There are two times people move: when they're talking-and when they're not talking.

Notice the two general patterns.

When people move during a pause (while they're not talking), the movement does not overlap either the end of their last spoken phrase or the beginning of their next spoken phrase. Usually they pause to take a breath. Sometimes to emphasize their words.

When people move during a spoken phrase, they generally start moving on the first syllable of the phrase and stop moving on the last syllable.

By watching others in natural conversation, we find them using these over-all movement-speech patterns. Instinctively, they are obeying two laws: the laws of timing, which are these patterns organized and codified.

People completely fill a pause with movement or they exactly synchronize speech with movement because—they're doing what comes naturally. Their dialogue is spontaneous conversation, created under real-life conditions. Consciously or subconsciously, they direct their own scenes, in settings and situations they voluntarily accept or reject.

The actor speaks dialogue created by someone else. He does it under conditions deliberately created by someone else. He is directed by someone else, in settings and situations arbitrarily devised by someone else.

In other words, he plays a part. The source of what he has to say and do, when, where and how he has to say and do it is outside himself.

The actor's problem is to make what he says and does, where, when and how he says and does it seem real. As IF he were the source.

The actor's solution to that problem is the use of common denominators, or connectors. One of the tremendously important common denominators to help the actor in his substitution of a character's personality for his own is the dual pattern of movement and speech.

There are two times people move: when they're talking—and when they're not talking.

That pattern becomes your TWO LAWS OF TIMING.

First Law of Timing—Movement During a Pause:

Move during the whole pause and nothing but the pause.

Second Law of Timing Movement During a Vocal Phrase:

Start the movement on the first syllable and end it on the last syllable.

Now that you've focused your aware-beam on the two laws of timing as a connector and common denominator between acting and real life, burn them into your conscious mind.

Start with the eyes, face, arms and hands in some single actions you make every day. We'll arbitrarily use them in some flexibility and control exercises.

We will call each single action a UNIT OF MOTION.

Before you start your first flexibility exercise, sit down and look straight front Imagine your head completely filling a motion-picture screen with your nose at dead center. Your chin touches the bottom of the screen, and the crown of your head touches the top.

Mentally pinpoint your nose at dead center of the imaginary screen. Don't let the pull of gravity draw your head down, thereby dragging your nose below dead center. Don't let your head drift or tilt to one side.

In practicing the exercise, follow the numbered order of the units of motion.

You're establishing a technique habit of making one clean unit of motion.

Do each unit of motion to a count of four. If you're working with someone, take turns calling off the drill. If you have a tape recorder, pre-record the drill for yourself. If you have no outside assistance, call the drill mentally as you do it. Be sure your eyes move in clean, straight lines.

All right, now. Head-on close-up. Nose dead center. Let's go.

Exercise

(Repeat Ten Times)

You have just done an exercise using arbitrarily selected units of motion. A whole procession of them—a continuity calvacade.

Practice this exercise until each independent unit of motion follows the other with clocklike precision. There must be absolutely no overlapping between units. No drifting, jiggling, or squirming before, during or after the units of motion.

It may take several days to get the precise perfection of custom-made machinery into this continuity cavalcade. But they'll be interesting days. Days of important achievement.

Focus your aware-beam on the arbitrary units of motion. Pull them firmly into your conscious mind. Work on them till you have absorbed them into your subconscious. Then they will become your tools. You will be able to use them automatically—on command.

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