Stage V Screen
Just about all acting training is for the stage and the skills required for a stage performance are completely different to those those a director looking for the ideal screen actor is looking for.
Let us look at some examples. Screen acting is mostly close up, you see faces, emotion, and the area to performing is very small if they are to stay in shot. Often they will use a whisper or talk softly.
The stage actor is playing to an audience, some of who are a long way away, therefore acting is exaggerated, a voice has to be loudly projected, they use stage space to the full, emotions on faces cannot be seen so other methods have to be used.
Many screen directors would prefer to have someone with no acting training than stage training, but often have no alternative. The secret therefore is in gaining the screen skills and then presenting them to the right people.
