Originally uploaded by markorion

Austin Texas is a great place to live. One of the things I like most is the gorgeous views driving in from the Texas Hill Country to Austin for a shoot in the morning. Catching the morning light and the beautiful sunrise in the Texas Hill country is one of the reasons why so many films are shot in Austin Texas area.

Originally uploaded by markorion

ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Addition came to Bastrop, Texas to build a new home for a firefighter’s family who lost their home while fighting the fires to save others homes. We were happy to participate in this worthwhile project by shooting and producing a behind the scenes “making of” documentary for the project. It was great working with all of the crew and volunteers who helped bring the Christmas spirit to the family that received the new home.

The Camel Next Door

Originally uploaded by markorion

Sometimes you just never know when you’ll meet the ideal cast member during your day. Recently while attending a production meeting one of the participants alerted us that next door in the backyard of a South Austin home was this camel. We paused the meeting long enough to go over and get this picture. That’s one of the great things about living in Austin. Austin is often an unpredictable city and you just never know who’s going to be in the yard next door.

Originally uploaded by markorion

Here’s a shot with the view from the stage from a concert I played with Joe Cocker and the Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. This was in the club in Minneapolis that later (after being remodeled into First Avenue) was the scene/location for the filming of Prince’s movie Purple Rain. At the time of this show the club was called The Depot.

This was a great guitar to play and own. It is a 1965 Fender Telecaster. A red one with a rosewood neck. I remember that I got it from a friend. His mother made him sell me the guitar so he could pay her back $90 that he owed her. Yep, that’s what I paid for it. $90. Wish I still had it now! It was a great guitar.

Well, 2012 is off to a great start! 2011 was spent focusing on helping a lot of local businesses transcend the curve into documentary film making to highlight their business objectives. Great exercise in putting some of these tools to work for bringing businesses into the Internet age. Well now it’s time to step up to the narrative. Several projects in the pipeline right now and things are going at a rapid pace. It’s an exciting time.

Here’s a shot from one of the sets of The Mystical World. Shot on location in Texas.

A fine day for sizing up some prospective locations for an upcoming
production.

This shot has great buildings along the River Walk in San Antonio,
Texas.

Press Release: Feb 21st, 2011 — Media1250 announced today that guitarist Mark Orion’s instrumental tribute to Gary Moore is now available on iTunes and other online venues. Gary Moore passed on Feb 6th, 2011 and his passing is being mourned by millions of his fans.

*Tribute to Gary Moore: Still Got the Blues* pays homage to Gary’s signature song and is available at the following outlets:

*MP3 on CD Baby: www.cdbaby.com/cd/markorion2
* iTunes – search “Mark Orion” or “Gary Moore Tribute”

Listen to the full version: Tribute to Gary Moore: Still Got The Blues

Filming today on the set for Two Faces East in Dripping Springs, Texas. Fits right in with the story – we’ll see if they make the cut. About ten vultures appeared in the trees on the set.

No vultures were harmed in the filming of this movie!

Originally uploaded by markorion

Here’s the beautiful sky heading into Austin for SXSW today. So far it’s been a great conference! There’s been some exciting events and some great films.

One of the hot topics among independent film makers is the democratization of tools. Digital cinema cameras are leveling the ability to create. One of the films showcased at the Alamo South was “Girl Walks Into a Bar” which featured Danny DiVito. The film was shot on a Canon 7D. As the film makers conducted a Q&A after the showing it was a great success and simply not an issue that the film was shot on a DSLR.

Today will be another interesting day packed full of meetings. For now, I can appreciate the sunrise on the drive into Austin from the Texas Hill Country.