THEATRE 4366 – FUNDAMENTALS OF DIRECTING Exercise 2: Movement

Definition:

Movement: The picture in motion. Movement consists of crosses, standing, sitting and
turning. The quality of the movement is affected by speed (fast, slow), direction (right,
left, upstage, downstage, diagonal, up, down, etc.), and intensity (direct, indirect).

The Exercise:

Using Scene 4 from Clarkston or Skeleton Crew, tell the story of the scene through
movement only (i.e., no words or sounds or props). Avoid letting behavior intrude into
the exercise; this is not a mime presentation, so keep gestures to a minimum.
Concentrate on telling the story through crosses, standing, sitting and turning only. Be
aware that this, like the composition exercise, is fairly abstract. It needs to make
emotional sense more than literal sense.

Things to keep in mind:

• Focus – does movement draw the spectator’s eye to the most important visual
element in the picture?

• Relationships – does the movement clearly express the relationships as they

develop over the course of the scene?

• Tension – is the dramatic tension of the moment clearly expressed through the
movement? Do you effectively use compression and decompression of movement to
shape the dramatic arc of each unit?

• Motivation – is each movement motivated by character wants and needs, or in

reaction to what another character does to that character?

Written Preparation (note: because much of the written portion consists of diagrams,
be prepared to scan your paper in order to submit it electronically)

1. Create a Groundplan

2. Make a copy of the scene:

 Divide the scene into units and mark the climax of each unit.
 Mark in the script where each movement begins and what the character is doing
in that movement
 Assign a number to each movement.
3. Make a copy of the groundplan for each unit. If you have 8 units in the scene, you’ll
make 8 copies. For each unit’s diagram:

 Create a descriptive title for each unit;

 In as few words as possible, tell the story of what happens in the unit.
 Give the motivation for each movement. Motivation is best when it is
psychologically motivated, rather than simply practical. Example: If Doug crosses
to the kitchen, you could say it’s “to get a glass of water for Kayleen.” It’s better to
say “Doug crosses to the kitchen to get a glass of water for Kayleen because he
wants to please her.”
 Describe the quality you would like each movement to have. (Is the movement
fast/slow, meandering/direct, nervous/calm, etc.?)
 Chart each movement in the unit on the groundplan and number the movement
so that it corresponds to the number in the script.

Presentation Assessment

Your in-class presentation will be assessed on the following:

 Groundplan: Does the groundplan allow for potential and variety of movement?
Does it provide barriers/obstacles that can increase the tension in the scene? Is it
believable?
 Motivation: Is each movement clearly motivated?
 Story: Does the movement effectively communicate the story of the play,
particularly in terms of the dynamics of the relationship?
 Character of Movement: Is the movement specific enough that it contributes to
our understanding of character and story?