Stage Acting v. Screen Acting : Worlds Apart?

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Stage Acting v. Screen Acting : Worlds Apart?

Article by Brain Timoney

If you speak to fellow actors, you will know that people enter acting with different aspirations. You may have a burning desire to excel in a particular field of acting. The prospect of becoming an international film or TV star may be what appeals to you. Alternatively you may be driven by a deep love of the magic of theatre.

As an aspiring actor you may wish to specialise in the medium you feel most passionate about. The reality is that most people who have completed acting courses won't have the luxury of choice, and of turning down stage roles for screen roles or vice versa. It's a tough world and, as a new graduate from acting school, you will need to embrace all opportunities. That means cultivating the versatility to perform both on stage and in front of the camera. To do this, all actors need a thorough grasp of how different stage and screen acting are.

Successful actors choose their acting training carefully, plan their careers and capitalise on their strengths. It has been traditional in the UK for actors to learn their craft with acting training geared to stage performance. That's no longer always essential. For example, a new trend is standup comedians crossing over into stage and screen acting (think of Ricky Gervais, Eddie Izzard and Matt Lucas). What is vital is for you to appreciate where your talents lie, and to assess which medium ultimately offers you the best opportunity to shine.

Physicality

The key difference between stage and screen acting is the way in which meaning is expressed and conveyed. The stage play relies strongly on language and verbal delivery. First, that means that the stage actor needs a voice that can be heard in a large auditorium. Second, in stage work the voice is central to expressiveness and communicating emotion. Third, timing of delivery, and using the voice to create and sustain dramatic tension, are crucial, since they can't be tweaked in the editing suite.

Movies create meaning very differently. Montage - essentially the juxtapositioning of shots - is central. A character has received terrible news. Film can convey his or her reaction in several ways, suitably tuned to the narrative: by cutting to a stormy sky; a flashback to a car crash; a close-up of a dropped phone dangling. In a play, it is voice and physical movement that you must rely on for conveying emotion.

Gesture, movement and physicality are also vital on stage. Whereas tiny gestures can be magnified in close-up film shots, as a stage actor you will use your body very differently. You will need to communicate a physical energy and develop a 'stage presence'. The film close-up permits subtleties of facial expression and movement that don't work on the stage.

Camera work and editing achieve effects that the stage actor must create largely by using the body. In film, props and settings are also used extensively to convey meaning and atmosphere. As a stage actor, the onus is on you to do that work.

The Experience of Stage and Screen

As a theatre actor you may find yourself, quite literally, centre stage: significantly in control and in receipt of constant feedback from audiences. In moviemaking, the director's whim is paramount and editing powerfully shapes the product that (eventually) appears.

Temperamentally, you may discover that you are best suited to performing in one medium or another. You may realise that you are one of the many actors who struggle with the lack of continuity associated with shooting isolated scenes, the process of endless retakes and the absence of audience reaction. Three months on location in Borneo might not be your cup of tea either.

Whatever your preference, the ability to cross over and perform on stage as well as film and TV has clear career benefits. Variety can be the spice of life and mastering the different skills needed can help add texture and depth to your performances.

Method Acting: Bridging Media

Acting for stage and screen demands different acting styles and appreciating that fact should be a consideration for you when you are starting out in acting training and deciding which acting courses to take. Method acting gives actors a firm foundation for work in any medium. Creative expressiveness underlies good performances both on stage and before the camera, even though you will use different devices and strategies to convey it. For stage work, method acting will help you to create the emotional depth and intensity that stage performance demands. In film acting, it will help you to get into character on cue - no mean feat.

Because the stage demands a particular style of acting, some theatre-trained actors find making the transition to the screen difficult. Method acting will help you to bring a naturalism and authenticity to every one of your performances, regardless of whether it is for stage or screen.

As well as honing your ability, a spread of acting courses will illuminate the avenues that you can pursue as an actor and the skills you need to get work in different media. This insight you gain into the world of acting, along with self-knowledge, may lead you in directions other than those you initially planned to follow. Appreciating the different media, and the demands of each, will help you extend your range, depth and versatility as an actor.

"Brian is a Acting Coach with over 18 years experience in the industry and is The Leading Expert on Method Acting in the UK. He has taught actors appearing in London's West End shows to high profile films. Brian recently appeared on the BBC2 programme 'Murder Most Famous' teaching TV Actors; Sherrie Hewson (Coronation Street/
Emmerdale) and Angela Griffin (Coronation Street/ Holby City) Method Acting techniques. "

Performers who defined cinema in 2010 capture classic screen types. For more actors: nyti.ms/14actors

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