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Are your character’s shoes really that important?

Posted on August 14, 2021
characters shoes

As I’ve written before and certainly will again, costumes are incredibly important to how a character moves. 

In looking at costumes, there’s a lot of factors to take into account here, right?

A period piece may include a corset or stockings, towering wigs, or imposing hats. 

A character existing in the modern world may wear a short dress or sweat pants. 

Speaking from personal experience, moving is a lot easier in sweat pants vs. a corset. 

What we choose to wear (or what our characters wear) comes in many non-physical forms, too, such as self-expression or repression, societal norms and expectations, religious importance, and vocation.

So, yeah, costumes are pretty important. (And this is not just me speaking as a former costume designer, promise 🙂 )

Now, let’s talk about shoes.

Your character’s shoes

What shoes your character wears says a great deal about them and where they fit within the society they inhabit. 

Do they conform to their societal norms or rebel? Or are they stuck somewhere in between?

Do they wear shoes they’re supposed to while at work but then change immediately once they have the chance?

Diving into character movement work, this kind of thinking can be applied to your character’s movement signature.

A character who is used to wearing power heels and has a direct and sustained way of moving may be thrown off by wearing sandals for the first time in another scene. 

Moving in shoes 

I’m reminded of someone I used to work within a classic office setting. 

She wore heels every day for decades to the point where she told me it hurt to wear flats. 

It was challenging for her to walk while wearing flats because her Achilles tendons had shrunk due to her consistent use of high heels.

Something like this is gold for a character movement signature.

Another example I love that displays how a change in shoes can highlight a character’s movement transformation is from Kerry Hishon’s blog post Why You Need to Rehearse in Your Character’s Shoes from Theatrefolk:

“For example, think about a show like My Fair Lady. Eliza starts as a humble flower seller wearing thick boots and is made over into a society lady in fancy high heels. How would that affect both the actress playing the role and the character herself? How does she walk in her everyday boots versus her new, stiff, heeled shoes? At what point does she become more comfortable in her new shoes? How can you, as an actor, accurately show this evolution of movement?”

Moving without shoes

You may find yourself playing a character that doesn’t wear shoes for whatever reason. 

When I was in college, I was a part of a wonderful one-act called The Goblins Plot to Murder God by Mark O’Donnell. (Not an affiliate link, FYI)

It’s a 10-minute play about, well, a goblin’s plot to murder God. 

Think Shakespeare meets Dr. Seus. 

The opening lines spoken by the narrator are:

“Bleak and squeaking, weakly seeking,

To the clumsy drum they come.

Hobbling, wriggling, straggling gaggle –

Niggling goblins! Here are some!

Gabbling rabble, thrum and thrum!

This, their cheerless leader Ooze.

Let us hide and bide what brews.”

For our production, as goblins, none of us on stage wore shoes. It was a wonderful experience, incredibly freeing, and I found it ultimately a lot easier to drop my center of gravity and slip into the role. 

Shoes are an extension of us

Our feet are our connection to the ground and our relationship with it. Therefore what we put on our feet acts as an extension of our feet.

It’s like a swordsman seeing their sword as an extension of their hand. Likewise, shoes may not be a weapon unless you’re in a spy film, but shoes are how we make contact with the land beneath us.

Gayle Rankin was quoted in an article by Christopher Byrne on the pivotal role of shoes on Broadway, “…Shoes change how you walk and how you act how balanced you are.”

Tying shoes into psychology 

The shoes our character wears display a great partnership between character movement and psychology. 

What sound do the shoes make when they make contact with the ground? Are they harsh clicks or soft shuffles? Quiet and unassuming or brash and demanding of attention? 

Now adding the psychological character work you’ve done-how does this amplify or contradict their personality? 

Get those characther’s shoes on!

When I’m diving into a new role, regardless of how intensive I know the movement work will be, I like to check in with the costume designer as soon as I can. 

In my experience both as an actor and costume designer, collaboration has been vital.

There’s a balance between the overall visual aesthetic of the production (time period, etc.) and my comfortability as an actor (if I need to practice ascending that spiral staircase in 3in stilettos) as well as what would be in the characters taste. 

Now, if you’re the one who’s responsible for your costume, what shoes you’re going to wear is an important element to research and experiment with early on.

So, are your character’s shoes really that important? Yes, yes, they are. 

Not only are they a key factor to building your character’s movement signature, but they’re also a wonderful way to weave together your character’s multifaceted journey.

 

Acting toolbox Character Movement Work Character study Labanotation

How to break down a monologue like a movement coach

Posted on July 30, 2021
monologue and movement

Ah, monologues.

My relationship with monologues is, well, slightly strained. 

From an audition perspective, they’re a frustrating necessity, yet in a full script, they’re often an incredible way to dive deep into a character’s psyche.

So, there are ups and downs. Especially since most monologues we come across as actors are through the never-ending audition process.

We’re working on it, though, monologues and me. Both committed to making it work. But as with any relationship, time put in is key.

Now, learning a monologue is multi-layered, right? 

You can’t just learn the lines, hope on stage or in front of the camera, and expect to give a stellar performance. 

Character work is essential. 

Always. 

Even if said monologue is for an audition.

Especially if you’re working from one of those monologue books that all stand-alone with no full-length script to call their home. With those, there’s just so many blanks to fill in.

So, let’s say you’re working on a monologue, and you need to add some physicality. 

Adding physicality

Now, when I say adding physicality, I don’t mean, “when I say this line/word, I’m going to move my arm like so….”

Nope. 

I’m personally not a fan of working this way. 

Because, honestly, this puts you in danger of becoming a robot. 

Suppose you perform a specific gesture on the same word, in the same way, every time. It becomes rote. (Unless being rote is the entire point of said character/script, mind you.)

So, something I love to do is craft a movement signature for each character I play. 

Regardless if it’s a full-length script, one-act, or an audition monologue.

That way there’s a pattern of moving for the character and it’s a great deal easier to have gestures come about naturally.

