Monday, January 28, 2013

Word of the Day: Deuteronomy 31:6



"Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." - Deuteronomy 3:16 (KJV)

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Video Production/Video Directing Tips and Tricks: "Composing Shots"


As we all know, the universal units of composition are the long shot, the medium shot, and the close-up. These shots are a development of the continuity system insofar as they are overlapping portions of a single space and only make sense in relation to one another. That is, they are used together to create a consistent spatial/temporal order. Though they can be used to describe spaces as large as the solar system or as small as the head of a pin, we always know approximately how large an area is being framed when these terms are used. That's because the shots are scaled to the subject and related to one another proportionately.

The change of size from shot to shot varies but is determined by the limits of identification. As long as we recognize that each shot is an overlapping portion of the wide shot, the change in scale is permissible. Actually, even this definition must take into account the change in editing styles over several decades. The move from wide shot to close-up was taking up place. Today, after several decades several decades of familiarity with Hollywood conventions, audiences easily accept extreme changes in scale. If anything, it is likely that the conservative editing rules of the past lagged behind audience understanding.

Visual recognition between shots, however, is only half the strategy of the continuity style. Most often the relationship between shots is one of implication or interference. For example, we see a wide shot of a man approaching a door. This followed by a cut to an extreme close-up of the man's hand turning the doorknob. Even if the doorknob was too small to attract our attention in the whole shot, we expect that it is connected to the previous shot since it makes logical sense, even though we could be looking at another doorway in a different place and time. Narrative logic and the visual connection between shots cooperate to create a sense of continuous space. The pair of ideas, cause and effect and spatial recognition, provide the organizational basis of the continuity style.

Long shots, medium shots, and close-ups can describe any subject or location but are most often used to describe any subject or take on special meaning in this connection. Here the change in scale between shots is not related by logic or visual recognition alone. Instead, framing is determined by conventions of post-Renaissance art or what are generally considered pleasing and balanced compositions.

- Film Directing Shot by Shot: Visualizing From Concept to Screen by Steven D. Katz

Monday, January 21, 2013

The Baltimore Ravens are heading to the 2013 Superbowl in New Orleans!!!!!!


Well there you have it, The Baltimore Ravens, led by leader Ray Lewis pressed forth passed adversity once again as they walked in Foxboro as underdogs and walked out as AFC North Champions are heading to the Superbowl!!! Once again Baltimore was not he favorite and majority of sports analyst crunched their numbers and reviewed their stats to continue to explain the Ravens had very little chance of beating "the great" Tom Brady (not so great) and the almighty Patriot bunch. All week long, the city of New England taunted Ray Lewis as they predicted that Ray Lewis retirement party would take placed in New England and the destined run by the Baltimore Ravens would come to an end. "With man, it is impossible, but with God all things are possible". The faith that is established in the Baltimore Ravens organization is evident as Ray Lewis and many others within the organization, as many others have adopted having a faith based mentality believing that if The Ravens did everything they were supposed to do they would come out as victors. The ride continues on to the last stop in New Orleans for the Superbowl.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Word of the Day: 2 Timothy 4:2-5


"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season: reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." - 2 Timothy 4:2-5 (KJV)

Monday, January 14, 2013

Word of the Day: Psalm 119:49-55


"Remember the word unto the servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from the law. I remembered thy judgements of the old, O LORD; and have comforted myself. Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law. Thy statues have been my pilgrimage. I have remembered thy name, and have kept thy law." -Psalm 119:49-55 (KJV)

Sunday, January 13, 2013

The Baltimore Ravens Defeat The Denver Broncos 38-35 in 2OT


"No Weapon". That's all the Ravens players could say when the game was over. Nobody outside the state of Maryland believed that the resilient team from Baltimore could pull off an upset over the AFC number #1 seeded Denver Broncos. The "Blackbirds of Baltimore" take this momentum into next week as we face off with either the New England Patriots or Houston Texans in the AFC Championship. We got 2 more to go complete the season and end it with a Super Bowl Championship to cap off the end of Ray Lewis' storied NFL career. The Ravens have given Baltimore a reason to believe again. #BaltimoreStandUp.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Video Production/Video Directing Tips and Tricks: "The Illusion of Reality"


One of the basic truths about photography, television, and film is that the camera always lies. On the face of it, it's reasonable to assume that if you simply point your camera and microphone at the scene, you will convey an accurate record of the action to your audience.  But as we shall see, in practice the camera and microphone inherently transform "reality."

