Gestures and the actor

 As actors, there are a few questions that everyone asks every now and then.. 

What do I do with my hands? 

How much should I move my body? 

What about the head bobbing that many of us do? 

If ever we have read books on Body Language or heard about it,  we know that every gesture usings our body says something.. 

As an actor, the first thing that we may need to do is to start a constant observation process of what we are doing with our hands.. body .. head in different situations.. 

The fact that someone one said as a suggestion to actors Act in life while live when acting. 

This simply means that we are aware of in life what is happening and what we are doing subconsciously. If we feel we are making unnecessary extra gestures which confuse the listener or the observer. We should learn to control it.  So that when we are acting we focus on our character and what needs to be conveyed and not think too much about controlling our gesture. 

Once during a rehearsal, Naseer Sir was talking to an actor about the awareness an actor should have about how much their head is moving.  We use our heads to convey specific things like saying yes, no, or emphasizing something. So if you are bobbing your head like a toy then how do you think you are going to make an impact.. 

So a specific movement is required. MEASURED. This will take a long time but awareness is needed. We practice all we want but when we are performing we can’t be thinking about all of these things. 

The recommendation for actors I believe is if we can we should definitely read a book on body language and if we can’t, then watch videos of body language experts. 

If you keep observing round the clock. You will be aware of where the hand goes and when the movement of the head is required. Like we use our speech to convey the meaning of the text our body needs to be used aptly as well. This may take some work but it will be worthwhile. 

An actor’s job is to convey the text, the script in the best way possible. It can not just be using your voice and face.. Use your body too. 

For that observe yourself as well as others.. What they are saying … what they are conveying.. 

How are we using our body to convey the meaning in life and once we are clear about it in life, we will be able to replicate it on stage or in front of the camera. . 

Most actors do this subconsciously. I just put it here for my better understanding of it as well as if it may interest or give clarity to others. 

PS. Will write a continuation next month after following this

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