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Making Films & Videos/Questions Answered by Expert Alessandro Machi
| Subject | Date Asked |
| 3D Films/Movies | 11/2/2011 |
| Q: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_film Queries regarding 3D Films Production. 1. Which type of ... A: Prashant, these are all great questions and require a precise level of expertise that I do not have. ... | |
| video file size | 3/17/2011 |
| Q: A film festival suggests I send a high quality video file of 1280x720. However, I've already ... A: I've kind of taken a time out on learning all the newer formats and files and such because after a ... | |
| editing programs | 3/10/2011 |
| Q: I'd like to buy a good, but affordable (under $200.00) editing program that can produce ... A: your question is beyond my scope of knowledge, however, I can still offer you some logical ... | |
| Film-location/Villa | 1/30/2011 |
| Q: I want to rent out a large villa I own in Northern Italy. It's on the coast, right next to the ... A: since any info is appreciated I should be able to meet that minimum standard. http://www.mandy.com ... | |
| Question on camera or film? | 9/24/2010 |
| Q: Could you tell me what kind of camera or film is used in Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream"? Or do you ... A: for some reason, I had difficulty finding out any information about your question via the internet. ... | |
| Videography Business | 6/2/2010 |
| Q: First off, thanks for taking the time to answer my question. Since 2007, I have been recording and ... A: You should start by working with someone else who is already in the business. Be honest with them ... | |
| making documentary in Himalaya | 5/23/2010 |
| Q: I have been chosen to make a documentary in Himalaya. I have a technical question regarding the type ... A: I cannot give you a direct answer since I would be talking about something that I have never ... | |
| film | 5/3/2010 |
| Q: what is considered a shot's mise-en-scene A: When you're done reading my answer you might want to google the phrase for additional explanations. ... | |
| Directing Children | 4/6/2010 |
| Q: I would like to do a short movie that features two girls below with ages approximately between 5 and ... A: lol, my previous answer may still apply. If your daughters think you will be using other girls ... | |
| Directing Children | 4/1/2010 |
| Q: I would like to do a short movie that features two girls below with ages approximately between 5 and ... A: I think you have to go with the best talent, not who you want to work with. At least one parent or a ... | |
| I need some good tips... | 3/30/2010 |
| Q: ok so i am totaly pationate about film making and have been doing it for years, but i'm still ... A: Final cut pro would be my recommendation. As for cameras, I would suggest editing other projects, ... | |
| i need your help | 1/25/2010 |
| Q: am a student of one of the Nigeria university.i study business administration.i want to go into ... A: Your follow up question is a good one but I am not the best one to answer it because I learned by ... | |
| film directing | 1/18/2010 |
| Q: can one really direct a film without knowledge about camera angles and how to use a vision mixer, if ... A: A very good way to learn how to learn, is to make an "electronic brochure" of your story. As you ... | |
| VIDEO RESOLUTION | 1/16/2010 |
| Q: .I am David..18 years of age..Can we project a video of resolution 1600*1200 pixels on a screen like ... A: I really don't know. However, the best way is always going to be to do a test. Ask the theater how ... | |
| cinematography | 12/19/2009 |
| Q: I work as camera in a tv station and I want to add up to my experience and study cinematography ... A: I would recommend you go to www.cinematography.com and register (it is free and easy to do) and ask ... | |
| good affordable camera n editing software | 12/18/2009 |
| Q: I'm looking to shoot a few shorts that are professional enough in quality to enter into festivals as ... A: It is difficult to give a good short answer to this question because your question possibly raises ... | |
| videos of basketball and lacrosse | 12/12/2009 |
| Q: I would like to buy a camcorder for shooting basketball and lacrosse games, and wonder if you could ... A: This is a tough time (2009) to purchase video equipment because many editing systems are not able to ... | |
| tv | 12/2/2009 |
