As an actor or cosplayer, characters are kind of key, right? Costumes, props, and voice work are important, don’t get me wrong. They often help inform movement but believe me, focusing on character movement work to level up your performance is never a waste of time.
Is character movement work something new to you? Never fear, this post is a good dipping your toe in the water type of post.
That being said, I’ve got a question for you. Well, not a question really, but something to ponder…
True or false: How someone moves gives you insight into their lives.
Whatcha think?
( To clarify, by how someone moves, I don’t mean dance. You don’t have to be a dancer or even interested in dance to be an excellent mover. Just wanted to state that for the record. )
Spotting movement in others
So, imagine this: let’s say you’re walking yourself or a pet in your neighborhood and you see a person across the street who’s also walking. A pretty standard day in the life of walking down a street, right? Well, maybe not right now, being in a pandemic world, but bear with me.
Now, let’s say you notice this person is limping slightly, favoring their left side.
Have questions started popping into your mind? What happened to them? Have they always had this limp? Does it cause them pain? Was it an accident? If so, how long ago was it? Oh, oh! I bet they were in an accident while working on a construction site! Or maybe their leg has always been that way. Maybe it’s an injury from a victorious battle with an ROUS (Rodent of Unusual Size).
These all are assumptions, and we may never know the truth, but people watching (respectfully from a distance, of course) can be a great imagination tool.
Our minds are constantly creating stories and if you’re an actor or cosplayer, chances are you do this story-creating thing, on the regular…Like, a lot, if you’re anything like me.
Let’s say this person with a limp is moving very slowly. What other questions pop up? Is it a new injury? An old injury that never healed properly? Maybe they’re in no rush to get to where they’re going?
Still with me? Great!
Adding another layer
Let’s add one more level of pondering to your mind…this person, with a limp, suddenly starts moving VERY quickly.
What just happened?! Did they remember an appointment? Get an emergency call? Observe: how is their limp impacting their ability to move? Has it changed from when they were moving slowly? If yes, how so?
And…example complete! Thanks for walking through that with me. ( Yarp, pun fully intended 🙂 )
See, layering movement into our performances not only adds complexity to the world we’re building or inhabiting, but it also allows us to well…play!
And that’s kind of the whole point, isn’t it?
It sure is for me. Because, let’s be honest, for the vast majority of us…we don’t do this for the paycheck.
So, let’s revisit that true or false pondering at the top of this post: How someone moves gives you insight into their lives.
True, right?
Character movement work levels up performances because it enhances their stories.
A new way to look at established characters
I’d like to share with you one of my favorite pastimes: analyzing movement in characters in tv, film and plays.
It’s a great way to people/creature watch with the added bonus of knowing the performer most likely put some time into movement work. How seasoned performers use character movement work to level up their performances is not only fun to explore but if you can pause, back up, and rewatch a gesture or movement it turns into a great teaching tool for yourself.
Plus, if you’re cosplaying, or going to be playing a real person where there’s video footage, this also becomes evidence and research.
When Hermione Granger raises her hand in class, does she do it slowly? No. She shoots it up into the air at lightning speed. It tells us she’s enthusiastic, not afraid to speak up, and believes in following the rules. It’s a seemingly simple gesture, but how it’s carried out tells a story in and of itself.
Now, take Jack Sparrow, first movie Jack Sparrow. He appears drunk even when he’s not (or maybe he always is I think the jury is still out there. Don’t quote me, I honestly didn’t have the heart to watch movie #4). The fact is he’s so unbalanced that it makes him incredibly unpredictable which gives him an edge. It’d be really odd if he was more grounded and stoic, right?
And because this example makes me giggle more than I care to admit- let’s look at Darth Vader. His presence is rather imposing, right? (RIP David Prowse ) Now, would our opinion of him change if he slouched or skipped? He’d be a completely different kind of villain. (I personally love the idea of Vader skipping along with his lightsaber.)
The examples are endless, and seriously, it’s a really fun and educational pastime. I highly recommend it.
So, for Hermione, Jack, and Vader, outlandish or subtle, character movement work levels up performances and helps further their stories.
Alright, so how do I start incorporating character movement work to level up my performances?
I’m glad you asked.
Some questions to ask your character
Well, maybe not directly, it depends on your relationship with them. So, what I’ll say instead is to pose these questions when thinking about your character.
Start thinking about how they may move differently from you.
Do you have pretty good posture but maybe they slouch? Maybe you shuffle your feet and this character is an assassin, so shuffling is probably out.
You can ask yourself questions like these:
How would this character:
Stand up?
Walk up or down stairs?
Reach for a box on a high shelf?
Read a book? (If they would read of course. If they don’t read how would they approach a book they found or were given?)
Get creative with this! Like questions you ask when delving into understanding the background of a character, there are thousands of things you can ask specifically about how they move.
Final thoughts on how movement work can level up performance
So there you have it! Some thoughts to ponder to get you started.
There are countless ways to approach character movement work. If you dig into this kind of work you’ll find a lot of different techniques out there.
Know this: there is no right or wrong way to approach character movement work. Your body is your body and what works for you may not work for others and vice-versa. So, please keep that in mind. This kind of exploration should be fun and insightful.
Bottom line, let yourself experiment and play!
Now, get moving! By beginning to experiment with movement work you’ll start to build your character from the ground up and that is how character movement work levels up performances.
