Picturization and Movement

Picturization and Movement Directing One Spring 2013

PICTURIZATION A definition Picturization is storytelling by a group of actors. It is brought about by the combined use of composition, gesture and improvisation with properties for the specific purpose of animating the dramatic action. --Francis Hodge (114)

Scene from 2013 revival of PIPPIN

PICTURIZATION A definition Picturization is the storytelling aspect of blocking. It concerns itself with revealing character, emotion, and motive through movement, body language, and business. It is revealed using movement that goes from one composition to another. --Jim Patterson (119)

CABARET 1969 Tony Awards

COMPOSITION PATTERSON: The technical aspect of blocking that leads the audience to see clearly what the director believes is important. It concerns itself with CLARITY—the pleasing arrangement of characters within the setting that lets the audience know where to look at a given moment. It is a still-life painting of the stage at one moment in time. HODGE: The physical arrangement of actor-characters in a groundplan for the purpose of discovering dramatic action and of illustrating it in the simplest possible way through emphasis and contrast.

The Rocky Horror Show (2010)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2011)

STAGE PICTURE Michael Wainstein: “The totality of what the audience sees from their seats. Ideal stage pictures are unified, artistic and reflective of the inner life of the play in every moment.” (p. 286)

GUYS AND DOLLS – ESU THEATRE - 2012

“INSPECTING CAROL” - ESU Theatre (2012)

“Dancing at Lughnasa” - ESU Theatre (2013)

BLOCKING Definitions The choreography of the play established by the director and actors. (Wainstein)

The movement of the actors through the setting. (Patterson) The director is an image-maker…Blocking is the process of stimulating actors to image-making through groundplan, compostion, gesture, improvisation with properties, picturization and movement. (Hodge)

George C. Wolfe at work on Tony Kushner’s adaptation of MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN (2006)

PRIMARY TECHNIQUES OF PICTURIZATION (Hodge) Encourage PICTURIZATION over and around obstacles. Encourage space separations between characters and the use of different planes, levels and body positions.

Look for intimate climactic picturizations and encourage actors to touch one another if appropriate to the scene and the decorum. Look for appropriate character-mood-intensities of the different characters.

SPACE SEPARATIONS

APPROPRIATE TOUCH

THE KISS (Picasso)

APPROPRIATE TOUCH

THE KISS (Rodin)

APPROPRIATE TOUCH

THE KISS (Gustav Klimt)

APPROPRIATE TOUCH

PRIMARY TECHNIQUES OF PICTURIZATION (Hodge) Exploit GESTURE in every possible way. Encourage the continuous use of triangles in setting up compositions. Encourage the use of HAND PROPS.

Gesture

Gesture

TRIANGLES

TRIANGLES

TRIANGLES

SECONDARY FUNCTIONS OF PICTURIZATION (Hodge) BALANCE the stage. Exploit the STAGE CUBE—you are blocking in 3 dimensions. Exploit the EXTREMES of the stage floor by using the full depth of the groundplan.

BALANCE

Vincent Van Gogh, The Starry Night (1889)

Vermeer, A Woman Holding a Balance (1622-1623)

THE STAGE CUBE

John Trumbull, The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 (c. 1800)

1776

Directed by Jim Bartruff, MSUM Theatre (2003) Designed by Roray Hedges

EXPLOIT THE EXTREMES OF THE GROUNDPLAN

The Glass Menagerie, Set design by Clare Floyd DeVries WATER TOWER THEATRE, Addison, TX

THE GLASS MENAGERIE, ESU Theatre (2009) Designed by Ron Fowlkes