| Q: A: This is an excellent question James. There is no surefire way to do what you are asking, but there ... | |
| movie | 10/18/2009 |
| Q: Was there a black & white Hari Spray movie made, before the one with Ricky Lake? A: I personally have not heard of a movie called Hari Spray, but there was a movie called Hair Spray ... | |
| Filming | 10/15/2009 |
| Q: I'm a student at Walla Walla University and I have a big event coming up in January that involves a ... A: One of my first video jobs ever was a round table discussion. I've also seen this type of ... | |
| Film/Video Career | 10/10/2009 |
| Q: So I'm fresh out of tech college with an AAS degree in video production living in MN. I have worked ... A: One way to get camera work may be to be useful in the editing room. I believe most smaller video ... | |
| Mini DV | 10/9/2009 |
| Q: I'm trying to recover the first 40 of 64 on a mini dv tape. When the battery was changed at 40min. ... A: Prior to connecting the camera to your computer, rewind your camera tape all way to the beginning of ... | |
| Video Graphy | 9/7/2009 |
| Q: As a career i want to do a course or degree in video graphy or video shoots i have no idea what to ... A: I cannot cover your question in its entirety as it could take several chapters to do so. However, ... | |
| Making a film/tvshow | 8/15/2009 |
| Q: I have an idea for a TV show how do I start a process to try and get it on TV? A: There is no one way to attempt to get a television show on the air. Most people's biggest concern ... | |
| copyrighting a script | 8/11/2009 |
| Q: I want to enter some online film contests, and all of them stipulate how you have to prove that you ... A: I have heard of mailing a script to yourself as being one method, but in my opinion it should be ... | |
| Problem with file type | 8/7/2009 |
| Q: I was overseas a while ago and took a lot of video with an Analog video recorder. I wish to compile ... A: It is always better to transfer analog video into a DV (digital video) codec, versus a DVD, when you ... | |
| movie music | 7/10/2009 |
| Q: I understand the concept of more bang for the buck with the cost of music or trade off for playing ... A: I have lived a specific credo in regards to music in films. The viewer should not have to use a ... | |
| Using a song for a film | 7/6/2009 |
| Q: I just started filming an independent short-film. I want to send that film to contests at different ... A: Years ago, film festivals were less vigilant about contestants use of copyrighted work since the ... | |
| Beginner video question | 6/23/2009 |
| Q: I live in Las Vegas and I just bought my first miniDV camcorder. I'm also buying a bigger computer ... A: I could use help with this answer. I generally stay away from material I haven't had created for my ... | |
| Linear Editing Equipment | 6/22/2009 |
| Q: i have currently been given a whole linear editing hardware package which includes... videotech ... A: I still run a completely analog studio. I can only give you a cursory answer as to how to set up ... | |
| background music | 6/7/2009 |
| Q: I have no idea to whom I should address this but here is my complaint: About all movies have ... A: You are probably right Charlotte. Including "wall to wall" music can sometimes make a scene feel ... | |
| Career in entertainment | 4/18/2009 |
| Q: I'll try and keep this quick. I actually intend to go into the videogame industry but could not ... A: I think of myself in the same way. I'm an ideas person but some people may perceive that as wanting ... | |
| Movie trailer | 3/23/2009 |
| Q: what is the name of the job of people who make movie trailers? Thanks. A: The people that make movie trailers end up having the same type of job classifications as are found ... | |
| technical vocabulary in film | 1/19/2009 |
| Q: is there a word for the phenomenon of the bubbling and melting at the end of the film? thank ... A: Usually bubbling and melting, when it happens, would happen where a splice has previously been made ... | |
| Transferring BetacamSP to Digital | 1/5/2009 |
| Q: I have hundreds of Betacam SP tapes and 3/4" SP tapes that I need to transfer to digital at the best ... A: YC quality is actually a fine method, what matters most is the way you transcode the betacam sp ... | |
| shooting | 12/17/2008 |
| Q: It would be highly appreciated if you can help me with this question about shooting pictures or ... A: I'll just give you a simple, untechnical answer because I tend to be less technical and more ... | |
