I’ve had a chance to review 20 or so of the early presentations in both the theoretical and practical modules so here are my early impressions.

I was warned in advance the material would be challenging. I was warned again at sign-up this isn’t a course for those who aren’t prepared to commit a significant chunk of time to learning new and potentially complex skills. But even forewarned it still provoked a “wow” response when I got a first look at the content.

Two modules are accessible during the first week.

The first is a theoretical grounding in video production ranging from audience research through to post production and distribution with topics such as goal assessment, script writing, storyboarding, pre-production, hardware and software, sound mixing and editing, video formats, etc. broken into sub modules and presented in a series of short but detail packed presentations.

The second module is practical and covers mostly the same topics but this time as over-the-shoulder demonstrations of the theory being applied.

All the while a relaxed, informative and authoritative Andy Jenkins provides narration which is, by design, more in-depth than the key points being covered visually. Everything is expertly paced and it’s easy to follow along although I’ve often used rewind to go back and get my head around new ideas as they are introduced.

Once a presentation has ended there is always an urge to move to the next. I’ve decided to fly through the first two modules in entirety without getting bogged down in note taking and I’ll go back later and spend more time with each video until I’m happy I have a firm grasp of the content. This way, the second time around (and third, fourth and fifth I suspect) I’ll be much more familiar with video production so the learning should start to bite.

But even now the training is paying off. For example, one technique revealed in the practical videos induced a head-slapping moment where a question that had bugged me for a long time was finally answered. “So THAT’S how you do that!” I won’t reveal the details as it’s one of Andy’s “special sauce” tips. But the upshot is I am already ten times more confident about getting down to producing video – from this one tip alone.

In the intro video Andy advises writing out a list of all the things you want to find out about video production that you don’t know how to achieve. When I prepared my own list I thought it was pretty comprehensive and I reasoned if I could tick it off I’d be well armed and ready to start making effective video.

It was only by going through a part of the first two modules I realised I didn’t even know enough to ask effective questions. I found myself in the comical position of having to add questions to my list and then cross them off right away as the fast flowing answers clued me in on what I needed to ask! A bit like the answer 42 in Hitch-hikers Guide.

So, I’m keeping my head above water but only just. The great thing is I can go back as many times as I want to review the material until I have it nailed. Which is where the time commitment comes in. This isn’t a course for people who have little or no time to spare.

I had a good feeling about this product right from the first promo video I watched. It was something that cropped up just at the right time for me, I’d been hunting around for free tutorials and video demonstrations online but was having a job bringing everything together. And of course when you don’t really know what to ask, a search engine isn’t much use unless you follow links in the hope of randomly hitting what you need.

VideoBoss has brought everything together under one roof. Yes, it has cost me an arm and a leg and that always gives pause for proper consideration of value compared to outlay. I still have a good feeling though, which has been reinforced by a genuinely well executed training course that is delivering, for me at least, what I expected and had hoped to receive.

There have been a few minor issues, though none have affected me. A few students have had problems viewing the video material and the feedback pages were a bit ropey for the first few days. I believe all this has been resolved now to leave what I have to say is a very polished product considering it is a brand new launch using proprietary systems.

In conclusion, so far – well executed, real delivery, real value and I’ll be sticking with it until the end. For a change I don’t feel short changed.

In my first few months of Internet marketing and as my experience grows I’ve noticed a transformation in my own attitude to what I believe constitutes a truly effective sales pitch.

In the beginning, because all the concepts were brand new, I’d lap up every word on those mouse killing sales pages and squeeze pages. A few months later and I can’t stand the sight of them, all I do now is scroll, scroll, scroll to the price…

…and hit the buy button! NO! I have got to stop doing that!

But really, once you get a taste for this industry you can quickly decide if a sales pages is going to work for you or whether it will waste your time. That’s because you learn the handful of techniques that most marketers tend to cluster around.

“I made a zillion dollars BEFORE I woke up!”, “Absolute MORON finds the secret to generating unlimited income while he skis!”, “This product is a SCAM, please click my affiliate link!”

BORING!

But effective, of course. Or else nobody would be doing it. I wonder for how much longer the effect is going to last though?

Because video is what’s really grabbing me and shaking out the cash from my pockets these days. A single page containing a well produced video gets my attention and interest on so many levels.

All the big guns are dropping the epic sales pages in favour of the video production, music, effects and in-page interaction included. Which isn’t an absolute measure of what works and what doesn’t, but again I doubt these guys get out of bed before their people have calculated the net worth of moving.

Internet marketing aside, I’m into video anyway. I’ve always wanted to hone my rank amateur skills. I have written page after page of content over the years and always found myself wishing that text could somehow be just a little more expressive. I know there are tricks and techniques and markup to get the tone or the point or the subtlety across. But it’s just so much easier with video where you can speak naturally and people get what you mean.

So VideoBoss is a bit of an indulgence. I think it’ll be a huge help in the future for my marketing efforts but I’m also excited because this is kind of like going back to school.

I really hope it lives up to its hype billing. I’ll keep you posted on how I’m getting on because I’m sure places will open up in the future for those who missed out first time around.

Plus, of course, I’ll be treating you to example of my developing talents as I learn. I bet you can’t wait, but patience, patience…