Chapter Two Chapter Two Stage Versus Stage Versus Screen Screen
May 29, 2015
Chapter TwoChapter Two
Stage Versus Stage Versus ScreenScreen
Audience: No Cell Phones, Audience: No Cell Phones, Please!Please!
TheatreTheatreAudiences are Audiences are
active participantsactive participantsCommunication Communication
flows both waysflows both waysa pure form of a pure form of
acting because it acting because it belongs to the belongs to the actors and actors and audienceaudience
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Audience: No Cell Phones, Audience: No Cell Phones, Please!Please!
Film and TVFilm and TVAudiences are Audiences are
passivepassiveCommunication Communication
flows in only one flows in only one directiondirection
Usually know in Usually know in advance what advance what you are getting you are getting for your time and for your time and money money
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Acting: I’m Ready for My Close-Acting: I’m Ready for My Close-upup
Acting in FilmActing in FilmPhotographic Photographic
charisma is charisma is importantimportant
Often shot out of Often shot out of sequencesequence
Memorization is Memorization is not as importantnot as important
Allowed to failAllowed to fail
Ph
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Acting: I’m Ready for My Close-Acting: I’m Ready for My Close-upup
““We’re tightrope walkers. When you We’re tightrope walkers. When you walk the wire in a movie, the wire is walk the wire in a movie, the wire is
painted on the floor, but when you walk painted on the floor, but when you walk it on the stage, it’s a hundred feet high it on the stage, it’s a hundred feet high
without a net.”without a net.”
Al Pacino, ActorAl Pacino, Actor
“…“…acting for film is like a musician acting for film is like a musician playing in a recording studio and acting playing in a recording studio and acting
in the theatre is like playing live in in the theatre is like playing live in concert…”concert…”
Willem Dafoe, ActorWillem Dafoe, Actor
Acting: I’m Ready for My Close-Acting: I’m Ready for My Close-upup
Acting on the StageActing on the StageTalent and Talent and
training are training are essentialessential
Everything is a Everything is a wide-shotwide-shot
Memorization Memorization skills are requiredskills are required
Must perform well Must perform well with each with each performanceperformance T
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Directing: Direct and IndirectDirecting: Direct and Indirect
TheatreTheatreIt is a playwright’s It is a playwright’s
mediummediumDirector Director
understands that understands that when the when the performance performance begins, the actors begins, the actors are in chargeare in charge
The director tends The director tends to work to work collaborativelycollaboratively
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Directing: Direct and IndirectDirecting: Direct and Indirect
FilmFilmIt is a director’s It is a director’s
mediummediumExerts absolute Exerts absolute
control over control over every shotevery shot
The director The director tends to be tends to be solitary authoritysolitary authority
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Funding: Follow the MoneyFunding: Follow the Money
Funding for the Screen Comes fromFunding for the Screen Comes fromTicket salesTicket salesDVD rentalsDVD rentalsAdvertisingAdvertising
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Funding: Follow the MoneyFunding: Follow the Money
Funding for Theatre Funding for Theatre comes fromcomes fromTicket and Ticket and
concession salesconcession salesFederal, state and Federal, state and
local government local government grantsgrants
Corporate funding Corporate funding and private and private donationsdonations
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Control: Who Pulls the Control: Who Pulls the Strings?Strings?
Screen entertainment tends to put Screen entertainment tends to put the values of the audience foremostthe values of the audience foremost
Theatre tends to value the voice of Theatre tends to value the voice of the artist the artist
Bourgeois theatre and independent Bourgeois theatre and independent filmmaking will often combine both filmmaking will often combine both considerationsconsiderations
The Theatre Next DoorThe Theatre Next Door
• Who controls Who controls content? content?
• Screen entertainment Screen entertainment policies are policies are dominated by a small dominated by a small handful of executives.handful of executives.
• Hundreds of differing Hundreds of differing political view are political view are promoted by promoted by thousands of theatres thousands of theatres across the US.across the US.
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Ownership: Copyrights and Ownership: Copyrights and CashCash
Copyright – a legal guarantee granted by the Copyright – a legal guarantee granted by the government to creative artists that allows government to creative artists that allows them to maintain control and profit from their them to maintain control and profit from their workwork
Royalty payment – fee paid to playwrights for Royalty payment – fee paid to playwrights for the rights to produce their playthe rights to produce their play
Public domain – once a playwright has been Public domain – once a playwright has been dead for 70 years, his or her plays become dead for 70 years, his or her plays become public propertypublic property
Writers for hire – writers in screen Writers for hire – writers in screen entertainment who forfeit their rights to the entertainment who forfeit their rights to the works they author for a film or television works they author for a film or television programprogram
Curtain CallCurtain Call
Screen entertainment tends to view Screen entertainment tends to view their audiences as consumers and their audiences as consumers and what they do as a productwhat they do as a product
Theatre tends to view their Theatre tends to view their audiences as equal participants in audiences as equal participants in the theatre experience and what the theatre experience and what they do as artistic productionthey do as artistic production