Body language and body movement....

Body Language of a King

There is a misconception about body language and body movement being one and the same. Is it so..? And the actual answer is no. Then what is the difference between both of these..?

Body Language:
It is said to be a language just because it is a popular culture. Body language is not a language but it's a study of a character's behaviour. Behavioural changes in a person or a character is said to be the changes in his actions and reactions. This is what a body language is all about.
Every person has a unique quality in him / her which differentiates them from others other than their looks. This is due to body language. A person might have subtle similarities in them but they are not mirror effects.

 

Body Language of a beggar

From actor / director / writer's point of view:
An actor has to enact a character. It maybe familiar or unfamiliar. The character has to have different and it's unique identity which is defined through his or her body language. So studying, understanding and applying that particular study to that character becomes necessary. This is possible in two methods.

1) psychological observation: if u observe every person neatly and keenly, then the uniqueness in that person can be used somewhere to justify a character's body language.

2) animal study: there are times when we have highly unfamiliar character's to portray. In such a case, animal characteristics can guide us as per the situation as in which animal characteristics match or resemble to the character. So that animal can be studies for the purpose of portraying that character in it's own body language.

Same thing is for a writer or director.

Body movement:
This consists of organ movements like hands, facial muscles, head, feet, etc. This doesn't explain your character or identity. But this explains the actual movement of the organs or whole from one place or even after being steady. Habits again, cannot be distinguished as body movement but it's body language as it defines a persons behaviour / identity.

Clubbing them together will bring an effect of action and reaction in that particular situation.

This proves newton's law - every action has it's equal and opposite reaction. To bring action into action, measures taken are the body movements but the way of reacting as per one's behaviour and psychological tendency (which is different for different people) is body language.

Eg. : Drinking water is a body movement
Being satisfied after quenching of thirst is the body language.

Raising hand to hit someone is a body movement
Hitting someone in anger is body language. That is the way of reaction.

Walking is body movement
Walking like a careless person or like a hefty person is the body language.

Gestures, organ movement, etc are body movements.