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Friday, December 25, 2009

Opera Glasses and Reviews: The Phantom of the Opera

By Jeff Bridges

Prepare yourself for an awe inspiring event and treat yourself to a night of The Phantom of the Opera, this performance will fill you with feelings ranging from sadness to ecstasy. As always, when attending any performance, remember to bring your opera glasses.

The Phantom of the Opera takes place in Paris in the nineteenth century. Two new opera house owners take over a theater that is thought to be haunted by a phantom. The phantom is said to be a man named Erik, a construction worker who helped build the hall. In reality Erik is not a ghost but is someone who was severely disfigured from birth and wears a mask on half of face to conceal his disfigured face.

As time goes on the Phantom come to one of the performers; Christine, and tells her that her father who has passed away, has sent him from heaven to give her voice lessons. The Phantom begins to train her through the walls of her dressing room, as these take place over the course of time Christine becomes a remarkable singer, and takes the leading role in the opera.

As Christine is performing one night on stage, Christine faints, and a man in the audience comes to save her. This man Raoul, we find out is a childhood friend of Christine, and begins to fall in love with her. Raoul begins to attend her performances, gifting her with flowers, and visiting with her often.

As Christine and Raoul start to fall even more in love, the Phantom; Erik watches and hears all that is happening, finally he decides to meet with Christine face to face. When he shows his face in her dressing room for the first time, he wears the mask that has made this play famous. He then abducts Christine, and takes her through winding tunnels down to his home in the secret catacombs of the opera house.

Our heroine becomes angry and scared as she finds that Erik will not let her leave his world. After some argument Erik promises that he will release her after five days. He then gives Christine a tour of his lair, which is bizarre and twisted. Make sure you have your opera glasses at this point to make sure you don't miss a think

Christine cannot wait to see just who Erik is and why the mask is on his face. She grabs his mask and quickly takes it off during a remarkable duet. Grab your theatre glasses so you may get a glimpse of Erik's face. The lights may be too dimmed but it is worth a try! More chills will be sent down your spine with the screaming from the horrible site revealed. This deception angers Erik who now thinks he will not let Christine leave his spooky home. Erik so wants Christine to love him and you can feel his passion.

As the storyline carries on you will continue to be mesmerized by the music and wonderful performance that is given. But to see how The Phantom of the Opera ends, you will have to see it for yourself. This is one performance that you will want to see again and again. The wonderful storyline of the Phantom of the Opera with opera glasses is highly recommended. - 18424

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Green Screen Hollywood - Brief History

By Phillip Guye

Green screen Hollywood technology, a. K. A chroma key is a system employed by filmmakers to mix two separate photographs together. This works by making the background ( a solid color which is mostly green or blue ) clear in order to show another image which is the particular background that'll be shown on film. This technique of filming is often referred to as color keying, blue screen, and color separation overlay ( CSO ). It was essentially used for weather reports. Forecasters were shot in front of chroma key screens and the background was replaced by actual maps that indicate weather forecasts . The chroma key technique is also used by filmmakers and photographers alike.

The green screen first made its appearance in the 1930's at RKO Radio pictures. The background used back then was blue. This technique of film making was developed to create special effects for the film "The thief of Bagdad." apart from the chroma key technique, filmmakers depended on an awfully boring and laborious process called "travelling matte." This made transition such as "wipes" possible.

Larry servant is understood to be responsible for pioneering the blue screen method. In reality, he even took home an Academy Award for visible effects for his work in "The thief of Bagdad." After his pre-eminence in the 30's, butler was the first person to use chroma key technology in Technicolor, paving the way for modern green screen Hollywood technology.

The first films to take advantage of Chroma Key technology was the flick adaptation of Ernest Hemingway famous short story, "The Old Man and the Sea," starring Spencer Tracy. After the "Old Man and the Sea," more films made use of the chroma key technique. Some famous film that employ chroma key technology are The Empire Strikes Back, Lord of the Rings, Titanic, Star Trek, and even three hundred. Films that employ CGI or computer generated photographs are also made with the help of green screen technology. This is how having out of this world settings and fantastic creatures are able to be shown on film.

