Romantic Screenplays 101 (9 page)

Some body language is subtle and taken for granted, but others are blatant. A father-son argument erupts. The son steps close to the father (aggressive invasion of personal space, a subtlety) and the father starts to slap the kid but stops, his hand shaking in mid-air (a blatant depiction of anger controlled). The actors and director might add the father’s eyes tearing and the boy’s grunt of disgust as he turns away . . . or the screenwriter could write that in, if the purpose of the scene was to depict how the mature man reins in his temper and how little the son understands the father’s motivation.

Delivery and Reception

Motivation is the why of a person’s action and is the key concept of a character’s mannerisms and
delivery
of movement. The writer must decide what motivates movement in each scene then choreograph only what is important. Never, ever micro-manage, micro-choreograph everything. Obviously actors and directors do not need that and, ultimately, it is viewed as the sign of an amateur writer.

Motivation of delivery results in intent as known to the character moving.

The second component in the use of body language is
reception
or how it is perceived. In the example scene, the arrogant son had been deliberately baiting the father, pushing him toward a physical response, something he has never seen from the man. He receives the man’s control instead of violence and perceives it as weakness or cowardice.

The motivation of reception’s expectation results in content as perceived by the observer of the action.

As the writer you must be aware of both the character
delivery
and the character
reception,
the motivation-reaction, the cause-effect.

Basics of Body Language

Some Primary Affect facial expressions are cross-cultural such as joy, fear, anger, pain. Body language allows the actor and director to delve deeper into the psyche of the story character.

When creating character profiles, the writer begins to envision this living, breathing person. From that character’s history the writer grows an understanding of what motivates the character. Thus the writer can predict response and choreograph movement.

When will the character’s stance appear dominant (subtlety of confident strength) and when will it become submissive (subtlety of trusting, accepting, or fearful)? When would the character make offense/aggressive moves or how would he look when in defense mode? Is the body movement instinctive (such as jumping when startled or chugging water when dying of thirst) or learned (stoic tolerance of pain or embarrassment)? Does the character’s innate personality make that person impetuous / thoughtless of consequences or does the young warrior remember boot camp drilling and move deliberately?

Carefully examine the character’s history in your profile to identify triggers that could change the inner character’s willingness to move differently. In the concept of the Anxiety Curve, blank apathy exists at one end and thoughtless panic at the other. Most of us function at the apex between the two, swinging a little in each direction according to how we cope with daily stresses. With this in mind, think of a young woman who was gang raped as a vibrant, cheerful teenager. The traumatic experience has so mentally beaten her self-concept, she rarely maintains eye contact with anyone. Her head is always down, her shoulders slumped, her hands either limp or fidgeting. But, her car has broken down. A drunken man stops to check it out and puts her up against the car. Two options: surrender or attack. How do you visually depict the change in her demeanor? Eyes focused, teeth clenched as she juts out her chin, shoulders up and back as she takes a deep breath in preparation for battle, and hands clawed. The apathetic wimp has become an aggressive tigress. Is this not a better visual film technique than having her scream “I
will not
be raped again!” Go for the visual when it will be more powerful than the dialogue.

Head-to-Toe

Law enforcement training teaches officers to observe body language for survival’s sake. The writer can use the same lessons, not in micro-choreography but when delivery is important to make a story point about a character.

Eyes-Body-Head-Hands
. That’s the litany you want to recite. Officers are trained to take in the picture all at once to sense the person’s intent in the first crucial moments of the confrontation. Their lives depend on it.

“Eyes are the windows to the soul.” Well, that’s debatable. Some say they are simply instruments of sight surrounded by highly sensitive nerves and muscles that can frame the eyes with expression. The one concrete is “Where is the person looking?” Eye-to-eye contact? Glancing nervously about? Deliberately avoiding something?
Eyes deliver intent.

Is the body positioning that of offense? Knees bent ready to move, arms controlled vs. relaxed. Or is the wife hunched, as if guarding from future assault?
Positioning signals offensive or defensive movement.

Is the head positioning casual, relaxed or up and arrogant, challenging? Think about military training. Attention! Stand tall, shoulders back, head up. Be proud, be ready, be focused.
The head position is the indicator of self-awareness
in this circumstance.

To an officer of the law, the eyes, body, and head won’t kill you . . . but the hands will. So what about your character’s hands? How does this person habitually use them? Confident movement? Hesitant? Gentle, always willing to stroke? What subtle message is depicted from the character to the audience’s mind?
Hands are the receptors to the encounter.

Personal Territory

Dr. Edward Hall coined the term “Proxemics” to describe our perceptions of personal space and territorial zoning. Each of the spaces or zones has limits of “close” and “far” which are quite logical. The four zone classifications are 1) Intimate, 2) Personal, 3) Social, and 4) Public. Surprisingly the limits of our own self-awareness are taken for granted, unless invaded. Now you need to translate your character’s reaction into a visual message of his perceptions.

Moving from far to close, the Intimate Zone means touching of skin, invasion (medical procedures), and insinuation (possession of kissing and sex). The Personal Zone is a step or two back where one can maintain eye contact and carry on a conversation. Close can be an aggressive police interrogation and far could be possession of a corner of an elevator. The Social Zone is the next step back where we can conduct a business exchange. This is where we find the most frequent examples of dominance (big executive desk) vs. protection (dependence). The broadest zone is the Public Zone of cultural bonding and group identity. When discussing crowd control, law enforcement prefers a loose crowd (thus the concept of “safe capacity” in public buildings). Compact crowding frequently leads to tension and the ripple contagion of mob mentality. Consider how the writer can describe the movement of the background crowd, Social or Public Proximity? What happens to the crowd on a beach when there is a drowning victim brought to shore?

