Brian Timoney, Author at Brian Timoney Acting

In this episode, Brian and Joe sit down to chat about honing your rehearsal skills, with tips and guidance based on their own personal experiences – from the first read of a new script, to the read-through with the cast, through to the rehearsals – to make sure you rehearse like a pro.

11 things you will learn about:
• The script: What to look for when you first read it through
• Understanding your character’s journey
• Get scribbling: The importance of making notes on the script
• Gut reaction – Why that first script read is so important
• Lessons from the Greats: How De Niro and Hopkins do it
• The read-through – Why you shouldn’t over-prepare
• Permission to develop: Taking your hands off the flight controls
• Explore, Investigate, Create: Bringing a little flavour
• The impact of the “hidden culture” in a cast
• The rehearsal: Adding subtlety and colour – Layers
• The next level: Method Acting and sensorial improvisation

SCRIPTHERE

“Showbusiness is not so much dog eats dog, as dog doesn’t return other dog’s phone calls.” – Woody Allen

You may have heard that the acting world is tough, cutthroat and merciless, and that at any one time, 92% of those in the profession are out of work. Well it’s important you understand something- it’s true.

The chances of finding success are slimmer than in any other industry, and it’s completely saturated with hopeful actors, who may be every bit as talented as you.

If those odds are enough to send you running for the hills, go ahead, and sprint as fast as you can, because if you can see yourself doing anything else as a career, do it. Becoming an actor will mean putting all your eggs in one, rather flimsy, basket, and before you do that, you need to be absolutely in love with acting, and obsessed with the idea of being an actor.

So, You Want to Become an Actor

Here are some harsh truths about the challenges you face…

1. So much depends on luck

Ever heard the phrase ‘right place, right time’? Well it probably applies to every successful actor you’ve ever heard of. From Mel Gibson bagging Mad Max due to a fight leaving his face appropriately battered, to Charlize Theron getting a shot at acting after a talent agent helped her win an argument in a bank, there are countless stories behind the success of well-known actors who were just lucky enough to be in the right place and have a shot at their dream. The truth is, talent or not, you need to have luck on your side to even get the chance to show what you can do.

2. It will stop you from building a career

To become an actor means 100% commitment, or you may as well not even try. If you get an audition you have to be there, and if you get chosen, you need to be able to make yourself available for however many weeks the project demands. But due to the inconsistent pattern of jobs you’re likely to get, you’ll probably need another job to supplement your income, at least at first. So what kind of industry allows you to work outside of audition and workshop hours? The hospitality industry. Yes, you’ll probably end up working in a bar or restaurant, polishing glasses and dreaming about your big break. You’ll get the time off you need, but a major drawback is you won’t be able to build a ‘fall-back’ career out of it. So while you spend months or years at the bottom of the hospitality food chain, you’ll only be able to watch as your friends and peers get promotions and raises as they travel up the conventional career ladder.

3. Casting isn’t always fair

It isn’t even a secret that Hollywood and the acting world have been known as relative hotbeds of nepotism, pretty much since their inception. Celebrity acting ‘dynasties’ like the Redgraves and the Foxes have been around for decades, and when it comes to casting, things certainly aren’t always down to talent. You may very well run into a situation where you miss out on a part because the producer’s daughter wants to act, for example, and there will be nothing you can do about it. Unless you’re family is firmly rooted in the business, or you have a lot of powerful friends, you have to accept, you may be at a loss before you’ve even auditioned.

4. You might end up doing ads more than anything else

If you dream of serious acting, and splitting your time between the West End and Hollywood, get ready for a shock: the most you can probably hope for is a successful career making ads. Your dream of serious stage acting may well even fizzle out through years of fighting to be one of three chosen to eat breakfast cereal and smile. And with jobs few and far between, you will be grateful to be working at all. You’ll be getting paid, and your face will be out there at least, but it probably won’t be what you had in mind when you first embarked on a career in acting.

To Act or not to Act

So how do you feel about becoming an actor now? Despite it’s glamorous appearance, the acting world is an extremely difficult place to build a career, and will demand everything from you but be unwilling to give you much back.

If that’s enough for you to call it quits now, do it. If it’s scary enough to read about it, it will be 10 times worse living through it: go off and find yourself a safe, regular job.

And if you’re still here, more determined than ever to make it, you’re braver than most people – and you actually have a good chance of making it.

Here’s what you can do to better your chances.

Make Smart Training Choices

If you are new to acting, and are interested in a formal drama qualification such as a degree, don’t be tempted to sign up for three years at a minor university, which is unlikely to offer much in the way of job opportunities after graduation, even if it is easy to get in. You’re far better looking at practical acting courses that will not only teach you about the craft of acting, but also the business of acting.

Actress Rachel Lin offers newcomers some very valuable advice: “sign yourself up for an acting class stat.” Talking about moving to New York to become an actor she writes,

chances are, you will not land a part for the next few months. Taking a class will keep your head in the game while you sort out the logistics of finding an apartment, establishing an income and making friends.

If you’ve just left drama school, or are looking to fill up some free time when work is slow, you will do yourself a huge favour by signing up for a few acting classes.

