This year I got a little obsessed with body language after discovering the show “Lie to Me” on Netflix. Such a great show! In the midst of getting hooked on the show, I discovered the book “What Every Body is Saying” by Joe Navarro.
The show and the book are about body language — specifically, how our bodies confirm or deny what we’re saying. The idea is to look for micro-expressions, physical tells that show if we’re comfortable or uncomfortable, and their connection to whether we’re telling the truth or not.
By studying body language on the show and in daily life, I found that writing a screenplay is infinitely easier. We tell people how we’re feeling — no matter how much we try to hide it — with our bodies. You can’t write that a character has a certain feeling, but you can show it with their actions easily enough.
For example, a couple in love may play footsie. Someone hearing good news, as Navarro explains, might lift his toes to the sky before he ever utters a word. A person ashamed over something carries their body a certain way.
It’s fascinating stuff. I’d like to read the book again now that these lessons have had time to sink in. It’s a fantastic book, and it’s an easy read. Great thing to take on a plane because you can stop / start reading it easily.
I highly recommend “What Every Body is Saying” and “Lie to Me” to filmmakers — especially screen writers, actors, and directors. Experiencing both the show and book within the same time frame helped a lot of things click for me. Stuff I’d learned nearly 10 years ago in acting classes, coupled with things I’d read in books on directing, all started to come together.
When you read it, let me know what you think, eh? Enjoy!