“Less is more” is a phrase pressed firmly into the mind of every actor at HFCC. Every year the doors open to a bevy of new actors willing to cross the threshold into our beloved Adray theatre. That is where they will get the experience to discover what it is actually like be a part of a theatrical production. Though some do wonder if the realm of film acting is at all similar to, or as challenging as, stage acting?

Accentuating what is necessary is the central theme. Especially in stage acting, you do have that distance between the actor and the audience. The choices an actor makes with facial expressions and body motions to reflect what is happening with a character or scene will immensely differ between film and stage acting. In film the motions do not have to be as dynamic.

Although some come to the theatre with experience in both film and stage, the answer to such a question is tough. A prime example is current student and actor Jerry Jarvis, who shared his thoughts on film and stage acting. When asked if he could elaborate briefly on the limitations of stage/film acting, and on whether one style surpasses the other, he had this to say:

“Well, neither truly surpasses the other because they're two completely different styles. Whereas in theater you need to make up at least 20 feet, sometimes 100, for the distance, in film things are more subtle. If you do a smirk on film, it could establish a key plot line or show more of your character. However, on stage a smirk might not be the best option; on stage you may need something larger, such as Mr. Burns’ (The Simpsons) ‘excellent’ sinister smile, with finger-tapping and larger body movements to get the same effect.

“Also, on stage you can have many effective monologues to move the story along, while in film sometimes monologues can bore the audience while slowing down the momentum. Quentin Tarantino strays from such an idea because he believes using monologues enhances the story.

“The difference in style can either be effective or ineffective, depending on various standards.”

A film actor would not need to accommodate for the space a stage actor requires because the camera is always so close. Many new actors either over accentuate or under accentuate. For example, in order to illustrate irritation to an audience, actors would not need to scream at the top of their lungs. If one was filming that moment, the vocal projection would not have to be exuberant because the boom microphone will pick up the actors’ voices.

On a stage, however, projecting an actor’s voice toward the audience with the proper emotion is what sets the mood to captivate the audience, as well as capture the moment the director is trying to create.