Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Staging Actions and Choreography
Many of the simplest of the actions we undertake are often planned before
they happen and staged in such a way as to achieve a very specific goal. These
staged actions are not necessary as part of a performance but are done to
produce a very particular result or a more efficient manner of locomotion.
Driving a car involves a series of synchronized actions that by necessity are
planned to a high degree. If they weren't staged in a particular way, the
very act of driving would be impossible. The example we saw of the athlete
undertaking a long jump can be seen as a series of staged actions. Each of the
actions was predetermined and planned, with the body undergoing actions in
a particular order, at a given speed, with various parts of the body behaving in
a very specific manner, bearing just the right amount of load or providing the
right amount of force.
These actions, although staged and choreographed, might not be conscious
decisions on the part of the figure—just a natural process, either learned or
developed instinctively or both.
The choreography of action does not apply to dance actions alone but can
include regular and repeated events in an overall movement. These may
well conform to a distinct rhythm, the kind that you might find in dance
movements. Even the hammering of nails into wood demonstrates a rhythm,
and the example we have already used, that of driving a car, is a form of
choreography.
Choreographed action is also demonstrated during the interaction of
individuals engaged in collaborative actions. These can be either physically
integrated actions that demand the efforts of a number of individuals to
achieve a single physical task or a choreographed action, or one that does
not involve a common workload but still involves teamwork. An integrated
action may be one in which two or more individuals act in unison to achieve
a particular task and contribute to a unified single action, such as two figures
engaged in lifting a single object. The choreography of the individuals' action
is fundamental to achieving the goal. Choreographed action may involve
actions that aren't integrated but still involve work from individuals acting
as a team. Through necessity and structured behavior their actions allow
them to achieve a common goal. All team sports such as baseball, football,
and rugby conform to this form of choreographed action. The different team
members undertake separate and distinct actions and may have very different
workloads, but each action is synchronized and choreographed in such a way
as to achieve a single performance and objective.
While we're analyzing this kind of character interaction, group actions, and
choreography in the same way and following exactly the same processes as
the analysis of a single action, there are additional elements to look out for:
•
Look for any hierarchy within the action and whether a particular indi-
vidual within the group instigates the action.
