The Art of Body Language in Acting: A blog about the various techniques on how to use body movements and gestures to create an authentic character.
The actors who can master this art form are the actors who can create the most believable characters.
Actors are taught to use their voice, their face and their body language to communicate a character’s thoughts and emotions.
Most acting books focus on the first two elements, but there is very little instruction on how to use one’s body language in acting.
The Art of Body Language in Acting: A blog about the various techniques on how to use body movements and gestures to create an authentic character.
“The body reveals what the mind wishes to hide.” – Arthur Schnitzler
We live our lives through our bodies. They are the medium through which we interact with the world around us. Our bodies move in ways that reveal our inner desires, our most private thoughts, and even our personal truths. They can also be used to lie, manipulate, and deceive. Just as children learn to lie by watching their parents, so too do actors learn to control their bodies through observation and imitation of others.
The art of acting is as much about learning how to move as it is about learning how to think like a character. To become someone else we must learn how they move, how they stand or sit, how they talk with their hands or squirm in their seats when nervous or upset. The actor’s body is the outward expression of an inward thought process. In order for an audience to accept an actor as a character, the actor must first believe it themselves. Believing requires more than just knowledge; it requires feeling. We may know what it feels like for someone else but we cannot feel what it feels like for someone
The Art of Body Language in Acting: A blog about the various techniques on how to use body movements and gestures to create an authentic character.
Performing arts are very popular in today’s society. They are used as entertainment, but also to teach and pass on knowledge from one generation to another. One aspect of acting is the use of body language. Body language is a non-verbal way of conveying a message and should be used intentionally to create a realistic character on stage.
Body language can be divided into three components, namely gestures, facial expressions and posture. The way these are used can have either a positive or negative effect on your audience. Let’s look at these components in more detail:
The Art of Body Language in Acting
A blog about the various techniques on how to use body movements and gestures to create an authentic character.
Hitchcock said that “actors should be treated like cattle” and I think he was right. Most actors are so self-conscious they want to control their performance, trying to make it look “good” or “right.” This is a mistake. The camera will pick up every bit of acting unless the actor submits to being directed, so that the director can do what he needs to do. It is not the actor’s job to figure out how his performance looks on film; it is the director’s job. The actor’s job is just to do it.
When I worked with Frank Sinatra, I told him, “You’re not a singer, you’re an actor who sings.” He knew I was right, and that made all the difference in his work from then on. I have found this approach works for all actors: just act. Don’t worry about how you look or sound; just do it. If you relax and let yourself go, your actions will be natural, spontaneous and authentic–the very qualities we need from our actors in order to make them believable as characters.
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The art of body language in acting is something that is not always thought about, but can really make a difference. The body language of each person is different and that can tell us about their personality and how they are feeling. Body language is used to convey your character’s thoughts, feelings, and intentions to the audience.
What you do with your body will say more then the words you speak. Your body language will set a tone for what you’re saying. For example if you were talking about something sad your head would be down, your shoulders would be slumped, and your voice would be low. On the other hand if you were excited about something your voice would be loud and high pitched, your arms would be going everywhere and you would have a big smile on your face.
Using body language can help create a character more authenticly. When an actor walks on stage they should already have a plan of what they are going to do with their body before they start speaking. Body language tells the audience who this person is with out them even having to talk. Their movement patterns, gestures, eye contact, posture, facial expressions can all tell us so much about their character without them even saying anything.
An actor should think about how their character moves when they first
Many times in the process of creating a character, an actor will try to change their body language to fit the new character. Using mannerisms and gestures that are not innate to our own personal mannerisms is certainly one way to create a new character. However, I have recently come across some information that provides a different approach to using body language.
Recently I was reading The Actors Art and Craft by William Esper (an acting teacher at the William Esper Studio in NYC) and he writes about the importance of being ‘in your body.’ This means being aware of your entire body and using it to express oneself. He writes: “your bodily actions are a reflection of your inner life…the actor’s task is to find the essence of his being through his body.”
In other words, instead of trying to find new movements, we should be sensitive to what it is that we already do as people. What do we already do with our hands? How do we shift our weight? What does our face do when we are lying? These are all things that are inherent within us as people and if recorded consciously can be used when creating a character.
“The actor must think in terms of action and not of pose, in terms of movement and not of stillness.” – Michael Chekhov.
What is body language?
Body language is the physical movements that we make to express our thoughts and emotions. Body language is a very important aspect of acting; without it, your performance would be dull and lifeless. The great Russian actor Michael Chekhov once said: “If you have no gesture, you have nothing.” He believed that the actor must think in terms of action and not pose, in terms of movement and not stillness. By this he meant that by using body language correctly, an actor can create a character or show their feelings or moods.
