 The evolution of acting, isn’t strictly linear. It’s an interwoven development of artistic expression, audience desires and technological advancements, designed to flow with us as we grow. From the climb of the silent era, littered with over-the-top performances, to an appreciation of the softness and subtlety of modern performances, a new question emerges. Are actors getting better, or is it just a shifting of our preferred style? Acting approach and methodology continues to expand alongside cultural progressions, technological innovations and the role of an audience in film. But how are we supposed to navigate the industry, when it is constantly changing? Well, like all historical evolutions, we must look into the past, to learn about the future.  THE ERA OF EXPRESSION Silent films dominated the industry in the early 1920s. Not just because of the technological limitations of its time, but due to the devotion to the ever-present art form, theatre. The mass appeal of visual storytelling, exaggerated physicality and small population of cinema icons, such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton cemented a cultural appreciation of bringing creativity and escapism to the public. Acting was seen as a visual language, with the approach being that emotion should be seen and not heard. Performers relied entirely on their expression, gestures and expanded body language to clearly and effectively communicate without words. This unspoken language played upon the influences of theatre, where obvious emotions were necessary to carry the story forward. This made cinema highly accessible, transporting people into worlds unlike their own. It reflected societal issues, through an insightful yet enjoyable lens. Limited technology prohibited creative and artistic freedom, through fixed static cameras, forcing actors to perform within the boundaries of those frames. Camera remained at a distance, constraining expression to be recognisable and amplified. The black and white film colouring emphasised the need for visual clarity and contrast, compelling actors to utilise mannerisms and distinctive archetypal performance looks to explore narratives. Actors used these confines to drive storytelling and creativity, using the heart of performance as its medium. They paved the road for universally expressive and impactful stories, commanding the beginning of the film industry, and bargaining notoriety for being the starring role in the creation of storytelling. HEARING YOUR VOICE: THE SHIFT TO TALKIES With apprehension, the ‘talkies’ arrived swiftly in the 1930s, to a much resistant audience. Foreseeing the compromise of the beginning of cinema, actors and filmmakers showed initial hesitation to the change. The introduction of sound completely altered acting, voice now significantly mattered. Actors were compelled to include their theatrical, performative expressions, but now, with an understanding of the restrictions of microphones and spoken delivery. Performances emphasised clarity, diction and naturalistic dialogue, altering the audiences wants for emotion being visual, and not absorbed through language. Vocal training became imperative due to the principles of dialogue delivery; a stiff or bad vocal quality would inhibit actors and restrain their outcome performance. The transition towards vocal realism for actors was finding its feet, fighting against the technical constraints of filmmaking technology. This completely shaped performance styles, discovering a hidden tension between engaging in visual and captivating performances, whilst preserving the correct vocal delivery and hitting the marks of sound controls. The ‘talkie’ era also initiated the blend between genre acting, and actor stylisation. Navigating the experimental and embellished nature of a musical, requiring energetic performances, completely juxtaposed the more grounded, dialogue-driven narratives of drama films. Unearthing the balance between the genres necessitated an understanding from the actors in exploring projected visual emotion and balancing hidden internal storytelling. These initial ideas and methodologies continued to develop artistic acting styles over the decades and would commence the basis of our acting practices in the modern day. THE RISE OF METHOD ACTING: SHOW DON’T TELL If audiences preferred theatrical deliveries, then why did method acting arise? Considering the shift from films showcasing visual expression to narratives with emotional intensity and grounding, the implications of method acting were already visible from the beginning. Post-war realism pushed audiences to reflect on the economic and emotional destruction of society, necessitating a depicting of the hard truths and real portrayals of stories with grit and heart. Acting became internal. Psychological and personal memory became key when considering actor delivery and performance aimed to feel lived-in, rather than performative. This began to blur the lines between actor and character, generating a new appreciation for new method acting performers, such as:
These actors fostered a new acting style. Performances became less polished, more spontaneous, with increased use of emotional unpredictability leading to characters feeling more complex and real. Technology mirrored this, letting actors take moments, mumble and change their tone and pace, reflecting this consideration of real, individual people. Facing criticism for the excessive risks, an ongoing debate emerged between the need for technical acting versus emotional exploitation and immersion. This discussion continued further than the era it originated from, with modern conversations around the blurring lines between appearing real and feeling real.  TIME FOR A CLOSE UP Camera sees everything. This is the sentiment behind modern acting practices, which teaches performers to understand their developing relationship with the camera, and its subsequent manipulation which actors can use to convince an audience of their characters internal dialogue. Film and television shooting techniques incentivise actors to pour their emotional work into a physical, technical understanding. A close-up, rewards micro-expression. Oversized, exaggerated gestures become unnecessary, and often, distracting. Imploring a performative action, without the comprehension of the motivations and intentions behind it, offers a performance that feels ambiguous, yet excessive. Modern acting sits and often happens in the eyes, not the body. Giving the audience this openness and granting them permission into knowing a character’s internal thoughts deepens their connection from the audience to the performer. Less, really is more, when considering internal camera work. The precision of technique, revealing and limiting honesty through an actor’s gaze reinforces the belief that acting must come from within. In a way, the camera acts as another character, and should be sewn with the same thread of performance that an actor wields. What wasn’t available during the initial beginnings of cinema, is now a widely used tool to showcase character and vulnerability.  