories, and re-telling all of our old favorites.

Along with our clients, we have been finding ourselves taking a little more time to pour over our own family memories. We have been bringing out photos, from physical photos to the longer and longer camera rolls on our phones and other devices. What we are finding - and we are hearing the same from clients and friends - is that looking back over these memories (even those from the recent past that is starting to feel a bit far away) is helping us to feel gratitude and joy. And this gratitude and joy helps to balance out, if not push away entirely, the frustration that current circumstances are often creating.

In fact, these small, isolated moments go a long way into helping us tell - and connect to - our family stories. If you have found yourself looking through photos and longing to connect to and celebrate your family , now is the perfect time to work with us on creating a Montage Video. Without the ability to shoot our Signature Portrait Videos or Mitzah Movies due to social distancing, our Portraits that Move Team has been hard at work on more montages. For families with a bar mitzvah coming up, now is an ideal time to get started on making a Mitzvah Montage with Portraits that Move. Everything from the initial consultation, to the Montage creation process, is easy to do virtually. And with a little extra time with your family, it is a good time to gather around and review photos, swap stories, and select your favorites to share.

In addition to our Mitzvah Montages, we have been creating new montage videos for birthday and retirement celebrations, and other events that families plan to hold virtually and in person. It fills us with joy to be able to be a part of sharing and celebrating your family’s story in this way, especially now. We invite you to reach out to us to plan a montage, or simply to share a story.

Wishing you good health and an abundance of joy.

3 Mitzvah Planning Tips to Help Stay in the Moment

We believe that every moment matters, especially the smallest moments we share with the ones we love. But sometimes, when you are celebrating a major milestone, it can feel like you are so busy making sure everything is perfect - and perfectly documented - that you end up missing out on those small, special moments that you can’t get back.

Working with bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah moms and dads inspired us to put together this list of three tips to help you stay in the moment during your mitzvah planning stages.

Check in with Your Mitzvah Kid

It can be easier to roll through the checklist, intent on getting everything accomplished as quickly as possible. Isn’t that what parenthood usually feels like??

When it comes to the Mitzvah Planning Phase, make sure you build in quick check-ins with your child (even if you have to put that down on a list). Ask what matters most to them at that day. Ask what they really want the guest list to look like. Ask if there are must-dos and rather-not-dos for how they want to celebrate.

Take another step and ask your child how the preparation is going. Ask what the mitzvah service project experience is like - why have they chosen to help their community in the way that they have. Do they see themselves continuing this kind of work into their teenage years, or even into adulthood?

Conversations like these help to re-center you and your child. And they give you the energy and excitement to continue to get all those other things off your list as you prep for the big day.

Talk About the Mitzvah Montage or Movie

Take some time to go through your photos with your child. There may be some in your collection that are extra meaningful to them, that you otherwise would have disregarded. Remember, it’s not about capturing the most beautiful moments, it’s about sharing the moments that have brought you and your child the most joy, or growth, or love.

Looking through photos and talking about memories is a wonderful way to connect with your kids, especially at a time of transition in their lives. We are always amazed at the insights and ideas that kids share when we create our documentary-style films for our Mitzvah Movies and Signature Portrait Videos. Often, it comes down to asking the most simple questions, then giving them the space to respond and share.

Share Your Own Experiences

Planning your child’s bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah naturally brings up memories of your own. Share these stories with your child.

Sit down at dinner, or take a quick trip to a coffee shop and spend a little time telling your son or daughter what they experience was like for you. Did you enjoy it? Did you feel like your mother was making all the decisions and leaving you out of the planning process? Were you worried about who from your class wouldn’t come, or whether it would feel weird to have all of your friends in the same room as all of your relatives?

Times may have changed - we may not have had mitzvah logos or photo booths - but the feeling of being a middle school-aged kid and being the center of attention in a major way, transcends time. Reach back to your own real memories - good and not-so-good - and share them with your child. It will help you to connect with them. It will alleviate some of the stresses they may be feeling (knowing you’re not alone goes a long way, especially at this age).

And it will help you have the strength and peace of mind to continue mitzvah planning in the way that is right for your kid and your family.

A Grateful Celebration!

If you follow Portraits that Move, you know that we practice gratitude every day, for every moment. We are truly grateful for the work we get to do, the families we meet, and the stories we help them share.