I could talk about deep dives into a character’s psyche all day—interpersonal relationships, how their minds tick, behavioral tendencies, backstory, baggage, etc. 

But I’m also a movement coach. 

I need to make sure I give a role I’m learning equal opportunity to dive into the physical as well as psychological.

So, I’ve got a monologue I’m gonna share with ya, a favorite of mine from Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Christopher Hampton.

The character is La Marquise de Merteui, or in the film, Mertuil. 

Played by Lindsay Duncan in the original Broadway cast in 1985 alongside the late great (I will always miss) Alan Rickman. 

In the film adaptation, Dangerous Liaisons, she’s played by Glenn Close. 

Oh, and if you ever saw Cruel Intentions, it’s based on this story.

The play is based on the book by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, first published in 1782.

A bit of context:

As with any character crafting, context is important.

The story of Dangerous Liaisons takes place in France, just before the Revolution in 1789.

Merteui is a self-made woman in an aristocratic patriarchal society. A brilliant woman who refuses to succumb to the roles society has demanded of her. 

A master in manipulation, she presides over her social circle by using seduction to exploit and control those around her as she deems fit. 

A rival and ex-lover (it’s complicated and confusing) plus an insider to her manipulative ways is Le Vicomte de Valmont, who, during one conspiring visit, asks her:

“VALMONT: I often wonder how you managed to invent yourself.”

Her response always gives me chills. But we’ll get to that in a bit.

Firstly, just a touch of historical costume context.

Costumes and character movement  

Before I can even get into Mertuil individually, we gotta break down what was socially appropriate behavior and wardrobe for the upper crust of French society at this time. 

Simply put, both were incredibly restrictive. 

France, at the time of the late 18th century, was firmly in the Rococo style of fashion.

Which for ladies like Mertuil, the daily wardrobe looked a little something like this…

V&A image: By http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/page/Home.htmloriginally uploaded on en.wikipedia by VAwebteam (talk · contribs) at 6 August 2008. Filename was Sackbackgown.jpg., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5961774

The three main things I want to point out here are: 

-Panniers, which are wide hoops that rest under the skirt at the hips (why double doors were invented btw)

-Corsets (don’t leave your bedchambers without wearing one)

-Pagoda sleeves that restrict movement of one’s shoulders to the elbow. 

Bottom line, VERY restrictive clothing.

Not including the amount of makeup one was expected to wear, which is basically a mask and therefore restrictive in another way. 

This ties into the social norm of repressed emotions, women not speaking up or having any power/say over their lives, be sweet and dainty, only speak when spoken to patriarchal bs.

(The beautiful clothing of the time was constrictive for men too. I highly recommend checking out this post from costume designer Whitney Anne Adams, where she dives into the 1988 film’s costumes and history.)

With such restrictive clothing, partnered with the societal norms, we basically have a time period movement signature for women. 

This baseline societal movement signature basically says: only move if you have to, when you have to move, make it as graceful as possible wearing everything you’re wearing, oh, and sudden movements might startle your companions.

From a Labannotation perspective, I would call this: sustained, free flow though you’re physically bound and light. 

So, with those pieces in mind, let’s take a look at her monologue and see what other movement nuggets we can find. 

Monologue time!

Now,  if you’d rather see this performed vs. reading the monologue below, check out the entire scene with Glenn Close’s phenomenal performance. Valmont is the delightful John Malkovich.

Once again, Valmont asks of Mertuil:

“VALMONT: I often wonder how you managed to invent yourself.”

Her response…

“MERTEUIL: I had no choice, did I, I’m a woman. Women are obliged to be far more skillful than men, because who ever wastes time cultivating inessential skills? You think you put as much ingenuity into winning us as we put into losing: well, it’s debatable, I suppose, but from then on, you hold every ace in the pack. You can ruin us whenever the fancy takes you: all we can achieve by denouncing you is to enhance your prestige.

We can’t even get rid of you when we want to: we’re compelled to unstitch, painstakingly, what you would just cut through. We either have to devise some way of making you want to leave us, so you’ll feel too guilty to harm us; or find a reliable means of blackmail: otherwise you can destroy our reputation and our life with a few well chosen words.

So, of course I had to invent: not only myself, but ways of escape no one else has ever thought of, not even I, because I had to be fast enough on my feet to know how to improvise. And I’ve succeeded, because I always knew I was born to dominate your sex and avenge my own…

When I came out into society I’d already realized that the role I was condemned to, namely to keep quiet and do as I was told, gave me the perfect opportunity to listen and pay attention: not to what people told me, which was naturally of no interest, but to whatever it was they were trying to hide. I practiced detachment. I learned how to smile pleasantly while, under the table, I stuck a fork into the back of my hand. I became not merely impenetrable, but a virtuoso of deceit.”

Where to start!?

Firstly, there’s so much to unpack here.

An incredible monologue that is a window into the life of aristocratic women of the time and well…

There’s a great deal of this that still rings true today.

But that’s a different, lengthily, ranty post for later. I’m strictly looking at movement. Now, in analyzing this monologue, I won’t get into the phycological stuff, their relationship, her motivations, etc. 

I’m strictly looking at movement. Also, a great deal of my movement analysis is rooted in Labannotation, a dance notation system used by actors and created by Rudolf Laban in the mid 20th century.

If you’re unfamiliar with Labannotation, check out my intro post to give you a feel for the lingo that I use.

Monologue movement nuggets

Societal norms aside that I addressed above, there are two pieces in particular leap out at me when looking at this monologue, giving hints to what is perhaps her more natural movement signature:

“…we’re compelled to unstitch, painstakingly, what you would just cut through.”

Society wants her to have a sustained flow to basically everything. A gentle, light, and delicate sensibility. While she envies men the ability to operate more suddenly, rashly, and swiftly.  

“I practiced detachment. I learned how to smile pleasantly while, under the table, I stuck a fork into the back of my hand.”