| Time coding pre-recorded Betacam tapes | 12/4/2008 |
| Q: I am working for a heritage institution that has a bunch of oral histories on betacam tapes. In ... A: You'll probably start by googling Betacam SX along with the city you live in, (the area code with ... | |
| Time coding pre-recorded Betacam tapes | 12/4/2008 |
| Q: I am working for a heritage institution that has a bunch of oral histories on betacam tapes. In ... A: As far as I know, all betacam tapes have time-code. If you want to send me a tape I can confirm this ... | |
| Professional Effects with an HG10 | 11/24/2008 |
| Q: I have a Canon HG10, which I love, but I really want to do better looking things involving depth of ... A: I have heard good things about the 35mm adapter. Before you buy it, you may want to rent it first, ... | |
| INQUIRY | 11/22/2008 |
| Q: I had found a song talking about my city & how does it is pretty , so I thought that to make a ... A: I always recommend working on someone else's video project before doing your own. Try to be helpful ... | |
| Release | 11/19/2008 |
| Q: I have just finished a movie which I believe is very well done and deserves a chance to be seen by a ... A: Where you send your movie will be dependent on the topic. If it is a documentary, then the topic ... | |
| Travel videography | 10/22/2008 |
| Q: I am a management lecturer but having a high level of interest in travel and making travel videos. I ... A: The basic structure of travelogue videos is the voice over. In theory if your camera can record good ... | |
| How do i get in touch with tv producers | 8/14/2008 |
| Q: Hi my name id Deeran and i was wondering how do i get in touch with a disney channel producers ... A: It is difficult to try and "pitch" an idea to a network or studio because they are very busy, ... | |
| contracts | 8/6/2008 |
| Q: Typically I use a release form for talent if I shoot a documentary and in other video productions i ... A: These are all great questions, Joe. Generally, I believe that if the person's name is visible on ... | |
| Panasonic HD 5000 Digital Movie Camera | 7/31/2008 |
| Q: Can you tell me anything about this camera - like is the storage onboard the camera or will I need a ... A: I may have answered this type of question before so pardon me if this is a briefer version. Solid ... | |
| Mini DV | 7/28/2008 |
| Q: Which camcorders give the best picture quality, mini DV or DVD ?? A: Mini DV is probably better because the image has less compression than DVD which usually makes it ... | |
| permits | 7/19/2008 |
| Q: I know I need to obtain a permit to shoot my film but where do I go for such a permit? I want to ... A: Los Angeles has a permits office. Also, there are permit specialists that handle all of your permit ... | |
| i have a Question | 7/6/2008 |
| Q: i'll like to know what is the difference between props an makeup Items in Film making and their ... A: Props are "visuals" that help tell the story of the move or the plight the character is going ... | |
| Adobe Encore | 6/23/2008 |
| Q: Hey there. I'm editing on Premiere CS3 and I'm trying to export my final edited video to Encore DVD ... A: I'm going to give you an unofficial answer as I have never tried what you are trying to do. You ... | |
| Starting my own business | 5/24/2008 |
| Q: Starting my own Cinematography business has been the most difficult thing I've ever wanted to do. ... A: I would consider approaching the existing two companies and work for them for at least one year or ... | |
| Sony TRV80 Bluetooth to Apple Mac | 5/11/2008 |
| Q: My Apple Mac recognizes the Sony TRV80 but will not connect via Bluetooth. It looks like the Sony ... A: Are you getting a "passcode" message? If you can upload your video via an actual wire connector I ... | |
| MINIDV | 5/6/2008 |
| Q: Hey ..i want to shoot a feature like an 80 min film. However i want to use a mini dv as i can not ... A: It is my belief that what causes most low budget produtions to fail are poor audio and poor script. ... | |
| Camera problems... | 4/25/2008 |
| Q: I am trying to start a indie. Film making career, and I think I have everything straight, except the ... A: Flash card technology is probably the ideal format besides film for shooting on. However, the cards ... | |
| DVD-Rw versus DVD R+ discs | 4/21/2008 |
