Werewolves Stance/Gait/ etc

[Marcwolf]

Hi.. This is my first post to the group.. I'm Marcwolf, and have had a keen interesting in werewolves for a long time. I also am a fursuiter and have an interest in anatomy and special effects.

I have always seen werewolves as a entity that combines the features of both man and wolf, and used them to the best advantage.

The human chest and shoulder structure allows more degree of movement than a lupine one, and hands do have a distinct advantage for manipulating objects.

Legs - I have always seen the werewolf as a digitgrade walker. To lift heavier weights etc one only had to straigthen the knee and rest the hocks on the ground to give a firmer and stronger stance. But for running one uses the natural spring effect of the foots for a sprinters gait. Tail is also used for balance and steering.
Sadly doing a costume like this is not easy for a couple of reasons.

Firstly if one was to strap a foot extension the body/legs ration swings way out.
To counter than you will have to lengthen the body and put the actors head into the neck, and that will distort the shoulder lie because the shoulder will be too low down the torso. It can be faked but not effectively (I've done the fake and my costume is on my web link http://marcwolf.org)

There are some artists around who have done wonderful artwork and have a keen eye for anatomical details.. Goldevwolf is one for example.

Intellect - - why not.. its a tool, and with a wolves instincts and cunning and a humans resourcefulness its a excellent combination. However I am tired of seeing werewolves just being agressive. Aggression serves a purpose but I can easily imagine a werewolf sitting on a branch chuckling at the mob below who are looking and have NOT idea where to look. Wolves are naturally playful and intelligent. Killing is for need only, and even fight just hurt pride more than flesh.
Yeah I know that for many cultures Werewolves are suppost to be portents of evil etc.

Clothing - not necessary as fur is an excellent protector and less lightly to get caught on things.

Maleness/femaleness.. Touchy subject i know.. But breasts on belly and only really present whilst lactating. Ask a female runner what she thinks on the chest variety.
Male organs - canid like and protected against the belly with sheath. Easier to run and jump over things and not have a bad case of Joggers Bounce!!

Of the best movie werewolves I have seen - Van Helsing certainly are up there.. However broader skull, and TAIL.. Its helps with the balance.

Underworld - Interesting variant and certaily very good prosthetics. Look at the special on the DVD.

Dog Soliders - Also good but I found the werewolves to be too gangly. That height is not good for forest running.

The Howling - Ok - the place setter for the modern werewolf.. Farewell Lon Chaney Wolfman..

Just my views..

Take care alll

Marc

[forsaken_wolf]

what I would say kinda true of what you said and usually I read in books that werewolves are out for revenge or they just ran into a witch and had a cursed layed on them can't they be friendly for once or something like that and I liked you're website even though you wrote this like a year ago or 2 years ago and Im like the only one who posted a comment and thats all I can say

[Jamie]

Most of these concerns have already been addressed in individual, specialized posts.

However, I don't remember seeing "gait" before, so I'll tell you my opinions about that.

I prefer werewolves with a fluid, graceful motion, some forward lean when moving fast, but not an awkward hunched-up look. I particularly hate seeing an ape-like gait or the movie-caveman's side-to-side awkward lurch. Werewolves should move like creatures with anatomy that works well and could run you down in a trice. They should not move like they are retarded, in pain or inside an awkward costume.

I suppose the best way to acheive a fluid grace while in costumes would be to hire professional ballet dancers for those parts. After all, balancing on digitigrade legs might actually be easier than balancing on those wooden blocks ballet dancers have inside their shoes.

[Kirk Hammett]

Of the best movie werewolves I have seen - Van Helsing certainly are up there.. However broader skull, and TAIL.. Its helps with the balance.

I'd have to agree on that. Look at the dinosaurs; many of them had enormously thick tails to aid in balance and movement.

The tail would have to be fairly thick and large, well thick depending on the fur coat and season I suppose. While Ginger Snaps certainly gained my interest on it's magnification of the entire tail episode, it was too tiny to be very good. Like a tiny rat tail...on an enormous rat of no proportions (Since rats have big tails).

And tails are used for communication too!

But I think I agree it'd play a major role in the wolf's overall gait, and grace as well, how he or she hunts and moves and communicates also.

[Wolfhanyou]

I agree that the tail would help alot with the balence issue, especially on digigrade legs. My own opinion on how a werewolf would walk would be to lean foreward slightly, but not be hunched over, and still be confortable. I've played around with some of my friends doing this, but many times I've nearly tipped over because I lost my balance.

[Silverclaw]

I agree completely with Jamie No ape/caveman swagga They should move with ease, slightly leaning forward. Graceful, no crashing clumsly through the forest. They would run on twos but just as easily go to running on all fours without troable. (Though pure wolf form is best for runnin) The tail shouldnt just be something pinned on. Wolfie emotions are shown a lot with it.
Best way to find the perfect WW gait would be with animation/costume tests. That would be a fun process Though hard.

[Kirk Hammett]

Haha Planet of the Apes style.

Except those were men running as apes not wolves, but it was interesting to watch that. Humans have a raised sort of back when they run on fours because I guess our legs are longer, so in the shift that'd have to change, or they'd be slightly hump backed! So when they're running on two legs, would the legs be shorter, or longer, and how would it affect their four legged gait.

So I remember from running on all fours as a kid, on my toes and 'paw' hands.

[Scott Gardener]

I agree completely. Wolves aren't lumbering oafs; they're elegant, beautiful, scary, and fast. The arms outstretched Frankenstein's monster days are over!