There can be considerable differences between what is actually happening, what your viewers are seeing, and what they think are seeing. How the audience interprets space, dimension, atmosphere, time, and so on will depend on a number of factors, such as the camera's position, the lens angle, lighting, editing, the accompanying sound, and of course, their own personal experience.

We can use the gap between the actual and the apparent to our advantage. It allows us to deliberately select and arrange each shot to affect an audience in a specific way. It gives us the opportunity to devise  different types of persuasive and economical production techniques.

If the scene looks "real", the audience will invariably accept it as such. When watching a film, the audience will still respond by sitting on the edge of their seats to dramatic situations. Even though they know that the character hanging from the cliff is really safe and is accompanied by a nearby production crew, it does not override their suspended disbelief.

Even if you put together a disjointed series of totally unrelated shots, your audience will still attempt to rationalize and interpret what they are seeing. (music videos and experimental films rely on this fact to sustain interest.) If you use a camera casually, the images will still unpredictably influence your audience. Generally speaking, careless or inappropriate production techniques will usually confuse, puzzle, and bore your audience. The show will lack a logical and consistent form. Systematic techniques are a must if you want to catch and hold audience attention and interest.

- Television Production by Jim Owens and Gerald Millerson , 15th Edition.

Drive Thru Invisible Driver Prank



I'm a sucker for drive-thru practical jokes, just ask Stone Cold E.T. lol smh. This is funny tho, a must see.

Word of the Day: Psalm 18:6

"In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears." - Psalm 18:6 (KJV)

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Word of the Day: 1 Corinthians 9:18-22


"What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might by all means save some. - 1 Corinthians 9:18-22 (KJV)

Monday, January 7, 2013

Friday, January 4, 2013

Lockdown skateboards presents Spencer Brown



Filmed by good friend Bryan Mattson and John Hudacheck, Spencer Brown's video for Lockdown skateboards. #BaltimoreStreetSkating

F. Bertrand Watch the Future Concept


"Watches are getting more and more high-tech and futuristic. F. Bertrand’s Watch the Future Concept is not an ordinary touchscreen watch that simply shows you the time. This watch has a touchscreen display for health monitoring options, listing your music tracks and social networks, GPS coordinates, weather conditions and others. The name alone should give you an idea on what it’s all about" - Plunder Tech.com

There is no surprise to me that watches will soon mimic this original design. We are clearly moving into a tech driven society and I myself look forward to progress on new watches like this on. 

Word of the Day: Jeremiah 17:7


"Blessed is the man that trusted in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is." - Jeremiah 17:7 (KJV)

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Word of the Day: Psalm 18:1-3



"I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies." - Psalm 18:1-3

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Word of the Day: Matthew 6:33


"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you." - Matthew 6:33 (KJV)

Happy New Year



Happy New Year from The Real Dwayne Allen.com. Many people look to the new year as an opportunity to start over and make changes about themselves that they may have declared months ago but just couldn't get it done. Others look to the new year for new challenges and a fresh set of goals for themselves to achieve or reach for. As for myself, this year is not like the other years of past. It's not an opportunity to be better or change everything about myself or set goals that are too hard to attain. But more about being at peace with myself and taking full advantage of the opportunities placed in front of me. I plan to stay quite busy over the year. I have a number of projects I'm working on, including a short film, multimedia journalist projects, a wrestling talk show, a streetwear brand and many many more. For the first time in a long time, I am actually in a position to get all these things done and I'm looking forward to it. I've been building a streetwear brand from the ground up since 2010, TRDA Brand, TAKE RESPECT DEFY ADVERSITY. I have been designing and organizing and planning in preparation for the official launch. This has been one of my major priorities and to see it continue to grow, I'm excited to see how far I can take it. Also since 2010, I have teamed up with my brother Brian Waters and formed the wrestling talk show, The Wrestling Wrealm. The Wrestling Wrealm has expanded beyond time and has morphed into a forum where people feel comfortable being wrestling fans and learning the wrestling business from an intelligent standpoint. I'm looking forward to working on season 3 as we re-vamp the entire show, taking it to another level, and hopefully launch the website. Then we have Starforce Productions, my production company idea that I developed as a child and morphed into a dream come true. My first major project that we're working on will be an action figure feature that will resemble a child's adventures with his toys come to life in a short feature film. So there you have it, my new year is already booked.  There's plenty to do with only 365 days to do so, not too mention keep up with the new segments of The Real Dwayne Allen.com. Until then....................STAY REAL.

-The REAL Dwayne Allen