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If you’re wondering why there’s a link to music themes on this website it’s because I used to be a professional musician (still a plunker, keys, guitar and drums) and I really wanted to compose the musical theme for the podcast.  I have a small midi keyboard and Acid Pro which allows you to put loops and midi on tracks and make music!

So I started composing.  Under 1 minute I was told.  Great.  Not a problem.

I intend on doing one a day so we have a choice.

Doing that is therapeutic for me.  I really enjoy it and almost feel guilty for taking time from my “real” work to plunk around in a midi world.

But, then again, it’s my contention that everything, I mean everything, is important and music is a huge part of my life even years after I’ve stopped performing live.  The best I can do and be – It’s been the way I’ve approached everything in my life including scriptwriting, my classes and the Orange County Screenwriters Association. … Read the rest

In thinking through this as I’m working on everything, it occurs to me that this is a natural fit for me at this stage of my life.  It amazes me at how intuitive Mary Claire is.  She saw this when I didn’t – thank god she walked into my class.  And praise Jesus for Toby.

What do I mean about a natural fit?

Let me give you a list:

• I have soooo many friends and contacts in this business.  We will NEVER have a problem booking an interesting person to interview for the show.  I mean producers, writers, directors, actors…you name it and I can list two dozen off the top of my head.
• I have been a professional scriptwriter for 20+ years and have been teaching almost that long.  I know this stuff.  Now I know I don’t know everything but I never stop learning.  I’m as much a student as I am a teacher. 

The team is me, Mary Claire Anderson and Toby Wallwork.  We meet at a location in Newport Beach (which may sound more exotic than it actually is) and framed out the way forward, aiming for Sunday, May 7th as our first podcast.

Toby created a script of sorts (which I recommend for those thinking about this) so we know what to prepare for the show.  We also added our first guest, a good friend who has a lot to say about film.  The meeting was fun and filled with great energy.  There’s no substitute for enthusiasm when it comes to working with a team.  The idea that everyone is just as engaged as you are is powerful and wholly invigorating.

I should mention that one of things that instantly makes way forward much, much easier is that Toby already has the hardware and skill-set to do the show engineering.  He’s got mikes, mixer, digital recorder, etc.… Read the rest

To give you some background on this, I (Mark Sevi) don’t like podcasts much (Leo Laporte’s show being an exception.)  Perhaps I am just not of the right generation – I know I just don’t have the time to sit and listen most days and my car is older with no Bluetooth or MP3 connection so I wouldn’t listen there either.  But a student of mine suggested that I do a podcast and as I explored the concept I started to see the validity.

Initially, I thought it would be great to do it both live and on video with the ability to insert actual film clips.  If I was going to be teaching scriptwriting techniques (like I do at my classes at Irvine Valley College and when I lecture at events, etc.) I knew I worked best by interacting with people live.  The dynamics of a live group are both a bit scary and wholly exhilarating.… Read the rest