| Q: This question may well be way too simple for you to answer but I find that very few people out there ... A: As a general rule, properly made video equipment is supposed to read more recording formats than it ... | |
| Video Editing Software | 3/11/2008 |
| Q: I saw several ads for computers and cellphones and I found it very interesting and was wondering ... A: I did some research and found that once you invest in a non linear editing system, then you ... | |
| video camera for windows movie maker | 3/3/2008 |
| Q: I have recently gotten into making and editing short movies using Windows Movie Maker. I currently ... A: welcome to the age of Digital Overindulgence. It shouldn't be complicated to select a camcorder ... | |
| Making a film | 2/26/2008 |
| Q: I was wondering if you could recommend any good programs/software (Hopefully downloadable on the ... A: It sounds like you want to make a montage from a specific tv show. That can be fun, creative work. ... | |
| Travel Documentary | 2/26/2008 |
| Q: I'm planning to document my trip through the Canadian Rockies this summer. Will that require film ... A: When you are in a public park it makes sense to ask the park officials ahead of time what their ... | |
| letter for getting funding | 1/5/2008 |
| Q: A small production company is making my novel into a movie and I need to put together a letter to ... A: I'll be perfectly honest with you, I found a discombobulation in your question. If a production ... | |
| video edit 101 | 12/29/2007 |
| Q: I cant seem to get past the first step in making a movie from my video edit. I have Nero9, Roxio9 ... A: I didn't find your previous question as easy to follow as you think it was. You used the word DVD ... | |
| Breaking into editing | 12/29/2007 |
| Q: I have 3 MA's in English (2) and French(1) literature and an extensive knowledge of editing software ... A: if you have incorporated your educational accomplishments into a job see if you can use your job as ... | |
| video edit 101 | 12/26/2007 |
| Q: I cant seem to get past the first step in making a movie from my video edit. I have Nero9, Roxio9 ... A: the philosophical idea behind a DVD is that it is a completed work that has in essence been ... | |
| File size | 12/14/2007 |
| Q: Perhaps you can explain to me how to reduce the file size of my video I took with my digital camera. ... A: MPEG-4 is a pretty popular setting, along with a newer one called H-264 (MPEG-4, part 10). Once you ... | |
| Camcorder | 12/10/2007 |
| Q: Regarding the question I asked about buying a new camcorder, I do have a Canon Elura 100. I bought ... A: Whomever forms a trustful alliance with another person or two with similar equipment, wins. I NEVER ... | |
| Camcorder | 12/10/2007 |
| Q: Regarding the question I asked about buying a new camcorder, I do have a Canon Elura 100. I bought ... A: Imagine you're going on a river rafting trip. You ask an expert which of four rivers you should ... | |
| Need to submit a portion of master tape in DVD or Mini-DV formats | 12/6/2007 |
| Q: I need to submit a video to the media (for TV) and the formats that they are requesting are "DVD or ... A: I wish you could just find two camcorders, or one camcorder and a dv record machine and make a ... | |
| Camcorder | 12/5/2007 |
| Q: Regarding the question I asked about buying a new camcorder, I do have a Canon Elura 100. I bought ... A: I really recommend finding a video club or video editing club or even a users group for a video ... | |
| Equipment Essentials | 11/27/2007 |
| Q: I am shooting a short film and am curious as to what is the absolute necessary equipment that I will ... A: Your question reminds me to ask you a couple of questions. Decide who you are going to be in this ... | |
| Super 8 Film editing | 11/21/2007 |
| Q: As a "newbie" to Super 8 film & its use, how do I edit when most of my editing equipement is geared ... A: Some people like the feel of editing reversal super-8 film and using a movie viewer, film projector ... | |
| what i need to make a feature film | 11/9/2007 |
| Q: Here it goes. I'm 18 and have made a script that i believe will work and already have the casting ... A: I am more familiar with the Panasonic AG-DVX100, the predecessor to the AG-DVX100B. That was ... | |
| music for movie | 11/8/2007 |
| Q: I am searching for Tchaikovsky's "Waltz From Serenade for Strings" and J.S. Bach's "Cantata No. 161: ... A: Besides trying Google, and http://www.pdinfo.com/list.htm, lets let anyone else who reads this topic ... | |
| what i need to make a feature film | 11/6/2007 |