Today, green screen Hollywood technology isn't just restricted to big budget flats. It's also utilized in photography. From the initial blue screen, green was used later on because filmmakers discovered that a green background doesn't need boring lighting. Cameras are most delicate to this color, so the result of films shot on green screens are easier to work with and manipulate. With that said, chroma key technology is now known to photographers and filmmakers' best friend. - 18424

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Opera Glasses and Shear Madness: a Comedic Review

By Jeff Bridges

If you are planning on seeing the comedy play Shear Madness make sure you bring your Opera Glasses. In reviewing this wonderful performance I must first make sure that you are prepared for aching cheeks, and stomach muscles that will be sore for a week. I loved Shear Madness, Never have I laughed so hard in my life!

The play begins in a unisex hair salon; there are many types of people at coming in and out of the salon. We see many stereotypes, we see the dumb blond, homosexual hair dresser (played by John McGivern in the performance I attended.), the police officers, a high class woman, and of course the traditional red hot hunk of a man, which makes John McGivern's character giggle with delight. In this scene we get the first bits of comedy. All of the characters seem to be sharing the most well guarded secrets with the hairdressers; much like as is found in the real world.

This play is ever changing as the topics of interest revolve around current events going on around the city Shear Madness is open in and the United States hot topics. The current events are twisted into a funny light. The characters use a lot of improvisation and sometimes the actors cannot contain their own laughter which only makes you laugh even harder. To make sure you see each actor slip up trying hard not to giggle, bring your Opera glasses.

Unexpectedly during the play one of the actors will speak directly to a person or people in the audience to ask for opinions. You may even find yourself yelling out the answers. You must understand that you answer may vary from your neighbors, which adds an exciting new element to this wonderful performance. I do advise you to be careful if you find yourself in the first two or three rows, as you may become the topic of one of the jokes, remember though this is all in good humor.

The hair salon is really just a front for the real story, for not too far into the play we find that owner of the hair salon has been murdered. The owner lived in an apartment above the salon before she was murdered, and the plot rapidly develops into a murder mystery. As you are in attendance undoubtedly you will find yourself trying to unravel the mystery behind the murder to see if you are the first to discover the true killer. Make sure that you bring your opera glasses along, to ensure that you don't miss a single beat in this thriller.

There is one last twist me must tell you about this improvised performance, although the owner of the beauty salon is always the one who gets murdered at the beginning, the person who actually did the killing is different every time! As the plot develops the actors ask members of the audience for their opinions, and toward the end, a vote takes place in which the murderer is chosen. This development is always very comical, and you will love to hear the different reasons the killers give to justify their actions. There is one catch though, if you want to see why each murderer kills the owner, you will have to see it multiple times, as there is only one murderer in each showing!

This play is often called the longest running, or second longest running non musical performances. Many critics have given this play wonderful reviews, because of the witty comedy and wonderful performances, which is why of course; this play has been around for so long.

Opera glasses are always a crucial element in attending any performance, but especially this one. If you don't bring your opera glasses, you are sure to miss moments, clues and laughs. Make sure you have a pair in hand before you walk out the door to go. - 18424

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What it Consists of and How to Use It - Green Screen Hollywood Technology

By Phillip Guye

Hollywood manages to transport moviegoers to different places be it real or normal. With today's sophisticated film making technologies, anyone can take a look at ancient Rome's grand coliseums, walk on the surface of Jupiter, and visit dimensions that was once restricted to only our imaginations. Also, creatures like monsters, angels, and beasts are brought to life with the help of green screen Hollywood technology. But what exactly is green screen or "Chroma Key" technology? How does it work?

Green screen technology is the mixing of 2 images together. A solid background color is utilized so that another image can be transposed in front of the main picture. More frequently than not, green is the color used for this reason though blue is also widely used. Green is more well-liked among filmmakers because image sensors in cameras are sensitive to it. Green camera channels have less noise and can make the cleanest masks. Also, the color green is often used because it doesn't have to be illuminated much, in comparison to other colors. This makes the green screen the ideal background of different productions from weather reports to gigantic budget Hollywood movies.

