MOVIE CHARACTERS: Fundamentals

[Jarradical]

Hey Fox

You've done some awesome analysis there. I'd love to see more! In keeping with the vampire theme... if you've ever watched True Blood I'm sure you could get some great analysis from watching Alexander Skarsgard and Stephen Moyer.

Cheers

Jarradical

 

[Jay]

This is actually good stuff Fox.

As against everyones inner manliness as it feels, watching TV shows and movies that are more geared towards females is where you can get some of the best examples of tight fundamentals. They hire the men in these shows/movies specifically for that reason; they have their fundamentals down to a science, and will draw women to watch, and keep them watching.

However this can also of course be the case in more masculine shows; I was recently watching an episode of Boardwalk Empire (great fucking show if anyone hasn't seen it, give it a go) and was picking up some good stuff from the way Gyp Rossetti talked to Gillian Darmody, the whole conversation he oozes sexual power. Granted he isn't the greatest overall example of how to treat women...but his fundamentals tend to be flawless when talking to them.

 

[monsterslimjim]

What to tweak:
1. When making eye contact with a girl before she makes eye contact with you, you'll want to look away first so she doesn't feel too much pressure, so she can observe you, so she can determine whether or not you're a threat, etc.

I have heard the exact opposite here. That you do not want to break eye contact first so it shows your dominance when she is observing you. Also, it gives you the chance to see when she breaks eye contact (maybe looks down), like Fox said, is a big sign of attraction.

But as far as movies go, I'll watch a movie that I have already seen before just to study some of the characters. My favorite movies to study are definitely James Bond films. I especially like the early ones with Sean Connery. Watch Goldfinger and Dr. No and you can see how he is so calm and calculated but also so dominant and masculine. I also like the fact that James Bond is so direct with women. He knows hes on a mission and he wont be there long so he needs to get his girls right away. But obviously being a badass secret agent with a license to kill can definitely help get you a few LR's in the field haha

-Monsterslimjim

 

[goldenglory]

Great thread man, will definitely have to go through this in a bit more detail when I get chance!

Doctor No would certainly be a good shout for another one. Very first scene in the casino - 'Tell me Miss Trench, do you play any other games?' Perfect illustration of direct/indirect that Chase was talking about in a recent blog.

Here's a few other sources of inspiration I can think of-

1) Don Draper - Mad Men. Seldom talks about himself. Doesn't work hard to be impressive or crack jokes a mile a minute. Yet blows everyone away whenever he does open his mouth. Probably the God of the Law of Least Effort
2) Hank Moody - Californication - Enough said. Incredible 'vibe.' Master of being playful with women. Knows how to persist without being needy. Uses humor to make women relax but somehow comes off very nonchalant and non-needy. And yeah... gets laid all the time without even trying. Not sure how realistic a role model Duchovny is, but the show's definitely worth a watch.
3) Eric Northman - True Blood - Ok, the show has gone to shit and Eric seems to bang as many men as he does women. But still, he's incredibly charismatic. Sexy, edgy and ultra composed, even in life or death situations.
4) Michael Fassbender - Shame - This film hardly set's up Michael Fassbender's character as someone to aspire to, but regardless, the movie has one of the most mind blowing seduction scenes I've ever seen. (The one in the bar/back alley.) Seedy as hell yes, but illustrates brilliantly what is actually possible and the power of strong eyecontact/fundamentals.

 

[--Howl--]

Ok, here are my thoughts:

TVD is a fantastic show, and it's easy to see why girls like it so much. It knows that you're going to turn it on and think that it's pretty and shallow, but it moves REALLY fast, is totally unpredictable, with quite a few dashes of violent cruelty, but always playful and fun, and keeps you guessing. Sound familiar. It's a very seductive show, and not just because the CW must pay snipers to shoot any remotely ugly people on sight. Ian Somerhalder has great body language, and I think footage of him with Nina Dobrev (who plays Elena), is even better and a great energetic model for anyone who wants a relationship with that level of chemistry, particularly with a younger woman, as there's quite a difference in their ages.

I think a lot of it is getting into the "energy" of a seductive character, and maybe fusing a few together that you really connect with. My video resources were a lot of what Rion Williams was posting online (sort of the opposite, looking at a lot of genuinely beautiful, feminine, "natural" women who weren't trying to use their bodies to get something out of you), and some of the early Enrique Iglesias videos where he takes a girl onstage and sings to her, and brushes her hair back and she just freaks the F!@K out. The Hank Moody seductions seem a little unnatural to me, for some reason, but if it works go for it.

The archetype is Marlon Brando. In The Wild One, or On The Waterfront he has this mesmerizing physicality. I mean, this guy changed the world with a tough walk and a mumble. Check these out if you haven't seen them. Bogart in Casablanca, and especially in his scenes with Lauren Bacall are likewise excellent.

 

[Verisimilitude]

Hey Fox I love what you're doing here. One of the scenes that I'd love to have you give your analysis on is this one (I mean the writers are basically begging guys to emulate it)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD-cv7UyMDw

So here's what I see.

#1 The "eye thing": After gutting it out and watching the show, I realized that Damon keeps his eyes squinted for most of the times when he speaks. But occasionally to accentuate important words, he opens them slightly and then smiles. Seems to work pretty well for him.

#2 Sexy smiling: Never shows his teeth and it's usually slight smile.

#3 Doesn't let her win the frame battle: This is an awkward moment for him, his secrets out and it could've easily stopped their romantic relationship from going further. He doesn't give in, acts a little immature, but lets her know that she doesn't control him (in a nice funny way)

 

[Verisimilitude]

Yeah man this is a perfect example of how to do "bedroom eyes" and sexy smiling. Wish it was from a different angle, but it makes you work that much harder to get it down. That's hilarious that you actually got to use that line.

I'm trying to be more of a bad boy, so any other examples would help a lot. Damon might be over the top, but its exactly the kind of extreme that a nice guy like me needs to change his thought process.

 

[Verisimilitude]

Hey I know its been a while for this thread, but you talked about how Damon flips between being warm and sexy. Anyone know of any ways to do that? I want to be a warm person, but I also want to be edgy and a bad boy.When I try to be warm, I talk too much and I come off entertaining. When I try to be a bad boy, I'm too closed off.
Any advice?

 

[DavidEdge]

Great stuff, I never would've thought tv could come in handy to tighten ones fundamentals

 

[DakenMarquis]

Hey where's the thread this one is responding to? Can anyone post it?