This kinda relates to the Burger King thing… Entertainment pros who don’t step up and do what needs to be done because it doesn’t feel right. We don’t need a performer to walk on stage and be completely honest with us. We need them to serve us.
We want something that *looks* real for sure.
No matter how real it looks, we don’t need to believe it 100%
We don’t want the suspension of disbelief to be too difficult. The easiest way for a creator to make that environment is to bring a lot of truth into what they do… but that’s curated truth. That’s the truth that helps the mission. That’s truth that helps them lead the audience. That’s the truth that moves us forward.
I’m not talking about partial truths to tell a lie. I’m talking about how there’s lots of truth in the world. We don’t need to express everything as it comes up, just like a painter doesn’t have to use every color just because it’s on their palette.
This came to my mind when someone was talking about lighting for online shows. They said, “Just doesn’t feel natural to sit with these blazing in my eyes… ” I responded…
It’s not natural! It’s showbiz!
I immediately thought about the performers I’ve seen enter the stage and hold their hands over their brow, blocking out the stage lights so they could see the crowd. That irks me. Stage lights are bright, don’t act like you’re surprised by it. Don’t get thrown off because there’s water on the stage. Don’t bring your depression to the stage because your dressing room was far away.
Give us truth
When we hone something until it connects with people deeply, that’s truth. That’s the truth we want from entertainment. A deep, seismic, human truth that we all need to connect with each other. The badasses bring that truth as consistently as possible no matter what’s going on in their lives. That truth can look like an 8 bit video game, or a tap dance, or a superhero movie. It isn’t reality. It’s beyond that.