I was on set once where I watched the most painful thing imaginable.

It was an actor trying to squeeze out a tear.

He was playing a character that had just witnessed the death of a family member and the director wanted him to break down and cry.

Oh, the fun and games that ensued can’t be done full justice in this email but let me try.

They went for the first take and there was nothing. No tears.

The director had a word and they did another take. This time he tried fake crying and grimaced a bit then covered his face.

(Honestly, I couldn’t watch.)

The director went over and told him to go for a walk and think deep and dark thoughts. Five minutes later, he came back and they went for another take. There was just more faking and face contorting.

(I began to think even a sociopath who doesn’t experience much emotion, could have done a better job than this guy.)

Finally, as a last resort, the make-up girl produced a wee stick; it was a tear stick and she put some under his eye, so fake tears would water up in his eye.

The director walked away behind the camera looking mighty pissed off and defeated.

This is all so unnecessary but so many actors just have no clue on how to consistently produce emotion on demand.

That fact is there is a way to do this that requires zero inspiration. It’s a scientific process guaranteed to produce real emotion.

In the method, we use a little thing called emotional memory to do the job. It will make you emotional at the drop of a hat and once you have mastered it directors will absolutely love you for it and will want to work with you over and over because of it.

Ready to learn how?

Then you need to qualify for my Ultimate Acting Programme:

https://www.briantimoneyacting.co.uk/ultimate/

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If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we humans don’t like being alone. It causes a lot of mental anguish particuarly when it comes to acting.

There is a type of loneliness that exists even if you are around other people, which is the loneliness of the lone aspiring actor.

Many aspiring actors carry around with them this burning desire to act but keep it hidden, even from their nearest and dearest sometimes.

The Man Who Hide His Desire To Be An Actor From His Wife

A few years ago I had this guy come up to me at a seminar I was doing, and he said that he had wanted to act as long as he could remember, but he had never told anyone, including his wife of ten years.

This is an extreme case, but it happens. The more common affliction of a lone aspiring actor is they are never around people who are like them, which makes them feel very alone even if they have tons of ‘normal’ friends.

The long and short of it is that if you are not around other like-minded people, people who are passionate about acting, then you will never act and instead suffer this (usually hidden) acting loneliness.

I have seen peoples lives transform because they started to be around other aspiring actors and doing the thing they love most in life, which is to act.

When I held the first Etude Xpress, and I can tell you the quality of the people who attended was excellent. They were committed, dedicated, caring, inspiring people.

This time around I expect the same thing to happen.

There is no need to be alone, acting by yourself.

All the details are here:

https://www.briantimoneyacting.co.uk/etude-xpress

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So, the dance troupe Diversity performed on Britain’s Got Talent last night and their performance sparked 10,000 complaints the most ever recorded for a TV show.

Why?

Well, the answer to that question that goes deep into the collective unconscious. The stunning routine they performed (you can watch it here) was a powerful expression of everything that has happened in the world over the last six months. They observed the planet around them and turned it into art. That’s what they do, they are artists. It’s in the job description.

They also used a medium which in my opinion, is one of the most powerful, which is physical expression. It goes deep into the human psyche. Their performance was so powerful, and I won’t lie, it made me cry. Which is part of the reason it has had such an impact?

And that is precisely what artists should be doing—making an impact. Expressing themselves and the world they live in, in a way that has a profound effect on the audience.

Otherwise, what are we doing here?

Is it the case, that the masses just want performing dogs, instead of thought-provoking, insightful, moving art? I fear that is the case, but many like myself would disagree.

Apparently, the uproar is because they mentioned the Black Lives Matter movement and how there is racism in our society. Well, if anyone needed proof of that, those 10,000 complaints speak volumes which is why their work needs to be seen. They not only expressed that but also made other observations on how society is going in the wrong direction—beautifully done.

To add insult to injury, some of those complaining believed that BGT was not the platform for deep and insightful work. They could be right there; perhaps we should leave them to their performing dogs.

For those of you who are artists I strongly recommend you watch their performance. It’s instructive about what you should be doing as an artist as well as the powerful content it expresses.

You can see it here:

Brian Timoney
The Master Of The Method

Here’s an interesting story.

When method actor, Mickey Rourke, was starting out he was having problems with a monologue he was doing to get into acting school.

In the monologue, he had to speak to his father in the play, but he found it very difficult.

You see, Mickey’s father in real life left the home when he was six and he hadn’t spoken to him since.

