Movement Direction with Vanessa Ewan | Creating Character | National Theatre

Vanessa Ewan leads this movement direction masterclass, guiding an actor playing Nora from A Doll's House using techniques to explore physicality and enhance character transformation.
PLEASE NOTE: Not all movement exercises are suitable for everyone and this or any other movement exercise may result in injury. To reduce the risk of injury, never force or strain, use the exercises only as intended and demonstrated, and follow all instructions carefully.
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[@LewisFernandezFilm]

At the end when she's wearing the costume she looks in no way like somebody in a fancy dress costume. She looks really at home in it. Which is great because I think the exercises, particularly the one with the portrait, helped with that very much.

[@finneganmario7705]

Sorry to be so off topic but does someone know of a tool to log back into an Instagram account? I somehow lost the login password. I love any help you can give me!

[@aviprince4191]

@Finnegan Mario instablaster :)

[@finneganmario7705]

@Avi Prince i really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and Im trying it out atm. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@finneganmario7705]

@Avi Prince it worked and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy:D Thanks so much, you saved my ass !

[@aviprince4191]

@Finnegan Mario no problem :)

[@jazzyspazzrawr]

This is a brilliantly produced and presented exploration of some movement-based ways into character. I appreciate the way the techniques are clearly introduced and implemented. This helps illuminate some of the ideas from Ewan's book on Actor Movement.

[@sisandahenna]

I agree fully

[@TonyBittner-Collins]

Is that Vanessa Ewan's Actor Movement: Expression of the Physical Being (2014) or Laban's Efforts in Action: A Movement Handbook for Actors (2018)?

[@jazzyspazzrawr]

@@TonyBittner-Collins I have the 2014 book so that's what I'm referring to--it includes references to techniques beyond Laban--it's more of an overview of various techniques. But the second one sounds fascinating too.

[@bellafina28]

honestly, I deeply fell in love on theatre and act cause this video.

[@OlgaKuznetsova]

It's so cool to see how an exercise later is reflected in a performance (the flicking exercise)! Thank you so much for such a helpful video!!

[@britishiconicperson8796]

Anyone here in lockdown and sent this by their drama teacher?

[@damienirwin9102]

yea

[@britishiconicperson8796]

Damien Irwin Welcome to the club

[@lunablue9501]

British Iconic Person theatre class :/

[@ellabeard5167]

Yep. What type of acting is this tho?

[@leowebb7573]

Yep

[@drees71]

I feel so lucky to have had Vanessa as my teacher, she was so inspirational.

[@hurleybrown1]

Vanessa, this work is so valuable and has excited my students so much in a character study experiment we are doing in Voice and speech class. It's the first layer in terms of manifesting the voice as it's inspired by movement. Thank you for your brilliant video and care with this work.

[@inMuro]

As a visual artist, these videos are super interesting. We do similar exercises, but then the image-making version of them. Sheets of random mark making, drawing blindly, or drawing from random prompts - they all help you to find an image.

[@mariannegiosa8714]

This is one of most comprehensive and mindblowing work. I really want to dive into this more and would like to know the cross pollination between this and being a "movement director" as I can not really see how one is divorced from the other. Perhaps a movement director is also overseeing the entire inner and outer movement of a work whereby building character focuses on individual characters.

[@jacobralphsantiago3352]

Thanks for sharing this video and for all the information on how to build the character of the actor using the characteristics of an animal and how to handle and move the character physicality better. Sincerely, Jacob Santiago

[@sanjaytanwar2010]

Informative, and practically shown how movement helps and develop the character. I really loved this Video, and hope to see more such videos. Thanks for sharing this.

[@vincentbaker4987]

Love this.

[@NationalTheatre]

Glad to hear you enjoyed our video Vincent. Be sure to check our channel for more movement films coming soon!

[@Lafemme17]

This sounds like music from Little Bear. Loved that music!

[@gabrielledarby2973]

Great ideas and I really liked the activities y’all did my favorite is the one use if portraits.

