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Mark Allen
Director , Screenwriter , Composer
542,311 views| 255  Posts

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Open Source: Lightworks Editing

This is the first in a series of blogs I will do about Open Source Application for Media Professionals.  Open Source Apps can be used for FREE.I'm going to begin here with the highly anticipated release (by 25,000 people at least) of and Academy and Emmy Award winning editing program which as of "tomorrow" November 29th, 2010...  is going open source![](/attachments/2010/11/28/17/22998_201011281715071.thumb.jpg)This is a real editing program.  This will be a comp...Read more

almost 14 years ago 0 likes  2 comments  0 shares

Cinematography Made Easy 03

In part three I'm talking about Lenses. There is something shocking people learn about lenses.  They cost more than cameras!!!Not always, but good ones do.  Yes, it is very common for $100,000 lens package to be used with a $20,000 camera.  Even lately I've seen them used with $2,000 cameras.  Sort of odd.If you are using a $200 lense on your 7D... it's great if it is working for you, but it's not considered a "good lens."  Basically it's expensive to get a sharp image that looks good.There are also d...Read more

almost 14 years ago 0 likes  4 comments  0 shares

Cinematography Made Easy 02

In part two I'm going to continue with some technical terms. Frame Rate:   This is a tricky topic because in theory it's very simple, but there is are two often misunderstood factors...  so let me just dive in:Film is 24 fps (frames per second)TV using PAL (Europe) is 25 fps TV using NTSC (US)  is 29.97 fpsWeb is ANYTHINGSee frame rate depends on the delivery system, the web can playback whatever you give it.  Projectors are set to 24 fps historically (IMAX is 60 by the way).And you may have noticed there is one weird numb...Read more

almost 14 years ago 0 likes  3 comments  0 shares

Cinematography Made Easy

So many people shooting their own productions lately, but so few understanding exactly the technical aspects.  Even if you're not the director of photography (cinematographer), if you're a filmmaker, you really must understand how certain technical aspects work because they are part of your storytelling toolset.  Even if you're not the director, but the producer, you really should understand these concepts because you'll better understand why "that light" had to be rented or why it's so important to plan...Read more

almost 14 years ago 0 likes  3 comments  0 shares

Cons & Conflict

This blog is actually about writing - but I'm going to talk about con first. Suddenly I'm seeing ads and articles and hearing about Penny auctions.  Whenever I start hearing about deals that are too good to be true, I smell a con and am curious how it works. Keep in mind the one of the key components of a con (if successful) is that it's not illegal to conduct.  Normally if there is any illegal action to be done, it's has to be performed by the target (usually called "the mark" but for obvious reasons I object to...Read more

about 14 years ago 0 likes  5 comments  0 shares

Robert McKee - simple definition of Story

He's a very well known theorist on Story - in fact he wrote the book "Story."  If you're a writer, you owe yourself to read it.  But I liked this one simplification he made of "story" after saying it can't be summed up simply.

"But let me try to answer that question by making a simple and clear definition of story itself. Story begins when an event, either by human decision or accident in the universe, radically upsets the balance of forces in the protagonist's life...Read more

about 14 years ago 0 likes  4 comments  0 shares

Casting in Los Angeles, Female 18 to 28, speaks Mandarin

I can't talk too much about this project without spoiling it, but it will probably be up in 2.5 months from now anyway, so not too long to wait.

Allucinari is casting Xiaoli, a surreal* web series.  Initial shoot is two days in West Los Angeles in late September.  Running time is ten 2 minute episodes.

Seeking: "Xiaoli": 18 to 28 Female, Asian-Chinese.  Must speak fluent Mandarin.   (English fluency is not required.)  The character is cute, lost, and dangerous.  LEAD.    <...Read more

about 14 years ago 0 likes  3 comments  0 shares

Eminem, Usher, NERD, oh my

Out of the blue two weeks ago while still working on some other projects for Carrie Underwood, American Idol, and my own film I got a crazy phone call.  Activision was doing a big concert and they needed screens for it.  IMMEDIATELY... and lots of them.  Plus game logo videos.

The line up:  Eminem, Usher, NERD, Pharrell, Soundgarden, Jane's Addiction, Rihanna, Dead Mau5, David Guetta, and a slew of others.

Now, that's just not a job you turn down.  So we jumped in and worked it.

New talent was being ...Read more

over 14 years ago 0 likes  6 comments  0 shares

Losing Your Identity

A while back I posted a link to Applegirl because I thought she had a unique presence.  Probably not as unique as tinkerchel, but definitely had the beginning of an identity.  She was presumably signed or something - but it has resulted in a new single of which a few clips have begun to surface and I'm a little crushed.  But this is such a great example of "What happens" I had to share the comparison.

So, first off, if you've not seen the ...Read more

over 14 years ago 0 likes  16 comments  0 shares

Los Angeles alivenotdead Members - MEET UP

We have made a special event foralivenotdead artists and membersin Los Angeles. Since the mission of the site is artists helping artists, we made a special attempt to address the issue that many of our talented artists face:  How to turn your art from a hobby into a career.  I think we've assembled a really valuable panel discussion which will be entertaining for artists and non-artists alike.

Also featured at this event is the artwork of

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over 14 years ago 0 likes  9 comments  0 shares

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Languages Spoken
english
Location (City, Country)
Los Angeles, United States
Gender
male
Member Since
April 13, 2007