Marzipan Productions

Why method acting is more suited for the stage than the screen

All images courtesy of Adriana Randall
Adriana Randall is a film and theatre actress, and experienced theatre producer. A trained method actor, Adriana found the switch to film acting challenging in some unexpected ways. She also gained unique insights as an executive producer on a number of films into the world of method acting.

She trained in method acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, having previously been at University College London. Since graduating with a degree in Method Acting, Adriana Randall landed key supporting roles in a number of films, including The Price of Desire and Experimenter.

Below, Adriana argues why The Method is different for acting on the screen versus on the stage.

Adriana says: “I found that, even after the two-year conservatory programme in method acting, you still are not totally prepared for acting on screen. For me personally, there is a huge difference in the necessary method preparation for theatre versus film acting.”

The development of The Method

Method acting was, of course, developed in the theatre. At its core, The Method encourages expressive and sincere performances through living, breathing, and identifying with the character’s inner world.

Based on the acting methodology formulated and developed by Russian theatre expert Konstantin Stanislavski in the first half of the 20th century, method acting is all about truly experiencing the part.

Three key practitioners are widely considered to have built on Stanislavski methodology to create The Method:

Lee Strasberg for the psychological insights.Stella Adler for the sociological insights.Sanford Meisner for the behaviour insights.

Together they created the method acting approach when they worked at the Group Theatre in New York.

Method acting on stage versus on screen

Adriana Randall argues: “Method acting is all about saturating yourself in the real-life sensory experience of the subject that you’re portraying. In order to bring the requisite truth to the character, you have to become the character, not the actress. This takes a lot of time, focus, energy, and the kind of approach that is more difficult to deliver when acting on film.

“For me personally, it was immediately more difficult to keep the level of focus you need on a film set. The nature of film production means a lot of distractions all around you. Added to this is the time constraints and the sheer number of people executing their own parts to play in the process.

“So, while you’re trying to immerse yourself in the psychological makeup of the character, there’s the costume designer or make up artists needing to complete their tasks between takes. There is a lot of chat and downtime on a movie set between cast and crew and a totally different pressure on the actor compared with theatre. You have to account for that.

“On stage and in plays you have time to focus and prepare in your private space beforehand. There are far fewer people involved in the whole process compared with on film sets with more space and time to focus.

“Of course, when you step on stage it’s with the knowledge that all of the preliminary preparation is complete. Your character unfurls and develops on stage and your body becomes the instrument to play your emotions. There’s no interruptions or stopping and starting.

“On camera, by contrast, you complete take after take using different camera angles that it becomes very difficult to maintain the level of energy and focus that method acting demands. You can find that you’ve wasted efforts on a shot that ends up being a wide or establishing scene, rather than on you.

“So, if you are full of the complexity of emotions that are necessary to bring your specific character to life and subsequently find out that the camera was not on you, this can take its toll on the next shot and the next. This can make it extremely tiring to maintain.

Final thoughts

“I’ve found that film acting is more about technique and repetition while theatre acting allows you to live and act more in the moment. Acting on stage allows time to feel your way into the character and enjoy the linear experience of the story unfurling. You may find that your reactions on stage aren’t controlled in the same way as they are on film, but they tend to be more real.

“That’s not to say that the method acting techniques (many of which I learnt at the Lee Strasberg Theatre) before you go on stage don’t count. If you do the work before, then sooner or later you will find a plethora of real-life emotions to draw on.

“At Lee Strasberg, I learned through the technique of dedicated relaxation followed by sensory and emotional memory exploration. It can feel difficult graduating from a school of method acting into a space where you have to make fast choices for your character scene by scene. There is also the added pressure on the film and television set of being under time constraints, and it can be extremely difficult to maintain the depth of sensory experience that keeps you grounded in authentic characterisation.

“Method acting goes far beyond the surface portrayal of a character and, I think it can be argued, often separates good actors from great actors. You need to tap into your lived experiences, emotions, that you have gained over your many years. Lee Strasberg himself always said that method acting is what all actors do when they’re acting well. Immersing yourself in The Method can result in the performance of your life. However, transitioning to film acting brings with it new challenges that must be overcome for the actor keen to fully inhabit their character. In many ways I would have liked to have done post graduate degrees in pure method acting (if the even exist).”

About Adriana Randall

Adriana Randall is a professional film actor, and a feature-film producer and theatre producer (West End and Broadway) with her father David Randall at Marzipan Productions where she has multiple co-producer credits. Adriana made her motion picture debut in The Price of Desire. For more information on Adriana, please visit her personal website or theatre production company. More