The camera. A piece of technology that is so inherent to the modern way we live our lives day after day. Every person who owns a mobile phone has a camera attached to his or her body at all times of the day. So where is it’s place in theatre? “Theatre is not virtual, it is real. It is exactly this quality that cannot be replaced by any other medium.” (Freiburg, 2010, 79) Which is all well and true but that doesn’t stop it combining with media to create something new. Why can’t theatre become more cinematic?
During this module and during the show we have to adopt a language that is not inherent to theatre, but instead theatre. Close-up, wide angle, post-production and so on… The function of the camera is to pick a part of an image and present it on a screen. Combine with theatre and “the material body and its subjectivity are extended, challenged and reconfigured through technology.” (Causey, 2009, 16) You can see things you otherwise wouldn’t see. A subtle hand move, the shaking of someone’s nerves, a quick eye dash. This was important when creating our show; we wanted to present things in new ways so why not close-up on the moments of history to show the subtle sides of it. We can see the queens nerves before she gets crowned, and we can see the subtle workings of a murderer.
It also called for a different style of acting. Theatre asks for big personalities, big gestures, and big characters so that the people all over the auditorium are able to see and understand what is going on. Bring a camera into the equation, which can be an extra eye for an audience and the acting can become far subtler. No need for big gestures when the audiences get a slight finger twitch blown into a massive projection onto the screen. The choice on how this is done is down to the directors, but a slightly abstract style of performing where people move slowly and precise would lead for a style that meets the theatre and film elements of acting.
Works Cited
Freiburg, J. (eds.) (2010) Gob Squad Reader. London: Gob Squad.
Causey, M. (2009) Theatre and Performance in Digital Culture. London: Routledge.