That’s why we have been overflowing with gratitude since we returned from our trip to Mitzvah Market’s Celebrate Showcase in Long Island. We got to know some wonderful families, we had the chance to share Mitzvah Montages and Movies, to talk about what we do for Mitzvah families that is different from what they have seen and more powerful than they expected. We also had the opportunity to chat with other creative, hardworking people who commit to giving Bar and Bat Mitzvah families and their guests’ truly amazing experiences.

Thank you to everyone who talked with us and shared ideas and dreams for their events. And a heartfelt thank you to all of the energetic, helpful folks from Mitzvah Market who made the event possible.

If you didn’t make it out to the Showcase, take a look at some of our highlights.

If you are ready to schedule your Mitzvah Movie or Montage, get in touch now. Things are getting busy and we want to get started right away!

How to Create a Tween Approved Mitzvah Movie

When we create Mitzvah Montages and Movies we are are doing more than creating a montage or movie that guests will enjoy and remember. We are documenting a transforming, exciting, and not entirely easy time in the life of an almost-teenager.

This is one reason why we consider it such an honor to create Mitzvah Movies and Montages. It is also why we pay special attention to communicate directly with the mitzvah child and to make sure that their voice is heard and that they are comfortable with every step of the process. And proud of the final result.

Understand Their Expectations

This is a busy time for our kids. They are at an age when they have very specific expectations, and meeting those expectations feels especially important. They are attending their friends’ bar and bat mitzvahs, they’re spotting trends and coming up with their own ideas.

All of this means that our bar and bat mitzvah kids are in that delicate space where the desire to fit in and the desire to stand out feel equally strong. When we create montages and movies, we jump right into this space. So we take extra time to hear what our young clients want. We work together with them to understand their expectations and to create a film that makes them feel comfortable, confident, and excited to share.

Let Them Make Decisions

Before you connect with our Portraits that Move filmmakers, we recommend that you sit down and talk with your daughter or son about their own ideas for their mitzvah film. Ask them what moments stand out to them, what they most want to celebrate.

And most importantly, ask them what they do - and do not - want to share.

Yes, this can lead to some feelings of tension, when your creative vision or your expectations as a parent feel like they clash with those of your child. That’s one of the reasons why it’s so helpful to have us on board. We are pros at navigating these waters, and at helping kids to shine through as their own authentic selves with clarity and confidence.

Focus on the Experience

Make the Mitzvah Movie and Montage creation process a memorable part of the overall experience. Take some extra time (as busy as you are during the planning phase!) to walk down memory lane. As you look through photos together, share stories about the moments those photos capture.

Use this preparation time to connect with your child on a deeper and more mature level. Share some real stories about those moments - about how you felt at the time, about what these memories mean to you now that time has passed and you are at such a significant moment in your child’s life - and your family’s.

Be honest. If you come across photos that make you feel not-so-great about how you looked, or if you see those photos now and remember feeling bad about yourself in the moment, but more grateful now to have that moment in time preserved, tell your child. Going through photos may make your tween feel self conscious about how they look now or how they looked when they were younger. Knowing that you have shared those struggles, but that you are able to focus on the what really matters (your family, yourself, your connections to each other) will go a long way in improving your child’s self esteem now and into the teenage years.

Encourage Self Expression

Your child wants to tell - and should tell - their story. Listen to what they want to say and how they want to say it. Give them the space to express themselves and celebrate themselves in their Mitzvah Movie or Mitzvah Montage. In so doing, you will have not only the perfect thing to show at your celebration, you will have a treasured time capsule of this complicated, beautiful, authentic moment in your child’s story.

What is the One Photo Every Mitzvah Montage Needs?

Before we create everything from our Signature Portrait Videos to our Mitzvah Movies and Montages, we first sit down with families to talk about their stories, their ideas, and what is most important to them. This part of the Portraits that Move filmmaking process not only makes for a smooth production from start to finish. It helps us to understand the story that you want to tell - the moments that you want to preserve and share.

What Moments Matter?

Thinking about what moments matter and why is especially important when we create a Mitzvah Montage. One of the best things about Mitzvah Montages is that they give us the opportunity to share a mini-history of your child - what matters to them, what makes them happy, what makes them uniquely themselves at this milestone moment.