However , there are some things to remember when using green screen Hollywood technology. Good production equipment like lights and quality cameras should be used when using Chroma Key technology screens. Bad lighting can cause unsightly shadows and wrong shades on the screen. Therefore , it is critical to have all of the right gear when filming something that requires the Chroma Key technique.

Green screen Hollywood technology is also used to resolve lots of filmmakers and photographers' issues. One vital use of the chroma key screen is that it permits the user to get rid of the need to find an honest to goodness background. Green screens permit filmmakers and photographers to be flexible. With green chroma key screen technology, any image can be added and used as the final background. This is how many Hollywood personalities end up in far flung regions of the universe or in traditional towns that no longer exist in this time.

Green screen Hollywood technology is principally used by pros. Except for being a typical tool employed in movies, it is also used for mag shoots, TV adverts, and studio photography. This is how shocking photographs and visual spectacles are made available to anyone who would desire something special for movies and photographs. When used the best way, green screens can help produce great pictures only the imagination can cook up. This is precisely why the green screen is one of the most trustworthy and helpful film making and photography tool there is. - 18424

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Opera Glasses, A Excellent Method To See All The Action On Stage From Far Away

By Jeff Bridges

You may not want to bring binoculars to catch all the action of a performance on stage so Opera Glasses would be the next best thing. Opera houses built many years ago have balconies that are very far from the stage with cheaper seats. Often times they were such a distance that you could only see figures moving across the stage and forget about seeing faces that is part of the acting processes. Opera glasses would enable those people in the gallery to see much better almost to the point of seeing the facial expressions of the performers. Opera Glasses are not a new item on the market because they have been available since the 50's.

Opera glasses are not the same as binoculars because they are much smaller and are usually nicely stylish. There are some brands that look like a flat case that fit into a woman's evening bag or in a jacket pocket that pop up like an accordion. There are also those that fold in on themselves and can be carried unnoticed. Some are held up with a single rod called a lorgnette enabling a person to hold with only one hand instead of using both hands. The rod also folds up to hide it well when not in use.

Opera glasses are easily purchased even in today's market. A cheap model may cost under $100 US dollars, at around $50, but they can go up in price to hundreds of dollars. The expensive types will have better optics and magnifications and probably be a little more fashionable as well. Vintage opera glasses can cost increasingly more dollars just because of the fact they are old. Just make sure they still work well.

Many opera houses and theaters have opera glasses for rent and the price for renting is generally inexpensive. If you frequent the opera or the theater often it may be better to own a pair, but if you only go every so often renting may be the thing for you. It is also suggested if thinking about purchasing a pair to rent different types to see which will be more favorable to your liking. Some people like the ones better that are on the long rod and employ the use of only one hand better, while others don't mind using both hands. Some people find they don't even like using them at all.

Binoculars differ from opera glasses in magnification. The system used in opera glasses is a simple system whereas that used in binoculars is quite extensive. The system used in opera glasses is based on the simple system invented by Galileo called the Galilean optical system. The images will not be as sharp with opera glasses but you can still see most of what you need to on the stage

China is the biggest exporter of opera glasses today. Most modern opera glasses have a 3 X magnification that works well in concert halls and auditoriums. There are some that actually go up to 5 X but they cost much more money. Some glasses focus and others don't. The ones that do not focus usually have a small LED light situated between the barrels for the eye. This is a nice feature to allow you to read the program in limited light without disturbing anyone around you. People with good vision can use these but those who do not should look into the focus type. You can use these with or without glasses or contacts and still be able to see. The focus type will not have this as the focus knob is located between the barrels and there is no room.

Cases usually come with new opera glasses and the vintage type will also have them. Soft cases are available as well as the hard type with a velvet lining. Antique glasses can be made of ivory or cloisonne enamel or they may have jewels attached or be decorated with gold or silver. These opera glasses were made to be elegant although you were not supposed to notice them. Either type make a great gift for those who frequent the opera, ballet or theater. - 18424

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