Monday, September 8, 2014

Stage VS Film

I'm not arguing that either stage of film is better than the other, I think they both have merit in their own way. But I feel like a film can be more intimate with the viewer, where a stage play cannot. This is what I was talking about in class. Using cuts, close-ups and different camera perspectives, you can take the viewer into the scene, without really being there.

Here is an example: Romeo and Juliet

Stage:


Film:


You can't compare the acting, I understand that. These are the same stories, told in different formats, stage VS film. But the film brings you right up close in the moment, creating the feeling in the viewer that they are there in that second, with the characters, in that moment, right along with them. You can't get that on stage, because the audience is separated by the stage. Though the actors may address the audience at times, I don't think it is quite the same. The same feelings can be stirred in a stage play, but I don't feel its as often or as strong in many cases. 

Maybe I'm wrong, what do you think? 

Watch both clips and see which one feels more like you are in there in the moment and actually feel something. Post your response to those feelings or lack there of.


7 comments:

  1. I would say the play. During plays, I'm actually there and everything is happening right in front of me. I could see everything that's going on, I could see every angle of the stage. While during the movie, I am forced to look straight at the characters or something up close. Wherever the camera goes, that's the only thing I get to see. Plays brings movies to life and makes it more interesting. The more emotionally involved the audience becomes, the more the actors can play off the atmosphere they are receiving.

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  2. I actually disagree with you! I believe that theatre is one of the most intimate forms of art. There is something from theatre that you can't get from watching a movie on your couch--or even in a movie theater. Imagine you are watching a scene where two people are fighting almost to the point of violence breaking out. When you are watching it happen onstage, you as an audience member are forced to become a part of this relationship, whereas in film, you are separated from this by a screen. I'm not saying that you can't feel the same intimacy in film, because I believe that you can feel great closeness to actors while watching a movie. And when you watch a movie, it will still be the same every time you watch it, but theatre is living and growing, which means that it is never the same every time. Actors as characters develop and learn more about themselves as they perform every night. No two performances are exactly the same, which is why each performance is a personal experience for each audience member.

    For example, August: Osage County involved many intimate scenes between the members of a very dysfunctional family. I could feel that uncomfortable feeling that the characters felt when dealing with issues of incest and relationships with minors, but having also seen the stage play, I could tell you that I felt extreme discomfort during these scenes. That's what theatre brings to the table that film doesn't. I still love both dearly, but in terms of intimacy, theatre is an interactive art, so the audience is forced to become a part of a character's story and completely immerse themselves in their world.

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    1. I agree with you about the fact that performances aren't the same, which is a plus for those types of entertainment. Good response. I feel like the idea that intimacy is greater in either film or stage, is actually up the perspective of the individual. If you feel more intimate with film viewing, or with stage viewing, it's up to you as the viewer to decide and experience. For me it's film, for someone else, like yourself, its stage.

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  3. I think the film is easily better than the stage. Just through the use of camera angles, lighting, and background music definitely makes the film a lot more entertaining, it makes it feel like you're right there with the actors. On the stage it just isn't able to capture all those things that modern technology is able to. The acting I think can be argued either for the stage, or the film but the overall better between the two is the film.

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    1. I like film more, because of the freedom you can have as an artist with that medium. You can do so many things in film that you can't on a live stage. That being said, you can do some cool stuff on stage as well. Both forms of entertainment have merit, but in the end, I still choose film. I like being in close to the actors, seeing their faces, and feeling like I know them personally, like are telling me about those feelings. That is what makes it more real for me.

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    3. They are different, because as McLuhan said, "The medium is the message!" Each genre has its strengths. I agree with you, the play needed music or something, I wasn't feeling it. But I have been to live performances where I have. I also agree with Grace, in that I can feel the emotions and tensions more in person. I am easily able to remove myself from the emotions if it is a movie because it isn't live in front of me.

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