If you’re looking for a serious training course, or a way to break out of that 9-5 job, and know that acting is for you, consider our One Year Ultimate Acting Class. It offers exceptional training in method acting and concludes with a showcase at one of London’s most prestigious industry private members’ club, in the heart of Theatre-land on Shaftesbury Avenue.

Auditions for the October 2016 intake will take place in June. Acting is a tough world and only those with an unwavering passion for drama can make it. If you think that sounds like you, we look forward to seeing you at the auditions.

Method actors have won over 80% of ‘Best Actor’ Academy Awards in the last decade.

Method acting is often looked upon as an extreme and mysterious way to improve an actor’s performance, but when it comes down to the bottom-line box office figures and academy awards, it’s hard to argue with its obvious benefits.

From Joaquin Phoenix to Meryl Streep, some of the world’s most respected and celebrated performers follow the Method and find great success as a result. To illustrate this point, we’ve put together some of the most revealing method acting facts and statistics…

Method Acting Facts, Figures and Awards

1. The Academy agrees

Method actors have won over 80% of ‘Best Actor’ Academy Awards in the last decade. With The Method being a technique that allows you to feel true inspiration at will, it has worked its magic on the big screen, leading to a whole lot of prestigious Academy Awards. It is a fact that The Method helps to create real, in depth, believable characters, and over 100 actors have won Oscars by following it.

2. The success of Daniel Day Lewis

One of the craft’s most cherished sons, Daniel Day Lewis is arguably one of the most successful actors in the world, and is widely known to be a method actor. He has won three Academy Awards for ‘Best Actor’: the only actor ever to do so in that category, most recently for Lincoln. Putting his success down to his meticulous preparation, using the method, he inhibits the role, and refuses to break character on set. Having reportedly tattooed himself in preparation for The Crucible, trained for a year and a half to portray Danny Flynn in The Boxer, and contracted pneumonia after refusing to wear anything but historically accurate coats on the set of Gangs of New York, his dedication to his profession is extreme yet inspiring, and it shines through in his performances.

3. The Pianist

Roman Polanski’s The Pianist was made on a $35m budget and starred Adrien Brody as a Polish- Jewish pianist during World War Two, based on the memoirs of Władysław Szpilman. It made a budget quadrupling $120.1m at the box office, and currently holds a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the best to be released in 2002. Many critics hailed the performance of Brody as particularly impressive and he won a ‘Best Actor’ Academy Award for his efforts, at 29 the youngest ever to do so. He achieved such a feat by taking heavily from the Method. He practiced piano for four hours every day, moved to Europe with few belongings in preparation and lost 30 pounds of weight to more accurately portray his starving character. He described his experience as fulfilling, and expressed that suffering in such a way allowed him to ‘find a greater connection to the material’, allowing him to be honest in his performance. The result is a powerful film that was both a great commercial and critical success.

4. Kate Winslet’s first Oscar

Kate Winslet had already been acting for quite some time when in 2008 she won the part of Hanna Schmitz in The Reader. The story of an illiterate woman and ex-Nazi told through the eyes of her 15-year-old lover, it is an extremely poignant film, with particularly impressive performances. Having taken from The Method to bring the character of Hanna to life, Winslet found it very difficult to return to regular life, saying in an interview: “It’s like I’ve escaped from a serious car accident and need to understand what has just happened.” It reportedly took her two months to feel back to normal, after connecting so deeply with her troubled character. The film made $108m at the box office, and Winslet won a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Actress.

5. The Most Harrowing Joker

It is impossible to talk about the effectiveness of Method acting without mentioning Heath Ledger, and his career defining performance as the Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight. Now considered one of the best superhero movies of all time, audiences were captivated by Ledger’s terrifying Joker, and the transformation he underwent to portray the character. The Method was key to helping Ledger to craft his performance, and his preparation for the role was immense. From his erratic diary that he kept as he isolated himself and built up his emotional connection to the character, to the reports that he refused to break character on set and ran on two hours sleep a night, his commitment was unwavering, and the result is a performance so seamless, it is difficult to fault it.

6. It’s as popular today as it’s ever been

Method acting has been a technique in use in Hollywood since Stanislavski and Strasberg were around, throughout the Golden Age, and all the way up to the modern day, and it isn’t showing any signs of disappearing. It allows actors to create career defining characters, and many benefit hugely from the natural performance they can give due to the techniques that it offers them. And while some actors, such as Edward Norton and Christian Bale are ‘Method Actors’ and commit 100% to the technique, others find success by taking inspiration or aspects from the Method, such as Anne Hathaway did, when she famously had her hair cut for real on the set of Les Miserables, (a role for which she was also awarded an Oscar).

Though it continues to be misunderstood and shrouded in relative secrecy, ‘The Method’ has helped actors take their skills to the next level for decades, and will certainly do so in the future. Want to find out more about ‘The Method’ yourself? Why not apply for our 3 day Method Acting Bootcamp?

Lots of people love the idea of becoming an actor, but how do you get started? Whether you are completely new to the field or already have some amateur acting experience, taking the leap into the world of professional performance isn’t an overnight process.

Becoming an Actor – What’s the First Step?

