True Entertainment: Film Vs. The Theater

Entertainment, when one hears the word, one imagines movie actors and actresses, television, film, and music. Rarely does anyone think of stage theatre as entertainment. Unlike theatre, the Hollywood extravaganza is much more spectacular. Some theatre goers may claim, that theatre is more cultured and involved than the cinema. Contrary to those beliefs, the film experience is more engaging than the theatre experience.

The appearance of film is a grand spectacle, while theatre is a watered down version of the similar spectacle. Cinema's costly productions help to create a sensational world that teleports the audience, into the motion picture. Film causes the audience to experience such things as: plane crashes, explosions, sinking ships, and time travel that many never imagined possible. Unfortunately, these amazing images come with a cost, about $100 million dollars worth. In comparison to cinema, theatre is not as costly. For example, Broadway's production of Wicked cost $40 million dollars. Motion pictures are double the cost of theatre, and double the marvel. The theatre can not sink ships on set (realistically).

It also finds itself incapable of explosion, storms, and realism that films permit. The series of tornados and tsunamis that were present, in The Day After Tomorrow, could not have been possible without expensive computer animation. The expense of computer animation and effects is too high for stage productions. As a result, film appearance is superb compared to stage production.

Another way film finds itself more adequate is in its cast (actors). Motion picture actors depict real people, whereas, theatre actors are exaggerated and untrue. The audience of cinema more easily relates to movie characters. Movie actors use various facial expressions and hand gestures to bring realism to their characters. The best actors know not to exaggerate their moods of sorrow, laughter, and fright. In this way, the actors create the illusion of realism to link themselves with the audience.