Producing an effective training film (often referred to as a corporate video or corporate demo) is almost a must these days for new products or services.  

An interested consumer appreciates the fact that with the click of a mouse, the product can be viewed and a tutorial given that makes it easy to see and understand.
Shooting a video of this nature is a fairly ‘simple shoot‘. Often it consists of nothing more than one camera and a computer.  

Let’s use a new software that is ready for roll-out as an example. Many companies are opting for simplicity by simply videotaping the computer walking the consumer through the step – by- step process of how it works. Provided that the quality is broadcast quality, this type of marketing and advertising works well. Rather than having to purchase something that is difficult to return, the consumer can take it for a test run. Once the guesswork has been removed, a consumer is more apt to purchase.

In yesteryear, video almost always had to have a spokesperson ‘talking’ about the product and/or ‘demonstrating’ the product, but the tendency as of late is to overlay simple computer shots with voice-over and let the software with the support of the VO do the talking. With a simple shoot, the focus is on the product and not on the individual speaking.

It is direct, easy-to-shoot, and is generally well-received by the interested consumer.
A simple shoot can handle the needs of a software product, a language or art course, mathematics instruction, new medical devices, educational programs, and a host of other areas where expensive, on-location video is not warranted.  

These same videos, placed on DVD’s, can be used for sales forces in order to give a quick demo to potential clients or buyers. It can also be left behind as a video business card transferred onto small discs.

Video has become a vital part of marketing for any product or service, but it doesn’t always have to be complex and shot at exotic locales. Often, a ‘simple shoot’ video is all that is needed in order to garner big results.

*Sherry Thomas
Info@BreathlessVideo.com *

Ethics and Etiquette

How many ways can people find to annoy each other? Judging
from my mail, quite a few.

Many annoyances are part of everyday life, but others come our way because some people do not behave themselves or manage their children or pets properly.

This is an area where etiquette and ethics merge.

 For instance, toddlers can become overactive in public, and most of us accept that. When parents in a crowded restaurant   keep an unhappy child in his booster chair, however, that can be a problem. The parents have the option of taking the child outside to calm him down. The other patrons, unless they want to abandon their meals, have no such option.

When your child imposes on fellow diners, etiquette demands that you remove him. Should other patrons do anything? Aside from perhaps asking the management to act, frustrating though it seems, no. Etiquette does not allow you to correct other peoples’ manners.

What about cell phones in a theater, church or restaurant?

I recently enjoyed a few hours of pampering at a salon. One customer decided to conduct her realty business, by phone, in the presence of the other customers. She spoke loudly, discussing the intimacies of her business and her personal life.  The normal snooze while in the ‘pedi’ chair, never materialized. The salon owners, who should have handled the situation, did not. Judging from the comments made after the offending customer left, the salon lost clientele by failing to act.

A friend of mine recently took matters into his own hands.  While trying to enjoy a movie, the lady behind him spoke at length on her cell phone.  At the end of the movie, while she was still chatting, he marched up to her, took her phone, announced to the listener on the other end that “your friend is rude” and closed the phone. Yikes!  The woman was left speechless.

What about when someone cuts in line at the movies or the grocery? Should you speak to the offender, or let it pass?

While rude and aggravating, this is a minor offense. Generally, you should ignore it. If you choose to speak, you may politely say something like, “Excuse me, but I believe I was next.”

What do you do if you see a parent go overboard in disciplining a child in public? If it is a matter of different disciplinary styles, nothing. If it constitutes child abuse, etiquette and perhaps the law, require you to act. You could ask the parent applying the punishment to stop, or you may call a manager or the police to report the abuse.

When people do not conduct themselves properly, three simple rules determine whether you should speak up.  

First, if the conduct is directed at you alone, etiquette permits you to ask the offender to respect your limits.

Second, if the conduct inconveniences a large group as a whole, you should ask the manager to intervene.

Third, if the conduct endangers you or others, you should call for assistance.

Many etiquette breaches, ranging from how people handle their pets to how they drive, also raise ethical questions.  

When there is danger from the etiquette violation, you are required to act. Otherwise, you must remember that no one has charged you with correcting the manners of those around you. (That is my job. Smile.) To the contrary, you usually violate etiquette by doing so.

(You may, however, mutter about them under your breath.)

Thankful to have time …. Romance and Relationships  

A very dynamic youthful minister took center stage one day at church and his message got me to thinking (I do that sometimes).  He emphasized how time is so very essential to relationships of any nature, for only through time can the relationship be cultured and love be fostered.

The church drama (as in actors) began with a tired, frazzled father arriving home at 7:30 p.m. with endearing flash-backs of his five year old.  Fast forward to his now twenty year old.  Where did the time go, he asks?  How did he miss so much?  A perplexing, internal struggle ensues.  He simply doesn’t get it!  

His wife, in order to assist with the answers he so desperately seeks, repeatedly reminds him of late evenings and vacant seats at the dinner table.  If only he had spent more time….he laments.

Lyrically, “The Cat’s in the Cradle” has always left me with an indelible impression as it relates to the parent-child dynamic, and sure enough, this song followed the thought-provoking drama. What the son was missing from Dad was …..time.

Funny, just last night I was speaking with a friend of mine from Michigan.  I was reciting my opinion of long distance romances and how the telephone is one of the greatest friends we have.  Here, we can hear the voice and intonation, get a feel for color and punch (as we call it in public speaking and acting exercises).  

He was interested to hear my take on how, telephonically, romance can surely develop before having met that individual face-to-face. As an advocate of the telephone, I insisted that it is all very simple ……it is an investment of time.  

As if by design, the minister recounted how he and his wife began and solidified their connection, by clocking countless hours of nightly telephone time.  They grew together, laughed together, delved into each other’s souls together by making use of……. time.

A few years ago, I was blessed to have met a very special man who lived five hours away. Our bond was cultivated by and through time. Night after night, he called after leaving work, never in a hurry to get off the phone, just eager to learn more about me….. to explore us. Knowing that I was all alone, one night he sat patiently on the phone until 3:00 a.m. while a major hurricane rattled my windows and sent glass shattering throughout my apartment.  He always had the time.

Funny thing, time is. Once it’s gone, it can never be recaptured.  

Yes, in this disposable, dispensable, fast-paced society of immediate gratification and convenience, where another minute translates into another dollar, there is something to be said for time. I prefer to view it this way  –  Another minute of time could translate into a lifetime…...... of LOVE.