Becoming an actor requires a great deal of dedication and determination and you have to be proactive. You can’t simply sit around waiting for someone to discover you. Instead, you need to get out there and learn the skills required to break into the industry.

The minute that you’re not learning I believe you’re dead. – Jack Nicholson

There are various options when it comes to gaining the knowledge and experience you’ll need to become a professional actor. Making the wrong choice can waste years of your life, not to mention a whole lot of money, and leave you no closer to realising your dream. When making your decision, ask yourself this: will I actually walk away from this with the knowledge and skills I need to land an agent, get auditions and win professional roles? If not, you really are wasting your time.

Amateur productions

Getting involved in a local community theatre or an amateur dramatics society is a fantastic way to test the waters and see if acting is something you’re actually going to enjoy. There are literally thousands of local amateur drama groups you can join that will give you the chance to try out your performance skills, meet other people who share your interest and gain experience of being in front of an audience. There are also all sorts of projects such as amateur short films you can potentially get involved in to get wider acting experience.

The problem is there’s a pretty wide gulf between taking part in these sorts of non-professional productions and getting into actual paid work in the industry. Although you may pick up some useful knowledge about acting, auditioning and the like, with these kinds of amateur productions there is a certain element of the blind leading the blind. If you really want to know how to make it as a professional actor, you need to speak to the people who have been there and done that.

While taking part in amateur productions can be really fun and rewarding, if you are serious about becoming an actor, it really is advisable to step up and look at getting professional training.

College courses

If you are still at school, or have access to a college offering courses for adults, you could consider taking a drama class. This should give you a basic grounding in some of the work involved in being an actor and staging productions, including acting, directing, costume making, set building and stage design. Again, this can be a good way to get a first taste of how the industry works and give you a broad understanding of some of the skills involved.

The problem is, by being so broad and aimed at beginners, college courses will only really give you the most basic insight into the industry. Sadly you are highly unlikely to walk out of a college course and into an auction for your first big break and, if you did, you almost certainly wouldn’t get the job.

If you are still at school, taking a drama course makes perfect sense as it can help nudge you in the right direction. However, if you’re an adult looking for the best way to become a professional actor, a college drama course is unlikely to be the best use of your time and money as it will still leave you with a whole lot to learn.

Getting a degree

There are a variety of different degrees you can take focused around acting and performance, including Drama, Theatre Studies and even pure Acting. These will go into a lot more depth than a college course and there’s no doubt that if you apply yourself you can come out a much better actor with a decent understanding of the industry.

The problem is that getting a degree will take anywhere from 3 to 6 years (depending on whether you choose to study full-time or part-time) and at the end there is no guarantee that you will be able to find professional work. It’s also not cheap, with tuition fees likely to set you back many tens of thousands of pounds or dollars. That’s a massive commitment of time and money for something that has absolutely no guarantee of getting you anywhere.

Having a degree is not going to get you more work. – Mark Summers (award-winning casting director)

The other problem with getting a degree is that, while it may teach you a lot of useful stuff about acting and working in the industry, many courses do not set you up with a clear route into the industry. When looking at courses, make sure to find out what they will do to actually help you starting winning roles. After all, all the training in the world is no use if you can get in front of the right people to show them what you can do. You need to make sure that you learn just as much about the business of acting as you do about acting itself.

Drama school

For many people who dream of becoming an actor, getting into drama school seems like the ultimate prize. Many successful actors have been through drama school and there is absolutely no doubt that a BA in acting from a leading drama school will teach you a lot of valuable stuff. Drama schools also tend to be more professionally focused and you are likely to come out with important professional tools, such as a show reel. You may even get the chance to perform in a showcase in front of industry professionals who can help give you your first leg-up into the industry.

All this sounds great, and it is, but just like taking a degree at university, studying BA Acting at drama school will take you at least 3 years and cost a lot of money. It’s also not so great if you’re an older person looking for a change of career as you are likely to be in the minority. If you are looking for a change of career, 3 years of full-time study is a huge commitment to make for something which might not work.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that many drama schools focus heavily on stage acting, which is fine, if that’s what you want to do. If you are more interested in getting on screen, however, you need to realise that acting for the camera is very different to acting for a live audience. Make sure any course you apply to offers the right kind of training for your career ambitions, otherwise you are likely to be wasting your time and money and severely hampering your chances of becoming an actor.

What most drama courses wont teach you

If you’re going to survive, then being properly trained is crucial, not just in acting technique but also in the techniques of getting a job, building a career and surviving in the longer term. – Richard Jordan (theatre producer)

If your goal is to start working as a professional actor, many drama courses will help you a little bit, but most won’t leave you in a position where you’re able to start getting paid jobs as soon as you graduate. This is because most courses focus primarily on the theory side of acting and wider production skills, but not on the actual practical business of getting work.

The other thing to consider is what sort of acting you will be learning. As previously mentioned, most traditional drama courses focus heavily on stage work, so if you are more interested in film or TV work, you may be disappointed. Many courses also focus heavily on traditional acting techniques which are all well and good, but, if your aim is to become a truly elite actor, you need to go deeper.

