Beautiful World Entertainment

Art Entertainment

1. Music
2. Singing
3. Acting
4. Photography
5. Drawing
6. Wood

• MUSIC

Enjoy these 149 Music tips created by Jeff Beer, our exclusive Music Guru and industry expert contributor. If it's Music information you're looking for, you'll find it here with 18 different categories ranging from Advice for Musicians & Bands to Theory.

 

Music Video Sound System

Get a good sound system for playback. Having a proper sound system (if permitted by location) will boost everyone’s energy levels and make your video that much more fun to watch!

Food and drink

Food and drink. Make sure the band and crew are catered for. They will love you more (read: work harder) especially if they are not getting paid much or working for free.

Managing People During a Music Video

Give out specific tasks. Your shoot will be much easier and pleasant if each person is concentrating on one specific tasks. If you have dedicated friends and fans this shouldn’t be too hard to achieve.

35mm for Music Videos

Invest in a 35mm adapter and a selection of lenses. These tools alone (if used properly) will put your video in the professional league.

Music Video Equipment

Get the best equipment possible. Try getting HDTV cameras. Their operation is very much like regular mini D V cameras, as they don’t cost much more to rent/hire and give a superb picture quality.

Music Video Location

Choose your locations carefully. The more interesting the locations, the more likely you are to achieve superior results. Bare walls make it difficult to frame interesting shots. White walls, on the other hand make it difficult to light selectively since they reflect all the light in room.

•  SINGING

 Whether you’ve only dabbled with singing, or you’ve been singing professionally for years, I want to give you a few singing tips that should, in a short amount of time, move you farther along than where you are right now. Don’t believe the lie that because you weren’t born with an American Idol winner’s voice that you can’t improve. With the right knowledge and practice you can improve dramatically. In this article you will acquire singing tips and exercises that target the following three things:

• How to sing in a way that doesn’t end in embarrassment
• How to sing with sustained power and tone
• How to maximize your vocal tone

Phrasing

The wrong phrasing, during a performance, can create an embarrassing situation. When singing, each stop or break you take in-between words and sentences is called phrasing. Phrasing sounds most natural when it’s done during punctuation marks, like periods and commas. Depending how much you choose to sustain certain notes, additional phrasing may be required. This is when you need to catch a quick breath and finish a phrase, without the break being to noticeable or sound awkward to the listener.

While what I’m about to tell you may seem overkill, it may save you from an embarrassing situation. This technique is used by public speakers all the time. In fact, I learned it in my speech class at Princeton, and you may have even seen in done in the movie The King’s Speech. It will help you avoid the odd sounding inhale in the middle of a word or phrase and make it sound more natural. This will also help you avoid running out of air toward the end of a phrase. It’s difficult to sing on pitch or with any power when you don’t have the proper amount of air to work with.

All you really need to do is sit down with your lyric sheet and mark out your phrasing, where your pauses and stops are going to be. How much air, and how much you decide to ride each note, depends solely on you. So, as you mark of your sheet, sing along to find out where the most comfortable pauses are for you and make a note of it. You can uses slashes (/) or whatever will help you remember where to take your breaths. And this will help you discover the trouble spots in the song of which you may not have been previously aware.

Singing with Sustained Power and Tone

I don’t have to try to convince you that the most vital thing to a singer is having enough air. It’s pretty obvious, right? But once you have a good breath and you’ve got some idea of how to sing from your diaphragm, and maybe you’ve even read some of my material about how vital posture is, how do you translate that into a nice full, sustained tone with power through out a phrase? That comes with practice. So without saying too much more, I want to give you an exercise that will help you with breath support and sustained tone, and will also be a good one to help give you an exercise that can help you develop more stamina in you singing so that you can powerfully sing the larger phrases when you need to without having to catch that quick breath.

The Bent Flame

I call this exercise the bent flame because that is the purpose: keep a flame bent without blowing it out. You also want to try to keep the flame from flickering or from blowing wax on you hand! All of these guidelines serve a purpose, and that purpose to get you used to sustaining a breath and getting the most out of it rather than letting the air slip away too quickly.

If you have a candle, that usually works the best for this exercise. Once you light the candle hold it about a foot away from your face. Not only do you not want to singe your eyebrows, but you want to give yourself some room so that you don’t blow the candle out to quickly and partially reproduce a light singing situation. Now, blow on the flame and see how long you can sustain the breath at a steady pace and bend the flame!

Vocal Tone

When speaking of vocal tone, this is a reference to the timbre or the color of someone’s voice. It is the thing that distinguishes one voice from another. And, while every voice is unique, there are vocal tone categories. You may have heard people refer to someone’s voice as shrill, or booming or warm. These are some of the many different ways that voices are categorized. The question is: how can you get the best possible vocal tone out of your unique voice? The quick and dirty answer is that it is dependent primarily on how much space you create in your mouth and throat for the air to resonate, or reverberate, in when you sing.

I want to give you a singing tip that will go a long way. If you apply just this one thing, you will create a warmer, fuller tone and be able to hit higher notes!