She knows herself and how her body moves, employing different aspects of movement depending on her surroundings. Or, indeed, covertly at the same time. 

That sustained, free flow though you’re physically bound, and the light quality I talked about earlier is not her desired baseline. 

Now, the only time we see her feeling all the feels and entirely uninhibited to move freely is at the end, which, without too many spoilers, I’ll simply say, the mask literally and figuratively slides off. 

At this point, we’ve gotten to know her as a very detailed, calculating, and direct personality. However, here in the final moments of the story, we see movement in a way that is indirect, sudden, and heavy.

What movement nuggets will you find?

The intriguing part for me about playing Mertuil is to be able, to begin with, the baseline societal movement signature and discover her signature beneath it. 

The satisfying joy is discovering the moments where her authentic movement shines through, even just for a moment. Or what it’s like if the mask falls.

So, next time you’re working on a monologue, for whatever purpose, take a comb through it with the lens of character movement work.

Who knows what nuggets you’ll uncover to further unlock the complex human you’re playing! 

Character Movement Work Character study Labanotation

Character movement study: Taika Waititi as Viago

Posted on July 23, 2021
Taika Waititi

After last week’s post, I needed something upbeat and delightful. 

While working the other day, I had my Spotify music on shuffle, and You’re Dead by Norma Tanega began playing. Though it was released in 1966, it’s gained new popularity with the mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows. 

I immediately knew then that Viago, played by Taika Waititi, would be an excellent addition to my character movement studies.

The film details the events of a documentary crew that follow four vampires, Viago, Vladislav, Deacon, and Petyr, in their flat near Wellington, New Zealand. 

As might be expected, hijinx ensue.

It’s absolutely delightful. From vampire feeding accidents, flatmate disagreements, creative chase sequences mixed with quirky, quick wits. The list of its charms goes on and on.

From the creative minds of Taiki Waititi and Jemaine Clement, released in 2014, the film has since spawned an incredible spin-off series of the same name that is releasing its third season in September. 

I’ve no clue if Taika used Labanotation to help him develop Viago. So this post is simply me analyzing his performance from a Laban character movement perspective. 

Movement clue

Before diving into Labanotation specifically, I wanted to mention a significant clue in the script that indicates Viago’s movement. We hear it from his fellow vampire flatmate, Vladislav.

Vladislav states in an interview: 

“He’s an 18th Century dandy, so he can be very fussy.”

This is an excellent reminder that frequently, as actors, we can gain a lot of knowledge about the characters we play by what other characters say about ours.

So, a quick history lesson on the term dandy.

Merriam-webster dictionary states that dandy is: 1: a man who gives exaggerated attention to personal appearance. Or 2: something excellent in its class.

The term became popular in the late 18th century and into the majority of the 19th. Oscar Wilde, Lord Byron, and Salvador Dali are some great examples of dandies. 

“A Dandy is a clothes-wearing Man, a Man whose trade, office and existence consists in the wearing of Clothes. Every faculty of his soul, spirit, purse, and person is heroically consecrated to this one object, the wearing of Clothes wisely and well: so that the others dress to live, he lives to dress.” Thomas Carlyle, ‘The Dandiacal Body,’ in Sartor Resartus.

So, Viago, being an 18th-century dandy in and of itself, is going to inform his movement signature. 

His attention to detail of his appearance, which he needs to be tidy, also extends to his environment. 

There’s a deep love he has for frilly collars and sleeves, cravats, jewelry. Oh, and his romantic nature, of course.

To me, this also indicates a lightness in the way he moves. There’s a quirky grace to him that is simply precious and a joy to watch.

Alright, onto Labanotation character movement breakdown!

(If you’re not familiar with Labanotation or how actors can use this incredible dance notation tool to create characters physically from the ground up, check out this post! It’ll help you better understand the rest of this post ;))

Viago movement signature

In delving into his quirky grace, there is a delicate way he engages with objects. A foundational block of his movement signature is: light. 

His movements don’t seem to require a lot of effort, and even when he’s upset, there’s very little tension about how he moves. 

This is especially true when comparing him to both Vladislav and Deacon, who I would both say operate more with heavy/strong vs. light when looking at the category of weight.

Along with this, looking at the Laban category of flow, Viago defaults to the free side of the spectrum. 

Free with an undercurrent of sustained because his movements tend to linger slightly.

Lastly, the final core Laban building block I would express here is indirect. There’s a meandering energy to him, even avoidance or hesitancy.

A moment that comes to mind is when he’s hypnotizing the cops. The way he waves his hand, although it’s directed towards them, there is an indirect way he does it, as though he knows hypnotism isn’t a strong skill, and his insecurity and worries seep out in the way he moves. 

So, what we have as Viago’s default movement signature is light, free, sustained, and indirect.

Of course, there are moments where he doesn’t follow these blocks.

Such as when he is outside the window of his lady love. Though still light and sustained, his movements are very direct. 

Viago interacts physically with the world around him and also helps to amplify the others’ physical characteristics and movement signatures. For example, both Vladislav and Deacon, specifically by default, are more sudden, heavy, and incredibly direct.

18th century dandy for the win

Overall, Viago is delightful fun to watch move as Taika Waititi frankly always is. 

Full stop 🙂

Here’s to all the dandy vampires out there!

Character Movement Work Character study Labanotation

Character movement study: the Crawlers from The Descent

Posted on July 17, 2021
cave crawlers

Creature features are fun

I’ll say this: I’m familiar with the horror genre, but I’m not a huge fan. 

Rather, I don’t seek out being terrified. 

I can find enough of that in the real world.

But, creature features? Now, those…those I’m a fan of.

Especially if an actor plays said creature with makeup, prosthetics, or a suit. Pre-CGI or a low CGI project is golden for me. 

I’m always fascinated to watch these actors and see the work they do behind the masks. 

Think the xenomorph from Alien, zombies from Train to Busan, or the Amphibian Man from The Shape of Water, (really anything Doug Jones does), or, for this post, the Crawlers from 2005s The Descent. 