Increasingly the very best actors are relying on method acting techniques to help them push their performance skills to the next level, with over 80% of Best Actor Academy Awards this century going to method actors. Many traditional courses give little, if any, time to method acting techniques, so if you want to join the elite ranks of actors such as Robert De Niro, Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, you really need to look for a course that will teach you to truly master The Method.

An acting course like no other

If you are serious about becoming an actor our 1-Year Ultimate Acting Programme really is the best option on the market. We are a top UK method acting training provider and the only one offering Lee Strasberg Method Acting training, special business of acting training and an exclusive career launch.

The course is part-time, meaning you can fit it around your existing commitments, making it ideal for people keen for a change of career. Because the course only lasts for 1 year, you can quickly turn your life around and be out there working as a professional actor before you know it.

About the Course

Our Ultimate Acting Programme includes comprehensive training in method acting for both stage and screen with clear guidance on the difference between the two, so you can become a truly versatile actor. We also work extensively on voice training, physical acting training, monologue performance and much more.

You won’t just learn to be a great actor, however, but also how to take your new found skills out into the market to find actual paid work. Our training focuses heavily on the “business” of acting, including audition skills to help you land those key roles, sessions with two leading Hollywood casting directors, a top UK casting director and a week in Los Angeles for our L.A. Boot Camp where you’ll learn how to break into the ever lucrative US market.

We will also provide you with our career development support package, which includes a professional quality show reel, head shots and CV writing help so you have everything you need to start presenting yourself as a professional actor.

The course ends with a Graduation Showcase at the industry’s exclusive private members’ club, The Century Club in Soho, London where you will get the chance to show off your work in front of agents and casting directors.

All of this means that we won’t just teach you how to act, we’ll teach you how to get work and give you your first key opportunities to get your name out there and start the all-important networking process.

If you are serious about becoming an actor there is still time to apply for our 2016-17 Ultimate Acting Programme which starts in October. Auctions are taking place on 15th June 2016, so if you want to kick-start your acting career, don’t delay! If you have any questions or would like to find out more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Realism versus Naturalism

Although these terms are often used interchangeably, there is a difference we must establish. Realism is the theatre movement, and Naturalism the style of acting. In particular, Naturalism refers to a belief that many acting coaches hold: that a human character is moulded by its relationship and surroundings.

Another way of considering the difference is that Realism is the “way things are,” and Naturalism is the “why things are”; it’s a scientific attempt to portray human character.

Rise of the Real

Although today we throw around compliments like “realistic,” “relatable,” and “natural”, the theatre wasn’t always so accessible. It was Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries that discovered the audience-gripping magic of a little thing called authenticity.

The French

Naturalism – the belief that family and environment form a character – was popularised by the French writer Émile Zola. It was adapted for the stage by the French in the late 19th century, with Zola’s “three principles of naturalism” intact:

Faire vrai: be realistic, as a close a study of the human condition as possible.
Faire grand: be meaningful, with each theme and occurrence of large significance.
Faire simple: be simple, and do not clutter the play with unnecessary speeches nor sub-plots.

The Russians

So Naturalism spread through Europe and the 20th century until it reached a very receptive, Stalin-led USSR. Realism was the voice of choice for Soviet art, literature, and drama, and our friend Konstantin Stanislavski knew that to be successful, he must master it.

Stanislavski had, fortunately, been running a theatre company that was shared in ownership by his co-workers – despite his inherited wealth he could be a friend to the communist State. He wrote and taught Realism, and encouraged Naturalism as an acting technique:

All we ask is that an actor on the stage live in accordance with natural laws.

Like any work of art in Realism, acting bound by natural laws – such as those earlier outlined by Zola – was considered desirable.

This is a trend that is yet to go away: method acting, the Meisner technique, and improvisation are all developments of Realism and Naturalism. We applaud the use of Naturalistic technique, even in supernatural settings: for example, although the fantasy world of Wicked might surround the audience, what draws it in is the natural way Elphaba is written and acted.

Modern Naturalism

Never allow yourself externally to portray anything that you have not inwardly experienced and which is not even interesting to you.

The method we teach today still incorporates the holistic approach of Naturalism. An actor should understand how their character’s history shapes its current motivations, and portray a truthful version of it.

Modern schools often incorporate Stanislavski and Naturalism, with Sanford Meisner’s technique being the most famous. Meisner attended the Theatre Guild in New York with Lee Strasburg, another of our major influences, and advocated for Naturalism as an acting technique throughout his life.

Actors studying the Meisner technique spend huge amounts of time involving themselves in the histories and emotional truths of their characters, so that when the time comes they do not perform but simply react. They might memorise the words to a play, but do not practice this until the very late stages of rehearsal.

Somewhere you can see the Meisner take on Naturalism is the award-winning film Vera Drake, which was directed by famous Naturalism fan Mike Leigh. In an interview, Imelda Staunton describes “living” as her character for months, and the “organic” creation of the film.

How to act Naturally

Ideally an actor should be carried away in his part…

Try this:

Think back to the last argument you had with a family member. You probably spent plenty of time together in the past, and have a good understanding of their history.
Remember their character in the argument: their opinion, how they communicated it, and whether they started or ended the argument.
Can you connect these behaviours to their history at all?

