The video shows the expanse of the cemetery’s new columbarium memorial garden. Click the image to see the video.

A 107-year-old local cemetery operated by descendants of its founder has unleashed modern military-inspired technology to showcase a new look to the historic property.

Tod Homestead Cemetery recently posted an aerial video, shot with a high-definition camera mounted on a drone, to convey stunning views of its new two-acre columbarium memorial garden.

The two-minute video resides here.

“The garden is beautiful, but it’s not easy to convey its features or its scope with photos or even traditional video,” said Sallie Tod Dutton, chair of the Tod Homestead Cemetery Association, and great-great-granddaughter of its founder, Ohio Gov. David Tod. “The aerial video really provides a new dimension to the view.”

Advantages of aerial video

The video was captured by Tim Marucci, vice president of Marucci and Gaffney Excavating Co. and a member of the cemetery association board. The Youngstown company frequently uses drones and cameras, and Marucci suggested an aerial video to the cemetery.

His edited footage is accompanied by minimalist supers and a royalty-free version of “Claire de lune,” Claude Debussy’s classical 1905 tribute to moonlight.

“Aerial photography is not new, but it’s much easier now and much more cost-effective with the rise of drones and more powerful cameras,” said Dan Pecchia, president of Pecchia Communications, which edited the Tod Homestead video and has supported the cemetery since 2012.

“It’s well worth considering for organizations that want to showcase land, buildings or other features that show well from above.”

Tips for using aerial video

Pecchia offers the following advice for those interested in using aerial photography cost-effectively:

• Keep it short. Two minutes is plenty, though you need almost that much time to show multiple views.
• Be careful with text. Words are important, but don’t let video supers smother the view. Be sure to keep any text aligned with other communications about the subject.
• Think sound. Make sure the audio is relevant to the audience and brings the images to life. Music is hard to beat, and there’s plenty of low-cost, royalty-free music available. But don’t underestimate the value and pop of freshly performed music if there’s a good rationale for it.
• Leverage YouTube. With more than a billion users each month, YouTube is the third-most popular internet site (after Google and Facebook). Contributors can easily add descriptive content to uploaded videos and fetch easy code for embedding a video on a website or blog.
• Leverage your website. Be sure to embed the YouTube video in a popular spot and build relevant, search-friendly content around it. Using the “sticky” function in WordPress and other platforms will keep it at the top of your post list.
• Distribute the link. Consider the networks that are important to your customers, prospects and supporters and get a link out there. Don’t underestimate targeted email.

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