| Q: Here it goes. I'm 18 and have made a script that i believe will work and already have the casting ... A: It sounds like you have already zipped ahead of the actual process of shooting your video and are ... | |
| Film censorship | 10/29/2007 |
| Q: Does Film Censorship reflect or impose standards? im trying to position myself on a public debate. ... A: this is such a short but great question that even though I can not give a short concise answer I ... | |
| Camera for 'the office' | 10/21/2007 |
| Q: I've been wondering of what camera that has been used for TV series 'the office'? Thanks A: The office is shot in HD-CAM. I think it's shot with a Cine Alta camera. Many popular shows are ... | |
| Video tape conversion to DVD | 10/4/2007 |
| Q: This camcorder has got the option to shoot the video in an 16:9 format for the wide screen. When you ... A: It is very important to not alter pixel sizes of the camera master when making DVD's. If you start ... | |
| Camcorder running to fast | 10/3/2007 |
| Q: I have been searching for someone like you to help me. I have Hi8 video cassettes that I filmed on a ... A: It sounds to me like you are a PAL personality living in an NTSC world and you are being punished ... | |
| Copying Mini-DV to another Mini-DV | 10/2/2007 |
| Q: Is it possible to make a copy of a Mini-DV using two Mini-DV camcorders? Will the quality be poor? ... A: if your two camcorders both have a firewire connection port you should be able to make a firewire ... | |
| Need to digatizie Beta cam Sp tapes | 10/2/2007 |
| Q: Can I go straight from a beta Cam Sp deck to a hard drive? I'm told I need some kind of converter ... A: Plextor makes a device that will transcode the S-Video output port of a betacam sp machine into a ... | |
| HELLO | 9/3/2007 |
| Q: WHAT IS AN INDEPENDENT FILM MAKER A: Independent filmmaking has grown rapidly in the past 10-15 years. In the past independent ... | |
| vhs to dvd | 8/10/2007 |
| Q: can't seem to find a suitable category so figured i'd give you a shot. i would like to convert a ... A: This is a speciality of mine. I can archive from any analog video format at a surprisingly high ... | |
| transfer video project from Pinnacle Studio to Mac | 8/3/2007 |
| Q: I have recently purchased an Apple Imac (Intel), and Adobe Premiere Pro CS3. From earlier I have 40 ... A: I have limited experience in this area however there is one technique that may work, although it has ... | |
| US film job market | 8/2/2007 |
| Q: I'm a non fiction film maker from India, just got settled in California after my marriage, problem ... A: I am by no means an expert in the area of your question but I also consider it a challenge to try ... | |
| equipment | 7/26/2007 |
| Q: I am making a film and I would like to have video quality that is comparable to "hollywood" films. I ... A: this question does not have only one right answer so whatever I write will inevitably include my ... | |
| MiniDV Master | 7/25/2007 |
| Q: How can I transfer my finished, edited movie to a MiniDV master tape? Can I use the same Panasonic ... A: you can use the same tape, however I would make that the back up master and not the actual master ... | |
| Film Production | 7/18/2007 |
| Q: I have a question about film production, not neccesarily large format but production in general. ... A: this is an all time great question. Your question also applies to the world of television ... | |
| master tape | 7/13/2007 |
| Q: A festival asks to submit master tapes on digital beta or beta SP in either PAL or NTSC formats. ... A: Betacam Sp and Digital Betacam are the two most utilitarian video formats ever made. If they have a ... | |
| video static | 7/7/2007 |
| Q: Horizontal lines of static appear on my video either when the subject moves or the camera moves. Why ... A: I have also seen vertical lines of static that appear on some non linear editing programs but I ... | |
| Video Editing Software | 7/2/2007 |
| Q: I am going to be making a low budget independant film and I wanted to know if Windows Movie Maker ... A: I like macintosh. If you purchase final cut pro you really get a lot for your money. However, to ... | |
| Fiscal Sponsorship Funding | 6/15/2007 |
| Q: By asking for tax-deductible donations from various foundations with fiscal sponsorship from an arts ... A: this is a very broad question and also somewhat out of my range of experience, and I didn't quite ... | |
