We've received a lot of email asking about the status of the first Lullabot DVD, and so I want to give a quick update on the progress of Understanding Drupal. It's taken a bit longer than originally thought since it is very much like a documentary style rather than the typical screencast training videos that tend to be slower paced and run a lot longer. I apologize for all of the delays, but I can assure you that they'll be worth the wait! There's nothing like asking seven different Lullabots the same series of questions and getting new and insightful responses from each and every one of them.

It's been a great experience to be editing together an ensemble articulation of the fundamental concepts and philosophies that drives the Drupal project. We're hoping that the Understanding Drupal DVD will provide the necessary context for interested users to form a mental map for the capabilities of Drupal as a content management system, web development framework, and social publishing platform.

Drupal's administration screens can be a bit like being put within the cockpit of a 747. It has awesome power and capabilities, but can quickly get very overwhelming if you don't know which knobs to turn and buttons to push to be able to make it do what you want it to. And while this video isn't intended to go into every last configuration screen, it'll at least step through some of the major building blocks and basic terminology. It will also visually juxtapose some of the admin screens with some higher-level context. So it'll certainly be a wonderful starting point for helping people understand Drupal's component parts and hopefully make getting around it a little less intimidating.

Speaking as someone who has worked with Drupal and judging from the feedback so far from the other Lullabots, I can say that there are a lot of insightful explanations of Drupal that will clarify it within your own mind, and in turn help you communicate it to others. We're all really excited for how this project can provide a bridge to a whole new set of users who will be able to "get" Drupal in one 60-90 minute sitting.

We're currently wrapping up the post-production process, and and intending on sending off to the DVD presses on or around the June 1st. The DVDs should be available a few weeks after that. We'll be releasing more specific details as it gets closer to completion. Get on the mailing list if you want to be the first to know.

And for anyone who missed it the first time around, here's the trailer for the first video of the "Lullabot Learning DVD Series":