Chapter 138 Body Language
Julie Andrews: ...
A silence, a dead end.
Anne looked at Anson, and Anson looked at Anne. The two young people looked at each other in confusion and had no idea what was going on, but Anson didn't say anything wrong. Did Anson's words awaken some sad memories in Julie?
After listening carefully to Anson's question, Julie did not answer immediately, but fell into deep thought. Her gentle and elegant cheek showed some seriousness, which was not deep, but made time slow down.
Anson remained patient and did not interrupt Julie's thoughts. He just stared at Julie quietly, sending signals with his eyes, expecting an answer.
Julie, noticed.
Recovering, Julie noticed Anson’s eyes and raised the corners of her mouth slightly.
Opening her mouth, Julie paused again, seemingly changing her mind, and then gave a completely unexpected answer that had nothing to do with Anson's question.
“Have you ever been to a Broadway or West End show?”
Broadway in New York and the West End in London are popular destinations for stage plays. This is basic common sense. Anson naturally knows it, but does this have anything to do with his question?
However, Anson was not in a hurry -
He knew that Julie had performed on Broadway for many years, and that her place of fame was also on Broadway. When she mentioned this matter at this time, it was definitely not just a small talk.
So, Anson said honestly, "No."
Julie was not surprised. For today's young generation, stage plays have lost their charm. Broadway and the West End are the same. Tourists need to be attracted to make a living; those audiences who really know how to appreciate stage performances are getting older, disappearing, and they are being forgotten.
Julie showed a smile and glanced at Anson, "You should take a look."
Anson did not speak, but made an "OK" gesture.
Julie chuckled softly, "The stage play is like this. There is a certain space between you and the audience. They can't see or hear clearly, so the actors need to amplify their performance and use their body. Use language to express emotions. "
"Look, when I speak in the movie, I try to reduce my gestures and the range of my movements as much as possible, but in the stage play, I need to open my body and speak in every word. They all need to be matched with some body language, and standing there stupidly will not allow the audience to feel the emotions and attitudes of the characters."
While speaking, Julie matched the gestures and movements, clearly showing the movie and stage play. difference.
"So, how to use body language in stage plays is a basic skill, a very, very important basic skill."
"Did you know? Every British actor needs to be on the stage of a stage play to be able to Get real recognition.”
Suddenly, Julie looked at Anson and asked.
Anson understood immediately, "You mean, the basic skills of body language, this is the answer?"
Julie showed a teachable look in her eyes and nodded gently with satisfaction. "When you stand in front of the camera, your body language can't lie. How to naturally integrate into the scene, the situation, and the dialogue. Those body languages are often invisible, but they are the foundation of excellent performances."
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Anson, I vaguely understand -
Someone once discussed, what is the difference between American actors and British actors? Or, what is the difference between American actors and European actors?
Overall, many American actors have grassroots backgrounds, while most British actors come from academic backgrounds. Of course, this is not absolute, but after entering the 21st century, reality shows have thrived in the fertile soil of the North American continent. The trend is becoming more and more obvious, and it is indeed a phenomenon.
There is no doubt that the UK also has a series of amateur actors who have entered the field of acting through auditions or other channels. Not all actors come from systematic academic teaching, but the artistic atmosphere is different after all.
As Julie said, if you want to be truly recognized in the British actor circle, three conditions must be met. First, he came from an academy. It doesn't matter if you are an amateur. After entering the circle, you can go to the academy to study. This is also feasible.
Second, go on the West End stage. That is to say, they must go through the baptism of stage plays. No matter how big-name British actors are, they will return to the West End every once in a while, step on the West End stage, and continue to polish their acting skills.
Third, seek breakthroughs. In a sense, break one's own inertia and perform some challenging roles; of course, this requires opportunities and conditions, and not all actors can get the opportunity.
Therefore, European actors represented by the United Kingdom are indeed different from American actors in terms of actors' understanding of roles, training in basic performance skills, etc.
So, how can the basic skills of body language be reflected in performance?
Julie didn't say anything about this, because it can't be explained by words alone. You have to experience and learn by yourself to understand; but Anson has some ideas.
I have never eaten pork, but at least I have seen pigs running.
Give a simple example.
In the future, streaming media platforms will be on the rise, and more and more traffic actors will be born. Watching the online dramas they filmed, the whole impression will be very direct.
Although their lines, expressions, eyes, etc. are also criticized, what is more intuitive is the panorama. When the camera captures their whole body movements, they often don’t know how to stand, sit, and walk. This unnatural stiffness even breaks the balance of the shot, and the artificiality lingers, causing the audience to have no sense of involvement at all.
Obviously, this is part of the basics.
In fact, it’s not just them.
Anson couldn’t help but think of Meryl Streep, an actor who made history by winning twenty-one Academy Award nominations and winning three statuettes. She is already a legend. , obviously, no one would say that Meryl's acting skills are bad.
But it is Meryl who also has her own shortcomings -
Body language.
Meryl is a typical representative of American actors. She uses method to feel the emotions and thoughts of the character, and then presents them with her own understanding.
Meryl's eyes, performance and unparalleled line skills are indeed amazing. Her delicate and layered performance in "Sophie's Choice" is worthy of being recorded in history; however, her clumsy body language is her The fatal injury is not stiff, but there is no expressiveness at all.
So, if you look closely at Meryl’s works, close-ups and close-ups occupy the main part, while the panorama is relatively controlled, avoiding shortcomings as much as possible; moreover, Meryl holds the Emmy Award, Oscar, Grammy Award The beautiful trophy is only one Tony Award away from the unique "EGOT", but it has never been able to win it.
——"EGOT" represents the highest awards in the four major fields in the United States, namely the Emmy Award for television, the Grammy Award for music, the Oscar for film, and the Tony Award for stage play. (Tony), anyone who can collect four major awards is a legend.
The only thing Meryl is missing is a Tony Award.
It can be seen that the basic skills of body language may not be as easy as imagined.
No wonder!
No wonder Anson had a special feeling when he watched Julie perform, a natural sense of harmony from top to bottom, from the inside out.
Originally, he thought it was Julie's elegance and her own temperament, especially playing the role of a queen, which requires putting on airs, which made him feel like this.
But now it seems that is not the case. There is a secret behind the performance. Even if there is no need for lines or actions, it will be different once you stop there.
The fourth update.
(End of this chapter)