I heard one time that screen actors must be careful not to make exaggerated gestures–for example, when magnified on a movie or TV screen, the smallest twitch of an eyebrow is all that’s needed to effectively communicate surprise or suspicion. Make too big of a move, and you could seem overblown and overwhelm the viewer.
Stage actors, on the other hand, may express themselves more freely with smirks and frowns–even rolling the eyes. After all, the audience members in the back rows need to be able to figure out what a character is thinking or feeling, so bigger facial expressions are easier to read.
While this is an oversimplification about the nuances of screen-vs-stage acting, I have for several years had some fun thinking about people with screen faces and those with stage faces.
To begin with, I have long thought of myself as having more of a stage face. When I’m excited about something, my eyebrows fly up and my elasti-mouth widens to a race-track oval. I wrinkle my nose and punctuate my stories with a continuous flow of gestures.
Then I think about some friends. My friend L. has more of a screen face. Her reactions are subtle, smooth, simple. She laughs at my animated stories that can morph into a boistrous reenactment of some interaction I’ve had with a mutual friend. Her laugh is subdued and pleasant, disturbing no other patrons in a restaurant or coffee shop (even though her stage-face friend draws attention with exaggerated gestures).
My friend S., same thing–screen face. Understated. Calm. Controlled. All she needs to do is smile big and lift her brows a tad and I know she’s delighted. My brother can produce animation when needed–I recall him practicing weird faces in the rear-view mirror when we were on long drives together in the back seat–but his default face is a screen face.
There’s much to learn from screen-face friends and family. In fact, I believe we can take some stage-face/screen-face principles and apply them to writing.
Stage faces on paper are like blogs and e-mails that use an abundance of exclamation points all the time.
If you use exclamation points in everyday notes, emails, and letters, then when something truly big happens, you’re stuck. How will you communicate the enormity of an event when you’ve been using up your exclamations on little things? You have to resort to adding even more exclamation points, along with some bold or underlining. If you’ve already been utilizing all of that for everyday stories, you might even use the dreaded…ALL CAPS!!!!!
All of that formatting and punctuation manipulation is hard on the eyes and even the emotions. The reader has to either read the piece in a state of stress and agitation, or she may end up dismissing the power of the exclamation point (and bold, and italics) because they’ve been overused and lost their effectiveness. Stage-face writers are almost like the boy who cried wolf; after a while, if the text is dotted with exclamation points and caps, the reader won’t know when something is truly worthy of close attention and a burst of adrenaline.
If, on the other hand, one’s writing maintains more of a screen-face style, saving exclamation points for something truly shocking or amazing, then they actually mean something. If our normal statements and greetings are followed by periods and commas, then a surprising event that deserves a little attention can end with one exclamation point–the equivalent of a screen actor raising one eyebrow, as in, “How about that?”
I have a little trouble reining in my face, but I do try to rein in my punctuation on paper or screen. I appreciate a judicious application of italics, bold, and exclamation points. Writers who lean more on periods, commas, and an occasional exclamation point in their writing help me think more clearly about what’s been written. Wild, unrestrained punctuation makes me feel like I’m listening to my five-year-old run in from the back yard with a big story that I have to sort out.
“I was out back and then I heard this HUGE BOOM!!!! And the thing crashed over and then a bunch of stuff oozed out!!! All over my shoes!!!!!!!!! You won’t believe it, it’s amazing, I’ve never seen anything LIKE IT!!”
“Calm down,” I want to say, “Get ahold of yourself! Take a deep breath, slow down and let’s hear what happened step by step.”
I think that even in this age of text-messaging and liberal punctuation, the screen-face-style writer commands more respect and helps us think. I continue to learn from them and apply the principles to my writing.
I think, unfortunately, after 40 years of grins and grimaces, it’s too late for my face.
Interesting post.
Pity is that the screen face writer doesn’t always get the attention that’s needed or deserved.
Those with lots of photos on their blogs for instance (even when violating copyright), get far more attention than those with plain blogs.
It’s theatre that draws more attention, or as a friend said the other day:
more people fall asleep in front of the screen than in a theatre.
Have a great weekend!
Fun and thoughtful post.
I am guilty of using …… far too much in my emails and casual writing. I guess that is the equivalent of having a Stephen Wright face……
Ha! I’m also a stage-face and really animated. Funny thing, I’ve done some acting on stage, mostly comedy. I love life and I’m not afraid to show it. I enjoyed reading this post. I like the way you draw the comparison between stage-face and excessive punctuation. Very original and well-written. Good luck in grooming a screen-face, it’s a noble endeavor. I’ve tried it a number of times, but I feel like I’ve been put in a straightjacket when a muzzle would do. It’s too hard to try and be anything other than myself. I’ve accepted the fact that God made me this way for a reason. I think it’s to lend comparison between me and serious, dour, matronly, cranky, unappreciative and spiritually dead people.
Oooh–this is interesting. I’d have to put my face (and voice for that matter) in the stage category. And, yes, my writing too. I try to write as I talk (specifically in emails more than in blogging), so I end up with multiple question marks, exclamation points and some CAPS!! I’ll try to tone it down, remembering that if I don’t, there’s nowhere to go (but more up).
Laane: Ah, that’s a good point that the stage gets more attention–perhaps I’m naive to apply my principles of minimal punctuation to the blogosphere and email? Perhaps these are more stage-like media than, say, a book, or a magazine article, where people are used to standard, screen-face punctuation?
Perhaps all the blog’s a stage…
mopsy: …which is a nice segue to your comment, that the casual, conversational style of e-mails can probably benefit from punctuation that reflects tone. In fact, I think one of the biggest drawbacks of leaning on e-mail for communication is that people are typing out important or emotional or critical thoughts, and the recipient can’t “read” the tone as she would if the entire thing were being said. Even by phone, one would hear emotion. In person, one would also have the benefit of body language. So there’s a plus side to smiley faces and such–we can clarify when we truly mean that we’re joking. And multiple exclamation points do convey excitement and enthusiasm. Once more, I’m seeing that I may need to think more open-mindedly about these conventions and applications. Another hm… is in order.
Hm…
janetleigh: So nice to meet you here!
Golly, I hope that by gravitating to a “screen-face” style of writing, my words don’t fit that last description–serious, dour, matronly, cranky, unappreciative and spiritually dead! Yikes!
I’ll keep my animated face if I can avoid being matronly!
But I do think that my screen-face friends exude a peaceful, calm strength and steadiness that suggests they are quite deep and spiritually alive…full of life in a more contemplative manner.
It is situationally ironic that I, the animated rubber-faced, wild-gesturing woman wrote a book called _The Contemplative Mom_ with a thoughtful gal on the front pondering life.
Jennifer: Aw, do whatever feels right–you want to capture the essence of you. Maybe I was being too poo-poo about it.
And the comments have me thinking about it. I might even use them as a catalyst for a follow-up blog.
You just go ahead and caps lock your way through e-mails–if you’re an animated gal, your e-mails should SHOW IT!
mopsy: (I missed commenting on your ellipses)You know….I do, too.
Hm……
Trying not to use even one exclamation point…
This is my downfall. I hear the words in my head as I type them. Yet they look so bland on my screen so exclamation points literally pop out from my fingers. *sigh* I’ll try to do better! Oops, I mean better.
I definitely have a screen face and am a screen writer.
I have experienced one woman who is too much of a stage writer for me and I had to back out quickly, almost tripping over my own feet for fear of being swallowed whole.
It was just…too…much. But, to each his own.
Very thought-provoking post, good job!