what are the differences between acting for stage and acting for film?

Answer 1

More pressure in stage acting because it is live and it's directly in front of an audience - no retakes. Acting for film, you get to do it over if you mess up a line.

Answer 2

Congratulations! This is one of the toughest questions to ask actors and a good one if you like to see them arguing with each other.

Kevin Spacey once claimed on Inside The Actors Studio (BRAVO) that there was absolutely no difference between film acting and stage acting. This is quite an astonishing statement on its face. For one thing, when acting on stage, the director and must consider where the actors are placed not only in relation to each other, but in relation to the audience. And yes, as others have pointed out, a stage actor must ensure that the folks in the back row can hear you (unless the actors wear microphones, which even the members of the Royal Shakespeare have done).

However, Spacey had something else in mind--the process by which the actor creates the character. How did this character grow up to become who she or he has become? What did the character eat for breakfast this morning? What is the character *really* thinking when professing love to another character? Does this character smoke, drink alcohol, or never eat meat? In directing plays, I have sometimes resorted to written homework for my actors, giving them questions which are both relevant and irrelevant to their characters lives onstage. The goal is to stimulate the imagination of the actors and help them create human beings onstage, not two-dimensional cutouts.

Now I do have one caution, and I must with great respect partially disagree with some of the other contributors, whose responses deserve your keenest attention. Be VERY careful about exaggerated motions onstage. Movement is absolutely critical to your character's life onstage (see Stanislavski's very late works on this subject), but these movements must be right for your character and not exaggerated gestures made *solely* for the benefit of the folks in the back row. If you place your body in the right "shape" (see Ann [Anne?] Bogart's work with SITI), you can remain absolutely still and reduce your audience to helpless laughter or tears.

However, certain styles of theater, such as vaudeville, practically require exaggerated behavior. Never cease to use your judgment in this matter, and take advantage of your director's knowledge and experience.

Incidentally, many theaters hold fewer than 100 or even 50 seats. These spectators are just as close to you as they would be to your image on the silver screen: therefore, they *can* look into your eyes. They can read your character's mind. Film's "less is more" technique becomes even more effective under these circumstances. When it works, the impact upon the audience combines the effects of good film and good stage acting and feels doubly powerful to the spectator.

With experience you will make better and better choices for yourself. Keep practicing! And good luck.

Answer 3

On stage, you need to be able to project to the back of the house. Voice and gestures tend to be larger, and intimate scenes are a challenge. You get immediate feedback from your audience as to how you're doing.

On film, the key is "less is more." The camera reads your mind, so you don't need to be as demonstrative of emotional content. Intimate scenes (by that I mean close, quiet scenes) are easier. There's no feedback (other than a "good" from the director), so sometimes--if you're used to stage work--it feels as if you're acting in a vacuum.

On stage, you do the play from beginning to end. When filming, it's filmed out of order, so it's a challenge to keep your character's objectives and changes on track.

Answer 4

There's a lot of differences.

Theater requires everything to be bigger, brighter, louder and more dramatic. The point needs to get across to everyone in the audience.

Film is usually more subdued. Everyone sees the same thing on the screen. The close ups, special effects, etc. I think it takes less for the actors to be understood.

Think about it. In A Beautiful Mind, Russell Crowe was awesome. But on stage, his dialogue would have to be faster and the body language would have to increase dramatically to keep the audience from leaving to see Cats.

See what I mean?

Mel

Answer 5

I think acting for stage means you have to project your voice and use large, exagerated physical gestures because it's in front of a large group of people. You also have to memorize an entire play.
Acting for film means you can speak normally because it's picked up by the microphones from the sound crew, your gestures don't have to be very big at all because when you're watching someone on the big screen, the smallest gesture comes out huge anyway. You also don't have to memorize the entire film because it's one scene at a time.

Answer 6

stage is not any harder than film...i would say they are equal... and no matter what you should learn your lines ALL OF THEM....stage is difficult in the sense that if you mess up the whole auditorium sees and there is no way to fix it if you dont have improv skills but film is difficult in the sense that there is a lot of close ups so your facial expressions have to be really good (on stage they have to be good too so dont think that if your on stage you dont need facial expressions) for example if you had to cry on stage you could easily fake it with out anyone knowing the difference but if you are on film they close up on you and you have to really be crying

Answer 7

Stage is live. Film you can do retakes. Stage usually does alot of rehearsal. Not to many dress rehearsal in film. Stage is a audience. Film you don't see your audience.

Answer 8

On stage it is really difficult because you have to memorise ALL your lines at once and there are no retakes while the film you can memorize the lines for one scene and then you do that scene and you mess up and there is no problem.

Answer 9

Stage is live obviously and movie is for a camera, satge you have to get it right the first time or the audience will know it. Movie- you can make a thousand mistakes but the producers will just edit it to their liking.

Answer 10

on stage u r live so u cant make any mistakes.
on film you can do a little portion of it, stop, coffee break, sleep, and do more tomorrow, and do it all again.