They’re undercover actors, really, as Craig Conway, one of the Crawlers mentioned in the behind-the-scenes video.

Written and directed by Neil Marshall, the film spawned a less successful sequel in 2009. Which, honestly, I don’t remember terribly well. 

It’s the original that sticks with me.

The short elevator pitch, if you’re not familiar, from IMDb is, “A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.”

So, lots of darkness, cramped spaces, and something alive lurking in the shadows. 

Crawlers of the hidden cave

So, the Crawlers.

They may only appear for a fraction of the film, but they’re nothing short of absolutely terrifying. 

Marshall insisted on casting actors instead of dancers or stunt people as he wanted them to add character. 

By using facial expressions (which is a way to incorporate character movement!), these performances blend the familiar and the horrifying.

Covered head to toe in makeup, a fair share of prosthetics, these Crawlers still carry a human streak when you look closely enough. 

This was intended. 

The explorers, early on, come across old cave artwork, leading us to believe that the Crawlers were cave people who simply never left, evolving into what they are today.  

Now, let’s get into how they move!

Firstly, (as always) a disclaimer: 

I have no idea if the actors who played the Crawlers used Labanotation. Judging from behind-the-scenes footage, there was a great deal of prep involved in creating the Crawlers physically. Through what appeared to be tumbling, gymnastics, and contact improv. 

So, long story short, this is my interpretation of their movement work from the lense of Labanotation.

The Crawlers and Laban

These Crawlers, they’re predators. So, naturally, they’re impeccable crawlers, right? 

Truth.

The majority of the time we see them, they’re on all fours, though they can stand fully upright. 

Now, the movement signature that immediately comes to mind for these creatures is: 

Light, direct, and sustained.

I would consider this the baseline. There are moments where two of these opposites are employed, heavy and sudden. 

Indirect doesn’t happen, though. They always have a purpose in the way they move.

So, let’s break this down:

Light

Now, light (or heavy, which is the opposite) refers to the relationship with gravity. They don’t require a whole amount of force when they attack, as an example. There’s this pounce and perch on their prey way of doing things.

They almost hug the earth beneath them when they crawl, and at the same time, they’re very light on their feet.

I’m thinking of a big cat on the prowl, light yet controlled steps forward. 

We’ll add a bit of bound in here, too, as their movements are so controlled. Because, without a dash of bound, they’d simply flow freely down the cave walls, and well, that’s not very terrifying, is it?

Direct 

These creatures are incredibly direct. They set their attention on something, and they become laser-focused. 

Directness in movement, specifically, in this case, is a conservation of energy. So they only move when they need to.

It’s practical and makes sense. Anything less would seem off, less terrifying.

Time

Lastly, let’s talk about time.

Sudden vs sustained. 

Sudden referring to a movement of short duration. There’s a burst of energy, an acceleration, or a pounce if you will. They use this often when they strike of course. 

However, I would say their default is more sustained. 

The moment (spoilers) when one is crouched, unknowingly over Sam and Rebecca, Sam realizing they’re blind, is when we get a lovely moment to see it up close. 

It seems always to have some part of its body in motion, however subtle. 

As the opposite of sudden suggests, sustained is a movement that has a longer duration. As a result, there isn’t much acceleration.

The Crawler then, well, crawls off with sustained movement. Then, a moment later, Sam’s alarm on her watch goes off, and we see in a fraction of a second the Crawler shifts into sudden. 

Freedom of movement

“To let yourself go, in something like this, you have to trust your body. Although you have to be conscious of what you’re doing and choreograph certain things, there just has to be a sense of freedom. I think that’s exactly how you can confidently pull off being a ‘beast.’”-Craig Conway

There is freedom in the way that the Crawlers move.

It’s this uninhibited, primal, comfortable in their own skin kind of freedom. 

After all, they are the descendants of cave people who evolved into what they are today, and their movements represent that beautifully.

They’re incredible, really.

Though you won’t find me spelunking in a cave anytime soon to find them!

Acting toolbox Character Movement Work

3 great acting reminders for stillness

Posted on July 9, 2021
stillness

I feel like something I talk about a lot in this blog is that movement is a spectrum. 

I mean, everything is a spectrum really, right?

You don’t have to be Jack Sparrow to be a character movement actor or an actor who employs movement work. So, on the other side of the spectrum, you don’t have to be playing a statue to work with stillness either.

Last week I shared some of my favorite examples of stillness on camera, which you can check out here.

And even though watching examples is great, educational and awe inspiring, it’s not entirely practical. 

So, we’re gonna veer a bit away from character movement work today and instead chat about some good ‘ol acting stuff. 

I watched a great talk by Matthew Harrison recently about stillness, and something he says he tells his students is, “less is not more, less is just…less. And more is too much. It all depends on what the scene needs.” 

Each scene is going to demand different things from you. And more than just the scene, right. The genre of the piece and the character you’re playing, to name only a few other elements.

Now, I’ve got a few thoughts, reminders, and tips for ya regarding stillness and how it is anything but an absence of movement. 

Stillness is still something

Stillness doesn’t mean nothing.

Irene Starger wrote for Backstage reminding us that, “Stillness is not to be confused with blankness; actors sometimes believe that the more they do—in terms of gestures, expressions, and bits of “business,”—the more interesting their performance will be.”

Stillness doesn’t mean you’re void of movement or thought or purpose.

If anything, from a character movement or movement signature perspective, stillness shouldn’t strip away all of that hard work you’ve done. 

So let’s strip it all away for an extreme moment and give this a try:

Set a timer for one minute, and sit as still as you can.

No emotion, no thoughts, blank slate.

See how it feels.

Go ahead, give it a go. I’ll be here.

You’re back?

Great!

It’s difficult, yeah?

If it didn’t feel that hard, try it again only for two minutes this time. 

Now, when you’re working on being more still in a moment on stage, behind a camera, wherever you’re performing, remember this blank slate. 