It sounds like a self-help guide – and maybe it’s working like one – but it’s also a good first step into the mindset of Naturalism.

As an acting technique, Naturalism is such an intense interpretation of theatrical Realism that later in his career, Stanislavski would cease to be so enthusiastic. Like his use of Emotional Memory, Naturalism could be too mentally exhausting.

Explained in more detail in My Ultimate Guide to Method Acting, Naturalism should be considered as Stanislavki intended – as an adaptable technique that will transform with your needs.

Create your own method…keep breaking traditions, I beg you.

– all quotes by Konstantin Stanislavki

Do you want to know more about the impact that Naturalism and Method Acting could have on your acting career? Why not get in touch? We’d love to tell you more about how it all works.

Many of the most well-known actors in the 21st century use ‘The Method’ in order to create outstanding and memorable performances.

Only about one or two per cent of the acting industry actually use Method acting but if you look at who’s in that group, it’s usually all the top creative actors in Hollywood. – Brian Timoney

Method acting is a technique that is used to draw upon life experiences and channel them through the part that you’re playing. Typically an actor will carry out various Method processes before, during and after being on-set or stage in order to really become aligned with the role. The result is a superior style of performance that creates in-depth and believable characters and produces electric chemistry between cast members.

Controversy Surrounding The Method

The Method has not been without its fair share of criticism and scepticism over the years. Even though the Method has been responsible for some of the greatest acting of our time, it is sometimes portreyed as being unnecessary or even dangerous.

Some co-stars may become irritated by a method actor’s refusal to break character between takes. Will Smith who is in the upcoming movie ‘Suicide Squad’ recently gave an interview about his method actor co-star Jared Leto who is hugely in-demand at the moment.

I’ve never actually met Jared Leto. We worked together for 6 months and we’ve never exchanged a word outside of ‘Action!’ and ‘Cut!’ We’ve never said ‘Hello’ or ‘Good day.’ I’ve only ever spoken to him with me as Deadshot and him as The Joker. I literally have not met him yet. Not a single word exchanged off-camera. He was all in on the Joker.

Here is Leto talking about the role:

Similarly, three-time Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis is known to take his method acting to an extremely intense level in order to get to grips with the characters that he has played. He is thought not to have broken character for three months whilst filming ‘Lincoln’. He even insisted that the cast, crew and director Steven Spielberg address him as ‘Mr President’. Perhaps he went one step too far when signing off text messages with “Yours A”. Critics have pointed out that Abraham Lincoln wouldn’t have been able to send a text message in the 1860s!

The commitment and devotion that method actors display towards honing their craft can be hard for co-stars, friends and family to understand but it does create some truly fine performances that audiences all over the world can be thankful for.

Taking It Too Far

Of course, there are also well-publicised cases of method actors who have gone too far. Perhaps the most famous in recent times is the late Heath Ledger who became obsessed with his role of the Joker. He is thought to have locked himself in his apartment for up to a month before filming and could only manage a couple of hours sleep per night because he was so absorbed in the character. Unfortunately, Ledger overdosed on prescription drugs before the film was released and many believe that the role was too much of a mental challenge for him.

Yet even with the controversy that surrounds the Method, it is still the most successful acting technique that is practised at the moment. This is because method acting really works!

Oscar-Winning Performances

Does method acting work? Well, over 80% of Oscar winner ‘Best Actor’ awards have been won by method actors. This amounts to over 100 method actors who have taken home this prestigious award. This is far from coincidence and is down to the sheer perseverance and dedication that method actors apply to their work. Method acting is not a gimmick nor a simple trick of the trade. It requires a great deal of discipline and training in order to reach the level of quality performance that audiences expect from Oscar winners.

The Method requires an actor to build the inner life of a character. The technique is not just about trotting out some memorised lines, but involves awareness of a character’s ongoing thoughts, perceptions, emotional responses and sensations. In order to be comfortable doing this, an actor must first be able to master their instrument, which is their own self. By training an actor’s personal senses, it is then possible to combine those feelings with the character and event that are being portrayed.

Method Relaxation To Conquer Stage Fright

The Method requires total relaxation before a performance. This is critical to the success of an Oscar-nominated method actor such as Bradley Cooper. In advance of playing the role of Chris Kyle in ‘American Sniper’, Cooper noted down all of his dreams for a week –

It’s a way to prepare, to relax, to open up.

Stage fright is also a concern for many actors. Laurence Olivier famously said, “This is what it must be like to give birth”, whilst Stephen Fry told the Guardian that stage fright was like dying. It can certainly become crippling for some and threatens to entirely overwhelm the skill of an actor. These nerves essentially stem from a fear of getting it wrong – this is because the actor is concentrating on their own needs rather than the feelings of the character. Practising specialist Method relaxation techniques before a performance will ensure that your mind is occupied only with what is important in the mind of the character, rather than being preoccupied by your own ego.