This comes with challenges, too, as every parent who has ever tried to put together an annual photo collage knows! Once you start looking back at all the moments, big and small, you become overwhelmed. You want to share every tooth-gap smile, every first day of school, every triumph, and all those quiet moments in between - your child reading, looking up at fireworks, running to their favorite swing.

How do you know what to include in a Mitzvah Montage?

As with all things parenting, there is no one answer. But we do have a good guide, and a recommendation for the one photo you can’t forget to include.

The One Photo You Must Include in Your Mitzvah Montage

Find a photo that shows all of your family doing something together. That includes you, Mom! So often, we get caught up in sharing the most perfect moments. And, thanks to the stress of motherhood or our own hangups about how we’re looking right now or how we think we should look instead, we leave ourselves out of the equation.

But what are we telling our children when we do this?

All of our work at Portraits that Move is dedicated to documenting and celebrating the real moments that make our family lives what they are. The story that unfolds in little ways every day. And you are a part of that story, Mom.

Just ask your child.

So find the photo that tells your story.

Choose the photo that makes your whole family smile, laugh, or tear up with joy. Close your eyes and think of the moment when you felt connected to each other in a special way because of your child. That is the moment to share. That moment, with your child and your shared love, joy, and pride, is the photo you must include in your Mitzvah Montage.

Whether or not your guests notice it, it is the gift you give to your family, and to your child on their special day.

Why Mitzvahs, Why Now?

 I wore a white frilly dress and my grandfather’s tallit (prayer shawl.) My hair was permed and my braces had recently been taken off for the event. I felt strong and filled with pride. I was continuing my family’s tradition and it meant something to me. 

I remember so clearly what it felt like to stand up in front of my friends and family and tell them about how I wanted to contribute to the world and about how the experience of preparing for the special day had changed my perspective. I felt it then and looking back, I still feel that now.

The decision for us to make Mitzvah Videos at Portraits That Move may seem like a bit of a left turn, since so much of what we do is about capturing the average day in the life of kids and their families. It actually isn’t and here’s why.

To me, life is all about the following truths: family, closeness, celebration, tradition, joy and gratitude. Every day that we create videos for Portraits that Move, I have these truths in mind. Making mitzvah videos allows us to create something that is about all of them at one time.

Bar and Bat Mitzvahs are celebrations with family. They are filled with joy and tradition.  I see a wonderful opportunity to enrich the experience that a family is having by giving them the chance to document their own feelings about the process. This is super empowering for kids and for parents. The result is something that they have to share with their guests and to look at and remember forever.

The empowerment of going through a mitzvah process cannot be underestimated. It can be a defining moment for a child. We want to be part of that - to document that shift and to celebrate, celebrate, celebrate. Let’s celebrate together.

Mitzvah Montage Review from NY Mom

New York mom Stacey Leibowitz just celebrated her daughter Charlotte’s Bat Mitzvah. The party, planned by Partow Events and held at Brooklyn’s 26Bridge, included a Mitzvah Montage from Portraits that Move.

Stacey says “I cherish the montage for a moving snapshot of our lives with our daughter to this point. It captures her with her most important relationships – friends, family, camp life, dance – all the things that matter most to her.”

We couldn’t be happier to hear this! We chatted with Stacey about the Mitzvah Montage process, and what the experience was like for her an her family. Here’s what she had to say.

What were your expectations for the Mitzvah Montage creation process? How did the experience compare to your expectations?

I was amazed at how easy the process with Susannah was. The hardest part was culling down photos and getting my 13 year old to agree to which photos we were ‘allowed’ to use!

In one 45 minute call, Susannah engaged me and my daughter, asked her thoughtful questions and started to frame an approach to the video. We were able to complete the process after two reviews, during which Susannah was supportive and had great suggestions. The second and final version took our suggestions and made them even better. Her editor is fantastic.

After watching the montage, what struck you the most? 

In 5 minutes, Susannah encapsulated the joy that our daughter has within her and that joy that she shares with her family and friends.

She was able to take my daughter’s choice of music and made it flow and really align to the moment in the photos.

What was the reaction at the Mitzvah celebration?

The video was the perfect length. There was laughter, lots of oohs and aahs, and many tears. A perfect reaction!

Have people shared the montage since the event?

It is wonderful to have the link to share. We did not share it broadly, but sent to family after the bat mitzvah. It allowed them to savor the moments that they may have missed in a large event space and made it a more intimate experience. I’m sure the Grandmas have watched it over and over!

