Core Post- Acting On Stage vs. On Screen

King discusses the stage as an “actor’s medium” which brings up an interesting comparison between acting on stage versus acting on screen. I have often thought about theater as a more definitive way to judge an actor’s performance. Because the performance is live, it is a more precise way to judge the actor’s technique and abilities. However, on screen, how can we judge the true talent of an actor? King quotes Edgar Morin who said, “‘The cinema does not merely de- theatricalise the actor’s performance. It tends to atrophy it’” (172)

Through the technology of film editing, an actor’s performance is easily manipulated and adjusted. While it does not always “atrophy it”, perhaps it is a lot more difficult to judge the actor’s raw talent. I agree with King that “it’s absurd to conclude…that acting in film requites no skills whatsoever, it is important to identify the transformations in the practices of acting that film technology entails” (172).

I agree with King that acting on stage requires a different skillset and training than acting on camera. As King writes, “a movement from stage to screen in a literal sense involves re-skilling…the kinds of skills acquired by stage training are not easily mastered by those experienced in film work” (173). On stage, actors are often trained to interact with the other actors in the scene. Thus, the audience watches a scene between two characters, acting and reacting off of each other. However, in film, we often watch actors on screen individually. For example, in a scene between two characters at a table, the camera often flips from one actor to the other. Through technological manipulation, the camera implies that two characters are there, but we do not watch their reactions’ simultaneously. Moreover, through film, we often see actors in a close-up. I believe that a lot of acting on camera stems from the actor’s eyes as seen in close-ups.

Overall, King’s writing about the stage versus the screen causes me to question the most useful type of training for those who want to become actors. I believe that a background in theater is helpful for understanding character development and learning different approaches and techniques. However, theater training may not necessarily prepare an actor for the scrutiny and close-ups that are so common in Hollywood.