Affective Memory

Perhaps one of the aspects of the Method which is at the very heart of its success is the use of affective memory. This is the ability to recall and use a strong emotional experience from your past in order to recreate a specific emotion on-demand in a scene. It is an extremely effective technique to help actors find a parallel between their own lives and the character arc of the role they are playing. Christopher Walken remembered the feelings of abandonment and betrayal that he had experienced as a child during an unpleasant summer camp trip. He used those negative and frightening memories to play the shocking Russian Roulette scene in ‘Deer Hunter’ for which he won the Best Supporting Actor award at the Oscars in 1978.

Free Your Mind And Body

Method acting also works with actors by allowing them to free up various parts of their physical or mental being in order to become more expressive. Vocal exercises are carried out during method training to develop good diction and learn how to project the voice effectively. Actors who possess a natural accent can learn how to reduce it whilst developing other accents that are essential for a role.

Physical acting is also vital for creating an engaging performance. Movement training will teach method actors how to use their entire body, rather than just their head. One of the ways that method actors have a magnetic stage presence is by using animal exercises throughout their performances. This works by visualising the physical and psychological characteristics of a certain animal and then applying them to your role.

It may be surprising to audiences that animal exercises are not confined to shows such as ‘Cats’. Robert de Niro studied the movement of a crab to offer a unique angle to his portrayal of Travis Bickle in the 1976 movie ‘Taxi Driver’. He felt that the character of Bickle was shifty and indirect. Similarly Marlon Brando mimicked an ape for the role of Stanley Kowalski in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ whilst Dustin Hoffman acted like a weasel with a limp to play Ratso in ‘Midnight Cowboy’.

Method acting has many benefits to offer working actors of today. Aside from the wonderful performances that are promised as a result of following this incredible style of acting, the technique is also a useful toolbox for actors to dip into throughout their career. From gaining inspiration for a character, to the more mundane tasks such as learning lines, the Method offers clear processes through which to support an actor along their journey into character. Actors will become alive during their performances and will be able to summon self-awareness without then tipping into the unwelcome ground of self-consciousness.

Of course, many of the exercises associated with the Method are extremely powerful. Reliving past traumatic experiences through the use of affective memory for instance, can cause some deeply painful emotions to be uncovered. Therefore we consider it to be unwise to practice certain aspects of the Method without undergoing specialist training. Rather than dabbling in the Method to decide if it’s for you, it would be far safer and more effective to practise some of these exercises in the secure environment of a Method acting class.

Our Introduction to Method Acting Boot Camp is a 3 day intensive programme and is the perfect way to discover if you have the drive and determination to kick start your method acting career. You will become completely immersed in the Method during this short course. Want to know more? Apply for our next bootcamp which takes place in Central London from the 15th-17th July.

Just how do actors learn their lines so easily? This is one of the things people new to acting are often most concerned about. They find it hard to believe they could ever commit such large volumes of text to memory, let alone do it with the finesse required to recite those lines under pressure.

This is something all actors have to come to grips with and everyone has their own tricks and techniques to help them learn their lines. Ultimately, as with anything, it comes down to practice, but there are some key methods you can use to help make the process a whole lot easier.

Read the whole script. A lot

Whatever tricks you use, there is no getting away from the fact you will need to read the script many times to commit it to memory. Some people might be tempted to jump straight in and start trying to learn just their own lines (and their cues, if they want to know the right times to speak!). However, it’s a good idea to begin by reading the whole script multiple times before starting to worry about memorising your own bits.

What this does is gives you a broader understanding of the story and lets you develop a familiarity with the whole piece. It also gives you vital context about the overall themes and goals of the script, which is absolutely key when working out how to deliver your own lines.

Get organised

When it comes to actually learning your lines, remember, highlighters are your friends. Go through the whole script and mark every line you have to speak in a single colour. This will speed up the process of flipping through the script considerably, making it quicker and easier to go back and forth between scenes. It also makes sure you don’t miss any of your lines, which could be embarrassing come rehearsal time!

Don’t just highlight your own lines though, you’ll also need to find your cues. Mark these in a different, contrasting colour and make sure you know these just as well as your own lines. You can then practise by covering up your lines, leaving just the cues, so you can work on reciting your lines from memory with only the cues to guide you.

Use the power of associative memory

There are several techniques you can use to help boost your powers of memory which may come in handy if you are really struggling to remember key lines. Associative memory works by taking a thing you need to remember and forming an association with something else.

One common way of doing this for lines is to fit them to a favourite tune. By singing the lines to a familiar melody, you then form a subconscious association between the tune and the words. Then, next time you are struggling to remember the words, you simply have to think of the tune and the words should come flooding back.

The important thing here is to remember that this is only a technique for remembering the lines initially. When it comes to the actual performance, you don’t want to be distracted by thinking of a song or other associated memory. By that point, you need to know the words so well, that remembering them is no effort, but if associative memory helps you get there, then feel free to try it!

Connect with the words

Being able to say your lines on cue isn’t enough, you need to know them so well that you can forget you’re reciting a script and speak the lines as if they are your own words. Sir Anthony Hopkins has his own technique for not only learning lines, but helping him connect to the words on a deeper level. Sir Anthony once said:

“I would write out the entire part meticulously in longhand, four or five times over. It would make it feel as if I had written it myself. It was a way of belonging to the piece, I guess.”

