How to Make Your Characters Believable: A blog a bout how body language can be used to portray a character.

Body language is something that we all use daily, for instance, it’s the way we walk, talk and sit. However, body language isn’t always so easy to read. For example; if you were walking down the street and you saw a person walk by with their head down and they were walking slowly while carrying heavy bags, you would assume they are tired, right? But what if they were actually sad or depressed? Body language is quite complicated because it only shows part of the story. You see…we are not just physically in the world; we are emotionally in it as well. Therefore, when portraying a character through body language, we must consider their inner thoughts and feelings as well as their external actions.

In this post I will explain how actors use body language to portray characters.

Body language is something that can be used to portray a character. It can be used to show their personality and attitude towards others. It can also be used to show the real side of a character. This is great if a character is pretending to have a certain attitude.

In my short film I used body language in one scene to show the main characters personalities. The scene was at the beginning of the film and it shows two friends meeting up for the first time in years. One of them (the main character) bursts into the room apologises for being late and then hugs his friend very tightly. He does this as he comes across as very affectionate and excited to see his friend again. His friend appears quite shy and reserved however, as he says hello but doesn’t hug back, he just stands there with his arms by his side. This shows how different they are but also how they have changed over the time they haven’t seen each other.

I recently wrote about how the voice of a character can be used to construct his or her personality and I received a lot of positive feedback on it. In this post, I will talk about how body language can also be used in the same way.

Body language is communicating without words and it can be just as powerful as what we say and even more so because it is not always deliberate; sometimes our bodies betray us. This can make for some very interesting moments in stories where someone’s true thoughts are inadvertently exposed.

Here are three ways in which body language can add depth to your characters:

If you want your audience to believe in your characters, then they need to be believable. If you want them to be believable, then they need to be consistent in their behaviour. And if they are consistent in their behaviour, then they need to have a readable body language. This is something I am always striving towards as an actor.

I think it is important that I am truthful in my portrayal of any character I take on. To help me do this, I use something called the “Sutherland Method”, which was created by the late Don Sutherland (1932-2001).

Don Sutherland was an actor who taught for many years at LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art). It was from him that I learnt how to apply this technique.

The Sutherland Method is a way of making sure that your character has a consistent external appearance, and therefore a consistent internal life. Every character should have a certain set of physical traits that make them instantly recognisable on stage, such as:

posture

gestures

movement style

facial expressions

voice tone and quality

Body language is a powerful tool and can be used as a weapon. As an actor, you have to use your body effectively if you want to create a true illusion of character.

The Body

Most of the time, people speak with their bodies before they speak with their mouths. That’s why it’s so important for actors to pay attention to what they are saying with their bodies. It is not enough to just say the words with your mouth. Your body has to support your words, otherwise you will never create the illusion that you are the character.

Posture:

The way a person stands or sits says a lot about them. If they stand tall and proud this could suggest that they are confident and self-assured, but if they slouch or hunch over it might suggest that they are depressed or shy. If someone sits with their arms folded and their legs crossed it could suggest that they are feeling defensive, but if they sit straight and lean forward it could suggest that they are interested in what is being said. Where you place your weight also has an effect on how you appear. For example, if someone places all their weight on one leg this could suggest that they feel uncomfortable or insecure in a situation whereas if someone stands with both feet firmly planted

When it comes to acting, actors use mime and facial expressions to convey the emotions of their characters. However, they also need to remember that the body language of their characters can be just as important. To put it simply, an actor needs to use every part of their body to become a believable character.

To help you with this, we’ve worked with our experienced tutors at Bird College (who have taught some of Britain’s most famous faces) to give you a few tips on how to create convincing character performances using your whole body:

1. Walk like your character

Actors need to remember that when they are in character they shouldn’t walk like themselves. Instead, they should walk like their character would. For example, someone who is timid or shy might walk with their shoulders hunched and head down. Someone who is angry may stomp around with a lot of force.

2. Expand your physical range

In acting classes actors will often be asked to perform a physical warm up. These exercises are used to help them tap into the physical energy of their characters and release any inhibitions which might stop them from being fully immersed in the role.

The best way for actors to do this is by moving as freely and as wildly as possible around the

Actors who perform a character’s actions will often find that the character emerges. If you are playing a doctor, pretend to be looking at an X-ray. You may not know what you are looking for, but if you are thinking of your character and his concerns, your brain will create the appropriate action. If you haven’t given yourself something to do, you may find yourself standing there dully with nothing to say or do, because your mind is on the fact that you have no lines and nothing to do.

Explore the space around you as well as within it. Don’t just stay in one spot unless your character needs to be there. You can walk around, sit down, push things around – all these will give you something to do and keep your mind occupied so you don’t get nervous or run out of things to say.