| How to Video Self? | 5/27/2007 |
| Q: I lead laughter yoga sessions which involve moving around and laughing with others. I wish to use a ... A: Well, they say laughter is the best medicine so if you combine it with yoga you just might have a ... | |
| copyrights and music | 5/4/2007 |
| Q: Is classical music copyrighted? I'm looking for non copyrighted music for a short film project. Any ... A: This is another great question! I did some additional research and the same old problems seem to ... | |
| Editing Software | 4/20/2007 |
| Q: I am having trouble decided between two schools for video production. The only big difference ... A: Avid and Final Cut Pro are both popular in the film and video industry. For every person you find ... | |
| Fitting a music score into the film... | 4/15/2007 |
| Q: I've always wondered how a film is put together.. what comes first the scenes or the score? i.e. ... A: Generally the music is added after the film is edited, however, many directors have already been ... | |
| Video production | 4/10/2007 |
| Q: My wife and I want to create a series of "cooking shows" for distribution to our family and friends ... A: I had a previous client that had mentioned they were making family cooking videos. I thought you ... | |
| Looking for a job | 4/10/2007 |
| Q: I am 31 year old female, and I am looking for an opportunity to join a team that is making ... A: Wow, another "interested in making a huge change in my life" type of question, I find these types of ... | |
| Background | 3/30/2007 |
| Q: Mr. Machi: The eternal, never ending distraction of the background MUSIC that is present during ... A: I agree with you Jim. Background Music should NEVER obscure dialogue unless it somehow is adding to ... | |
| analog editing | 3/6/2007 |
| Q: Is it possible to edit video tape from an old analog film camera on digital video editing software? ... A: Your question..."Is it possible to edit video tape from an old analog film camera"...is not a ... | |
| Incident Vs Reflective | 3/2/2007 |
| Q: I'm just curious what meter you perfer for outdoor filmaking (of landscapes and such) I know my ... A: When Hollywood lights a scene for a movie, it's usually a meticulous process requiring the placement ... | |
| Videotaping | 2/26/2007 |
| Q: My son plays HS lacrosse, and a college recruiter suggested we film some games, and forward video ... A: This is a great question but it could take a book to go over all the strategies, so consider this ... | |
| videos to 3d | 2/16/2007 |
| Q: I have videos recorded from my camcorder and would like to know if theres a way to turn them into ... A: I created a 3d effect from still images for a Christian Stand up Comedy video called "The Spirit of ... | |
| Short film woes | 10/29/2006 |
| Q: I'm involved in a short film at the moment, and I'm working under a novice director. I'm a fresh ... A: I just recently came on board to "All Experts" and just now discovered there is a question pool. ... | |
Making Films & Videos
Answers by Expert:
Alessandro Machi
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Hi, You can learn all about me at Learn about AlexLOGIC. Then you can bookmark me at AlexLOGIC
Experience
25 years of Film & Video Production & Editing Experience including low budget film and video production & quality control. I enjoy filming in Super-8 and also with broadcast quality video cameras.
Organizations
Founded Action! Film and Video Production Club while in College.
Publications
http://www.alexlogic.com, http://www.wallstreetchange.com, http://www.superbowlconsulting.com, http://www.slingshotpro.com, http://www.super-8mm.com, http://www.super-8mm.net, http://www.thecatwhoatechasebank.com, http://www.robotsagainstchase, http://www.daily-protest, http://www.bloggersagainstchasebank.com, http://www.dailypuma.com, http://www.credit-card-cap.com, http://www.credit-protector.com
Education/Credentials
Four Year College Program majoring in RTVB studies emphasis on film, was one or two classes short of graduation.
Awards and Honors
Regional Emmy Winner, 8 Time Vision Award Winner, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Internship Winner, numerous Film Festival Winner for several different Super-8 Films,
Past/Present Clients
Sony Pictures, Prudential Jon Douglas, In Defense of Animals, Humane Society of the United States, Ivy Gullickson, check out http://www.alexlogic.com to learn more.
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