Video and Live-streaming
If there are friends or family members who would like to attend the funeral or memorial service of your loved one, but they are unable to attend in person, then hiring a videographer to record the event or live-streaming the service may be something that you would like to consider.
What is the difference between videoing and live-streaming?
A videographer will record the service, edit the footage and provide you with a copy of the video after the event. They will usually provide you with a USB or a link to download the file on a sharing website such as WeTransfer. You will then be able to share the video file with whoever you wish and keep it as a memento.
Live-streaming means broadcasting the service live, as it happens, via the internet. It is also possible to record the live-streamed event for later viewing.
How can I organise live-streaming?
Some funeral homes offer live-streaming, and this may be at an additional cost. If your funeral home does not offer live-streaming it is worth asking them if you can hire a funeral videographer who can organise this for you, or hire equipment from an AV company and live-stream the service yourself.
How can I view the service via live-streaming?
A link and a password are needed to access the live stream and these details along with instructions on how to join are sent to the family by the funeral director, AV company, or person setting up the live-stream in the days before the funeral service. The family can then share the joining details with anyone they wish.
When an event is live-streamed, it can be viewed live and, depending on the streaming provider you choose, it may be possible to view the recording of the service for a short period of time (usually between one to three months) after the event. In some cases you may be able to download a copy of the service as a memento. There is often an additional fee for this if you are using a streaming service provided by the funeral home or if you are using a AV company or videographer.
Live-stream the service yourself
There are many AV companies you can hire equipment to live-stream a funeral service from.
If you would prefer to live-stream the service yourself there are many different streaming platforms you can use such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Facebook Live or Youtube.