ArcSoft ShowBiz® DVD 2

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ArcSoft ShowBiz® DVD 2 is a simple yet powerful software application that has everything you need to edit home videos and create professional looking DVDs. The software features a simple storyboard view for basic video sequencing and a more advanced timeline view giving you greater control over your movie clips, audio tracks, and transitional effects. What's more, the program includes a powerful photo slide show wizard and a full set of DVD authoring tools for turning your video productions into great-looking DVDs ready for enjoying on TV.

The program lets you assemble photos and videos onto the "Storyboard," then combines everything together and puts your final movie on DVD

Video sequencing is the foundation of every video story. Video sequencing is a scene broken down to a short clip, while still delivering the same message. Instead of a 4 minute video of a person parking the car, it would be a 10 second video. In addition to Video sequencing you can add special effects, animated text, ongoing commentary and music.

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Thomas Kinkade

Thomas Kinkade, America's most collected living artist, is known as "Painter of Light". The left handed painter from California, emphasizes simple pleasures and inspirational messages through his paintings. A devout Christian, Kinkade says he gains his inspiration from his religious belief. His goal as an artist is to touch people of all faiths, and to bring peace and joy into their lives through the images he creates.



Wanted to share with you all, the famous 'Rain' paintings by Kinkade which I received through E-Mail.

Stop at the picture for a second, and watch the Rain...



We all wish we could paint like Thomas Kinkade so below are guidelines I found on the internet that shows his style and technique.
The sixteen guidelines for creating the "The Thomas Kinkade Look".
1) Dodge corners or create darkening towards edge of image for "cozy" look. This may only apply to still imagery, but is useful where applicable.
2) Color key each scene to create mood, and color variation. When possible, utilize cooler tones to suggest somber moods, and warmer, more vibrant tones to suggest festive atmosphere. In general, create a color scheme for each scene that can be accentuated through filtering, DI treatments, or through lighting. Most of my paintings feature an overall cool color envelope, into which warm accents are applied.
3) Create classic compositions. Paintings generally utilize a theme and variation compositional motif. Heavy weighting of the image towards one side, with accented areas of interest balancing it on the other side. Allow the eye to wander into the scene through some entry point. Be aware of where the viewer is standing at all times. Utilize traditional eye levels for setting the shot -- that is, no high vantage points, off-kilter vantage points, or "worms eye view" vantage points. Generally focus on a standing adults viewpoint of the scene at hand.
4) Awareness of edges. Create an overall sense of soft edges, strive for a "Barry Lyndon" look. Star filters used sparingly, but an overall "gauzy" look preferable to hard edge realism.
5) Overall concept of light. Each scene should feature dramatic sources of soft light. Dappled light patches are always a positive, glowing windows, lightposts, and other romantic lighting touches will accentuate the overall effect of the theme of light.
6) Hidden details whenever possible, References to my children (from youngest to oldest as follows): Evie, Winsor, Chandler and Merritt. References to my anniversary date, the number 52, the number 82, and the number 5282 (for fun, notice how many times this appears in my major published works). Hidden N's throughout -- preferably thirty N's, commemorating one N for each year since the events happened.
7) Overall sense of stillness. Emphasize gentle camera moves, slow dissolves, and still camera shots. A sense of gradual pacing. Even quick cut-away shots can slightly dissolve.
8) Atmospheric effects. Whenever possible utilize sunset, sunrise, rainy days, mistiness -- any transitory effect of nature that bespeaks luminous coloration or a sense of softness.
9) A sense of space. My paintings feature both intimate spaces and dramatic deep space effects. We should strive for intimate scenes to be balanced by deeper establishing shots. (I know this particular one is self-evident, but I am reminded of it as I see the pacing of the depth of field in Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon".)
10) Short focal length. In general, I love a focal plane that favors the center of interest, and allows mid-distance and distant areas to remain blurry. Recommend "stopping down" to shorten focal lengths.
11) Hidden spaces. My paintings always feature trails that dissolve into mysterious areas, patches of light that lead the eye around corners, pathways, open gates, etc. The more we can feature these devices to lead the eye into mysterious spaces, the better.
12) Surprise details. Suggest a few "inside references" that are unique to this production. Small details that I can mention in interviews that stimulate second or third viewings -- for example, a "teddy bear mascot" for the movie that appears occasionally in shots. This is a fun process to pursue, and most movies I'm aware of normally have hidden "inside references". In the realm of fine art we refer to this as "second reading, third reading, etc." A still image attracts the viewer with an overall impact, then reveals smaller details upon further study.
13) Mood is supreme. Every decision made as to the visual look of each shot should include the concept of mood. Music can accentuate this, use of edges can accentuate this, atmospheric effects accentuate this, etc.
14) The concept of beauty. I get rid of the "ugly parts" in my paintings. It would be nice to utilize this concept as much as possible. Favor shots that feature older buildings, ramshackle, careworn structures and vehicles, and a general sense of homespun simplicity and reliance on beautiful settings.
15) Nostalgia. My paintings routinely blend timeframes. This is not only okay, but tends to create a more timeless look. Vintage cars (30's, 40's, 50's, 60's etc) can be featured along with 70's era cars. Older buildings are favorable. Avoid anything that looks contemporary -- shopping centers, contemporary storefronts, etc. Also, I prefer to avoid anything that is shiny. Our vintage vehicles, though often times are cherished by their owners and kept spic-n-span should be "dirtied up" a bit for the shoot. Placerville was and is a somewhat shabby place, and most vehicles, people, etc bear traces of dust, sawdust, and the remnants of country living. There are many dirt roads, muddy lanes, etc., and in general the place has a tumbled down, well-worn look.
16) Most important concept of all -- THE CONCEPT OF LOVE. Perhaps we could make large posters that simply say "Love this movie" and post them about. I pour a lot of love into each painting, and sense that our crew has a genuine affection for this project. This starts with Michael Campus as a Director who feels great love towards this project, and should filter down through the ranks. Remember: "Every scene is the best scene."
The list above is not all-inclusive, but is a good starting point for internal dialogue. These guidelines are not listed in order of importance, but are dictated off the top of my head. After painting for nearly 40 years, I still wake up every morning daydreaming about new ways to make paintings. Creating a movie is a natural extension of the picture making process, and hopefully my catalog of visual paintings, along with my visual guidelines in this memo will provoke dialogue, experimentation, and a sense of over-arching visual purpose.
By Thomas Kinkade.

