tip-toeing through pantomime
So, I'm smack in the middle of Class 4, Introduction to Acting, with my amazing mentor (I've been really lucky when it comes to mentors) Ray Chase! The only downside to this class is that my Q&A is at midnight here on the east coast. Oh well, I'm probably my most attentive and productive around midnight, given that I never recovered from the sleep schedule I was on while bartending!
This class started with a 5-week-long assignment on pantomime. This assignment required that we come up with a scenario that would allow the character to experience and exhibit two distinct emotional "beats," to tell a quick story. In acting, a beat refers to the division of a scene into smaller bits. Ideally, there is enough contrast and variety in the beats to give a little texture to the shot. For example, you would want to avoid a shot that goes "sad, sad, sad." It would be better to flavor it with some contrast: "sad, hopeful, devastated." In this example, you might have a character that is sad because he's lost his dog. He's holding the dog's collar longingly in his clasped hands and is sitting with a drooping posture. Then wait, could it be Fido? He looks up, a glimmer of hope in his eye, a little taller in his seat. No, it's not him. He slumps into an even heavier pose, and sighs: "I'll never find him." Hmm. Somehow that example became incredibly depressing... and it would have made a good assignment had I thought of it at the time. Rats.
What I did choose to do is this: have Stewie, about 9-11 years old, sneaking into a room to examine the birthday present he's not supposed to open. He sneaks in stealthily, stoops over the box, opens the lid, and jumps back in surprise. What's inside, you ask? Check out the progression reel below to find out!
A quick guide: first is rough blocking, second is blocking "plus," third is spline mode, and fourth is polish. There are still a few changes I want to make (the path of the body curve on the jump needs some work, as do the hands as they wiggle in anticipation of opening the box lid). Given a day, I would like to go in and polish the critter with the tail as well.
Enjoy!