Because I work regularly in both mediums, I’m often asked how acting onstage and acting on camera are different. This week, I was on set shooting episodes of “The Path,” “Law and Order: SVU,” and “Bull” so between costume fittings, makeup, hair, camera setups and craft services, I pondered the question and wrote down my thoughts.
The good news is, whether you’re onstage or on camera, your internal work is the same. You still have to know who you are physically and emotionally, what you need, and what you’re willing to do to get it. You also have to know how you feel about everything you talk about and everyone you talk to. There’s more than that, of course, but it’s a good place to start.
The big difference between acting onstage and on camera has to do with distance. On camera, most of the time your scene partner isn’t more than a few feet away from you so you just talk with them like no one’s watching.
On stage, your physical choices have to communicate your intent to an audience that’s sitting 30, 40, 50 feet away or more. On camera, that’ll look like you’re trying to be understood in a busy bar at happy hour. It’s gonna
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