Dropping the Jaw

Dropping the jaw is one of the most important concepts you will learn when it comes to singing. Let me start by saying what dropping the jaw is not. It doesn’t simply mean lowering your chin. This will naturally happen when you drop the jaw, but the two are not one and the same.

In order to get an idea of what dropping the jaw feels like, take your fingers and follow your jaw line to where it stops, under your ear. You can feel a little dip there. Keep your finger there and begin a yawn. That little dip will open up a greater amount of space, and notice how much more space you’ve created inside you mouth and the back of your throat. Now try and do this with your mouth closed. That is what it means to drop your jaw. The application of this one piece of knowledge can possibly increase you singing ability more than any other single thing.

I hope this helps, and thanks for reading.

•  ACTING

  

Acting Essentials and Advice for drama students. Learn how to memorize lines, understand stage directions, and improve your theater skills.

How Do You Deal with Rejection?

Actors respond to the question: "How do you deal with rejection?" When you don't get the part or when you fail at the audition, how do you react?

Books About the Theater - Reader Reviews

Review a Theater Book - Share Your Opinions About Theater-Related Books See submissions

Drama Lesson Plans, Plays Children's Scripts, teacher's plans Creative and curriculum www.thedramastudio.com

How Do I Join the Screen Actors Guild?

How Do I Join the Screen Actors Guild? How to Get a SAG Card. This article explains how to become a professional actor. How to work with casting directors and land auditions. It also discusses the best ways to work as a background actor or an extra in movies and television.

Actors: How Do You Develop Your Character?

Stage actors spend weeks, sometimes months rehearsing their lines and learning their blocking. But how do they go about developing their characters? Users share their stories and experiences.

Audition Tips

A queasy feeling settles into your stomach. You are surrounded by a group of gossiping men and women who sip cafe mocha's while complimenting each others heads hots. Suddenly, the casting director calls your number. "What monologue will you be reading for us today?" she asks. "Oh, sorry," you reply. "I didn't know I was supposed to bring one." Her annoyed expression tells you everything. Yo…

Stage Directions - Stage Left, Stage Right, Upstage and Downstage

How do you tell the difference between stage right and stage left? Upstage and downstage? Here is a handy diagram that clearly details the different stage directions.

How to Memorize Lines

How do those actors and actresses memorize hundreds of lines? How does someone learn all of those fancy Shakespearean lines in Hamlet? Memorizing lines takes practice and constant repetition. However, there are a few ways to make the memorization process run smoother and quicker.

Cold Reading During an Audition

Learn how to cold read from a script during an audition.

• PHOTOGRAPHY

Photographing Animals & People

Friends and family create some of the most memorable "Kodak moments." Great aesthetic and technical tips on photographing babies, kids, people, groups and pets. Also a special on creative profile pictures for social networking sites.

 Nature Photography

The great outdoors offers a lot of irresistible subjects for photographing: landscapes, gardens and individual flowers, trees, waterfalls, and animals. The next time you explore Mother Nature, take these helpful tips with you and bring back some amazing pictures.

Photographing Holidays & Events

Holidays and events provide wonderful picture-taking opportunities. Learn to take great pictures at birthdays, weddings, parties, reunions, family gatherings, Christmas, Halloween and other special events.

 Photographing Vacations & Travel

Whether you're going around the world or around the corner to the amusement park, get tips, ideas and advice to capture your experiences.

 Around the House Photography

Get perfect shots of your child's art work, craft project, your culinary delight or home make over process. Learn how to document items of value for insurance projects or take great pictures for online auction sites.

 Advanced Techniques

Learn to take great pictures with advanced digital photography techniques. Experiment beyond the basics.

  

• DRAWING

Ideas for Drawing/Painting Topics

Inspiration for much art will arise from your current class study or language themes. Now and then art for art sake makes a welcome change. Emphasize the art process from ideas to planning, to coloring. Think of main focus, details, patterns, lines, foreground, background etc.
Make use of adult art, school journals, picture books. Help the children respond to such art. Describe what it is about? How do you feel about it? Emphasize art is different, not right or wrong. The following are some ideas to select from:

