Task Five: Adding sound loops (optional)
Ever wonder where those sexy techno dance music loops come from that you hear in commercials and videos? Well, a techno DJ with skillz and a CD-player who are in a committed relationship ahem, get together, and nine months later, the loop is born...no really, you can find them on the web. My favorite site for this being Flashkit (registration is free but not required) offers several hundred sound loops, most user-submitted, that are free for non-commercial use. Most loops are in mp3 format, one that WhaMMy accepts, and can be downloaded from Flashkit. Sound loops are all grouped by genre or style, and are easily found, played online in Flash, and downloaded. Warning, you back-end may begin dancing without your permission due to the catchiness of some of the loops (also a hit with toddlers). Once you have added the music or sound loop to your video, and you are happy with transitions, titles, and credits, then it is time to render.

Task Six: Rendering
This task is simple, but takes time, so don't plan any LAN parties for a while. You'll need all the processing muscle you can get. I would usually use the highest quality setting available to render my videos, and then use a better, non-WMM third-party conversion or compression utility to make a smaller version if needed. The best converters are listed above at the end of Task Three. You may need to adjust and try out different settings for your video, but everything is fairly easy here. Oh, and save your work frequently. Once the video is rendered, try playing it in your favorite external viewer of choice to ensure quality and Visceral Video Experience Index Quotient or VVEIQ, (said like a German-sounding "week"), in short make sure it looks good and appeals to the audience. Then you are ready to polish and ship it off!

Task Seven: Finishing Touches
Another great idea to help put a glowing touch on your finished video product is to burn it to CD-ROM. Why not DVD-ROM? Because as savvy and with it as you are, many customers may not have the DVD-ROM drives yet, especially if they are a little behind in the IT spending dROMstment. CD-ROMs are universally available, so this is a good idea. Pick a format you think will be suitable for your target audience, and be sure the video plays well in the standard player they will use, like Windows Media Player or Real, or QuickTime. When you have the video ready, download a little gem of an app called AutoRun Pro. This allows the fastest and simplest autorun creation for a CD-ROM I have seen so far, and will automatically play whatever file you specify when the CD is inserted. This adds a nice touch to your video presentation. Instructions for using AutoRun Pro are on the website.

Labeling a CD with a nice gradient or bright graphic on the label always help the customer or other audience feel compelled to pop in your CD-ROM to "see what is on it." The truth is that a great label can convince them that what they have already seen in the cool graphic and snappy title, complete with date, producer and copyright info on the label is something they like and want to know more about. The label can be made by ordering a CD-labeling kit from your local office supply store. They don't cost much, and usually include labels, templates, and software to help you build a kicking package for your CD's. Note that this finished video can serve as your business card in the customer's eyes, so display your logo prominently on the disc and jacket as well. You want them to remember who they are dealing with.

So, that is about it for how to edit and produce yourself a tightly-shot indie video for just about anything, perhaps your own version of "The Office" or "Office Space" if you like. Whatever you do, knock them dead with your presentation, and tell them you saw it here on Download Squad.