Pantomime
Pantomime (not to be confused with Mime which is the offspring on pantomiming) is a type of theatrical performance in which the actor portrays a scene using only the body without the use of speech.
Steps
- Make your scene clear. Understanding your scene will help you understand what kind of body language to interpret into your performance. For example: If your scene involves your character angrily struggling to carry a package, you would want to use specific facial expression and movement to portray anger and struggle.
- Exaggerate your facial expression. Facial expression is one of the most important factors in pantomime. If your character is happy, a simple smirk will not do. Expressions should be amplified to replace your speech. If you could still speak during pantomime you could easily express your character's feelings using your voice as well as your face and body language.
- Keep each and every motion precise. Make gestures bigger than life. In pantomime objects are almost always involved. But, your objects are not real, they are pantomimes (meaning your item is invisible and you will have to use your body to shape it as if it was there). You will not have real props available, so understand the five qualities of objects and how to Incorporate them into your performance:
- Weight- To show the weight of an object, use your muscles and movement to show straining or flexing.
- Size- Be reasonable with the size of the object you are pantomiming.
- Shape- The shape of objects is also a very important factor. You may not be able to show the exact shape of every object though.
- Consistency- Make sure nothing changes throughout the performance. Keep objects the same size and shape, put things back in the same place that you got them, etc.
- Resistance- Make movements sharp and crisp.
- Keep your scenes simple yet entertaining. Have a funny story, or give your character a background tale. Scenes should be easy for the audience to interpret what's going on. They should not last more than 3 minutes. The process of watching a well-executed pantomime is itself satisfying; A complicated plot simply muddies the action.
Writing a Pantomime Script
- Set your goals and aim high. Don't aim low because you may hit lower than your goal.
- Jot down some story plots. Good pantomimes should soar above reality. That is why pantomime is extremely exaggerated and dramatized. Sad or tragic pantomimes aren't always the best unless the are seriously dramatized. (ex. A woman comes home to find her husband dead and is so devastated that she panics and commits suicide with a severely dramatic touch). Fairy tales and mythical plots also appeal to all audiences. Choose your story wisely.
- Characters. Consider the following:
- Dames- Dames are popular characters and are sure to give the audience a good laugh.
- Villain - Villains are a large part in any performance, there is always a good antagonist in a good pantomime.
- Hero- Strong character; shouldn't be a challenge filling him into the story.
- Heroine- Fun, and imaginative female character that the audience will fall in love with.
- Here are the basic script Plot outlines.
- Introduce main characters
- Establish comical character
- Crisis
- Troubles; crisis resolved
- Happy ending with comedy
Tips
- Have a good theme and story behind it.
- Posture and body language are very important in pantomime.
- Make gestures and facial expression larger than life.
- Mime and pantomime are two different things. Mime if an offspring of pantomime used to portray a specific emotion, not a scene.
- You will have to use the same acting skills you would use outside of pantomime to do this correctly.
