Tian Wang | Vox

2018, in 5 minutes

2018-12-28T16:55:12-05:00

This year, like many before it, saw uncertainty, instability, and devastating setbacks for people everywhere. But that is just one way to look at the tapestry of 2018. In the face of adversity, people everywhere came together to make their voices heard. They continue to organize and unite to advocate for change they believe in. And in time, that will make a difference.

For now, as we move forward into another year, here’s a look back at some of the most memorable events of 2018.

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Why the Oscars love method actors

2019-02-21T16:21:08-05:00

Method acting describes a broad framework for training actors to break down, understand, and portray their characters. The acting technique emphasizes tapping into one’s personal experiences to reproduce the emotions, actions, and behavior required for a dramatic performance.

But this approach remains controversial, because of the mental and emotional stress it can create in actors, and because of the extreme lengths some actors go to achieve it.

Although method acting was popularized by Lee Strasberg in the mid 20th century, it has its roots in early 20th century Russia. Konstantin Stanislavski, a Russian actor and drama theorist, and his peers at the Moscow Art Theater developed a “system” that method acting is directly based on. Stanislavski’s teachings emphasized critical, holistic analyses of scenes in tandem with self-reflection by the actor.

Stanislavski’s ideas spread throughout the US in the 1930s where they were interpreted and transformed by a subsequent generation of instructors, including Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, and Sanford Meisner. These schools acting diverged, emphasizing and building upon different parts of Stanislavksi’s original system.

Strasberg’s interpretation emphasized drawing on personal experiences to relate to fictitious ones, Adler taught a greater focus on leveraging an actor’s imagination, and Meisner stressed the importance of inhabiting a scene truthfully, with less emphasis on abstraction and intellectualizing of the relationship between an actor and their character.

Today, method acting is perhaps best associated with actors like Daniel Day-Lewis, who is famous for going to extreme lengths to portray the characters he plays. From his breakout performance in My Left Foot, where he plays a quadriplegic artist, Day-Lewis has built up an impressive, critically acclaimed track record of dramatic roles. Day-Lewis and fellow method actors Gary Oldman and Meryl Streep are each nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively, at the 2018 Oscars.

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But one critique of method acting remains: It’s impossible for audiences to know that an actor underwent intense preparation for a role unless they are explicitly told. Hollywood has thus conspicuously and carefully publicized high-profile productions featuring method acting performances, such as Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance in The Revenant.

So is method acting more about marketability than anything else? It’s impossible to say for sure. But the technique is a reliable way to raise dramatic stakes, and for studios to make movies more appealing to audiences.

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Here’s where we’re going for Vox Borders, our new international documentary series

2017-06-07T12:36:32-04:00

This post is an update on Vox’s Borders project with Johnny Harris. You can stay up to date with the Borders journey on Facebook, Instagram, or by signing up for the Vox Borders newsletter.

Three weeks ago, we launched open submissions for Vox Borders, our new international video series. We’re humbled, grateful, and beyond excited to have received nearly 6,000 responses, every one of which we read.

The submission ideas spanned every continent, including Antarctica, and were sent to us by people of all ages, creeds, and identities. Together, these ideas and the people they originated from form a rich tapestry of the profound connection we feel with the stories of others, even if they never intersect with our own.

The Vox Borders project is meant to be an active dialogue with you, our audience, to identify and document the border stories that can humanize the people and communities divided by lines on a map. This summer I’ll travel to six locations around the globe inspired directly by your suggestions, and produce a final set of documentaries that will publish this fall.

Our final locations are:

Japan
Svalbard
The Dominican Republic and Haiti
The US and Mexico
Spain and Morocco
China and Nepal

As I’m traveling to each of these locations, I’ll also be publishing regular dispatches. Dispatches can be anything from short, minute-long explainers to more robust mini documentary videos. The focus of these videos isn’t on the main Vox Borders story, but rather the fabric of everyday life in the six places I’ll be visiting. They capture my discoveries, reflections, and learnings as I find myself among new people, new cultures.

Now that our locations have been decided, I’m once again asking for submissions. I want your suggestions on the people, places, customs, and uniquely interesting things in these six places that I should create dispatches around while I visit them. I believe these common differences, when taken together, unite us all.

Fill out our form to send in your thoughts. Just like last time, I promise we’ll read them all!

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Japan’s rising right-wing nationalism

2017-06-07T12:58:19-04:00

This video is part of Vox’s Borders series with Johnny Harris. Stay up to date with Borders by following Johnny on Facebook and signing up for the newsletter.

Like many other countries, Japan has seen the rise of nationalist movements in previous years. Although these Japanese movements coincide with their American and European counterparts and indeed share similarities, they are inherently and ultimately different.

This is largely in part because fringe right-wing nationalist movements in Japan have yet to create a narrative with populist appeal. Makoto Sakurai, the founder of the Japan First party, is trying to do just that. However, the nationalist sentiments that his party embodies can already be found within the platforms of Japan’s establishment politicians.

Shinzo Abe, the current and third-longest-serving prime minister of Japan, has repeatedly expressed a right-wing nationalist view of Japan’s history, especially its role in World War II. Abe has drawn both international and domestic criticism for his nationalistic brand of revisionist history. But his supporters claim this stance is vital in restoring Japan’s pride and national identity, which they believe was dismantled and manipulated following the country’s defeat at the hands of the Allied powers.

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The Time cover’s caption reads: “Shinzo Abe dreams of a more powerful, assertive Japan. Why that makes many people uncomfortable.”

This tension — between reconciling the past and charting a path forward for Japan — remains a contentious issue in the country today. Although it’s tempting to draw direct comparisons with the right-wing movements that have recently surged through America and Europe, the situation in Japan stands apart because of how deeply it’s rooted in the country’s history and culture.