A character with a visor was a mistake

[Trekker4747]

I tried to go though most of these posts before responding, and one thing I kept seeing was that Jean Luc Picard is referred to as Picard, William Riker is referred to as Riker, but Geordi LaForge is referred to as Geordi. Where Picard and Riker are stronger figures on the screen, Geordi LaForge shines in a way the other two can’t. Here is a highly competent and ambitious man who is so friendly and personable that we are all on a first name biases with him. The VISOR hindered this not at all. Major kudos to Levar Burton for his fantastic work.

I suppose on the name thing it's one of those things where "LaForge" is too "last name sounding" to use as a name. Picard, Riker, Crusher, Troi all are pretty smooth sounding names that, reasonably, can sound like given names when used. "LaForge" just screams "last name" as it's not very phonetically pleasing at least compared to "Geordi."

Somehow Chief O'Brien's last-name sounding last name disproves this theory but, then, it's a "smoother sounding" last name (probably because the main part of it sounds like a first name.) "LaForge" just strikes me as just not pleasing to say when referring to someone. "Geordi" fits better.

 

[Elias Vaughn]

Then you have a very limited ability to judge performances.

Its not about "judging" how well someone is performing, its about connecting to them on any kind of emotional level which I find that I need to see their eyes to do so fully.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRUjr8EVgBg

This rendition does nothing for you then, huh?

 

[You_Will_Fail]

This rendition does nothing for you then, huh?

What's wrong with you? I've said a million times that when it comes to an acting performance, I'm more captivated when I can see the eyes and the emotions in the eyes. And I know I'm not alone in this, I guess trekbbs is just filled with very cold people who can only discern emotion from obvious physical changes.

 

[Elias Vaughn]

But when you keep saying that for three pages after this post...:

Most of the expression we attribute to the eyes actually comes from the area around the eyes

This. Geordi can still express with his eyes wearing the visor.

Oh and so can Lore, as in my avatar.

 

[Trekker4747]

This rendition does nothing for you then, huh?

What's wrong with you? I've said a million times that when it comes to an acting performance, I'm more captivated when I can see the eyes and the emotions in the eyes. And I know I'm not alone in this, I guess trekbbs is just filled with very cold people who can only discern emotion from obvious physical changes.

Yep, that's it. We're all wrong, cold, people who don't use eyes to judge emotion and people and you're the only one who is right.

 

[RaymondJames]

I believe Burton did a fantastic job expressing emotion with his voice,body posture and facial expressions. I needn't see the man's eyes. I will say that Geordi wasn't the greatest character but for me that had to do with poor development over 7+ years and the lack of writing for him aside from romance problems and being Data's sidekick. For some reason I think heterosexual and bisexual male viewers saw more of Geordi's eyes than they did Seven of Nine's eyes.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

I keep wondering what the OP would say to a blind person who tried to befriend him in real life. "Gee, I really wish we could be friends, but you're just not expressive enough."

Yeah, I'd find it distracting like most people would, but real life is hardly comparable to performance art. I'm talking about relating to someone on an emotional level on the tv screen. Jesus Christ, there's some serious issues with basic reading comprehension around here.

No comprehension problem here. I know you're talking about relating to a TV character. But your attitude made me wonder how you would relate to a similar person in real life.

 

[JB2005]

Then you have a very limited ability to judge performances.

Its not about "judging" how well someone is performing, its about connecting to them on any kind of emotional level which I find that I need to see their eyes to do so fully.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRUjr8EVgBg

This rendition does nothing for you then, huh?

How am i supposed to be able to judge the emotions he's putting into that song - beyond the obvious things like tone of his voice, his body language and the fact that despite being blind he bothered to learn not only the words, but how to play the song on the piano - I NEED TO SEE HIS EYES!

You_Will_Fail hits the nail firmly on the head yet again!

 

[Cakemixo]

The more I read through this the more I don't understand why an argument happened. Unless a character is winking or rolling their eyes, I don't get much out of the eyes. I connected fine with Geordi. I do not think having a VISOR was a mistake. I see a handful of people here do need the eyes to connect to a chacter. That's fine. So the VISOR may have obstructed connecting to a character; that's fine. I think Burton had similar fears about acting with the prop and that this would happen. Where did the fight come from?

 

[Destructor]

This rendition does nothing for you then, huh?

What's wrong with you? I've said a million times that when it comes to an acting performance, I'm more captivated when I can see the eyes and the emotions in the eyes. And I know I'm not alone in this, I guess trekbbs is just filled with very cold people who can only discern emotion from obvious physical changes.

Dude, you said that, then you asked if anyone else felt the same way. We all replied that we didn't- no need for the insults just because we don't feel as you do on the matter.

 

[Tosk]

I guess trekbbs is just filled with very cold people who can only discern emotion from obvious physical changes.

Only? It would seem most here are open to more forms of emotional display than you, not less.

 

[You_Will_Fail]

How am i supposed to be able to judge the emotions he's putting into that song - beyond the obvious things like tone of his voice, his body language and the fact that despite being blind he bothered to learn not only the words, but how to play the song on the piano - I NEED TO SEE HIS EYES!

You_Will_Fail hits the nail firmly on the head yet again!