• My face - a self portrait (can make into a mural with captions). Extend into a magic face, a mask etc. Help them plan their work. Look, think, before drawing.
• Me holding something - a bunch of flowers, my pet, a toy, my doll. Plan out first, then color in.
• Me eating something - (waist up), pizza, hamburger, ice cream, fish and chips, milk shake
• Me at Gala Day/circus/beach - what would you be wearing/holding in background.
• Magic bird - study bird picture/stuffed birds. Invent your own bird. Jungle background - study, draw pot plants. Plan out picture first.
• Imaginary fish - research fish in picture. Invent own fish. Study seaweed, coral, crabs - use for background. Could be a pile of fish!
• Magic Jungle - study animal pictures. Select one for main focus. Study bush, vines, pot plants for background. Plan first.
• Magic butterflies, insects, spiders - as above.
• Bush Painting - Sketch in bush. Collect visual shapes. Paintings could range from real to fantastic. Could have head and shoulders of a person as a focus, or a big tree.
• An old person we love - or an interesting adult they know. Plan clothing/any action/background.
• A person from history or another part of the world/folk costume - research picture, clothing, background. Action. This might well relate to current S/S topic.
• Imaginary space or exploring a new planet or dream composition. A chance to develop fantasy and use weird colors.
• Space - space person in suit, stars, nebulae, comets, earth (do research).
• Dream - anything goes - floating in space. Odd images (see Chagall Journal Cover).
• Paintings based on emotions (just a portrait of a face) - fear, terror, real happiness, sadness, surprise, worry. A language theme? Select colors to suit mood.
• Sport theme - focus on action ,e.g. breaking tape/jumping hurdle. Focus on action. Think of a background. Research sports photos.
• Interpreting a myth/legend/literature theme. Focus on action. Research clothing, background. Select important part.
• Maori theme - could be a legend as above. Could be using Maori symbols, patterns. Teach Kory, Tamiko, spirals, carving shapes etc. During Maori Language Week?
• Environmental theme - based on tree shapes, shell design, rocks, river and trees, flowers, grasses/weeds. Research. Draw. Arrange into a design. Talk about patterns, textures. Still life of flowers in a vase and table with pattern.
• My favorite meal - big plate, draw food. Any spare space make into a patterned cloth with knife, fork. etc. Could include face and hands. ‘Me eating a hamburger/ice cream/pizza…..’
• Impression of Mt Tarantino/Edmonton - draw mountain. Important to have interesting foreground. Think of moods, storm/clouds.
• Personal theme painting - select from personal books. This has the greatest potential for inspiration of all! And the greatest range of topics. This will give the most diverse paintings of all. Need focus/background/action. Holiday fun theme. Look at list of personal language themes for ideas.
• Drawing of house (school house). Pick an interesting view. Focus. Draw part of house/school. Pick interesting area. Draw all details.
• Me and a machine - bike, car, wood working, kitchen whiz, lawnmower.
• Helping Mum/Dad at home - cooking, in Dad’s shed.
• Dance throughout the world.
• The circus clowns.
• The feast, the party, the celebration, the wedding - focus.
• An accident, an embarrassing moment, gang adventure, I remember when. 

• WOOD

Wood turning lathes have become more and more popular in the woodworking shop today. One may be in your future or you may be looking for more ways to turn wood on the one you now have.If this is your first time to the site, the contents page is a good place to start. Look around and get a feel for what is here. If you are looking for more information about lathes you may want to start here. There is general information as well as data on each of my four wood turning lathes. Manufacturers are producing some great wood lathes these days and some research helps before buying your first or before upgrading.

Wood turners are inveterate tool junkies and the assortment of wood turning tools available from woodworking catalogs both paper and online is bewildering. However, the basics have not changed for centuries. Some help can be found here in the Milton and Worthless Wood turning Course from 1919. Do not neglect the pleasure of making some of your own tools. Not only can you save a lot of money, you can have a lot of satisfaction. Some ideas for making wood turning tools in the basic home woodworking shop can be found here. In particular bowl turners should consider making an Orland tool in the style of Knudsen Orland. His wood turning legacy continues in the work of his wife, Lissi. At the same time do not forget all the great accessories also to be made.

In particular I find that wood turning beginners have two huge problems in learning to turn. First is the need for sharp tools. Most wood turning tools are supplied with the wrong shape grind and also need sharpening. In addition, wood turning tools are sharpened more frequently than most woodworking tools. Unfortunately sharpening free hand is difficult to learn and turning with dull tools is frustrating and dangerous. Take a look at the jig over at the sharpening wood turning tools page and either make the jig or get a commercial one. Either is well worth the time or money and the great savings in frustration.

Second is the question of what to turn. Of course this hits both beginner and intermediate turners while advanced wood turners tend to have a different problem in that they turn the sane thing over and over with slight variations. A look at the wood turning projects pages for beginners, intermediates and advanced may give some help in this. Consider a project on the wood lathe to be a learning experience. Experience with certain turning tools is refreshed or investigated and new techniques learned while old ones are perfected.

You may also have questions about where to get wood turning blanks. There is no need for most people to buy what can easily be found and made. The pages on wood turning bowls will give advice on getting wood and turning green wood from the log to the finished product. Spindle turners may also get some insight from these pages as I detail the use of chainsaw and handsaw to develop spindle material. There is a bit more at the beginning of the wooden spoon project as well.

  Wood turners like to share what they know or even what they would like to learn. You might like to join a great bunch over on the wood turners newsgroup, rec.crafts.wood turning, or the great and very busy forum, Wood Central. The link will take you to the wood turning message board but just about every aspect of woodworking is covered there too. Take the time to share some tips with us, ask questions, or show us your new turnings. Everyone is welcome from maybe turners to beginners to "WOW" wood turners.

Above all, enjoy yourself and stay safe. This hobby slash addiction in great fun. Take a look at the pictures, videos and words here and take what you want. There is nothing to sell but, I hope, a lot to enjoy. More is being worked on and added all the time. there are more articles and wood turning videos to come. Comments and critiques are always welcome if not followed. Again, have fun turning wood.

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