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Why is the acting in STD so WOODEN?

PicardSpeedo said:
I cite this video as an example - specifically, the scene near the beginning of the video where Lorca and Mister Satan or whatever his name is (I still can't make out the engineer's name clearly; it's like the actors slur it whenever they say it) are hollering at each other about the spore drive not working:
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The dialog feels forced and awkward; the acting barely above the caliber of a fan video. Was this done intentionally to make the characters seem "relatable?" Or is it an homage to Enterprise, which I've been reminded by a fellow forum-dweller followed a similar acting template?
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I agree with you about the dialogue and in part there's a kind of a tempo of delivery that is stilted at times. Though I would say the acting gives me a sense of command 'stiffness'. It kind of fits.

I actually don't have issues with the acting in Discovery too much other than there is a lack of camaraderie that I think would make things flow better.
 
Not seeing the "fan film" effect. I've watched a lot of fan films, and the solid ones definitely can communicate in a positive way, but its inconsistent. DISCO is mixed, but I've generally enjoyed it, found it believable and relatable.
 
fireproof78 said:
Not seeing the "fan film" effect. I've watched a lot of fan films, and the solid ones definitely can communicate in a positive way, but its inconsistent. DISCO is mixed, but I've generally enjoyed it, found it believable and relatable.
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I have to admit, i enjoy watching fan films just to hear the cringey dialogue and see the cheesy and often terrible acting (star trek: hidden frontier, I'm looking right at you)
 
I'm not quite sold on SM-G's performance as Burnham. Some of the earlier episodes were a bit rough but it's gotten better. Not sure the blame lies with the writers, though.
 
there is a difference between someone performing bad, and performing a bad character or working with bad direction.

natalie portman, liam neeson and ewen mcgregor, are three phenominal actors yet the portrayal of their characters in SW is less than good,

im certainly not blaming them.

im not an expert but from what i know about the craft of acting i think she is doing good. like the character or not i think she makes the character come alive.
 
GeekUSACarl said:
i think she is a fantastic actress.
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Me too. I loved her in The Walking Dead. Alongside Melissa McBride she was one of the few reasons I kept watching the show.

I don't understand why people are so mean to Sonequa. The most common complaint I see about her is that she doesn't have "emotion range". She is portraying a Human raised among Vulcans. Isn't common sense that a character with that type of premise will have trouble demonstrating their emotions ? If she is doing her job, I don't think that makes her a bad actress.
 
As others have said, I think the issues with performance in Discovery mostly come down to writing failure, not acting failure. To a certain extent - particularly with SMG - I think it's been a failure in direction as well - or at least a failure in consistent direction, as she's been all over the map as to her portrayal from episode to episode.
 
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Cox of Seagulls said:
Some are better than others, but the quality of the actors taken as a whole is a lot better than any 90s Trek. Aside from Stewart and Spiner, the Next Gen cast was pretty awful.
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Yes but no matter what you think of their acting ability you still liked their characters. If the characters are good (or "nice" in the case of TNG) you can still enjoy their performance.

I also think the writers are contributing to some of the formal dialog they have in DSC. I like it though - makes it feel like they are on a starship military organisation in the future.
Although I admit I have worked with the military and they don't really speak like that,
 
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GeekUSACarl said:
there is a difference between someone performing bad, and performing a bad character or working with bad direction.

natalie portman, liam neeson and ewen mcgregor, are three phenominal actors yet the portrayal of their characters in SW is less than good,

im certainly not blaming them.

im not an expert but from what i know about the craft of acting i think she is doing good. like the character or not i think she makes the character come alive.
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At some level they are all bad if not unlikeable characters on Discovery. Certainly flawed and inconsistent. Yet for example I find with Lorca one can acknowledge him as being bad in behaviour and by nature but the portrayal is carrying it. Michael as a portrayal has more facial expression, she has a measured and low tone to her voice .. "TILLeeee". Sometimes I see a third person aspect to her scenes but I take that as her being set apart because of her background, her crime, and her overuse. The actress is playing the lead and she needs to create the attraction to her role, be the 'go to' one you look for. It's something called presence and quantity of scene is not enough.
Acting of Stamets is okay even with a perpetual worried face. Tilly to me is someone playing younger, acting as someone acting silly. She is wearing the role. Tyler is effortless. Yet to be fair none of them act badly in that I cringe, they're better than that.
 
Refuge said:
At some level they are all bad if not unlikeable characters on Discovery.
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I don't follow this at all. I like Saru, and Tyler is growing on me. Michael is interesting, though not necessarily likable.

Lorca is bad, and I don't like him, but he has an interesting quality to him. He feels cut from the same cloth as Captain Pike in "The Cage" but less weighed down by the loss of life.
 
Serveaux said:
It's the same mannered, uncomfortable acting that has characterized Trek since the 1980s.
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Doesn't that have to be more about the writing and direction than the actors? It was one of the fears I had when they started bringing in writers and fans from past Trek incarnations to do the writing.
 
PicardSpeedo said:
I cite this video as an example - specifically, the scene near the beginning of the video where Lorca and Mister Satan or whatever his name is (I still can't make out the engineer's name clearly; it's like the actors slur it whenever they say it) are hollering at each other about the spore drive not working:
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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
.

The dialog feels forced and awkward; the acting barely above the caliber of a fan video. Was this done intentionally to make the characters seem "relatable?" Or is it an homage to Enterprise, which I've been reminded by a fellow forum-dweller followed a similar acting template?
Click to expand...
Ridiculous,. One of the most consistent and positive things about DSC has been the acting. I don't consider the scene you cite here as "wooden" at all.
 
PicardSpeedo said:
I concede that Bakula's was pretty bad as well, and forgive me for forgetting about that. I try to block Enterprise from my memories and headcanon. On balance, I would say STD's acting is about as wooden as Enterprise. That doesn't make it good, though.
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I thought acting on Enterprise was good. Forgive me my saying, but in Discovery everybody is acting like they have a broom stuck up their ass. (Something we would say in my country for somebody who is rigid, not behaving naturally and relaxed)
 
GhostLoveScore said:
I thought acting on Enterprise was good. Forgive me my saying, but in Discovery everybody is acting like they have a broom stuck up their ass. (Something we would say in my country for somebody who is rigid, not behaving naturally and relaxed)
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They are in the middle of a war, and testing untested technology and the captain is yelling at me to make it work.

Yeah, I'm not going to be relaxed or even acting naturally at that point.
 
fireproof78 said:
They are in the middle of a war, and testing untested technology and the captain is yelling at me to make it work.

Yeah, I'm not going to be relaxed or even acting naturally at that point.
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You are not going to act human? Characters are either acting like machines or complete emotional wreck not capable of making a logical decision.
 
GhostLoveScore said:
You are not going to act human? Characters are either acting like machines or complete emotional wreck not capable of making a logical decision.
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I must be watching a different show because they seem pretty human to me...:shrug:

Also, humans are capable of being emotionless, illogical, rigid, impulsive, and unnatural depending on the situation. I don't see an issue, but I'm sure it's just me :)
 
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