WTF are you even talking about?
My original point was clear, I need to see an actor's eyes to be able to fully connect with them on an emotional level. Exactly what is the problem with that?
Saying "there are other ways emotion can be expressed" does not negate the fact that the eyes are a very powerful way of expressing emotion, and without that, I feel like an actor loses something in his performance. Clearly most people on this forum don't place as much importance on the eyes when it comes to judging emotion, which kind of suggests that most of you are rather cold, mechanical people and probably have low emotional intelligence.

 

[Shazam!]

Does anyone else feel this way? Not being able to see an actor's eyes is just annoying, its true that you really do see people's emotions etc through their eyes and Geordi always just felt absent to me because his eyes were covered up with that damned visor.

You're the reason Spidey took his mask off every two seconds.

 

[Trekker4747]

How am i supposed to be able to judge the emotions he's putting into that song - beyond the obvious things like tone of his voice, his body language and the fact that despite being blind he bothered to learn not only the words, but how to play the song on the piano - I NEED TO SEE HIS EYES!

You_Will_Fail hits the nail firmly on the head yet again!

WTF are you even talking about?
My original point was clear, I need to see an actor's eyes to be able to fully connect with them on an emotional level. Exactly what is the problem with that?
Saying "there are other ways emotion can be expressed" does not negate the fact that the eyes are a very powerful way of expressing emotion, and without that, I feel like an actor loses something in his performance. Clearly most people on this forum don't place as much importance on the eyes when it comes to judging emotion, which kind of suggests that most of you are rather cold, mechanical people and probably have low emotional intelligence.

Or that we can connect with people in ways beyond just the eyes. What is more likely that ALL of us are wrong and you are right or that YOU are wrong and all of us right? (Or at least "less wrong.")

 

[zar]

Unless the display of emotion involves squinting or widening, not much is going to be hidden from us. Pupil dilation is an indicator of emotion, but it's involuntary and not something an actor can duplicate on demand anyway.

If it's easier to connect with a character when you can see their eyes, it's most likely simply because that is how you're used to seeing people, not because of how much more emotion they truly convey.

 

[Pavonis]

... the eyes are a very powerful way of expressing emotion, and without that, I feel like an actor loses something in his performance.

Interesting. Is it really specifically the eyes you need to see, or is it the eyelids? For instance, narrowed eyelids to convey suspicion, wide eyelids to convey surprise or fear. Certainly the VISOR prop didn't obscure Burton's eyebrows, which are very expressive, and it can't be the eyes themselves, as they're not particularly expressive - except for pupil size, but who pays attention to that?

Clearly most people on this forum don't place as much importance on the eyes when it comes to judging emotion, which kind of suggests that most of you are rather cold, mechanical people and probably have low emotional intelligence.

Ouch.

 

[JB2005]

Unless the display of emotion involves squinting or widening, not much is going to be hidden from us. Pupil dilation is an indicator of emotion, but it's involuntary and not something an actor can duplicate on demand anyway.

If it's easier to connect with a character when you can see their eyes, it's most likely simply because that is how you're used to seeing people, not because of how much more emotion they truly convey.

I can't tell if Lore's feeling whimsical in your avatar...I get the feeling that he is but I can't see his eyes

 

[Shazam!]

I need to see an actor's eyes to be able to fully connect with them on an emotional level.

Everyone else can manage just fine without. I guess that kinda suggests you probably have a low emotional intelligence.

 

[The Castellan]

Unless the display of emotion involves squinting or widening, not much is going to be hidden from us. Pupil dilation is an indicator of emotion, but it's involuntary and not something an actor can duplicate on demand anyway.

If it's easier to connect with a character when you can see their eyes, it's most likely simply because that is how you're used to seeing people, not because of how much more emotion they truly convey.

I can't tell if Lore's feeling whimsical in your avatar...I get the feeling that he is but I can't see his eyes

How the hell one even sees pupil dilation on screen? Only one I can recall is near the end of 2001: A Space Oddesy, a favorite of mine.

 

[You_Will_Fail]

Unless the display of emotion involves squinting or widening, not much is going to be hidden from us. Pupil dilation is an indicator of emotion, but it's involuntary and not something an actor can duplicate on demand anyway.

LOL, this is exactly what I'm talking about. The clinical approach to acting many people have here. Good actors can say a lot with their eyes and provide that emotional connection. With their eyes covered, its a serious disability. Any introductory course in acting will talk about trying to feel the emotion the character is feeling and that all comes through the eyes. The same with modelling, if you have blank eyes then the picture is crap no matter how good your posing.
Its odd how many people here don't recognize the importance of the eyes in acting, a quick google will show you that plenty of people do feel they're very important. Sure you could have someone waving their hands about and breathing shallow to express fear, but a more subtle performance where fear is expressed through the eyes is more powerful. Or if someone is expressing some kind of confusion, you can furrow your brow and go "hmm" a lot but a far more effective way you can express that is through the eyes. There's the clinical side of acting - movements of your limbs and muscles, and the more deeply emotional side which is all about feeling what the character is feeling and those emotions coming through your eyes. I mean for goodness sake, the eyes aren't called the window to the soul for no reason.