Is Screen Acting A Different Skill From Theatre Acting?

Acting is a profession which requires talent...but mainly a lot of skill and understanding. Acting (contrary to belief) can be taught. Most courses teach actors how to work well on the stage - with many years of training on vocal projection and gesture etc. Although these skills are still vital on film, there are a number of differences.

In the theatre an actor has to maintain a certain volume in order to be heard. Some theatres, directors and actors will not use microphones in a theatre performance. It can actually be quite disorientating to the audience when the voice comes from the speakers and not the mouth!

On screen the actor has to adjust their volume in response to how close or far away the microphone is being held to them. For example if they are donig a close up of them shouting it would deafen the sound recordist!

On stage an actor uses mainly big moves and gestures in order for the audience to see. On screen the actor adjusts their movements according to the size of the shot.

In conclusion, although the acting' is the same skill, there are specific technical skills which have to be taken into consideration with each medium.

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