MOVIES HAVE CHANGED AND SO HAVE ACTORS
It’s clear that in the 120 years that film has been around, it has changed dramatically. Sound and color were introduced, 3D technology allows viewers to be part of the film, and advances like CGI make monsters and destruction seem more real than ever. But these weren’t the only changes that occurred in mainstream movies in the past century.
James E Cutting and his colleagues in the Psychology department at Cornell University analyzed 160 films from 1935 up to 2010 and noted the differences that had developed. They found 4 main technical changes that occurred over 75 years: shortened shot length, more motion, increased shot length to motion ratio, and luminance. The Psychology team at Cornell theorize that these changes result from filmmakers trying hard to control the attention of viewers.
But what do these changes have to do with you, the actor? It presents a new host of challenges that actors in the past never had to face. With shorter shots, you have to be acting as best you can at every second. Add in the multitude of angles many movies utilize and now you have to bring that same performance, with the same quality, much more often. Acting has become much more demanding than in the past.
While Cutting and his colleagues agree that these are not the only changes to cinema, they to acknowledge that these trends give us insight into how film construction has evolved since it became a major form of entertainment.
You can find a more involved summary of their findings at Wired or if you’re feeling up to it, read James Cutting’s studies here.