[@ameliefawn5788]

this was so helpful in characterisation for my exam thank you

[@TeodoroJansen]

Thanks for sharing this beautiful piece of knowledge

[@danoninnaazulyoro4395]

wow it´s amazing it would be awesome if you can shared with us more videos about Vanessa Ewan with the actors.

[@pocketfairy]

This is amazingly helpful and insightful. Thank you!

[@hannanirezel2051]

fantastic. loved it so much and taught me a lot.

[@Str0umfita]

fabulous, creative, inspiring!

[@Matthew8473]

This content is out of this world. A related book I read was life-affirming. "The Art of Meaningful Relationships in the 21st Century" by Leo Flint

[@GarrettEderer]

This video reminds me of when I buy a new pair of shoes and just because they are a little bit difference in size or weight, sometimes I find myself unable to to time steps perfectly and end up almost tripping sometimes.

[@vasundhranegi2751]

Lovely thank you so much for this video 🤗

[@Nilsosmar]

great work.

[@MrMaximeloni]

Very interesting. Thanks a lot!

[@swannavon]

Beautiful work.

[@Mpe898]

this is amazing! from a fellow thespian :)

[@goldhillproductions]

Fantastic video!

[@veronikisart]

Thank you!

[@aayushmaan398]

this was really helpful NTD thanks and keep uploading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@salvadormazal2105]

Very insightful!

[@Foxesred2]

I love how the costume looks like

[@ak479446123916]

Its really good

[@jackcarr6686]

See I feel it would be very interesting to have seen the animal fully embraced this as I felt so much of the work and vastly different movement was lost as soon as the improvisation exercise was started. Does that make sense?

[@chrissystewart4123]

I have a question? How to help actors do that & how to get pictures for the actors & actresses I need to get into I want to have experiences like that? That's my question to you all

[@valerieprince5935]

If I understand your question correctly, I think a way to help your actors could be to first really have them dedicate time and attention to their character(s) in a very understanding and intimate way that'll allow them to explore the emotional range that is demanded of the character. Finding what drives them and how their emotional responses are interpreted and presented through action and dialogue could be a big help. I think once the emotions of a character are understood, finding movement, influences, and pictures that speak to them will be a bit easier. I believe it was Laban that said "Man moves in order to satisfy a need.", or something of the like (I don't have the exact quote on me). So in essence, once your actors have an intimate understanding of their character as well as the character's needs, finding movement to best compliment that should be a bit easier. This is simply based off of my opinion as an actor and I'm sure others have different ways of going about building a character (which is great, I think the more ways of getting from point A to B, the better). I hope I've answered your question, but if I was unclear at any point, please let me know and I'll try my best to make my meaning plainer.

[@klm1239]

after the portrait she is talking about someone who is very important to movement and then they show floating etc. who is he?i can't hear the name.

[@basicallygrey]

Rudolph Laban

[@josephsvennson5694]

This is so British I love it.

[@chrissystewart4123]

Hello I have a question I want to asked how you all create character & how to pick portraits for actors & actress

[@khristenchan7667]

Good exercise

[@Jcbartoni64]

amazing

[@kingdollop-head743]

This is probably weird af if you’re not an actor 😂

[@daphnerecovery5591]

Beautiful!

[@JuzzGio]

I need you, your help that is or someone of your profession.

[@ashokkapoor298]

Hello this is Ashok kapoor from india if I want to learn from you then what should I do i just want to join

[@rismiputri3352]

I'm from Indonesia, please give me link about theater in your school. Thanks

[@gladyza101]

Bisa dimulai dengan googling, Mbak. Saran saya, coba cari tahu tentang sekolah Royal Central School of Speech and Drama di London, UK.

[@sidisleeplove3649]

Le théâtre sa rend fou 🙏

[@babuvaniglia]

France is not the world

[@jasminecorreia1175]

What do you have to say now in 21 century: it’s theater as an art of the show or performance possible? 😕

[@kendallbrooke3408]

Did anyone catch the name of the Movement person she referenced? Trying to look the person up.

[@FelipeSantos-zx2yc]

Rudolf Laban!

[@mikaelagabriellesicat7874]

Does anyone know the name of the painting she was looking at?

[@cholec9230]

that's what i'm looking for!!

