Theatre or Film (Play or Movie)?

1959

Why must these two art forms be opposite or concurrent? They are a different form of artistic expression and it seems we all know this. But very often there is some rivalry between them, maybe because the two of them tell us a story, and both of them need the same irreplaceable tool – the actor. And why does there need to be a division between the theatre and film actors, when there are actors and actresses that are fantastic on stage but also in front of the camera. So, we will show you some differences between theatre and film, without choosing a side. The decision is yours to make. We choose both of them, in different places and times of course, but we work with theatre so it is closer to our hearts…

Rade Serbedzija in the film Before the Rain (1994)

History says that the theatre came from religious ceremonies (western theatre directly derived from the festival of Dionysus). The beginnings of the film industry were in the early 20th century. And of course, there are different kinds of performative techniques for actors and actresses on the stage and in front of the camera. The actors in theatre, performing live on stage once in front of a public, but on film, the Performance is repeated on different takes and recorded.

Rade Serbedzija in the play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (2019)

Each theatre performance is unique and different, but each film viewing is the same, the only difference being the viewer’s perception of the same film. The connection and intimacy with the audience are stronger in the theatre because the audience has a direct influence on the play and is always a part of the performance. Whilst the audience’s connection with film stars is through the silver or TV screen, and there is no real physical contact. The playwright is sacrosanct in theatre because there is more respect for the author’s work (not always) but in film, the screenwriter’s work can sometimes be continually reworked throughout the filming process.

There are a lot of problems which аre common in film and theatre, which have to be solved with creative and technical solutions: light, music, effects, location and the period, choices for costumes, makeup, and a lot of things should look a specific way as to appear magical on the stage or the screen.

As we said before, theatre and film are different artistic creations, we just want to inspire you, and show you the differences between them.

We were searching for the answer to our question theatre or film? In the end, only you decide what you want to see more, a play or a good film.