80 ms·

1000Memories in 60 seconds (video, YC S10)

107 points by jonathanbgood 16y ago

jkkramer 16y ago
Nicely done. The tone seems just right for this kind of service: a combination of celebration and reverence.
- rudyadler 16y ago
  Thanks, we spent a lot of time working on getting the tone right. There are multiple elements - voice over, music, color, illustration, script - so the trickiest part was bringing them all together in a way that felt genuine and honest.
  - jon_dahl 16y ago
    Did you do the production in-house, or hire someone? Definitely well done, and a good tone.
    - rudyadler 16y ago
      We started by writing (and re-writing) the script in-house. Then we hired a very talented friend in Portland to do the illustration and he recommended we hire a local animation house that he liked and had worked with previously. The voice over was chosen after auditioning/recording 5 of our friends and my brother composed the sound design. It was a very collaborative process with a great group of people. We built slowly, allowing for feedback and brainstorming at each phase of the process. It really helps to work with people you like and whose tastes you trust.
      - prabodh 16y ago
        That was a great effort...how long did it take to put everything in place
        rudyadler 16y ago
        We started writing the script mid-December. Launched today. So about 5-6 weeks.
jamesjyu 16y ago
Absolutely beautiful, and done in the most tasteful way. This is how you communicate your product, especially for a potentially sensitive cultural issue such as death.
pclark 16y ago
How do people know to look for an obituary?
- mceachen 16y ago
  They don't -- that's why my grandmother looks at every one.
mceachen 16y ago
This has to have one of the highest production values of a YC video I've seen. Well done.
solipsist 16y ago
The only thing better than the video was the fact that they are using OLARK for customer support. I've seen that YC-funded company popping up in a lot of websites, and every time it continues to amaze me. So far I've only written people to complement them on something, but this truly seems to be a powerful tool that will companies the upper edge against competitors. I'm really looking forward to see how successful 1000Memories, along with OLARK, will become to be.
rickyyean 16y ago
Well done, guys!
rkudeshi 16y ago
Great job of communicating what the service is in an easy enough fashion that my mother would understand. Fortunately, I don't have a use for the service right now, but I will definitely keep it in mind for the future.
kineticac 16y ago
This is a pretty amazing video. I like the tone it gives. It's respectful, yet informative. There's so many subtle things that makes it just perfect for the service. Huge props, you guys rock.
troyk 16y ago
Best product video I've seen, short and sweet yet tells exactly what you do in a very life is celebratory way (the humor with the newspaper bit is brilliant). Is the voice over a founder, and can you share more about behind the scenes?
- rudyadler 16y ago
  The voice over is a former colleague. We love his voice because a) he sounds like Jeff Bridges and b) he has a slight lisp that is really endearing. We tried younger voices but they just didn't feel as right. We felt it needed an older, wiser narrator.
  - allantyoung 16y ago
    Did you go down the route of hiring pros first and then just decided to go with friends for the voice talent?
    - rudyadler 16y ago
      We never thought about hiring VO talent. We just thought about people we know that might have the right tone.
qq66 16y ago
That video was 72 seconds.
- Bretthuneycutt 16y ago
  Yes, the title just didn't have the same ring to it
Splines 16y ago
Man, just looking at that site makes me think. I'm not scared of dying; I'm scared of other people dying.
ericd 16y ago
That was really, really good. I hope you guys run this on TV at some point (in some shortened fashion - there are 60 second slots, though)
cj 16y ago
Nice video. How do they/will they make money? Printed versions of their pages?
- beefman 16y ago
  This answer was unsatisfactory: http://1000memories.com/forum/22-how-do-you-pay-for-the-site-is-there-advertising http://1000memories.com/forum/22-how-do-you-pay-for-the-site...
gregable 16y ago
The value add for me would be if I felt the content was really going to last "forever", but after navigating the site, I'm not offered any evidence that would increase my confidence in this happening. How can you make sure that the content will survive my (the surviving friend) lifetime?
ernestipark 16y ago
Looks great! Classy feel to the video. Is this something you plan on making money with or just something to help people remember their loved ones (or both)?
ebaysucks 16y ago
So will you sell memory related products to those who lost a loved one? Edit: It appears you'll be taking donations for good causes. Maybe the culture in America is different, but I don't see this work for anything except helping to pay for the funeral. Most funerals are a moment of self-reflection on one's own happiness, not so much the world's.