Remember how much effort it took to be blank. And know that the characters you play aren’t going to be blank either. 

Unless you’re playing an android or something. 

Stillness pairs well with this

This is a big one. 

Something that can aid you in stillness is listening. 

Yep, listening. 

Oldest actor lesson possibly ever. And it can be a lot harder than it sounds. 

All of us at some point, struggle to do this in even our daily lives. 

But as an actor, it’s almost a default, (especially baby actors just starting to learn the craft) to do this…

To wait for your cue. 

The other actor has a monologue, and you’re supposed to be paying attention. But unless you also have that monologue memorized…you’re worried you’re gonna miss where you come in, right? And what happens when you’re waiting for your cue?

You drop out of the moment. 

Which means you’ve dropped out of the emotion. I.e…you’re not still, you’re blank. 

Focus on listening. Let what is being said land on you, really take it in before you react.

And within your reaction, think about the emotions your character is feeling and how openly they would display them. 

Don’t perform your reaction. 

Which leads me to the last thought, (well, at least my last current thought) on stillness.

A reminder

Not a practical tip exactly, but a reminder tip.

Stillness can be generated by a character who’s trying to hide an emotion. 

Think of a time you felt a really strong emotion, doesn’t matter what kind. 

Could be anger, despair, lust, or guilt.

Got one?

Brilliant!

Where were you when you were feeling this?

Were you in a position or place to fully express that emotion? Or did you have to stifle it?

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say most likely that intense emotion was stifled.

And if it was stifled, chances are you were utilizing stillness. Or as Matthew Harrison prefers to call it is ‘compression’ 

It’s not that the emotion isn’t there. It’s simply under the surface. 

Which is honestly, how the majority of us live our lives. Society teaches us to do so, right? 

So, this is when collaborating with your director, fellow actors, and the rest of the creative team is incredibly helpful. 

To help figure out the moments when you perhaps should be more externally expressive and turn that dial-up vs moments when you internalize all the feels and turn it down. 

Me again with my dials 🙂

Balance is key

As with anything, there’s a dial, scale, spectrum…a balance really. 

Stillness can be an incredible tool in your toolbox, just be sure that you’re not using it too much. 

Use it where it counts the most. 

Shout outs

So, is there an actor out there that utilizes stillness really well?

There’s too many to name here, but I’ll give just a few shout outs:

Gillian Anderson, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Morgan Freeman, Mark Rylance, Ian McShane, Travis Fimmel, Sandra Oh, among so so many others. 

Till next time! 🙂

Character Movement Work

5 awesome acting moments of stillness you need to watch

Posted on July 1, 2021
stillness for actors

Stillness for actors is an incredible tool.

Morgan Freeman once said, “It’s what I learn from the great actors that I work with. Stillness. That’s all, and that’s the hardest thing.”

So, being still.

It’s easier said than done. 

On stage, in front of a camera, behind a microphone, and, well, in life too. 

As an example, anyone who’s tried or practiced meditation can most likely agree, being still can be rather challenging. 

Dan Harris, ABC news anchor and founder of 10% Happier, said that “I do occasionally experience moments of stillness in meditation. But, in my experience, it’s a mistake to strive to achieve a certain experience.”

So, yeah, easier said than done. 

But, back to performance.

Sure, stillness is not going to work for every character and every scene, but there’s nothing more powerful within the right moments. 

Now, to clarify, by stillness in performance, I don’t mean a complete lack of movement. You’re still breathing, your heart beating. As with everything, there is a spectrum, and stillness falls on one side while the other is, say, Jack Sparrow. 

What stillness can do for your performance

Stillness is powerful. 

It can be commanding, predatory, full of despair, tension, or reflection.

It slows things down, and draws the audience in. 

Some moments are much more thrilling to watch when performed still. 

As an actor, it’s all too easy to feel like you have to always be moving. 

That in order to be interesting, you have to move. 

Or, it’s an unconscious, ‘I’m being watched’ kind of thing, and being still can feel incredibly awkward. 

That and your body can go into default personal tick mode. 

Bill Howey wrote a post for Backstage about the importance of stillness for actors titled, Stillness is Golden and says that “…actors fill these moments by moving their hands, fingers, or their head; they shake their foot, or sway from side to side, pace, wiggle a pencil with their fingers, or look around. In short, they are trying to be interesting, not interested. And these actors often feel that they are revealing their character’s intention with their actions. Actually, they are blocking this palpable moment.”

Also, stillness doesn’t mean complete body stillness either. It can be a character trait to have the default setting be stillness. Where there’s minimal movement, always having a calculated purpose. 

Stillness gives us as the audience to roll around in the moment’s emotion, diving deep into the subtext and relish in the precise, grounded, and powerful command of the performer.

Honestly, there’s nothing quite like it. To witness or perform. 

Gabriel Byrne, of Unusual Suspects, Hereditary, and Vikings, among so many other incredible performances, put it beautifully on why stillness for actors is both important and a complement. Once saying that “…in Hamlet’s speech to the players, he says to the main actor, ‘Do not saw the ear too much with thy hands.’ I think what he was talking about in that speech, which is a marvelous speech to actors—it’s to be still. Because when you’re still, and some actors are really brilliant at that, you bring a kind of energy to you as opposed to sending the energy out…to say that an actor is still, to me, is a real compliment. A real compliment.”

5 moments of stillness

So, here’s 5 amazing camera-acting moments of stillness for actors, and well, everyone, that I find incredibly compelling to watch. 

Real quick thing to mention is that these clips need at least a touch of context, and if you haven’t seen these films/shows, be warned, there are probably spoilers ahead!

(Also, it hopefully goes without saying that I don’t own any of these clips 😉 )

Glenn Close as the Marquise de Merteuil in 1988s Dangerous Liaisons

So, we’ve got a heavy hitter right out of the gate, here.