To plan your Mitzvah Montage, contact us.

4 Self Care Tips for Bar Mitzvah Planning Moms

Bar Mitzvah planning is a hectic, often overwhelming process. You are likely to find yourself second guessing, worrying over details large and small, and wondering if you are doing enough to support and celebrate your child. Basically, it's a microcosm of parenting.

There are so many decisions to be made, from the Bar/Bat Mitzvah planner to the venue, to the theme, to the Bar Mitzvah montage video, to the guest lists and seating charts. It is a recipe for stress, especially for already busy moms.

Original Photo by Lonely Planet on Unsplash

Work with a Planner and Delegate

Do not attempt this on your own! Hire a Bar Mitzvah planner that you trust, who understands what you want, from the vibe to the budget. When you hire a planner, you are bringing in an expert who will connect you with Bar Mitzvah vendors that save you the stress of feeling like you have to reinvent the wheel, or manage the entire world.

Here’s the catch, though, and it is essential to self care: delegate. Let your planner do what he/she does best and do not stress over whether or not they will do what they say. If you hired the right person, they truly understand what is at stake, and they will not let you down. After all, their business, and their reputation, are on the line.

Delegate to your family, too. Involve your child, who will no doubt have ideas of his/her own. But be sure to come to them with calmness and with appropriate sized jobs and reasonable expectations, otherwise you compound the stress for both of you. Use the planning (and delegating!) process as time to talk with your son or daughter about the experience, and to encourage self care - for both of you – as you prepare.

Be Confident in Your Decisions

Once you make a decision, whether it is about the venue, the Bat Mitzvah dress, or who to invite (or not invite), check it off the list and move on. Nothing is more exhausting (and less productive) than second guessing yourself. Now is not the time to add more exhaustion to your days and nights - you will be busy enough moving on to the next Bar/Bat Mitzvah planning details.

We have seen too many parents about to crumble when they are picking images for the Bar Mitzvah montage portion of our videos. As a parent in the midst of this process, if you don’t take time to slow down and practice a little self care, suddenly, you can’t make a single decision without fearing that it is the wrong one. Remember the advice you got when you brought home the little baby that’s now not so little and nowhere near a baby: you will know what’s best.

You know what’s right for you and for your family. You know the moments that matter most to you and to each other. Those are the moments you want to include in your video, those are the moments that have led to this one. Be confident in all the right decisions that you have made and are making. They are what brought you and your child to this point, and they are what you are celebrating.

Check in with Friends

Way back when you were a new mom, you met a group of friends that were your safe space to ask questions about diaper blowouts and how many times to check on the baby once he finally fell asleep. Guess what? Those same moms are going through the Bar/Bat Mitzvah planning process, too. Rally your group of moms, whether you have been in touch on a daily basis or not. Meet for a drink, have a few laughs, and talk about the ups and downs of this process in a way that only other moms going through it will understand.

Photo by Becca Tapert on Unsplash

Listen to their recommendations about DJs and party supplies, but also ask them the questions you can’t ask anyone else. How am I really going to feel? What happened to my baby? What can we do to support each other from the party details to the new reality of parenting older kids? Just as you supported each other in your early days as moms, you will see the value of supporting each other now – of being heard and understood by people who really get it. There is no substitute for the energy we get from other supportive moms. It’s the perfect way to restore our sense of balance at this time (just be sure this is a circle you trust – we’re talking about collaboration, not competition!).

Step Away and Spend Time with your Child

Let this be your mantra: "this is about my child." Do not lose sight of the reason you are doing all of this Bar/Bat Mitzah planning. This is a time to celebrate your child, and there is no better way to do that than to spend a bit of time with them. Listen to what your son has to say, not just about his Bar Mitzvah theme ideas, but about what the preparation process feels like for him. How is he growing and changing? Does he have any fears about the day? Ask your daughter to show you what she is reading, and how she is preparing. Talk with her about what her Bat Mitzvah experience means, and how it is preparing her for her next steps in life.

These conversations ground us, they restore us. When we take a moment to talk with our children we not only remember what the Bar Mitzvah experience is about. We have the opportunity to practice self care and model that for our children, and we get to move from feeling overwhelmed to feeling excited, and grateful as the day approaches.

- Elizabeth Eames, August 2018

Elizabeth Eames is a professional communicator, a parent, and a member of the Portraits that Move Team.