107 points by jonathanbgood 16y ago

jkkramer 16y ago

Nicely done. The tone seems just right for this kind of service: a combination of celebration and reverence.

rudyadler 16y ago
Thanks, we spent a lot of time working on getting the tone right. There are multiple elements - voice over, music, color, illustration, script - so the trickiest part was bringing them all together in a way that felt genuine and honest.
- jon_dahl 16y ago
  Did you do the production in-house, or hire someone? Definitely well done, and a good tone.
  - rudyadler 16y ago
    We started by writing (and re-writing) the script in-house. Then we hired a very talented friend in Portland to do the illustration and he recommended we hire a local animation house that he liked and had worked with previously. The voice over was chosen after auditioning/recording 5 of our friends and my brother composed the sound design. It was a very collaborative process with a great group of people. We built slowly, allowing for feedback and brainstorming at each phase of the process. It really helps to work with people you like and whose tastes you trust.
    - prabodh 16y ago
      That was a great effort...how long did it take to put everything in place
      - rudyadler 16y ago
        We started writing the script mid-December. Launched today. So about 5-6 weeks.

jamesjyu 16y ago

Absolutely beautiful, and done in the most tasteful way. This is how you communicate your product, especially for a potentially sensitive cultural issue such as death.

pclark 16y ago

How do people know to look for an obituary?

mceachen 16y ago
They don't -- that's why my grandmother looks at every one.

mceachen 16y ago

This has to have one of the highest production values of a YC video I've seen. Well done.

solipsist 16y ago

The only thing better than the video was the fact that they are using OLARK for customer support. I've seen that YC-funded company popping up in a lot of websites, and every time it continues to amaze me. So far I've only written people to complement them on something, but this truly seems to be a powerful tool that will companies the upper edge against competitors. I'm really looking forward to see how successful 1000Memories, along with OLARK, will become to be.

rickyyean 16y ago

Well done, guys!

rkudeshi 16y ago

Great job of communicating what the service is in an easy enough fashion that my mother would understand. Fortunately, I don't have a use for the service right now, but I will definitely keep it in mind for the future.

kineticac 16y ago

This is a pretty amazing video. I like the tone it gives. It's respectful, yet informative. There's so many subtle things that makes it just perfect for the service. Huge props, you guys rock.

troyk 16y ago

Best product video I've seen, short and sweet yet tells exactly what you do in a very life is celebratory way (the humor with the newspaper bit is brilliant). Is the voice over a founder, and can you share more about behind the scenes?

rudyadler 16y ago
The voice over is a former colleague. We love his voice because a) he sounds like Jeff Bridges and b) he has a slight lisp that is really endearing. We tried younger voices but they just didn't feel as right. We felt it needed an older, wiser narrator.
- allantyoung 16y ago
  Did you go down the route of hiring pros first and then just decided to go with friends for the voice talent?
  - rudyadler 16y ago
    We never thought about hiring VO talent. We just thought about people we know that might have the right tone.

qq66 16y ago

That video was 72 seconds.

Bretthuneycutt 16y ago
Yes, the title just didn't have the same ring to it

Splines 16y ago

Man, just looking at that site makes me think. I'm not scared of dying; I'm scared of other people dying.

ericd 16y ago

That was really, really good. I hope you guys run this on TV at some point (in some shortened fashion - there are 60 second slots, though)

cj 16y ago

Nice video. How do they/will they make money? Printed versions of their pages?

beefman 16y ago
This answer was unsatisfactory: http://1000memories.com/forum/22-how-do-you-pay-for-the-site-is-there-advertising http://1000memories.com/forum/22-how-do-you-pay-for-the-site...

gregable 16y ago

The value add for me would be if I felt the content was really going to last "forever", but after navigating the site, I'm not offered any evidence that would increase my confidence in this happening. How can you make sure that the content will survive my (the surviving friend) lifetime?

ernestipark 16y ago

Looks great! Classy feel to the video. Is this something you plan on making money with or just something to help people remember their loved ones (or both)?

ebaysucks 16y ago

So will you sell memory related products to those who lost a loved one? Edit: It appears you'll be taking donations for good causes. Maybe the culture in America is different, but I don't see this work for anything except helping to pay for the funeral. Most funerals are a moment of self-reflection on one's own happiness, not so much the world's.