I was seven years old and the memory is absolutely as much a part of my pop-culture influences as it is just a nice family experience.  I recall the first screening that our family held.  It was late at night (though now I am not sure how late, for a seven year old 10 o'clock is well beyond bed-time) and we all sat silent in the giant room at Home Savings of America where my father worked and had spent a lot of time editing.  The lights dimmed, the credits rolled.  The first, most exciting part of the whole movie, so help me, was just seeing my name flash on the screen. 

What do you do with a skit or movie you've just finished?  Here are some ideas to help you increase your enjoyment.

1. A few of our movies and music videos have simply remained "ours" -- no debuts, no fanfare, no announcements. 

2. In other cases, we have given some of our video projects as Christmas or birthday gifts. 

3. You can enter your movies in local, regional, or national video club contests.  That way, you get to share your work with others who have the same type of interests as yours -- and you get to see their work.  It's a great learning experience.  One such place and organization is AMMA , the Amateur Movie Makers Association (formerly known as SAVAC):

Amateur Movie Makers Association

4. Write about your experiences for others to read.  One place you could do that is right here, using the submit article page. 

5. Have an informal "debut."  For several of our movies, we turned the evening into a time of fun for both family and friends. We invited some close friends over for a meal (most of whom had parts in the movie, but didn’t know anything about the movie except for their own parts), had a good time chatting, and then gathered everyone around the TV. We handed out a specially prepared flier (adorned with simple computer graphics) commemorating the

event, introduced the stars of the show (including both children and adults), and had the debut. Of course the key to all of this is that you not take this process too seriously and that it be used as an occasion for fun and laughter.

6. Have a formal "debut."  For one movie in particular, Watching Dakota,  we actually had a real debut.   Since it was a project for the youth of our church and community, we sent  out invitations to every child who participated in the movie (most of the children in the movie did not attend our church) and to anyone whom the child wanted to invite.  

We had a screening and an awards banquet on a Saturday evening.  We did not know how many people to expect, but 83 people attended:  children, parents, grandparents, and friends.  Since our church only had 30 people in it,  83 was quite a turnout.  We rented a 15' x 15'  screen and a video projector, and we hooked up some huge speakers (we had an awesome sound system that night). After the screening, the banquet focused on the child stars, to whom we gave certificates of appreciation, a booklet commemorating the movie,  and a personal copy of their movie.   We then had a "signing party" in which children could sign each others' books.  It was phenomenal. The response by parents and children alike was very encouraging. Most of all, it was very satisfying to know that we had been able to touch some lives in positive ways. (And since that night, we have had numerous responses from parents telling us how much the children liked the movie experience and continued to watch it -- over and over and over again.)

Whatever you choose to do with your finished products--be they movies, music videos, or simple voice-overs--share them with people you love.