[Fenrir]

I agree completely. Wolves aren't lumbering oafs; they're elegant, beautiful, scary, and fast. The arms outstretched Frankenstein's monster days are over!

Agreed

sounds like a zombie werewolf with their arms outstretched.... Brains, BRAINS

[Lupin]

?

[Figarou]

I agree completely with Jamie No ape/caveman swagga They should move with ease, slightly leaning forward.

Have you seen Ginger Snaps 3? That scene towards the end where the werewolves walk past the gate was just like a gorrilla walking.


TERRIBLE....terrible.... terrible

[Set]

So when they're running on two legs, would the legs be shorter, or longer, and how would it affect their four legged gait.

For a werewolf to be able to run on all fours in gestalt form without shifting the arms would have to be really long. Otherwise you end up with a butt in the air and it looks really awkward. However, there is a right and a wrong way to do it without the orangutan arms or mini-shift...

Anyone ever see a documentary that includes a charging bear? Their hind feet hit the ground at the same time while their front paws are off the ground. Then the front ones hit while the back feet are off the ground. What if the gestalt form werewolf had a (running) gait like a bear?

*senses on high alert for incoming duckies...*

[Kirk Hammett]

I agree completely with Jamie No ape/caveman swagga They should move with ease, slightly leaning forward.

Have you seen Ginger Snaps 3? That scene towards the end where the werewolves walk past the gate was just like a gorrilla walking.


TERRIBLE....terrible.... terrible

Ugh yes. At first I was like...furred wolves! Bushy tails!

And then they just looked like humans in suits

Anyone ever see a documentary that includes a charging bear? Their hind feet hit the ground at the same time while their front paws are off the ground. Then the front ones hit while the back feet are off the ground. What if the gestalt form werewolf had a (running) gait like a bear?

Im sure Ive seen that, Id have to have another look, but I know what you mean, it could look cool!

[garouda]

So when they're running on two legs, would the legs be shorter, or longer, and how would it affect their four legged gait.

For a werewolf to be able to run on all fours in gestalt form without shifting the arms would have to be really long. Otherwise you end up with a butt in the air and it looks really awkward. However, there is a right and a wrong way to do it without the orangutan arms or mini-shift...

Anyone ever see a documentary that includes a charging bear? Their hind feet hit the ground at the same time while their front paws are off the ground. Then the front ones hit while the back feet are off the ground. What if the gestalt form werewolf had a (running) gait like a bear?

*senses on high alert for incoming duckies...*

The gait you are describing is a full on 'gallop'. The stance of a gestalt werewolf will have a direct relationship to WHAT it is doing at any given moment.

Much of these have to do with center of gravity and balance issues.

If it is just standing there, it will be upright. The faster it is seeking to move forward, the more likely that it will either be leaning forward or all the way onto all fours.

I most definitely DO NOT want to see a gestalt werewolf walking and looking like some sort of long armed stinking skunk ape.

( has nightmare visions of the ultra low budget 'Plan Nine from Outer Space' in which the funds were so slim, that the producers used a Gorilla Suit for their monster. They did end up, making however, a sort of Cult Film. Famous for being so raunchily mediocre. )

[Kirk Hammett]

Gorilla suit -shudder- I had a nightmare once that me and some guy were looking through werewolf movies and one of them was a grey gorilla. We were calling it crap and really terrible. It was really, really terrible.

Go to that Youtube site and you will see terrible werewolves.

Ugh !!!!

[garouda]

This is so remarkable, and frankly appropos to the subject that I felt I must introduce it:

The Family That Walks On All Fours

This is REAL.

[Set]

A normal human can learn to walk on all fours, and even run that way. It takes practice though and will be difficult. As you can clearly see from that article though human length arms dictate that to do so one would have to stick their butt in the air.

Children raised by wild animals (usually wolves) walk in this manner.

[Jamie]

Anyone ever see a documentary that includes a charging bear? Their hind feet hit the ground at the same time while their front paws are off the ground. Then the front ones hit while the back feet are off the ground. What if the gestalt form werewolf had a (running) gait like a bear?

*senses on high alert for incoming duckies...*

Trying deliberately to imitate a running bear would certainly be one way to try to avoid the ape/caveman lurch.

[Kirk Hammett]

A normal human can learn to walk on all fours, and even run that way. It takes practice though and will be difficult. As you can clearly see from that article though human length arms dictate that to do so one would have to stick their butt in the air.

Children raised by wild animals (usually wolves) walk in this manner.

I did it all the time as a child and I was very fast and was able to leap very high. I remember a discussion like this somewhere on this board and I remember being amazed that a lot of people on here could run on all fours too!!

Of course me being female (despite my name), and growing breasts and all, it grew difficult when I hit 15ish, they grew too big and the yard too small. I played animal games with Steph, like Lion King and wolf packs, usually very complex storylines though, but then we moved to LARP type fantasy rpg but we'd shapeshift a lot so there'd be all fours running and we even raced a lot too.

I cant remember how I learnt. When you're a kid, things are probably quicker?

And that article is spectacular too! Wow! Though when I walked I protected my palms by curling my fingers in. I still walk upstairs that way. It's easier, but I walk sort of on my knuckles like a gorilla. Haha I'm sure many people walk upstairs that way! So much easier!

[Morkulv]

This is so remarkable, and frankly appropos to the subject that I felt I must introduce it:

The Family That Walks On All Fours

This is REAL.

Its allways silly to see humans walking on all fours because our butt is always in the air. But that also needs practice though.