I have 2 questions regarding making a movie for my mother using vhs movies?

Any Europop/J-pop will work music-wise.

@Draconess25 Really? I mean, I’m as big a J-pop fan as anyone, but… for a mothers day gift? She may not understand…

As for your computer problem, you’ve picked an expensive and time-consuming project if you intend to do it yourself. Converting VHS to digital format requires hardware such as DVD recorder devices, but you can do it with a VCR connected to a digital camcorder. This link will give you some ideas as to how to go about converting your home movies.

I was particularly interested in the fact that some places like Home Depot, according to this, have DVD conversion services that won’t cost too much. I don’t know what the resulting file will be like, and how much you can edit it, but presumably you’ll be able to put the file into iMovie or another comparable program and edit it as you wish. As you’re a bit short on time, this may be your best bet.

For music, I would think about including some of your mom’s favorite songs or bands. Or songs that you have a strong connection to from your childhood. Those are most likely to make the biggest impression on your mother.

Good luck!

Mama – The Spice Girls
A Song for Mama – Boyz II Men
Mama – Chris Brown
Mom – Earth, Wind and Fire (sample lyric: “Mom: her face is still the same, she never seems to change, her love will still remain”)

Don’t use Bohemian Rhapsody, it’s sad!

As for transferring the VHS to your Mac for editing, here’s a page with a method of doing that using tools you may already own.

@ParaParaYukiko Well, the happy bubbliness!

@ParaParaYukiko I know this will definitely not be a quick project, but I know it’s something my mom will cherish for a very long time so it’s definitely worth the effort. And thanks for the tip off of home depot – I know there are places that do it but I wasn’t sure where to start asking.

You need to get a converter. I saw one that can do this at Radio Shack online for like $50, but not sure how great a device it is. I’ve also seen them on Craigslist for between $25 and $75 where I live.

You can use a digital video camera as a converter. Most have a way to connect video out from your VHS player. Then you can pass that through to iMovie on your Mac through a FireWire connection.

Agreed with @simpleD that you may be able to use a camcorder to do this. Basically, you need to have a device that is capable of digitizing the anaolog signal that a VCR plays. So, you can plug in your VCR to the camcorder, then use the right output to put it on to your computer. The complexity is making sure that you have the right cords. Like, your camcorder will need a specific input type of plug (like RCA (red, white & yellow) plug for the VCR, to small, headphone-like connector for the camcorder)...then the output may be firewire, or something else. And if it’s firewire (like Sony uses usually), then you need to make sure the computer you’re trying to capture to can handle that. The cords can be a bit costly if you don’t have them already, although if you know what you’re looking for, eBay is a great place to get these.

Like I said, it’s relatively complex…and yet, it’s actually simple, and easy to do, if the connections are sorted out. It’s not going to get done for today, though. But maybe your mother’s birthday? Or Christmas? It’s an excellent thought, and a fun project if you have the energy for it. And yes, after your video is captured, you can definitely edit it. Good luck. :)