Mr. Hardy, and Mr. Bardem

HAAAAAAAAAAAAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Y'all best be gittin' ready for a great year! Awesome things are happening!

I wanted to start off this year just pointing out some actors that really truly make you not want to blink while they are on screen! Javier Bardem and Tom Hardy, two method actors that really show what it means to create a convincing character. In every single role they portray is new and exciting. Why? Because they are just comfortable in the roles they are given, there is nothing forced and nothing feigned:

 

Here, one of my favourite pieces of cinema, Bardem is the Bond villain in Skyfall and what a performance. He enters the room and by the pacing of his walk and way he talks you have no question as to the fact that this man has no shadow of a doubt that he is confident in his abilities do accomplish his goals. You might also notice that a lot of the scene he stands with his fingers interlocked, which is often associated with putting up a guard or being nervous, but this time, he is just furthering his level of calculation that is he is apparently going through.

I also recently watch Legend... My gosh, what a movie. Hardy plays the legendary gangster Kray twins in this movie, but these twins have few to no similarities besides appearance. The way he differentiates the characters is by very slight differences but he sells them effectively. Yes, one of the twins wears glasses, but Hardy also chooses to jut his chin out and have a chronic case of RMF (Resting Mean Face) when playing that character. In every scene I was never confused as to which Hardy was which Kray and they helped me to stay within the story, one thing was consistent, they were gangsters through and through.

***MIND THE LANGUAGE***

All this being said, these characters are well thought out and very strongly portrayed. They showed character with indicating, by which I mean overplaying the character.

So...

1. Clarity:
• When animating, make sure to have traits that sell your idea for your character and who they are, no matter how short the shot, make sure that it sells your idea clearly.
2. Consistency:
• Ensure that the viewer is never confused as to who the character is at any given point in you shot/sequence/story.
3. Comfort:
• It's never interesting to watch an actor acting on stage/set, it's only interesting to watch character in their world. Let your character be in their worlds.

You might learn that I LoOoOve me some alliteration! I love to use it in obviously opportune occurrences! These are just a few things to remember when planning/animating your characters.