[@cholec9230]

Found it! But not a title or author; try searching "Thornfield Hall The Plague Notebook A Privileged Boredom", it's on their blog!

[@ossmanossman9669]

عمل جميل

[@GAMMY_NFRNZ]

Does anyone know what that music at 1:47 is?

[@khristenchan7667]

Hi

[@alexlu9832]

Mr. Randall is interested in purchasing your company

[@cihads4698]

BAU was here.

[@by-sq4hy]

Oh dear, the automatic Jaanese translation does not make sense at all！

[@kidfriendlybleach8425]

Why is this my hw

[@civilizedsatyr]

Who's the performer??

[@mariecooperactor]

Emily Plumtree - She is mentioned in the credits at the end :)

[@seojunlim4682]

7HMA? SeoJun Lim

[@tahsinnoormittrita4645]

dhore dhore shekhano hoy

[@TheUnqualifiedNerd]

Bruh

[@jun0seo]

😔💔

[@Barbie_All_The_Way]

I would do this to carry on Meat Loaf's legacy

[@pinky4945]

iv been forced to watch this and i'm bored

[@arandomidiot9903]

I’m 4 months late but same -

[@Kukkell]

wtfffffffffffffffffffff

[@bigboicole4945]

bad

[@ruzickaw]

just outside means. Cant this actress not just getting into the mind of Nora? Just looking at the stiff face of this teacher I would never take a class with her.

[@QED_]

@ruzickaw: If by "mind" you mean "internal experience" . . . I agree with you. This is second rate, at best . . .

[@upsl2020]

@@QED_ internal experience Is very much an unreliable form of acting to find character, characters are made by phisical choices not intellectual ones.

[@QED_]

@@upsl2020 Hitting a little round ball with a 4 foot long stick is also unreliable . . . but only if you're not trained. That's the whole point of . . . learning to act.

[@upsl2020]

@@QED_ have you read Like Stanislawsky s work ? the only teacher Who started teaching from the mind and emotional Memory was Strasberg and his school very much died out bucause It Is Just not the best method to do acting. Stanislawsky even tough he Is known because he was very big on emotion and substitution for a big part of his Life then rejected that way of reaserch because It Just Is not as good as phisical awarness and action and in fact continued the reaserch on that Path later. In fact what you see in this video Is very much the action approach: you try out differenti actions and movements and see what response they sollicits in your body and you develpe that; that s because if someone in real Life does something he does not think about It , he does It! As an actor "does" doesn t "think" , thinking only comes into play to make sure you re not de-realing too much. Being in character Means that your body Is a character and therefore It gives you automaticaly everything you Need so the work of an actor for a character consists in finding a phisical status trough actions and then making It 1000times more precise so that It becomes a character, if you do that every reaction Will be Natural; if you mean that by being in the mind of the character than ok but a lot of people belive that acting comes Just from understanding the emotion and trick yourself into a near psicosis and there Is nothing further from the Truth, that Is Just an excuse not to out hard work into acting because It Is much easier sitting and thinking about being a character than rehearsing your actions and movements 1000 times

[@QED_]

@@upsl2020 I know Stanislavsky . . . pretty well. This is a conversation worth having . . . if you sincerely want to have it. If so, how would you yourself define "acting" (?) What is it, actually (?) I find that 99% of people can't say. Here's my answer: "Acting is the dynamic creation in the actor of mental, emotional, and somatic states that respond to stimuli in a play according to an interpretation of the character that the actor is portraying".

[@ruzickaw]

much talking, poor results

[@royfr8136]

So, unnecessary. This is enough to put you off performance. Like modern art embarrasses art.

[@fokinfamily]

I really enjoyed Vanessa Ewan. But the actor wasn`t that good all the time. For example, at the beginning she copied the painting so well except the face, the feeling that feels the heroine. The movements in theater are useless without feelings.

[@QED_]

@fokinfamily: I didn't enjoy either of them. The idea that movement precedes/conditions emotion . . . was developed from ignorance of a method to evoke emotion directly. It's demonstrably clear from real life that it is emotion that precedes/conditions movement . . .

[@ragrago]

Brilliant So helpful..Thank You so much