Movement

Chapter 6 Movement

Remember everything you've learned so far. Remember that in chapter 2 we learned that a character's history and personality effect how they behave. In chapter 5 talked about how a character will show different kinds of emotions depending on their motivation and the tactics they will try to use to get what they want. In chapter 6 we talked about how a characters personality and emotions will effect the rhythm of their voice. Just as personality, emotion and tactics effect a characters voice, these things also effect a characters physical movement.

Movement and Character

Consider if your character is very still or if they move a lot. A younger character tends to move around more, while an older character moves less. Consider what kinds of movement a character is capable of. If they have physical conditions that should be seen in your movement. If the character is very frail or old, they might be hunched over or have trouble walking. Also, the confidence and energy of a character makes a big difference. A character that is nervous or excited will move a lot, while a character that is shy, just calm or trying to seem cool will move a lot less. So you have to consider all the factors. Besides the amount of movement, a character type will determine the kinds of movement you make.

Body Language

Even when we are not thinking about it, the way we hold and move our bodies communicates to people. When people cross their arms and keep their heads down or always look away from people, they are not actively seeking to connect with other people. Such posture would suggest a person that is either shy or someone that wants to be left alone, while looking people in the eyes suggests confidence. Consider what the character wants to say about themselves and their desire to belong. If someone wants to fit in, then their movements will be very normal and contained, while if a character is very strange or eccentric, they will have very odd movements. Someone who wants to seem cool will make very subtle movements and make a slight nod of the head to greet another person, while someone that wants to be very friendly or cute will wave their hands in the air. Someone who wants to appear strange and mysterious will move in very off, fluid ways and someone that wants to show off will make big, grand movements. Your movement can set you apart or show what group you belong with.

Dance

Dance is typically stylized movement and it is usually done to music. What was mentioned above, still applies to dance. Dance is a product of character personality, motivation and tactics. Dance is almost always rhythmic. In the same way that dialogue rhythm reflects emotion and character, so does dance. Remember also that there are two kinds of music in a film or play. There is the kind of music that the character is literally hearing. We call that source music. Examples of source music would be nightclub music, the radio playing in the background or the characters watching a live performance. Then there's the kind of music the character does not literally hear, but reflects how the character feels. This is called background music. In the same way, if a perform sings it usually represents the character singing, but often in musicals, when the character sings it is symbolic. In the same way, when there is dance in a scene it is either because the character is literally dancing, or it is symbolic. Remember that a characters behavior can be natural or it can be stylized. It depends on the kind of reality your story depicts.

Choreography

Do you ever wonder why a dance you see in the movies or in a play is so much more interesting and complex than what you see in a nightclub. When someone is dancing at a nightclub, it is usually improvised. That means the dancer chooses their movements at the moment, while they are dancing. This is not the case in movies and plays. In a show a dance is almost always choreographed. That means the movement is planned out step by step just like the dialogue. Usually there is a person who has the job of planning the dance. They are called a choreographer.

Fight Scenes

In any fight scene you see in a movie or on stage the characters are fighting, but the performers are actually dancing. Just like a dance, a fight scene if choreographed and there are people who work on movies and plays as fight choreographers. A fight is planned in rhythm and steps. Just like with dance, the way a character fights, reflects their personality, emotions, motivation and group that they belong to. Is the character an experienced fighter, or are they acting out of desperation. In the fight are they calm, angry or scared. People are not always trying to hurt or kill someone when they fight. Maybe one character is trying to get away, or they might be fighting over something specific. Examples of variations in fight motivation could include someone trying to save someone while the other person is trying to harm them, or someone is trying to have a bomb launch and someone else is trying to stop it or someone is trying to get away. Also, in many of the best fight scenes the characters will use whatever is available in the environment like glass bottles, chairs and sticks. You can be creative about what could be used as a weapon. Consider the character and the world they belong to when considering what they would use as a weapon. Big weapons are used by soldiers in big battles. You would not see a spy carry a big rifle into a cocktail party. A spy or a ninja would have a hidden weapon. Consider the time period also, so that you can use weapons that would be appropriate to the time period and the character.