Acting vs real life
 

What are your opinions on how acting on films and TV differs from real life interactions.

There as just some general observations I've noticed:

*People don't interrupt each other
*People are wittier and able to come up with eloquent responses quicker
*Boring parts of real life conversations are filtered out - conversations stick to more interesting topics, or topics relevant to the plot
*People maintain their composure under pressure better
*People have better speaking voices

Re: Acting vs real life
 

In movies and television, people just hang up their phones without saying goodbye once they get all the information they need and it's perceived as perfectly normal. That's one thing I noticed that differs from real life interaction.

Re: Acting vs real life
 

That moment when you realize an actor is more genuine than you in real life.

Re: Acting vs real life
 

In irl:

- You don't get interrupted by a laugh track every time you talk.
- Your punches don't sound like someone hitting a watermelon with a thick slab of wood.
- Car isn't allergic to big, bad masked villains holding weapons

Re: Acting vs real life
 

Guy goes on spiel and tells other guy what's going on.
Second guy: "Wait a minute, what? Give it to me in english, dammit!"

Also, referring to other people by their first name all of the time.

I sometimes wonder why characters are whispering to each other.

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I think in real life, people normally don't make long silent pauses after something dramatic is said.

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Re: Acting vs real life
 

It always bugs me during any show or film (and I give credit to the ones that don't do this) when someone says they'll meet the other person without establishing the specifics; time, place, etc. Seems like a small thing, but after I noticed it the first time I realized it happens constantly. Even more often, one side says goodbye and hangs up without the other side saying it.

More specific thing I've caught myself looking for: phones that you can tell are just on the home screen when people are ostensibly talking to them. Especially newer ones, which virtually all have face detection, meaning if you see a big glowing area on their face, it's not really a call.

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I think drama is life with the boring parts taken out. Most of us do boring small talk in order to be pleasant, but it probably wouldn't play in a movie unless it had a purpose, either to further plot, or to reveal character.

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One observation: In movies & TV shows, window screens don't exist.
It's a tiny detail, but I've noticed it hundreds of times. Entering or exiting a scene via a window is a classic element, but window screens pose a major hindrance to that. Therefore they rarely exist in TV or movies. It's kind of funny since almost everyone has screens on their windows to keep the bugs out.

Two: People in bars, clubs, discos, or on a dance floor can have completely audible conversations. Somehow, as soon as characters begin to dialogue in these environments, the crowd noise and music magically goes down in volume so they can hear each other and the audience can hear them. In real life, people have to scream, use sign language and attempt to lip read in these venues, and even then, the person they're trying to communicate with usually just nods, not catching even half of what was said.

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In movie restaurants and bars, people order drinks and never finish them! They take one sip and then leave.:mad:

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A woman has to tell her husband about something important, but he has something else to say that's so exciting that totally undermines what she was about to say... After he reveals his story, he asks, "What did you want to tell me, honey?"

"Oh nothing.."

Re: Acting vs real life
 

Yeah when characters just automatically know where they are meeting someone without much interaction at all or any conversation pertaining to the meeting location, that bothers me a lot.

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On a similar note, TV characters, particularly on daytime drama, love to call people on the phone, tell them they have something to discuss but they can't discuss it over the phone.

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This topic reminds me of a similar discussion regarding comics - at the end of a lot of comic book issues, (usually as part of a cliffhanger) a shadowy figure would enter a room, suddenly appear in a doorway or in some way be revealed, and a character would spin around with eyes wide and exclaim "YOU!" (and "YOU" would usually be followed by exclamation points or question marks or both).

The funny thing is no one ever says this in real life.
Have you ever turned to see someone you recognize and say, "YOU!!!" to them?
Or encountered someone you weren't expecting or even been startled by someone and say "YOU???!!!"

I would think people might say "You?!" when they feel they are being betrayed by somebody they didn't expect.




When people meet a person they don't like they might say "Him!" of "That guy!"

Depends on the situation. If someone is so taken aback by what is going on/ has happened they might take a long silent pause in awe or grief, to respond due to kind of news.

Very important, this – you rarely see any facial blemishes:).

I suppose one common factor in acting and reality is that everybody acts in real life to a greater or lesser degree. Another obvious discrepancy is that in the real world people make slips and fumble their words. When you see that on screen it sometimes makes for a better and more believable character – there are even examples of fluffs due to the other actor listening to his partner and making a mistake because they have.

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You never hear "I forgot what I was going to say" - or a speech screw up, or an actor walking and being a tiny bit clumsy. I know time is a factor, but 2 seconds of reality can't hurt.