The acting teacher he was working with suggested that he find his real father and reconnect.

He did. He found him at a small diner. He bought Mickey dinner and sat for hours talking to his son as he downed 22 screwdrivers. He then gave him $50 and that was the last time he saw him.

Mickey a few days later auditioned and got in. In fact, the panel that day agreed it was one of the best auditions they have ever seen.

The approach the acting teacher took here is called personalisation. It’s when you get in touch with something similar in your life, so you can relate to something similar in the character’s life.

It can be a powerful tool within the method acting arsenal, which is, let’s face it, vast.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. You need to know all this in intricate detail if you want to be as great as the method boys and girls.

All part of the Timoney Method taught on my Ultimate Acting Programme.

For all the details and to apply go here:

https://www.briantimoneyacting.co.uk/ultimate/

Brian Timoney

Over the years, I’ve discovered that most actors DON’T want to become a genius at acting. If you ask them if they want to attain acting mastery at the highest level, they will swear blind that they do. But actions speak louder than words Grasshopper. The price that is to be paid to reach the highest levels tends to be too high. The truth is that most are just not interested enough to aim for that. They do a bit of training or even a lot of training and then stop after a year or two saying that they have ‘got it.’ I guess that’s fine if your ambitions are to solely get on a soap or action film but if you want to deliver acting of the highest standards the idea that you do a bit of training and stop is nonsense.

Let me use a no acting example to highlight what is required.

Leonardo Da Vinci, recognized as one of the most amazing minds of the human race, painted a picture called the Mona Lisa. It’s regarded as a masterpiece and to many the best work of art ever created. It took him close twenty years to paint it, and he was still painting it up until his death. So, it never got worldwide recognition until he was gone. The reason being Leonardo took a ‘never finished’ philosophy to his work. He was continually improving, learning more and perfecting. One of the fantastic things about the Mona Lisa is that the brush strokes are invisible. He used a process of continual layering so that they would disappear. He studied the human body to the nth degree. He dissected dead bodies to understand the inside workings, which gave him great insight into how it looked on the outside. He studied nature, especially river flow and landscapes not just from an artist point of few, but as an engineer. He worked on providing damns and bridges for various governments of the time. This gave him a vast knowledge of how rivers flowed on landscapes. If you look at what is behind the Mona Lisa, you will see a river and a country landscape that was created from his knowledge and understanding of the subject. Finally, the woman and the landscape are symbolic. He felt that nature and humans are similar, flowing and connected.

I could go on, but you get the idea. This was a man who never stopped studying, never stopped learning and kept working on his art until the day he died.

Kind of makes a mockery of those who think they don’t need to learn acting or give up learning after a few years.

In acting terms, the likes of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are the acting Da Vinci’s of their time. They have never stopped learning, they have never stopped improving, and when you watch the Irishman, you are watching two acting genius at work. The sad thing is that many don’t even know that they are watching genius-level acting because they rate mediocre acting just the same. It takes a trained eye to understand the subtlety and finesse of such performances.

So here is the thing. You need to ask yourself what kind of actor you want to become? The type that does a bit of learning and then waits for a job or the type that sees their work as a life long work of art.

If you believe in the later, then it’s time to meet The Master who has put in more than 20,000 hours on the subject. It’s common knowledge that if you want to become a genius, you have to work with Masters to gain the highest insights.

If you have yet to train professionally then check out:
https://www.briantimoneyacting.co.uk/ultimate

If you are a Pro check out:
https://www.briantimoneyacting.co.uk/timoney-method-pro/
Brian Timoney

The Master Of The Method

It’s election day.

Tomorrow there will be a new Prime Minister or the same one.

Either way, Brexit still divides the nation, food banks are now a part of our society, there has been an epidemic of knife-related killings on the streets, the NHS is at breaking point, the economy is teetering on recession and terrorist attacks are now the norm.

Happy days! But don’t lose heart there is something you need to be aware of that is good news for the artist. As we head into 2020, there is something reminiscent of the 1920s. Across the world then there was massive unrest. The USA headed into the worst and deepest recession in its history, Europe was recovering from World War I and Russia had a revolution. Sound familiar?

But here is the thing. This period of history also saw a record number of artistic genesis come to light and thrive. In fact, there was a creative revolution that came along to lift the spirits of the suffering people. It was the artists of the day that brought hope and understanding to the world and lifted it out of its turmoil. I do believe actors, directors, artists, dancers, and the like reflect our society and allow the people to understand themselves and their situations and as a result, allow change to occur.

