I recently encountered an intriguing blog post from Philip Hernández, an accomplished actor & coach in New York, asking is ‘on-camera acting easier or harder than acting on stage?’ I considered it a bit of a trick question because there are obviously pros & cons for both. The idea that ‘true thespians’ inhabit the theatre & that acting for camera is hardly really acting is, at best, obtuse. Anyone who knows about the performing arts in either forum will tell you the two are definitely different, but employ many of the same skills.
My formal introduction to actor training came in the form of theatre. First in public school, later high school & later still in college. I followed the path so many professionals say is the way to go –develop a solid foundation of fundamentals for the craft on stage, collaborate with others to hone your skills, have the experience of getting a production up & adjust as needed to make it all work for a live audience through a series of shows. I’d forgotten how much I’d enjoyed those experiences. Committing to a play is demanding of your time as a performer. For that reason, I haven’t done theatre in quite some time.
I’ve always loved the medium of screen. Working on projects that involve changing scenes & stories & even characters from day-to-day or episode-to-episode (or film-to- film!). That notion of working new material & having to get it up & running in a limited time is exhilarating to me. With the exception of episodic TV (should you have the opportunity to land as principle or recurring), character exploration is far more time-restricted since you’ve got to get scenes done in a limited number of takes to stay on a costly shooting schedule. Working with the camera isn’t easy either. Hitting marks, finding the right pacing, connecting with your partners (most of whom you may have just met that day!), staying ‘natural’ & staying engaged in the moment despite having a camera in your face with a small crowd watching from behind. Even rewrites & all the off-camera buzz between takes can challenge your ability to find & maintain an authentic performance even if it’s only required for moments at a time.
There is something to be said for constantly exploring a given character & their circumstances. Finding new things suddenly three months after the first time you embodied a given role. Going deeper & discovering new aspects to the story the more you experience it. That’s the theatrical experience. You have time to work through material & get to do it with partners you become familiar with before taking it to an audience. The offset, I feel, is the need for a bigger, more ‘unnatural’ performance needed to reach the audience usually accompanied by artificial stage settings & props. I find that challenging.
The two mediums exercise performance muscles differently. Demand different things from the artist. The real distinction I feel is in the results: you receive audience reaction immediately in a live performance while screen feedback usually has to wait for weeks to months until your work is edited & released. And even then it doesn’t come as a roaring applause or hisses or any other palpable feedback. It comes in the form of press coverage, ratings, box office sales or social media.
“15 Photos of What an Actor Sees“. Is an awesome blog post I read last month. The images of these stages is enthralling & moving even for a non-performer. (My favorite is #12, Residenztheater in Munich.) Combined with the question posed, I found myself thinking about how much I miss preparation & performance for the stage.
So which is easier? John Malkovich provides a terrifically clear perspective on the two in the video below. They are both important forums for artists. But a week ago, I would have obtusely said screen. My answer now, having really considered the more comprehensive comparison, is it depends on the writing. For me that’s the biggest element that dictates which is easier. A strong script with purpose & layered, clearly defined characters dictates how easy or hard your work can be because the story of that script is what compels both the viewer & the performer. With that in mind, I think I’m going to start looking to commit more time to the theatre again.
Thank you for the reminder, Philip and John!