This idea of connecting with the script, belonging to it, can transform your performance from a dull recitation of the words into something alive and captivating. This is why it’s so important to know the script backwards and forwards. When you’re no longer thinking about remembering the words, but are really connecting with them, speaking your lines will feel entirely natural, setting the stage for a truly memorable performance.

Understand the context

If you find yourself struggling to learn your lines, think about this: why is the line there? What is the point of it? What is going on around it? If you really understand why you are saying the line, what your character is feeling and what they are trying to convey, recalling the exact words will be much easier.

According to two time Laurence Olivier Award winner Sir Anthony Sher:

“To an actor, dialogue is like food. You hold it in your mouth, you taste it. If it’s good dialogue the taste will be distinctive.”

Knowing the context and the subtext behind your lines will not only help you remember them, it’s also absolutely crucial to delivering a good performance. Understanding your character and learning lines should go hand-in-hand and makes the difference between just repeating some words from a script and actually acting!

Knowing your lines is just the beginning

Knowing the right words to say on cue is pretty important, but it’s just one of the range of acting skills needed to become a professional actor. Mastering the art of acting takes years, but if your goal is to become a professional actor we can help you get there a whole lot sooner. Our 1-Year Ultimate Acting Programme teaches you everything you need to know to break into the industry and turn your dreams into a reality. To find out more, take a look around the rest of the site and, if you have any questions, please do get in touch.

Podcast Episode 39: The best way to learn lines

“be someone that everyone wants to work with“

Acting can be a tough business. Bagging a promising audition is a big deal, and you need to do all you can to get the job, lest you end up picking up shifts at your local pub for another few months.

So when you arrive at the audition, prepared and eager to read the part, how can you increase your chances of being chosen? That’s simple: be someone that everyone wants to work with. Easier said than done, I know, but invaluable advice if followed correctly.

So, how do you become that person that everyone in the room can’t wait to spend more time with? Well you might be naturally charming and funny, but the most important thing is that you are professional. In particular, you keep your dignity even when the going gets rough. A good reputation is a valuable thing, and getting yourself known as the cool, professional actor may do more for your career than you’d expect.

Be Cool, Yolanda

Trying to get yourself known as a cool actor doesn’t mean you need to turn up in a leather jacket and sunglasses with a cigarette on the go. It’s all about the way you react to situations. So yes, in an audition setting, at first the casting director will not be aware of what a dignified person you are to work with, but when they send their assistant out to tell you your audition is postponed, or ask you to read some new material on the spot, there is your chance to show them.

Being kind and understanding towards everyone, whether it be a producer or lowly assistant when they approach you with unexpected news is incredibly important. If you are not selected for the role, those working on the project do not stop being of use to you. Scowling at them and huffing as you leave the building will not exactly give them a good impression of you as a professional actor. And should you encounter them again auditioning for another job, your chances will look a lot better if you accepted your last rejection with kindness and dignity.

Likewise, when you are working on a project, you need to make yourself a ‘solver’ of problems, not the ‘creator’ of them. There is a high chance that you will be working with many of the same people on later projects, and if you want to be selected for them, you need to give everyone you interact with the impression that you are easy to work with and always keep calm no matter what happens- and achieving this needn’t be difficult.

How to Keep Your Cool

Whether you’re a naturally calm person, or tend to have a bit of a temper, everyone can get frustrated in an audition situation when the stakes are high, just as things can feel stressful on the last few days of rehearsal. And there are a few techniques you can use to always stay calm and dignified.

1. Rationalise what has happened

If you didn’t get the part, calmly think about why that might be. Instead of cursing the names of the casting directors, think about why you might have missed out this time. Maybe you weren’t quite right for the role, or didn’t have enough time to prepare properly. It could have just been bad luck, and someone may have turned up that just looked more suited to the character. Whatever the reason, it happened, it wasn’t meant to be, and you need to accept it and move on. Taking out your anger on those casting, their assistants or other auditionees will do you no favours in the long run. Look at what you could do better next time, and stay positive.

2. Don’t be a toxic sharer

If rehearsals are going badly and the director is grinding on your nerves, the last thing you should think about doing is taking your anger out on social media. Even if your privacy settings are turned up as high as they can go, publishing anything to the internet is risky, and has the potential to seriously damage your reputation. Try to resolve the problems yourself, and keep that Twitter page looking professional.

3. Visualise how you should react

Whatever has happened, before you lose your temper think about the best response you could possibly have, and try to achieve it. If that’s a little tricky, think about the calmest person you know, and try to replicate how they would react to the particular situation.

4. Try some calming techniques

If you suffer from anxiety, you may already be aware of the benefits of breathing techniques, but they can also be used as remedies for stress. After a stressful day, or perhaps during a break, try some of these 10 minute breathing exercises, to help you reduce your stress levels a little. Meditation may help to keep you calm too, as can regular exercise in your spare time.

5. Apologise properly if you ‘lose it’

You’re not perfect, and no one expects you to be. Sometimes you might end up flying off the handle, and it may be unavoidable in certain situations. If it happens, the important thing is to deal with it correctly. Give yourself some time to recover your composure before returning to the room and apologising to everyone present that was involved. Explain your frustrations and seek a solution if possible, but most importantly, leave them with the impression that you are genuinely embarrassed and apologetic that you allowed yourself to lose your temper.