So here is my advice. Cast your vote as you see fit but then getting busy becoming the acting artist you want to become and change the world. I know it seems a lofty aim, but the power of the acting artist should not be underestimated. Films, plays and actors performances drive deep into the public psyche. We have a responsibility as acting artists to go as deep as we can, to add our profound contribution towards change.

There you have it, and perhaps your start in all this is to start your acting training on the Ultimate Acting Programme:

www.briantimoneyacting.co.uk/ultimate

Brian Timoney
Master Of The Method

Can you imagine being so successful as an actor that you actively look for ways of stopping agents and casting directors calling you?

Bill Murray has this problem.

When he hit the big time, he started getting lots of calls. People would bypass his agent and call him at home.

He said this about it:

“I had a house phone, and it would just ring and ring. Finally, I’d pick up the phone and I’d say, ‘Who in the fugk is calling me and letting my phone ring like that?’ The agent would say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I’m calling for so-and-so.’ I’d say, ‘Look, you can’t do this. This is my house. If I don’t answer the phone, don’t do that because you’re making me not like you. “

Then he did this:

“I just unplugged the phone, and then I got this 1-800 number, which is very handy,” he said.

A 1-800 number is a bit like a 0800 in the UK. People can call the number and leave a message. Then, now and again, when Bill fancies it and not before, he dials in and retrieves the messages.

And guess what, people want Bill Murray even more because of this because he isn’t needy. One of the biggest turn-off’s for agents and casting directors is neediness.

This toxic neediness not only affects actors ability to navigate the business, but it affects their acting too. There is an epidemic of “needy” acting being created out there by needy actors, and they all wonder why they never get the job.

Bill has figured out how to avoid all that and funnily enough, his acting is not needy either. He doesn’t need the approval of others; he knows how to deliver great acting.

So, I’m launching a new concept this week which is embedded into all my work – Anti-Needy Acting.

This is something all my Ultimate Acting Students get their heads around and start to execute day one of the programme.

Which reminds me, the next round of auditions are on 8th July, application deadline is 1st July:

https://www.briantimoneyacting.co.uk/ultimate/

Brian Timoney

The Master Of The Method

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In Hollywood, there is a self-created word they use now and again, which is…

…Afflucked.

Let me explain.

In 2013 the world was shocked when the Academy Awards snubbed Ben Affleck for his directing on the film Argo. He also starred in the movie.

No one could quite work it out. His directing was of an extremely high standard, and he had even won a Golden Globe for best director that year, but he was not even nominated for an Oscar.

Why?

Well, there are plenty of theories, but the main one is compelling.

Hollywood, ironically, doesn’t like people showing off. If someone is already successful, they tend not to like them getting out of their lane and trying to be more successful in other areas. They prefer people to stick to what they do. They also like the underdog or the unheard of.

So when Affleck tried his hand at directing and pulled off a corker and also starred in it, the Academy shunned him.

So now when someone who should be getting recognition but doesn’t, is said to be Afflucked.

Bradley Cooper is about to well and truly Afflucked this Sunday at the Oscars.

Why?

Here is my humble (but accurate) opinion on it.

1. Bradley is getting out of his box. He not only stars in it but co-wrote it, directed it and co-wrote the music for it. All of it is brilliantly done. I don’t think the Academy will approve.

2. The film itself deals with a subject matter that is a bit close to the bone — spoiler alert. We have a successful musician who squanders his talent due to substance abuse and a rising star who becomes egotistical and betrays others and herself in the pursuit of fame. This could be a summary of what happens every day in LA. It’s a bit close to the bone. I doubt the Academy will like a mirror being held up like this.

3. The Awards scene. There is a scene in A Star Is Born – spoiler alert – where Bradley’s character goes on the stage with Lady Gaga’s character to accept an award. He is extremely drunk and urinates in his trousers and falls over making a mockery of the award ceremony. Definitely to close to the bone for the Academy methinks.

If this was just a competition about the best actor, Bradley should win hands down. Anyone who knows anything about acting would be able to see that. It’s no contest.

It’s Method Acting at its best not only by Bradley but Lady Gaga too.

Perhaps years from now, people will look back and wonder why this film and the performances never got the recognition it deserved.

The Afflucking commences this Sunday evening.

