Publishing video is becoming an increasingly important part of many companies' communication strategy.  The growth in broadband connections to the home along with the emergence of user-friendly video formats has made video content easily available to consumers, who have demonstrated a voracious appetite for it.  YouTube and MySpace are changing the television landscape and the producer that simply shrinks down content intended for larger screens is going to be sorely disappointed in the result.

But the real meat of the training lies in the chapters earmarked for teaching specific production techniques related to the choice of colors, backgrounds, chromakey, transitions and titles.   Spotted Eagle walks the viewer through the process of editing video content for the web (he's a Sony Vegas user, but don't hold that against him) including PiP examples of how the final product will look in the compressed form.  Now granted, you're watching it on a DVD and not the web, but you'll get the idea.  Frankly, I think this training would have more visual impact if it was actually delivered over the web; but, absent that option, the demos speak volumes about the importance of making just a few simple adjustments to optimize the production and editing phases of the project for output to the web.  

As you would expect, the DVD is designed in modules, so you can easily pick and choose your interests as well as the sequence you view the material and each chapter has key points that are emphasized in bulleted text that serve as helpful reminders of the techniques that you'll want to apply to your own projects.. 

Overall, I found the techniques insightful and the production values indicative of someone who knows what they're talking about.  I put 6 of his tips to the test within a week after I watched the video and I'm a believer.  Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned video professional, if you follow Spotted Eagle's advice, you WILL improve your web product.  



Glenn Cragwall's background
Glenn Cragwall is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at
Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, TN. He has taught audio and video production at the undergraduate level for the past 22 years in Texas and Tennessee. Additionally, he has served as director of media ministries at churches in New Mexico, Tennessee and Texas as well as producer/director of broadcast and cable programming. He received his B.S. in Radio/TV/Film & Recording Industry Management from Middle Tennessee State University and an M.A. in Communication from Southwestern Seminary. Glenn has been a member of DVPA since its inception in 1998 and has been a speaker/staffer at DVPA events.