This is the final scene of the film. We’ve seen the public ridicule and fall of Merteuil after an unrelenting career of control, sabotage, and revenge within the French aristocracy just before the French Revolution. 

To me, not much beats this scene. It’s performed in total silence as she removes her makeup. 

Her stillness sucks you in, holding you there with her to witness a flood of emotions. 

Mads Mikkelsen in NBCs Hannibal

Now, I will say right off that the difference between Hannibal and Will in and of itself throughout this show is a great movement study. 

The stillness and calculated Hannibal vs. the often pacing, anxious, facial expression extravaganza that is Will. 

Hannibal is confident, grounded, and predatory, and all in one. The moments of silence between them, are electrifying and even though this scene has a decent amount of dialogue, the stillness of Hannibal is mesmerizing.

Clearly, I’m a big fan.

A fannibal even 🙂

Shohreh Aghdashloo as Chrisjen Avasarala in The Expanse

One could note many stillness moments with Aghdashloo’s performance. However, this powerhouse of a woman, a politician by trade, knows how to draw people in. 

However, one of my favorite moments is the quiet chat she has with her grandson, stargazing on the roof. 

Her stillness simply opens her up to us, pulling us in and allows us to look deeper into what’s going on internally. 

It’s a beautiful, simple, but jam-packed moment. 

Mark Rylance as Rudolf Abel in Bridge of Spies 

Something I’ve always been impressed with about Rylance is his use of stillness. He continues to prove stillness can be applied more subtly.

In this moment, watch the way he uses stillness to draw you into the story. Granted, the editing and Director of Photography help a great deal here, too, but Rylance is simply enchanting. 

He exudes this quiet, magnetic, grounded, and full of unspoken memories stillness.

I could watch him for hours. 

Mark Rylance won an Oscar for this role. And sure, even though they’re incredibly political and complicated, this choice I 1,000% agreed with. 

In the Mood for Love

First of all, if you haven’t seen this film, you’re missing out. 

From director Karl-Was Wong and released in 2000, it’s a masterpiece.

Centered around neighbors Chow and Su, they uncover that their spouses are having an affair. They fall for each other through the film and ultimately recognize their love will remain both mutual and unrequited. 

The stillness they both exude is incredible, everything dripping with subtext. Plus, the juxtaposition of movement and stillness permeates the entire film.

It’s a beautifully crafted film that’ll hurt, but oh, is it worth a watch.

Morgan Freeman as Somerset in Se7en

Right, I know I said five moments, but I couldn’t help but throw this little gem in. 

Just Morgan Freeman doing his thing.

The opening moment of him sitting in the chair immediately draws you in. It’s twisted storytelling time 🙂

Use stillness to level up your performances

“Stillness is a powerful ingredient in great acting. A lack of action is visual silence.” Bill Howey

Movement is important. 

Words are too.

But at times a lack or lessening of one or both creates an incredible moment. 

There are so many wonderful examples of stillness for actors to check out on the interwebs.

An honorable mention would be Anjelica Huston’s Morticia Addams that I did a character study on a few weeks back.

So, what are some of your favorite acting moments of stillness? 

Is there a particular performer you find uses stillness well?

As an actor, is stillness a challenge for you?

Until next time, embrace the stillness and see how it feels! 🙂

Character Movement Work Character study

A great way to incorporate character movement into your writing

Posted on June 18, 2021
character movement writing

I did a talk earlier this week about my movement work for The Artist’s Collective in Sacramento.

I met some new faces and saw a few old friends within the community, and needless to say, I had a delightful time! 

As the collective is made up of creatives within primarily a theatre context, I wanted to make sure I addressed how character movement work is a useful tool for multiple facets of bringing a show to life. 

Specifically in looking at a few ways character movement work can help writers flesh out their piece, whether for stage or screen. (Or any writing project, really.)

There’s many ways to incorporate character movement work into your writing, but the extremes would be from 100% hands-off to 100% hands-on. 

So, what do I mean by that? 

What are these two extremes?

Writing hands-off

On one end of the spectrum, a writer can choose to play in the territory of being completly hands-off.

That is to say there isn’t a focus or importance to how they want characters to move.

There’s no specific plot points or anything that pertains to the world you’re creating that needs to have movement addressed.

Because of this, each production is unique in how it decides to create each of the character’s movement signatures. 

Or, for camera, it gives the freedom to the director and see what each actor brings in to the audition space. 

This is the big thing in my opinion that is of great benefit to working this way. As the writer, you leave a great deal of choice to those putting the production together. 

They have more freedom to add their flavor, brains, and creative expertise to your already brilliant story and words bringing everything to life.

Writing hands-on

Dialogue such as:

“How many times do I have to tell you, stop slouching!”

or

“You keep walkin’ on cloud 9 like that you’re gonna trip and break your neck.”

This is more of a hands-on approach as a writer. As an actor, I would read those lines and, depending on the full character arch, incorporate those traits into my character’s movement signature.

Dialogue is key. 

I’d highly recommend making sure character movement elements find their way into the dialogue itself as you write, vs. being in the stage directions or elsewhere indicated in the script. 

As an actor, speaking the words, or having someone say them to me, is more impactful than scanning what’s between parenthesis for important info.

I hope it goes without saying

Now, there’s a huge spectrum between these two extremes. Each project you work on is going to require something different.

It’s own personal blend or recipe, if you will.

One project may be totally hands-off except for one character who’s got such a carefree attitude like they’re walking on cloud 9 that everyone else comments on it. 

But say that another project you’ve got is highly stylized. For example, you want all the triceratopses to lead with their knees and the stegosauruses with their foreheads. So you’d be more hands-on with character movement here. (What can I say, I like dinosaurs. So a play about waring triceratops and stegosaurus tribes seems like a grand idea.) 

Then there’s this third project where you’re hands-off except for this one scene. It’s an argument between your two leads and the constant push-pull they have; you want to be reflected in their language to give a roadmap to the other creatives involved. 

Bottom line, there’s no right or wrong way.

Only your way as a writer. 

