Many individuals who shoot good home movies, and companies that do professional broadcast video, assume that shooting video for multimedia CD-ROM or Web is the same. It isn't! When shooting video for multimedia CD-ROMs or for web-based streaming video, follow these tips:

• Tip #1: Actors and actresses should avoid wearing white clothing. It tends to light up and blur in an effect that is called "ghosting". Darker colors are better.

• Tip #2: Wide angle shots and panning should be avoided since they lose their effect when displayed in the small video playback windows.

• Tip #3: Try not to move the camera (tripods are a must), let the central objects on the screen do the moving. Even small camera movements tend to look large when played back.

• Tip #4: Even movement in the background requires a lot of data to be updated on the digital video stream so avoid outdoor backdrops that might include trees blowing in the wind, or cars or people passing by. Extraneous motion should be avoided.

• Tip #5: Close-ups for "talking head" shots should be tighter than normal, even to the point where the actor's head is touching the top of the screen.