Wild Ocean

I saw this today on an IMAX screen, it was a pretty cool piece, it had nice visuals that worked well. There were some nice shots flying over coast line which were very exciting, and lots of footage of schoals of sardines and their predators, it was nice to see dolphins, whales and other animals on a huge screen in 3D. The documentary was about the natural food chain of the ocean and how it has been disrupted in many places by human fishing. This focused on the sea around South Africa where the food chain is still intact like it used to be elsewhere. It also showed a fair bit of fisherman and other people of the area which was just as interesting as the amazing land/sea shots. It spoke about how we need to protect the delicate balance of the food chain. It also had quite nice accompanying music.

Each year an unbelievable feeding frenzy takes place in the oceans of South Africa as billions of sardines migrate up the KwaZulu-Natal Coast. The migration has provided an annual food source for both life in the sea and the people living along the African shores for countless generations. The film demonstrates how business, government, and the local people have joined forces to protect this invaluable ecological resource. "Wild Ocean" will delve audiences into an epic underwater struggle for survival and reveal the economic and cultural impact the migration has on the coastal communities.

This nature documentary traces the volatile events of the annual sardine migration through the KwaZulu-Natal Wild Coast off of South Africa. As massive schools of the fish move through the ocean like living black clouds, they attract the attention of dive-bombing Cape Gannets, Cape Fur Seals, and Common and Bottlenose Dolphins, as well as Blacktip, Copper Head, and Dusky Sharks. Also on the scene are massive Humpback Whales, who feed off of the plankton that live in abundance off of the coast. Wild Ocean is a dazzling assembly of breathtaking underwater and aerial cinematography that captures the exquisite beauty of the Wild Coast in the kind of ultra-fine detail that only IMAX can deliver.

Wild Ocean's awe-inspiring shots of the South African coast and stunning underwater cinematography are allowed to speak for themselves. The natural beauty of sweeping vistas and the primal but elegant behavior of aquatic animals are the stars of the show. Highlights of the program include the slow and stately movements of grizzled, barnacled Humpback Whales, a shark feeding frenzy, and the surreal sight of flocks of Cape Gannets zipping downward through the water like missiles as they plunge-dive the schools of sardines, striking the water at incredibly high speeds. We also get a glimpse of local fishermen—who rely on the sardine migration for survival—casting their nets into the teeming water. If Wild Ocean has a flaw it's that, like most IMAX features, its 40-minute running time leaves you wanting more.

Wild Ocean was shot by veteran IMAX cinematographer Reed Smoot. His beautiful work is captured in high style by the 1080p/VC-1 transfer on this Blu-ray. Detail is spectacular throughout the feature, rivalling the crisp imagery of high-definition digital video without sacrificing any of the warmth and character of celluloid. Colors are bold and accurate. The image is free of digital artifacts. The only limitation is by the large and unwieldy IMAX cameras, the show is constructed of the sort of long, stately wide shots so common in IMAX that they've almost become the visual cliché. But each and every frame of the movie is so packed with beauty, that visual aesthetic is hardly a problem.