Brian Timoney

The Master Of The Method[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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You may have seen the commotion I caused a few weeks ago.

I posted on my blog about why Bradley Cooper should have won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his performance in ‘A Star Is Born’ rather than Rami Malek for his performance in the Queen biopic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’

Round two of this particular acting cage fight is about to take place tonight at the BAFTAs. If there is any jutice. If there is any sanity when it comes to awards Bradley should (for the love of God) MUST win.

The reason for this is best demonstrated through a question that I got in.

“Hi Brian,

Recently you discussed the ‘Queen’ movie and how you thought it was a triumph of impersonating, rather than ‘being’ the character.

So I wondered what you feel about the new Laurel and Hardy movie….as the Master….not as a movie critic per se?

I wondered what you would think about the juxtaposition of 2 so familiar heroes where there are factual and fictional representations of their characters?

Again, were the performances, for you, amere impressions? Can these “factually” based films ever be anything other than impressions from the actors?

Thank you for all your wisdom and sagacious advice, it is pure gold.”

You are most welcome.

First, you need to understand that there are four personality types that come to acting:

The Imitator

The Emotional

The Affective

The Rationalist

The Imitator is brilliant at indicational acting. This means they can reproduce what something looks like rather than what it feels like.

The Emotional is brilliant at using their surroundings within their acting. They are ACTIVE in the environment and take physical impulses and actions easily.

The Affective feels things very deeply and profoundly. They make abstract and meaningful connections to what is happening in front of them. They seek to connect deeply to themselves.

The Rationalist is worst personality type when it comes to acting. They should never become actors. Why? They see everything happening in front of them, but they talk themselves out of any actions or deep perceptions. They are ultra-cautious and very left brain. Very uncreative. They would make great accountants but rubbish actors.

The best actors in the world are a combination of Emotional and Affective. They have deep, meaningful connections to themselves and others and take action freely. Daniel Day-Lewis, Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep, Heath Ledger, Amy Adams, Joaquin Phoenix are all excellent examples of this kind of actor.

The Imitators are good at indicating and mimicking. They are not deep actors but are very good at showing the eternal form of things. If you are going to make a biopic of someone very well known like Freddie Mercury or Laurel and Hardy you would want an imitator. Why? Because the externals (body and voice) need to be perfect. Everyone knows what they were like so you must adhere to that. Unfortunately, though, they lack depth.

Pretty much all biopics of this type will suffer from this, and it means that it’s closer to an excellent impersonation than great acting.

Which is why Bradley should win best actor tonight and not Rami.

Some may disagree with my humble (but accurate) opinion, but The Master has spoken.

Now, if you would like me to take you through the process of how to become an Emotional and Affective actor then then the Ultimate Acting Programme awaits…but not for much longer.

The deadline for applications for the next auditions is Monday 11th February at midnight.

All the details are here:

Ultimate Acting Programme.

Brian Timoney

The Master Of The Method[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]They gave it to the wrong man.

Rami Malek won Best Actor at the Golden Globes yesterday, for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in the film Bohemian Rhapsody.

It should have gone to Method Actor, Bradley Cooper, for his role in A Star Is Born.

I don’t believe this is a matter of opinion. It’s not up for debate; it’s a fact.

Here are the reasons:

1. Bradley’s level of emotional depth is astounding. Putting any preference aside with regards to the material, his emotional intensity and ability to touch and move you with a single look is outstanding.
2. Rami gives a good performance, but it’s imitation. Good imitation, but imitation nonetheless. He captures the physicality, the voice, the attitude but has very little emotional depth. Reason being he is imitating. The difference between him and Bradley on this particular aspect is like night and day. It’s much easier to imitate than to reach into your soul as Bradley did
3. Bradley’s level of authentic and organic charactisation is astounding. The character is a subtle blend of him and the creative take he has on the role. He and the character become one. He is the character. You cannot see the joins. It’s seamless.
4. Rami’s charactisation is closer to a clumsy impersonation. He is “playing” the character rather than being him.
5. Bradley’s connection to the other actors is profound. There is a deep and authentic bond with Lady Gaga that is very difficult to create. You can feel the chemistry.
6. Rami interacts with the others but lacks deep connection.

Bradley is a Method Actor Rami is not.

The difference is clear as day.

If you are ready to touch and move your audiences with a single look, delve deep into your soul and deliver profoundly moving and affecting acting then check out the Ultimate Acting Programme.

Brian Timoney

The Master Of The Method[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]