GENRE SHAPES STYLE There is no single acting style. Performances alter and shift to adapt to the tone and rules of the genre. Believability is the only continuing concept between performances, as without believability, actors fail to understand and accurately portray their characters motivations and place within their given world. Subtlety emphasises bringing a sense of naturalism and honesty to the characters. Authenticity produces clear delivery, that feels moment to moment, rather than rehearsed. An audience expects this when watching performances, as it caters to their desires of seeing relatability and truth on screen. In the genre of drama, small expressions and restrained delivery feel most ‘real’, as it aims to mirror the constraints and uses of real life. In others, stylisation shifts to match the narratives, like heightened physicality in comedies, and intense tension in action films. Performances can feel larger but still maintain control and restriction. Each genre creates its own set of rules, of which an actor can use as a guideline when constructing performance. Actors must reflect the tone of the world, and consistency takes precedent as performances must feel like they have lived in the film’s universe. Taking this argument, believability isn’t always maintaining realism, its allowing characterisation and performance to fit within the context of the genre and world. Actors can and do break these subliminal rules to suit their characters internal worlds, which produces more compelling, richly developed profiles that their performances can stem from. GLOBAL INFLUENCES: GOING BEYOND HOLLYWOOD Hollywood isn’t the cinema oligarch as it once was. With the rise of the silent cinema business in the 1900s, Hollywood swiftly shot to the top as the leading filmmaking and production innovators. Since then, expanding film markets have opened across the globe, and with it, a new emerging influence is approaching, cross-cultural storytelling. Different regions bring forth their own unique traditions, techniques and tactics. The influence of diverse and local narratives, mixed with the rich history and cultural influences combines a hybrid that explores filmmaking like we have never seen before. These areas transport new technologies that change the way we embark on projects. The expanded definitions of acting instigate a challenge to the audience to subvert their assumptions about what makes ‘good acting’. Global content reaches far wider than the traditional Hollywood distribution, increasingly influencing diversity and engagement with multi-linguistic projects. Styles shift, dominance over particular qualities disintegrates and with streaming at the forefront of global distribution, easy accessibility of cultural stories to a worldwide reach is increasingly prevalent. Global film markets like India, China, France continue to expand their sphere of influence over Hollywood studios by promoting projects which promote cultural inclusivity and local stories. Acting is no longer defined by a single standard. It is the culmination of a dominating shift between finding what’s real and representing what’s truthful. And for actors embarking on their journey now, this provides a promise that every story is worth telling, in its own way.  DOES TECHNOLOGY CHANGE PERFORMANCE? Modern filmmaking technology has altered the way performance and character is developed. Technologies such as CGI, motion capture and green screen fundamentally change the way actors perform. Actors no longer should comprehend their performance to camera; they must recognise and become immersed in digital worlds that haven’t been created or even imagined yet. Green screen environments mean that actors must work in empty spaces, with no real set or structure to bounce from. Discovering that emotional connection and finding chemistry is innately natural for actors, but when scenes are filmed separately, and actors are unable to interact, there demands good imagination and believability awareness to be able to build that connection and relationship for the audience. Maintaining eyelines, object awareness and character motivations come into play when striving for authenticity, which is needed when the world your character is in, is over-stylised. With advanced technology, comes a balancing act between using imagination, and adaptablitiy. Technology redefines what it requires for actors, now combining traditional technique practices with the influx of new and artificial filming methods, meaning that creatives must consider what the needs of each moment is, and how it should be executed. AGE OF AUTHENTICITY: BLURRING THE LINES Our new social currency is relevance. Sharing content, discussing theories becomes the monetisation of importance and social building, and in consequence, becomes the dominating discipline of building authentic relationships with an audience. This begins to shift productions towards catering specifically to audience tastes, which often lean towards relatability and realism. Audiences respond well to realistic characters, that are grounded in naturalism and relatable emotion. In portrayal, this pushes actors to express their character truths, with small, gestured work, micro-expressions and realistic dialogue delivery. This honours emotion, over the technique heavy stylisation that feels ingenuine and fake. Actors, more than ever, begin intertwining their characters and their actor persona. Developing an actor style becomes the conclusion of social influence over characters, and exploration of personal technique. These lines begin to falter between imagined personality, and real-life facades. With this shift, the continuation of naturalistic, authentic acting remains essential. Leveraging your public image, with the character persona, lends to an authentic system alignment which focuses on true symbiosis between both roles, pushing the audience to recognise this connection. This synergy defines adaptability, relatability and emotional honesty as the true guiding points of performance, dictating current acting trends towards authenticity. WHERE NEXT? The way actors work, is constantly changing. The demand for new technology, the rise of AI and assisted production tools require actors to maintain imagination and flexibility when performing. Despite this, the modern audience still craves realism. Over stylised and exaggerating performance are widely criticised online, pushing actors to focus on finding that emotional inner world and exploring interactions through a naturalistic lens. Equally, the increasing demand for representation and inclusion on screen is rampant, with responsibility and nuance being considered as the next iteration of screen culture. This begs the question, does this mean acting in the future, will become more human, or revert back to theatrical? With the journey of acting styles, and the history of cinematic filmmaking, a conscious conclusion would be a hybrid of both. Audiences will continue to consider naturalistic performance as the preferred style, but the intriguing development of technology will always follow. Finding that balance between both, is where the future of acting styles will sit and the industry clearly welcomes this relationship fondly. THE END: MIRRORING SOCIETY The film industry has always mirrored the wants and desires of society, and acting styles is no stranger to that wish either. From a non-linear evolution of performance preference, it’s evident that there is no clear best acting style. Each era reflects the communication and creativity of its time, and each path between considers the influence of the world around it. The technological advancements, audience wants and examination of artistic expression will always adapt. Looking towards the future, we must remain eager to see what the future brings, and the continued progression of acting styles, as we evolve with them. AuthorCaitlin Cooper Leave a Reply. |
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