Performing Arts: Expert Guides and Resources

Today’s smartphones are so sophisticated, and the technology so advanced, you can shoot a professional looking short movie, or even a full-length feature on your smartphone. Your phone probably shoots 4K broadcast quality images — something that many older expensive video cameras can’t even do.Some of the advantages to shooting with your smartphone include: You just point and shoot.

Have you thought about being in a musical? Good! You may, therefore, wonder whether being in a musical is easy. The answer is yes! You may also wonder whether being in a musical is hard. The answer is also yes! ©GuruXOX / Adobe StockAs contradictory as that sounds, it really is both. Certain things are required for performing in a musical that are intuitive to many people and don’t require training.

If your number-one priority is seeing your favorite Broadway show, in the best seats, at a specific time, with no hassle, then the best option is to plan ahead. That means buying your tickets months in advance and planning to pay significant, although not astronomical, prices. ©saaton / ShutterstockThe TKTS ticket booth location at Times Square in New York CityThe good news is that popular musicals release tickets six to eight months in advance.

Editing is more than just piecing together shots into scenes. Understanding the story and the best way to tell it is an art. Editing controls the feel of your film and can make or break the illusion.To edit well, you need to know on what frame to start your shot and on what frame to end it, when to cut to the reaction shot (a visual response from another actor in the scene), and when to stay on the main character.

The key to recording dialogue in digital filmmaking is placing the microphone as close as possible to your actor without the microphone appearing in the shot. Also, aiming the microphone in the direction of the sound helps to keep the dialogue clear. Aiming your microphone can help you get a clear sound. If you’re using an external microphone on a boom pole or a handheld, it’s important to keep it as still as possible when recording because this prevents the device from picking up any noises from the boom operator.

You can use colored gels and filters to achieve certain effects in your digital film. There are different colors of light, which is measured in kelvin. This determines how cold or how warm the color of light is. Daylight is in the middle of the scale. If your shot is cold or too blue in color, then you can set your camera’s white balance higher to make the shot look warmer and more natural.

Interviewing someone on camera can be tricky; this video gives you some tips on how to position and frame your interview subjects and how to direct them. It’s a good idea to plan your film before beginning the interview. Knowing how to frame your interview subject will help improve your digital film. First, you need to decide on the type of shot you're going to use for your interview subject.

If you ever have the option of using a time machine to relive the era when Broadway churned out hit after hit after hit, set those dials to the late 1940s and set your return date for the end of the 1950s. When you open your chamber door, you’ll be entering into what’s known as Broadway’s Golden Age. ©John Springer Collection / Getty ImagesChita Rivera (in front) dances in the Broadway musical West Side Story, which debuted in 1957.