Body posture, tone of voice, lighting, color and music are just some of the key factors in an effective video.

When you consider what a video can do for someone, the first questions should be: Who is going to view this, and how much time do they have? Technical quality is nice, but often a well rehersed spokesperson is deadly to the viewer. The most effective person on tape is the on who is genuinely excited about what he/she is talking about - and is saying it in the first take.

With the much trumpeted "info-super-highway", it has been said that the business that can not present itself in this marketplace will be left in the proverbial particle-dust. But even without the "highway", cassettes and CD-Roms, along with DVDs are being used for more products and services than one can imagine. How do you present a new elevator door, show how your software works, or demonstrate your skills with an endoscopic laser?

Whenever you need to say somehting you have said many times before, need to demonstrate something you can't bring under your arm, or want to show without being present - video is key. Business to business, management to sales, company to customer. It is cheap and effective communication.

If a client spends between $1,000 to $2,000 per minute for a fully finished 6 to 10 minute video, you are inside normal industial rates. For longer productions, prices usually come down a little, depending how many elements are included. Individual cassettes can be made in larger quantities for $1 to $2 per copy. DVDs are also an option for a bit more after authoring.

Because of better formats, more light sensitive cameras, and computer-based editing systems, clients can expect to get 3 to 4 times the production value you would have received ten years ago.

It all comes down to talent. There are two kinds of producers:

A: One who wants to show how brilliant he/she is with someone else as the subject.

B: One who uses his/her talent to communicate what the client has to offer.

A video is the result of thousands of small decisions strung together. each element, from the color of a shirt to a certain camera-move, makes a statement. Strong elements such as special effects can add glitz to a production, but when overused, take attention away from the essential.

Since most producers are coming from a visual background, sound is often overlooked and underrated. The mind perceives emotional cues through sound, and orientation by sight. Try to turn the sound off on your TV during a scary passage - all the drama disappears. If you concentrate on only the visual aspects, you end up with a production that may fascinate for a moment, but does not move you, or prompt you into action.

A video is a very powerful communications tool, but it is important to understand it's function. Unusally, video is used to create an impression or image, to open doors, give credibility, attract, excite, or invite participation in some way. It's power does not lie in detailing large volumes of information, but rather in creating an experience, or an "opening" for further action.

In the end, people may forget everything that was said during a video, but the are left with a feeling of either "yes" or "no". Audio-visual artistry is an essential component. You may have to see it to believe it, but you gotta feel it to sign up.