What do we consider real acting vs. pointless acting?
It seems that everyone is filming on green screens or virtual production stages these days. While it may seem like a faster, easier, and (probably) cheaper option that invites the new tech age of filmmaking into our everyday shoots, some actors don’t believe there is value in acting in an imaginary world.
However, Secret Invasion star Emilia Clarke tells the Los Angeles Times that she doesn’t agree with those claims that acting in front of a green screen isn’t “real” acting.
“The stigma is that people don’t do any acting in these shows,” Clarke said, referring to performing while standing in front of a green screen. “[But] then you’re like, ‘Well, then why are they asking all these great actors to do it, and why are they saying yes?’”
Clarke, whose career spans several massive franchises like Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and The Terminator, joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the Dinsey+ series, Secret Invasion, which, like most Marvel productions, required her to perform with green screens.
She continues to explain her take on the polarizing subject, stating that heavyweight actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Olivia Colman often act against green screens, proving that real acting does take place on these sound stages.
It’s true that not every actor is a fan of acting on green screens. Anthony Hopkins infamously called green screen acting “pointless acting” during a 2021 interview with The New Yorker.
A majority of the time, there will be some props and set design to help bring these green screen worlds to life for the actors. And, as their job title states, it is the performer’s job to make themselves and the audience believe in the world and story that is being created.
While this transition might be difficult for some actors, green screens, virtual worlds, and motion capture are the future of storytelling. There are new advancements every day, like the constantly evolving Unreal Engine, that is allowing directors to look at the monitor and see the actor, who is in a mocap suit on a stage, walking through an already rendered virtual world.
Technology is advancing quickly, and the name of the game is adaptation. How will we evolve with it so we are not left behind by creatives who want to be creative? A step toward the future is acknowledging that green screen acting is real acting.
Do you disagree? Let us know in the comments below!