Adding character movement into your writing and knowing it’s a tool you have to utilize will make your work stronger. It makes it more real, or surreal, whatever real means to you. 

So, keep writing, keep moving, keep experimenting!

Keep creating 🙂

Character Movement Work Character study Cosplay

3 simple movement tools for your cosplay arsenal

Posted on June 11, 2021
cosplay character movement

The light is getting closer in the tunnel to getting cons back up and running in person.

SOOOO EXCITED!!!

Which means, my fellow cosplayer, you’re probably, let’s be real, you’re definitely planning (or have already gone) your post-covid debut con. 

To be clear, regardless of your investment, both time and finances, all cosplays are awesome cosplays. No elite, gatekeeping here, no thank you, nope!

Alright, just had to get that off my chest.

Now, when planning a cosplay, there’s a great deal to think about:

(Which is kind of the point, right, planning and prepping is for some the best part.)

Costume is key which probably goes without saying, but there’s other things like hair/wig, props, makeup, I’ve got brown eyes, but my character has blue; should I wear contacts? Kind of stuff. 

I’ve mentioned in the past that I believe movement is an important aspect of cosplay to think about when you’re researching to get to know a character.

But, that doesn’t mean it has to be a crazy intensive thing.

You don’t have to figure out how to climb walls if you’re gonna be Spiderman. 

Although, it’d def be a perk, lemme know how that works out!

Alright, without further adiu, here’s my 3, go-to, simple tools for cosplay movement. 

Posture

So as far as posture goes, a way I like to think about it is in regards to body language. 

Someone with good posture can appear more confident and open.

Whereas a character with more closed body language may slouch more because it can be a way of turning in on oneself. 

Does Captain America slouch when he’s suited up? (either of them, of course) 

Perhaps they have a time or two, they are human after all. But their overall stance? Open chest=straight posture. 

Adjusting your posture to better represent the character you’re cosplaying can be a great place to start.

Poses

How do they positon their hands? Where’s their center of gravity?

Would you say Scarlet Witch’s hands are more important than, Loki’s?

I’m clearly on a Marvel kick, go with it 🙂

It’s in the way Scarlet Witch moves her hands that is iconic for her, perhaps Loki too, just not as pronounced. 

Study how this character holds themselves, how they pose, and that way you’re ready to go for photo ops!

Path

Sticking with my Marvel theme today, let’s look at Black Widow and Hulk.

Now, Hulk is pretty direct with the way that he moves, right? I mean, he is a tank, and Hulk must smash, so why would he take anything but a direct path?

Black Widow, on the other hand, can certainly be direct if she needs to be. However, she can also exist in space more indirectly, more allusive, and calculating with her movements. 

Something to think about: how does this character of yours exist in space?

Do they move quickly or slowly, directly or indirectly?

How do they walk the path they’re on?

So, there you have it!

Posture, pose and path.

3 Quick, short, sweet, simple tools to aid you in your cosplay movement journey. 

There are, of course, many ways your could dive deeper into your research, many a rabbit hole awaits you, but if you’ve got these, you’re pretty good to go!

If you are interested in a deeper dive into cosplay character movement work, check out my post introducing Labanotation.

It’s basically a scientific breakdown of movement and how you can apply different building blocks to construct a character’s movement signature.

Let me know how you get on!

Character Movement Work Stories

One great trick to body movement awareness

Posted on June 5, 2021
body awareness

There’s a lot of things in life we do that we’re unaware of. Our brains can only process so much at a time, right?

Have you ever been driving to work or home, someplace you know well, and suddenly it’s as though you’ve woken up and you’re already there?

You’re not alone.

Good ol’ autopilot.

Sometimes helpful, other times terrifying.

Our bodies are pretty big fans of autopilot.

We don’t have to remember to take each breath, tell our heart to beat or if we’re walking, work out the mechanics of each step we take. This then leads to other habits, sometimes inconvenient, to say the least, when we perform. 

Yep, I’m talking about happy, constantly moving feet, among other things.

Over the years, I’ve seen some more subtle ones: a head tilt, single-arm twitch, and the classic slouch.

These aren’t necessarily bad things. They’re the what makes you, you things. 

All I’m really looking to highlight in this post is body awareness. Being clued into your body makes it possible to choose to incorporate it or not. 

So, how does one become aware of their movement? 

But hang on, first let me share something with you…

My head tilt

My ah-ha moment of realizing the impact movement has on our performances was back when I was in acting conservatory many moons ago. 

Body awareness was not exactly my thing at the time.

So, we were given an exercise to stand completely still and deliver our monologue. The objective was to demonstrate the complex and connected relationship between body and mind. 

Without delving into a long story, when it was my turn, I got up in front of my peers, stood (what I believed) to be utterly still and in a neutral state.

I ran through the monologue once (I believe I’d chosen Benedict from Much Ado About Nothing) and felt rather good about myself.

No grand gestures…barely moved a muscle.

It mostly felt odd, but a moment or two felt rather natural. 

My mentor then asked me if I knew that I tilted my head slightly to the right.

I, of course, had no clue.

He then had another student stand behind me to hold my head straight. 

I then ran through my monologue again.

Instead, I should clarify…I attempted to run through my monologue. 

The smallest adjustment to what was my default…

THREW

ME

OFF

LIKE

NOTHING

ELSE!

Seriously, I couldn’t get through my monologue.

Like it was erased from my brain.

And that was the moment I realized movement work would be a cornerstone of my craft.

So, how can you become more aware of your movement ways?

Record yourself

The easiest way to become more aware of your movement is to get your camera, phone, iPad, any device that will take a video and record yourself. 

I know, I know, statistically speaking, as an actor, you hate watching yourself perform but hey, trust me, it works.

And for the record, I HATE watching myself on tape. I realize hate is a strong word, but it’s the right one to use here.

Now, watching a tape of yourself is not to beat yourself up because you move a certain way, or you can tell your posture isn’t as good as it was.

