Directors, producers and talent buyers tend to have opinions
about the difference between stage acting and film acting…
“On stage you need to project your performance. A certain
emotional energy level is required to hold an audience. Diction, articulation
and physical presence should be heightened.”
“You have to learn to play “small” to the camera. Your
performance needs to be truthful and subtle. Don’t overact in front of the
camera.”
These opinions have been formed by observing actors who are
less than functional, be it on stage or in front of the camera. The scale and
range of their performance seems to be somehow “out of whack” in these
respective performance environments. Though accurate, these opinions don’t get
to the heart of the matter.
A performance that genuinely comes out of an actor’s moment-to-moment
experiencing is going to play well (with certain technical adjustments) in both
mediums. When this happens no one questions the scale or veracity of a
performance. They believe that it is real and scale becomes a nonissue.
Daniel Day-Lewis gives a perfect example of this in
Scorsese’s Gangs of New York. His
portrayal of Bill the Butcher is completely believable although its scale is
anything but small. It’s also interesting to note that he began his career as a
stage actor.
The fact is… good acting is good acting whether it’s on
stage or in front of the camera. If you want to be better in both mediums,
focus on developing your core acting skills.
Next… Adjusting for the camera