Being Your Authentic Self

At the end of the day, casting directors want to see you as you really are, and if you truly are cool and professional, that will shine through in your behaviour and composure. They don’t want to feel like you’re ‘acting’ when it comes to your personality, and they don’t want to see a façade.

In this way method acting can be helpful, since it will help you present truth in both your personality, and your reading. It can help you ‘turn it on’ in the right moments, helping you to give a very natural, yet impressive audition.

Keeping your dignity and remaining professional is an important skill, and no less valuable to an actor than actual acting ability. A reputation can make or break a career, so building yourself a good one is an extremely worthwhile endeavour.

Want to learn more about how method acting can help you perform better in auditions? Why not take a look at the range of acting courses we offer?

All I can say is that I wish that I had known about this course before I started three years of drama school because I spent a lot of time and a lot of money over those three years, and I’ve just learnt so much more in one year on the Ultimate Acting Programme.’’ – Moya Allen, Hitchin (Past Student)

Drama school is an essential foundation for your career as an actor. Professional courses are designed to give you physical, mental and vocal training for a lifelong career in acting. However, what is rarely touched upon is learning the ‘business’ of acting.

What is it like trying to get hired as an actor?
Do you need an agent?
How do you deal with rejection?

These types of questions are not usually covered extensively during drama school training, yet are common issues that all actors face at some point during their careers.

The business of acting does not just rely on delivering impressive performances in front of the camera or on the stage. Real-life actors must put in the work outside of auditions and shows to ensure that they have regular work and are able to build up a solid CV.

Market Yourself

If you have recently left drama school and are in the early stages of your career with little acting experience, then this is a great opportunity to dedicate some time to establishing your own personal brand. Build your own website to create an online presence as an actor. In the future when a casting director searches for your name they will be presented with your personal domain. Instead of scrawling through various social media profiles to collect information about you, they will see your headshot, CV, showreel, reviews, blog articles and all the information that they need to be interested enough to invite you for an audition.

As well as having your own site, you should also try to build connections with people, both online and in real life. Connect with acquaintances from drama school as well as actors, directors and producers and begin to share and communicate with them about your passion for the acting business.

Headshots And Showreels

Casting directors and talent agencies love actors who have an impressive headshot. This is simply a close-up photo of an actor from the chest up. It should be taken by a professional as it is an actor’s main marketing tool. Looks are important when it comes to casting, as often a director will already have a vision in mind of what they want a particular character to look like.

It is also important to have a professional company cut a showreel together of around 2-5 different scenes from your performance portfolio.

Rejection

“For every successful actor or actress, there are countless numbers who don’t make it. The name of the game is rejection. You go to an audition and you’re told you’re too tall or you’re too Irish or your nose is not quite right. You’re rejected for your education, you’re rejected for this or that and it’s really tough.” – Liam Neeson

Newcomers to the acting world can find rejection hard to stomach. Yet it is something that all actors must deal with, so it is important to toughen up and realise that each rejection can teach you something about the business of acting. Work on building your inner confidence. This will serve you well, not just throughout your career behind the scenes, but also during your performances.

Getting An Agent

Many actors are stumped by the catch-22 of how to get a job without an agent, yet are unable to get an agent without any professional acting work. There are a number of things to do in this frustrating situation. Start by reaching out to small, local agencies who are more likely to be interested in signing young, raw talent with little experience than some of the larger well-known agencies. Always find out the name of a specific agent within the agency so that your contact is targeted and more likely to draw interest. Don’t contact an agency until you have a solid CV drafted with a personalised cover letter and are able to include professional head-shots and a showreel.

You should also attempt to supply recommendations from existing actors to help you get noticed. If at all possible, make connections with actors who are already signed to the agency and ask if they would be willing to recommend you. Always follow up your initial contact with the agency to see if they have reviewed your resume and ask if they have any feedback to offer. A reputable agency will never ask for money upfront, so don’t fall victim to any scams.

Continue Your Studies

Graduating from drama school is an excellent achievement. However, this certainly does not signal the end of your acting studies. Those who are serious about carving a career for themselves in the acting world must continue to soak up as much information about being a professional actor as possible. This means reading about the business of acting, marketing, talent agents and the acting industry in various key cities around the world such as London, New York and LA. It is also important to become as knowledgeable as possible about various different acting techniques, this includes method acting. This discipline is a process-driven approach which enables you to draw upon real emotion while on stage or set and become a much better actor as a result. Method acting is rarely taught in drama schools yet is responsible for some of the most iconic performances of all time. Those who fail to learn ‘The Method’ are missing out on valuable tools and techniques to enhance their acting abilities.

If you’d like to learn more about method acting as well as the business of acting, then why not get in touch? Apply for a sought-after place on either our 3-day bootcamp which is perfect for those with little or no acting experience, or alternatively audition for the Ultimate Acting Programme which is a 1 year, part-time comprehensive course and career launch into the industry. Want to know more? Apply for a brochure today.