Before I start this weeks Think Tank Thursday, the found weapons fight my group and I performed today went amazingly well. That is in large part because of deep commitment to the characters and intention.
This weeks Think Tank deals with one of the reasons why intention and characters are so important: the Gestalt Theory of vision principle of Continuation.
Continuation theorizes that our eyes and brain automatically follow the direction of a line. This is one of the reasons why when we deliver a punch or attack on stage, we have to cue online with the target. A strong straight lined cue will allow the audience to figure out where the attack is going and move on to figuring out the story from the actors faces and body language.
If the cue isn't strong, or is bent and muddied, not only will your partner not be sure what is next but the audience will be spending energy trying to figure out where the attack is going instead of what is going on or how the story is progressing. This may feel awkward at first because it is not how to fight in real life, but the importance is evident.
If you want to get something across in the story physically, make your movements, lines of motion, and characters clear and specific.
Greg
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