Film<->Theatre

[Mamaki]

I have a friend in town aiming for pro film tech but she's somewhat active in the theatres here. She has much more knowledge of film than I, but she really struggles when it comes down to theatre things like stage composition, picturization, and blocking, with a fixed set and a fixed audience, without the use of a moveable camera. She had a hell of a hard time in directing class because of this different technical mindset. And I, I'm a bright guy when it comes to theatre. But when I see some of the stuff she does all I can do is make weird faces at what I would assume would be obvious, like closing off your actors to the audience, putting a set piece in the way of an actor, etc. And I would love to help her (I may be slightly infatuated with her >.>) Though I really don't know where to begin with this. Has anyone else had experience with this, transitioning between film and theatre, working with the design considerations of both? What have you learned about the two in contrast?

[schmod]

with a fixed set and a fixed audience, without the use of a moveable camera.

 

Well, there's an easy solution for that....

 

Moveable audiences.

[Nick S]

she really struggles when it comes down to theatre things like stage composition, picturization, and blocking, with a fixed set and a fixed audience, without the use of a moveable camera.

 

The skills should overlap quite well. Good transitioning mediums could include animation (of the traditional, non CG kind) where the camera is typically locked off (ie, stop motion), or a multi-camera TV shoot (eg, for a sitcom or a US soap), where you still maintain the audience, relatively fixed camera position, and the need for accurate blocking.

[woody74]

Film: adjust the camera to the blocking.

Theatre: adjust the blocking to the audience.

 

A very simplistic approach, but very accurate. In film, you create the frame that focuses the eye to what you want the audience to see. In theatre, you block the scene to emphasize what you want the audience to see (with help from the lighting folks).

 

Now, the biggest "concern" with directing theatre when one is very versed in film is nuance, and how much you need (read: less than film). Film acting doesn't often fly with theatre (unless it's an intimate venue).

 

-w