Pantomime
First form of acting
Vocabulary
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Pantomime:
Nonverbal communication:
Cross:
Gesture:
Kinesthesis
Mime
Inclination:
Rotation:
Isolation:
Vocabulary
• Pantomime: art of acting without words
• Nonverbal communication: without words
• Cross: the movement of an actor from one location to
another onstage
• Gesture: the movement of any part of the body to help
express an idea.
• Kinesthesis: neuro-muscular awareness the body feels
in a particular physical position
• Mime: both the performer and the performance is the
mime; highly stylized art form
• Inclination:move each body part one at a time
• Rotation:move each body part in smooth circles
• Isolation:the process of separating parts of the body for
individual development and expression
Pantomime
• First form of acting
• Charlie Chaplin is a master in pantomime
• French mime Marcel Marceau: excellent
example of the original art
• http://www.marceau.org/
• http://www.amrep.org/marceau/
Pantomime Movement
• Much of our daily communication is
nonverbal
• Inexperienced actors tend to use only
voice
• The first phase of acting is the art of acting
without words.
• Any exercise that develops physical
coordination is valuable in preparation to
perform.
Valuable Exercises
• Whenever possible walk
or climb stairs.
• They are two of the best
forms of exercise.
• It is important to move
your body as a whole.
• From the top of your head
to the tip of your toes, you
should be expressive.
• You are judged by
how you look and
your manner.
• You need to be aware
of how you look and
your physical manner.
• Jogging, dance, and
fencing are also
valuable exercises
that prepare the
actor’s body.
Differences Shy vs. Confident
• Strong-willed and
confident
• Stands tall
• Uses broad, emphatic
gestures
• Moves with authority
and self-assurance
• Makes quick, definite
movements
• Directs actions away
from the body
Shy
• Shy and retiring
• Stands timidly, drawn
in for protection
• Uses small, weak
gestures
• Moves slowly, with
limited motion
• Directs actions down
and toward the body
Relaxation
• Inner composure
• Mental awareness
• Loosen all of the muscles of the body
Relaxation Exercises
• 1. Head: raise,
lower, turn to the right
and left, rotate the
head
• 2. Shoulders: forward
and backward
• 3. Arms in wide
circles forward and
backward close to the
body and at the
shoulder
• 4. Rotate the lower
arms from the elbow
• 5. Hands from the
wrist in circles
• 6. Lift arms from the
wrist from the side
and then the front
• 7.Shake the hands
keeping them to the
side.
Relaxation cont.
• 8. Open and close
your fists stretching
the fingers apart and
together
• 9. Five finger
exercise: hands
together with open
palms. Make a fist.
Roll each finger back
individually.
• 9. Cont. Alternate
fingers. Start at the
thumb and make a
wave-like motion to
your other thumb.
• 10. Waist
• 11. Clasp hands and
over head rotate to
the left and right with
your head within your
arms
Cont
• 12. Rotate each leg
in circles
• 13. Kick your legs as
high as possible
• 14. Rise on your toes
and slowly sink and
reverse the process
• 15. Rotate each foot
at the ankle
• 16. Pick up a pencil
or marbles with your
toes.
• 17. Breathing: inhale
and exhale slowly
Posture
• Good posture carries an air of confidence,
maturity and success
• Poor posture suggests weakness, lack of poise,
and insecurity.
• Normal posture and movement is the next step.
– Stand properly: hold the body erect with the chest
high, chin up, back flat, arms slightly bent and legs
straight keeping one foot in front of the other with the
weight on the balls of your feet.
Posture Exercises
• Perform these daily to develop good
posture
– Stand erect with your feet parallel.
– Bend forward and let the arms hang
– Right hand on the chest and left on the small
of the back
– Slowly raise the body to an upright position
and expand the diaphragm so you feel your
hands being pushed apart
Exercises cont.
– Bring your head to an upright position. Hold
your chin perpendicular to your throat.
– Drop your arms to your sides. Shift your
weight to the ball of one foot and move
forward. Keep your chest high, your head
erect and the small of your back flat.
Walking and Sitting
• How to walk onstage
– Maintain Good posture
– Keep your shoulders square and the chest
high
– Keep the axis of your body over your feet
Think tall.
– Think “tall.”
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Move straight ahead with the weight on the balls of your feet
Walk in a straight line
Let your body swing easily from your hips
Let your arms swing in easy opposition to your legs
Turn by rotating on the balls of your feet, shifting your weight
from one foot to another
Turn your entire body including your head.
Do not turn on your heals.
As you turn, do not cross one foot over the other.
Avoid plodding or long strides or tiny steps.
Do not habitually look at the ground as you walk.
Walking Exercises
• Imagine you are walking
– On a sandy beach on a hot afternoon with a
fresh wind blowing
– In a large city, looking up at the tall buildings
– In a dark forest of tall trees and the wind is
howling
– Across a platform to receive and award
– Onto a stage to audition for a part
– Off a stage disappointed about your audition
Sitting
• Proper way to sit
– Without being obvious, locate out of the
corner of your eye the chair in which you will
sit
– Decide the best route to the chair
– When you arrive turn so the calf of one leg
touches the chair. Then place the other calf
against the chair and sit
While sitting
• Keep your spine at a 90 degree angle to the
seat (Characters may deviate from this
depending on the character I.e. age, youth, etc.)
