Not all acting is the same in Philadelphia. In some respects, there are a lot of aspects of acting that are the same no matter what format or type you are performing in. There are, however, some pretty significant things that are different between theatre and camera acting in the industry.
Theatre Acting in Philadelphia
Theatre acting tends to be loud and animated. Any gestures, actions and voices used must be loud and projected across a room to be heard and seen by the audience watching all the way in the back of the theatre. Emphasis on movements need to be large and dramatic, the whole actor’s body tends to be in focus and the audience is always present for the performance. Actors are in fact expected to have three quarters of their body towards the audience. The actor must appear “larger than life”.
Camera Acting in Philadelphia
Camera Acting usually tends to be subtle and natural. All expressions, gestures and voice are only expected to reach the camera and have to be simple as the camera tends to catch all movement. The actors' eyes are also more the main focus and the audience is not present unless the production is a live showing. One similar thing is that the actor is expected to have three-quarters of the body showing towards the audience for camera acting as well. Camera acting has stressed the importance of imitating real life.
Screen Etiquette in Philadelphia
You must keep in mind that when the director calls out “CUT!”, do NOT stop motion and lines right away. Always act a little bit after. If you find that you have made a mistake while acting out a scene, do NOT stop acting the scene out, continue as if nothing happened. The director will tell you to stop if there is an issue. Also keep from looking directly into the camera unless you are instructed to make this movement. When on set, there is a spot that you will need to stand in or even walk to at the beginning of the scene. Be aware of where the mark is and where you will be moving to in a scene. Everything moves much more seamlessly with the crew and other actors, even if you find that you are messing up your lines.
Your gaze creates an eyeline through a scene. It is important to know where you are to be looking throughout a scene and then stay consistent as well. Being consistent in this manner will be helpful to the crew and other actors.Using similar movements, gestures, expressions, and tone of voice from take to take is really important. The reason why this is important is because it is hard to know how scenes will be edited or looked at afterwards and this helps each transition and edit. An aspect of on-camera acting that is important is knowing where the camera is and being aware of if you are in the shot and knowing where the camera is being aimed. A good example is, if you are gesturing with your hands during a tight close up where there is no negative space in the frame, this will probably be inappropriate for that scene or shot as it will cause the actor to look jittery and out of focus. The use of subtle, small movements works best for camera acting. Another good thing to do is to be aware of where props and other actors are in the frame as well, so you can avoid accidentally stepping out of frame.
In Philadelphia with camera acting, it is really important to be able to express your character through the thoughts and emotions reflected in your eyes. Though if there is too much movement from the eyes, it can be really distracting. To help with this, only focus on one eye when you are speaking to another character in the scene. Don’t strain to keep your eyes open but try to do your best at minimizing blinking. Posture, finger-tapping and grooming behaviors are all normal physical habits and tendencies that everyone has. So, the best trick here is to record yourself; take a script or monologue and make note of any tendencies or ticks that you have. Take note because these can be distracting because the camera literally catches everything.
More often than not, the viewer is actually watching the face of the listener rather than the speaker on screen, so it is important to have a natural reaction to the speaker on your face and listen closely to the speaker. It is important to react during the speakers’ lines rather than afterwards to seem more natural. Give yourself time during, before and after the speaker is acting out their lines for non-verbal expression, this type of acting is really great for film acting and helps the scene look more natural and genuine. Until you see the red light go off on the camera, be sure to keep a reaction visible on your face. When listening to another character, make sure to look up and down. Take a breath before saying your line, this helps you react before you say your line and to react once the thought provokes your spoken line.