It’s to acknowledge where you’re at and what quirks make you, you.

Because once you’re aware, you can move on to mitigate or amp up said movement quirks.

So, put on your analytical thinking cap and get recording!

One last thing

For my friends out there with wandering feet, ya know, when you get on stage or set, and you’re feet want to keep moving?

Hey happy feet friend, *waves*

This is for you:

Find another friend and have them hold your feet down while you go through a monologue or scene. Your feet will want to move and then butt up against the resistance. It’ll feel strange but worth the exercise.

Because, honestly, when you’ve done something for so long, you just need to become aware of it to work on it. 

If you don’t have a friend conveniently available, try putting something heavy on your feet. Not too heavy, mind you, but something heavy enough makes it challenging to move your feet unconsciously. Books work, surround yourself with rocks or cinder blocks, get creative but don’t hurt yourself. 🙂

Here’s to body awareness!

May it empower you and inform your performances.

Character Movement Work Character study Cosplay

Character Movement Study: Anjelica Huston’s Morticia Addams

Posted on May 28, 2021
Morticia Addams character movement study

Did you want to grow up to be Morticia Addams when you were a kid?

I certainly did.

Graceful, passionate, a wonderful support to her family, incredible fashion sense, the list goes on and on.

Now, the original show from the ’60s is a delight to behold, to be clear, but my first is still my fav (first impressions and all, not to mention impressionable youth). So, I’m all about the 1991 version, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. 

It feels like home. 

Sweet, nostalgic, dark, family goals kind of home.

All of that being said, this blog wouldn’t be complete without a character movement study of Anjelica Huston’s Morticia Addams. 

It just wouldn’t.

I cannot express how much I adore her, from the tips of her fingers to the shoes hidden under her glorious mermaid trip hazard-y dress. 

Firstly, a disclaimer: 

I’ve got no clue if Anjelica Huston used Labanotation to help create her incredible Morticia. However, it’s my go-to wheelhouse, so a good chunk of all movement I analyze is going to incorporate Rudolf Laban’s work.

If you’re not familiar with Laban, I’d recommend checking out my two intro posts here and here to get you started.

That way, you’ve got some familiarity with this incredibly adaptable movement tool before diving further into how I’d apply it to analyze Morticia Addams.

Shall we continue?

When a costume shapes your performance

Sometimes the costume dictates a great deal of your character movement signature for you.

It doesn’t take long to notice that Morticia’s dress is rather constrictive. It’s basically a mermaid dress that tightly clings to the body before flaring out below the knees. 

It’s the kind of dress that’s…well…a challenge to walk in.  

She’s also wearing a corset, which means her entire midsection moves all in one isolated piece. If you want to twist, it means your entire upper body twists with you.

Anjelica stated in an interview with The Guardian:

“The makeup was very intense. I had stickers attached to my temples; rubber bands that met behind my head and then on top of that the wig, fake nails and eyelashes, and the corset – individually they add up to something monumental. It was hard to move. There were certain things one could do with one’s hands but that was about it. fortunately wanted to keep Morticia very iconic and still. She’s not fractious at all. She’s very settled in her body language. I had a bonfire of the vanities at the end of the movie where I took all the fake stuff, made a pile, and set it on fire.”

Morticia’s stillness

The stillness that exudes from Morticia is simply captivating. Is she always completely still? No, however, it’s definitely her baseline. 

Stillness is sometimes a forgotten element of movement. As humans, we’re rarely completely still.

Actors sometimes find being still to be a really awkward place to be. 

But sometimes a lack of movement speaks more volumes than moving. It can be a secret weapon in a way. 

Morgan Freeman is a fan of stillness too. I love his quote, “It’s what I learn from the great actors that I work with. Stillness. That’s all, and that’s the hardest thing.”

Whenever I watch Morticia, I’m reminded of the sereneness of stillness. That there can be a grace to it. And to employ it as a character choice can be incredibly powerful. 

Morticia’s walk

Within this stillness, there is a grounded nature to Morticia. A heavy/strong and in some ways bound quality (thinking of her costume as well as Laban), the only part of her that is truly free to move are her arms, hands, and head. 

When she walks, her feet have to calculate their next step. Slow, deliberate, and sustained. This creates a gliding effect which helps when you add that she’s taking very short steps. 

It’s like if you tried to walk elegantly with either an exercise band or a diving ring around your knees. (Note: I was def one of those kids who put diving rings around their ankles to be a mermaid in the pool.)

Other aspects of her movement signature 

Her upper body, as mentioned, has a bit more freedom of movement. 

Anjelica’s long and thin fingers with those immaculate red nails are arguably my fav part of her performance. Other than her eyebrows, probably…yeah…toss-up between her fingers and eyebrows. 

Her fingers have such a fun quality about them. 

They’re flowing and free but also flicking from time to time. Flicking is a movement that is sudden, light, and often indirect. 

And her eyebrows…did I mention her eyebrows?

Bottom line, her facial movement work is on point.

It’s a great reminder, honestly, to utilize your facial muscles. Sometimes, it’s all you need.

When a costume feels constrictive

If I had to sum-up my three takeaways from Anjelica’s performance of Morticia Addams they would be: stillness, fingers and eyebrows. 

She took a constrictive costume and used it to her advantage. To be fair, she also said she intended to keep Morticia iconic and still, and in that way, the costume became an ally. 

Morticia is both comfortable and grounded and well, frankly, inhabiting that dress. It’s a second skin. 

For many actors, myself included, the costume or makeup can help a great deal in discovering their character.

It could be the shoes, or specific makeup or perhaps an important prop like a hat or handbag.

If you’re in a costume that confines your movement in some way, use it to your advantage. Make friends with it and see what it can teach you about your character’s movement. 

For the record, one last thought, a constrictive costume can also be an ally to the actor and not the character. For an animated example, I immediately think of Merida from Brave when she rips out of the dress that impedes her archery. 

But that’s a study for another time. 😉