Body Language use in a project

As I have stated at the top of this blogs page that I try to cater the uses of non-verbal communication to both business people and animators alike. In this particular post however, I will show what in essence body language is about while simultaneously presenting business and animation as together as they can get.

      What this video from the movie “Horton hears a who” shows, is the business of animation. One of the many jobs of the animator as any good animator would tell you, is to be an actor. Acting for an animator isn’t just about moving the mouth. You must match the attitude, energy and sometimes the intention of the dialogue to what is being said or implied. To do this you need to use knowledge of body language to match the proper mood of what needs to be animated.

      Lets look at the clip and analyze a bit. For times sake I will focus on the very first of clips, that of the animator acting out reference for the scene where the mayor speaks to another character. We see the actor with arm crossed over his chest and tucked under his arm, a sign of defensiveness or perhaps nervousness.

His other arm lifted, hand open and it is pointed in the direction of whomever the character is supposed to be talking to. This is helpful in multiple ways. It can remind an audience of where the character is in relation to the character of whom he or she is talking to. Also the open hand gesture is one of a positive nature. Had the hand become clenched we might get a feeling of anger or frustration. The last thing I will analyze is the actor rubbing his hands together in a clasped together fashion. What this tells us is that the character is supposed to be nervous. This could be either for what the character is saying or in anticipation of ridicule from whomever that character is talking to.

Now you may be saying to yourself, “I don’t think that this animator is thinking that hard about body language when he is acting.”

To that I will say that I somewhat agree. While the animator may or may not be thinking about body language as deeply as we have here, they do however use what they know of emotion. After all, if asked to make an angry look and pose. Most everyone will furrow their eyebrows and clench their fists. Which mean that animators use what they know about emotions like anyone else, except that they have more of a tendency to pay attention to such things as clenched fists, furrowed eyebrows and cross body gestures.

Well that is a “short” look into the business world of animation. Tune in next time for more tips and tricks to non-verbal communication. Good bye.

This video is brought to us from YouTube posted by the user BobAMTV. 
The animation clips are from Horton hears a who, by Blue Sky Studios.

Things to Notice in a Team Meeting

     In this post I will be showing you a few things that you may want to pay attention to when involved in a team meeting. Lets start with a gesture that we see here in this photograph.

     The man second from the left and the man in the center in front of the window are both doing a very similar gesture. This is a problem, at least for whoever is talking. The reason being is that this particular gesture is one of boredom. Their hand supports their head to stop them from falling asleep. If you see these sings then you may want to look into making your presentation / speech a bit more interesting and "exciting". 

          "Drumming the fingers on the table and continual tapping of the feet on the floor are often misinterpreted by professional speakers as boredom signals, but in fact a signal of impatience." - Allan Pease  (body language book writer)

     

      As Mr. Pease has shown, knowing some of the sings of impatience will allow you insight on if your speech or meeting is starting to go on too long. 

      Now for the final bit of info to look for at a meeting, at least that this particular post will provide. This last piece of information is more so a facial and head movement. Former FBI counterintelligence special agent Joe Navarro explains this expression as, “Looking askance.”

          “It can take the form of a sideways or tilted head motion accompanied by a single glance or a brief roll of the eyes.” – Joe Navarro

      This gesture shows lack of trust or that they are unconvinced in what the current speaker is saying. If you notice this particular head and eye movement, it may help to give an example of whatever you are talking about. This will add validity to what you are speaking about.

     If you start looking for these warning signs in team meetings, even if you are not the speaker, you may be able to save time, add credibility to your speech, and even know when people are ready to get going. That is it for this post. Have a great day.

      How can you use this in animation?
   You can use the hand supporting head gesture in the obvious fashion. Whether the character be at school or in the office this is a landmark gesture for boredom, push the idea by adding an action such as nodding off. 
      Second, drumming a characters fingers could be used perhaps in a doctors office while waiting to be helped by a nurse. Just have the character at the counter, and some time in have him start drumming his fingers. 
      Lastly is looking askance. You can definitely use this affectively in dialogue pieces. If the character sounds as if they don't believe the other character push this expression. 
    
     References & Sources:
Navarro, P. (April 15th, 2008). What everybody is saying. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers
Pease, A. (July 25th, 2006). The definitive book of body language. New York, NY: Random House, Inc.
Unknown Author. (2007). weekly creative team meeting [photograph]. Retrieved October 5th, 2010 from:http://www.flickr.com/photos/tifotter/544669881/