Acting Techniques for Film and Television
One of the secrets to acting for the camera is for the actor to be aware of the different shot sizes that his/her performance will be captured.
Long shot: The actor’s performance will require wider gestures and larger acting interpretation.
Medium shot: The intimacy of this shot size is similar to the theatre's immediacy of using the actor’s energy to translate a certain emotion.
Medium close-up: The spectator’s view on the performance is a realistic portrayal of the character. This shot size is very close to reality. Keeping it small is the key for a successful interpretation.
Close-up: Focusing on the face of the actor requires the ability to ‘think’ the emotions, rather then to act them out. As the camera translates every single movement in the face, the actor’s energy will be captured without any effort. Overacting is easy to spot in a close-up.
Film Versus TV: a Different Dramatic Structure and Medium
Productions that are filmed for television—in particular soap operas that use multicamera techniques—seldom require characters to change and evolve. This is precisely why the viewers are attracted to this medium. Soap operas’ main strength is that the viewers like the predictable narrative and characters that remain the same from episode to episode. Its predictability is the essence of the medium.
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The timeframe of the enfolding events in film drastically differs from television. In a soap opera, events that happened in a day can take up to 50 episodes, each one being a half an hour show. In film, the same events are portrayed in a few minutes.
In films, the filmmaker often tells the story using pictures as opposed to television where the emphasis is on the words. In soap operas, characters often talk non-stop. The dramatic structure requires it, as the viewer often gets distracted and he/she needs to be reminded in case he/she has missed a section.
Practical acting tips for television
Acting in a multicamera setup is more real and closer to stage performance.
The way multicamera is shot requires the actor to be fully present and to be present real time.
In a multicamera set-up, the actor often is not aware of whether he is being filmed in a long shot or a close-up.
Practical acting tips for film
In film, the actor acts more in fragments.
The actor needs to act for each shot and is aware of what shot is being filmed.
The main difference between the two mediums is that when a person decides to go to the movies, it is a conscious effort of choosing the venue, the film and whom to see it with. In comparison, when watching a film at home, we have a much larger variety of choice. There are a lot of channels showing different programs. The spectator doesn’t make any effort and has full control over the environment and the selection. Therefore, knowing your audience will help you to improve your acting.
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