Stepping back to character motivation, think about how your character appears in moments of aggression or dominance as the zones are progressively invaded. What mannerisms change when the character is showing vulnerability or submissiveness to a higher authority? What is the body language of the Big Man, be he taller and more physically fit or higher in the hierarchy of power at the moment? What personality type is this character, thus what is the predictable body language?

Five Steps of Sexual Signaling

This is the ultimate example of Delivery-Reception and it is played out in every singles bar or any other male-female environment you can imagine. It can be instinctive and it can be deliberate, but it is predictable and consistent.

First comes the
Preparation Phase
where body tension shifts to some habitual preening, maybe the female fluffing the hair or the male rubbing his jaw. The protective side-view (least body visible) shifts to frontal view (subtle demonstration of vulnerability and willingness to be evaluated).

 Secondly, the two parties
maintain eye contact longer than 30 seconds.
That’s a long time, relatively speaking. Assessment and acceptance are being translated here. Thirdly, one party makes an
invitational gesture or movement,
such as cocking the head, arching the eyebrows, or a disarming laugh. Next, upon approach the two parties exchange some verbal responses to pacify the other party and confirm that “I’m okay to talk to.” Finally, the two
move closer into the Personal Zone to exclude others.

An important concept to keep in mind here is that whenever either party stops or omits a step, the flirtation stops, the Sexual Connection is broken, be it in the corporate world, at an elegant dinner, or on the bar scene. Be aware of how to choreograph the intrusion or attempts of others into your Main Characters awareness.

All of this analysis agrees with some of Linda Howard’s Steps, yet it is a much more entertaining and educational exercise when people-watching at a crowded bar or a party where there are a lot of singles circulating or trolling.

THE ROLE OF KISSING AS TITILLATION

Little has been written on kissing for romance writers to reference, but we frequently use this sensual tool. Why? Because it is titillating without being biologically threatening. Sexual intercourse
is
threatening because its fundamental purpose is change, to turn courtship into parenthood. Kissing merely tests the senses and readiness of the partners, hopefully to trigger the release of pheromones. It is a vital romantic element for screenwriters because it is visual.

How do we use the act of kissing in romance? Of course, we can describe the choreographed components with physical sensations of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch. In a screenplay however, the turn-on of innuendo and the near-miss intention then reaction of the characters can make for a highly sensual scene both males and females in the audience will automatically get.

The cerebral processing after the action becomes the internalization of the characters’ immediate responses. On screen that inner turmoil must be related in subtle body language and facial expression. The question for the screenwriter is then “How much do I choreograph in the script and how much do I leave to the actors?” This has to come from how significant the response is to the evolution of the relationship. If it is important, the writer must briefly mention response. Otherwise, leave it up to the chemistry of the actors the director can see in the camera’s eye.

Normally, the attracted people begin to analyze the emotional impact within. They ultimately consider their display of a logical or illogical
exaggerated
physical reaction. They note facial expression and body language in the other person, looking for signs of arousal. If those kinds of messages are pivotal to the forward movement of the relationship in the story, then brief depiction of each catalogued visual is warranted in the script for the audience’s sake. The female looks at the male’s lips or reaching hands that hesitate in uncertainty yet wanting to touch. The male looks at how her fast breathing lifts her breasts, the rapid pulse in her throat, her quivering sigh before she gains control. The writer is telling the director and actors this is important and must be seen by the audience.

And finally, the writer must use this event to move the story forward as a complication or to create a relationship question the audience wants answered. Will it lead to more foreplay or will both characters continue their denial? Episodic TV that has a floundering relationship as a hook for viewers plays off these titillating scenes all the time for a reason. They keep the audience involved and caring what happens as a consequence to that kiss. Audience interest means they will tune in to the next show to see what happens.

Staging the Kiss

Kissing implies acceptance, the primitive concept of physical vulnerability exposed to assault. The mouth with feral teeth gains access to another’s body, be it lips, throat, or downward. Our job in romance is
not
to ravage as if the two participants are out of control, but to titillate and arouse by recreating the giving and the taking. We can do a better job when the picture is painted in stages. Show, don’t tell. And use all four steps of description, internalization, emotional impact, and story complication at each of the four stages!

Anticipation
is the first stage when the partners become aware of the physical attraction of the other. Pheromones scent the air and nerve endings tingle. Nostrils flare and shivers are seen. The two people catalog what they want from the other and look at what they want. (THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS) That is where the screenwriting can focus the visuals for the collaborative director and actors. The characters must visually demonstrate either an emotional resistance or surrender. Either reaction will create a rise in story tension. The audience will live the anticipation phase with the characters.

Teasing
begins stage two wherein the two participants actually invade one another’s personal territory, collecting data with the senses, mentally testing their own readiness and the willingness of the partner, outwardly demonstrating desire, and moving the romance forward (TOP GUN). Here is another opportunity for pacing the build to the kiss. The confident screenwriter does not belabor the visuals or the choreography. Describe those glimpses of character actions that will set the stage and create the on screen chemistry.

The third stage is the
Act Itself
and herein the romance writer’s imagination takes flight and is guided solely by the characters motivation, history, and potential. The pacing of the physical choreography of this stage, with the camera’s eye cataloging snippets, the rapid fire play of emotional facial expressions, and the story demanding ultimate lip-to-lip hungry commitment. (KINGDOM OF HEAVEN) Always? Ah, innuendo can do as much for story tension as blatant clasping of body-to-body and dialogue stating need. And must it be fast and hot? Of course not. A brush of lips or tender movement back and forth can create as much sensuality and be just as soul-shattering as uninhibited abandonment, depending on the storyteller’s characters. Think of the comparison between a young couple’s first tentative acceptance and the open-mouthed, consuming kiss between Lancelot and Guinevere in FIRST KNIGHT.