• Hands should be placed on the arms of the chair
or at rest in your lap
• Your feet may be crossed at the ankle or one
foot placed in front of the other. Exceptions are
for character specific actors.
• In rising, let your chest lead and not your head.
Keep your weight balanced on the balls of your
feet, placing one foot slightly forward and using
the rear one as a lever in pushing yourself up,
once again keeping the axis straight.
Crossing, Turning and Falling
• Entering the stage:
– All turns are made to the front
– Lead with the foot farther from the audience
• By leading with this foot, you enter with your body
facing the audience
• Enter stage right: start on the right foot
• Enter stage left: start on the left foot
How to fall onstage
• Divide your body into segments
head, torso and arms, hips, thighs and
legs and lower each segment to the
ground.
• Control your body; you should be very
close to the ground before you actually
“fall.”
• Absorb the fall with the soft parts of the
body: forearms, thighs and legs
Exercises: crossing, turning
and falling
• Crossing and turning:
– Enter stage left, turn and leave
– Enter stage right, turn and leave
• Falling
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Relax and swagger back
Sway forward, dropping the hands and arms
Pivot slowly and go closer to the floor, sink down
Land on the side of your leg. Roll on your hip. Catch
your weight on your forearm.
• Lower your head to the ground, letting it land on your
arm.
Gestures
• Surprise: Eyes widen. Brows lift. Mouth opens
into an O.
• Happiness: Eyes squint. Brows lift. Moth curves
up, sometimes with lips parting.
• Sadness: Eyes narrow and lids drop. Outer
brows turns downward. Mouth turns down.
Facial muscles sag.
• Anger: Eyes narrow. Brows furrow. Moth twists
downward. Lips sometimes curl out and down
into a sneer. Jaw drops and sets firmly.
Gesture Exercises
• Walking in a Garden, Pick a flower and
smell it. Show what you think of the
fragrance.
• Select fruit from a tree. React.
• Facial expressions
– Chef opening a rotten egg.
– Child taking nasty medicine
– Person catching a whiff of his/her favorite
food.
Gesture Exercises
• You arrive at an airport. You are carrying a
suitcase, an umbrella, and magazines. You drop
your suitcase, and everything spills out. You try
to recover the contents of your suitcase, express
agitation with both your facial expressions and
body gestures.
• You are wearing new shoes when you encounter
a muddy patch of ground. You must walk
through it.
Principles of Pantomime
• The techniques of pantomime are based
on what human beings do physically in
response to emotional stimulation.
• There are two phases:
– Exercises to relax and free your mind
– The creation of characterizations in which
feeling prompts a bodily response.
– Charlie Chaplin says,” Although I was gifted, I
was surprised at rehearsals to find how much
I had to learn about technique.”
Basic Principles of Body
Language
1. Your chest is the key to all action.
2. Your wrists lead most hand gestures.
3. Move elbows away from the body when
making gestures.
4. Do not gesture above your head or below your
waist unless for specific purposes.
5. Opposite action emphasizes physical action
I.e. pull arm back before hitting someone.
6. Arms and hands should curve not straight
lines.
7. Positive emotions evidenced by high chest and
head.
Cont.
8. Negative emotions evidenced by shrunken
chest, tense movement, restricted gestures
and drawn features.
9. Facial expressions usually precede other
physical actions.
10. Whenever possible make gestures with the
upstage arm and do not cover your face.
11. Some exaggeration is necessary.
12. Always keep the audience in mind and direct
all action to them.
13. All actions must be definite in concept and
execution and clearly motivated.
Standard Pantomime
Expressions
• Body As a Whole
– Heels tog., weight on both feet and chest and head
slightly lifted – confidence, aloofness, indifference or
self-control
– Weight shifted to the front foot leaning forwardinterest, positive emotions, enthusiasm
– Weight shifted to the rear with the head a chest pulled
back-deep thought, fear, amazement, negative
emotions
– Shrunken chest with bowed head and shoulders
forward and down represents old age, envy, greed,
pain, sorrow
Feet and Legs
• Feet apart and legs straight-arrogance,
strong confidence
• Feet apart and legs bent-lack of bodily
control, old age, fatigue or intoxication
• Tapping a foot-irritation, impatience
• Stomping a foot-anger
• Twisting a foot-embarrassment
• Feet apart, head high and hands or fists
on hips-conceit, scorn,contempt
Head and Face
• Head raised, eyebrows lifted, eyes wide and
mouth open-fear horror, joy, surprise
• Head raised, eyebrows lifted and mouth drawn
down depicts bewilderment
• Head down, eyebrows down and mouth set or
twisted by biting lips shows worry, meditation or
suffering
• Raised eyebrows, wide eyes and smiling or
open lips- innocence, stupidity, flirtatiousness
Fingers and Hands
• Pointed finger commands, directs or is #1
• Clenched fists – idea, threatens or
demonstrates forced self-control
• Palms down – refusal, denial,
condemnation, fear, rejection, horror
• Palms up-giving, pleading, receiving,
requesting,offering sympathy
• Palms up with a shrug-I don’t know.