Brian Timoney, Author at Brian Timoney Acting

Graduating from the Ultimate Acting Programme Zino Ventura, starred in a major feature film called, House on Willow Street.

“These people teach from the heart. You’d be silly not to do this course. Really. I’ve learnt so much about myself. I am truly an actor as I stand here before you – and I can’t express more what this has done for me. It’s more than just an acting course; you get to know these people. They teach you like way within themselves and they give you everything they can give you. They give you all their expertise. At the end of this, you do our showcase and you are so prepared and so ready to take on the rest of the world. You’d be doing yourself a disservice not to do this course. “ Zino Ventura

“I wanted to gain more insight into the Lee Strasberg technique, but I got so much more. From this year I have not only expanded in my craft, I have also grown tremendously as a person. More confidence. More fight. More compassion. Without doubt this course will take you on your own personal journey of self-discovery, and is a great course for any actor wanting to learn The Method.” Katrina Nare

Graduating from the Ultimate Acting Programme Julian Schaffner secured a major role in a Hollywood movie, Singularity, opposite John Cusack.

This is what he said about the programme:

“What I love about this course is that you get the chance to develop your craft with great teachers, as well as the business aspect. After this year I can say not only have I made a big step in my art, but I’m also represented by an agency now and ready for work!” – Julian Schaffner

Social media is one of the most effective marketing tools for actors, allowing you to promote yourself and the acting projects you are involved with. It is increasingly seen as essential for actors to be active on social media, both in terms of raising their own profile and the profile of the projects they are involved in.

To get the most out of social media, it is important to understand what goals it can help you to achieve and which channels can help you most effectively achieve those goals. In this article, we explain how to use social media for actors across different channels to help you further your professional acting career.

What social media can do for actors

At its most basic, social media can act as a free advert for your career, showing people what you are up to and what you can offer them. This might take the form of sharing what roles you have won, where people can see your work, reviews of your performances, or anything else which demonstrates your value as an actor.

Increasingly, social media is also playing a direct role in who gets cast for acting projects. The number of social media followers you have is often now seen as a plus by producers and other industry insiders. The logic behind this is simple: the more followers you have, the more of an in-built audience you are likely to bring with you for any new project you are cast in.

Finally, social media can be a highly effective way of networking and staying up-to-date with industry news and opportunities. By making the right connections and following the right sources for upcoming auditions and other industry insights, you can increase your chances of getting to the head of the queue when a new opportunity arises.

Which social media channels are most useful for actors?

The best social media channels for your acting career will likely depend on a number of factors.

In terms of popularity, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter are the most used social media platforms, with the following numbers of monthly visitors:

Facebook – 1.9 billion

YouTube – 1 billion

Instagram – 700 million

Twitter – 313 million

You also need to think about who you need to appeal to. If you are promoting a new film project, then it is worth bearing in mind that 64% of cinema-goers are under the age of 35.

While Twitter and Facebook are popular with all age groups, Facebook is the most popular social platform for older users, while younger people are more likely to be found on Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. For theatre work, however, your audience is likely to be older, meaning Facebook may be a more effective way of reaching out to your target market.

What are you looking to share?

Social media for actors is all about sharing, but different platforms can be better for sharing different types of content.

One of the reasons YouTube is so popular with actors is it allows you to easily share your acting showreel and other video clips of your acting to instantly show people what you can do.

Instagram is obviously focused around photo and video sharing and this can be a great way of generating interest in both you and your acting projects. You will, of course, want to share your acting headshots, but to create a following you need to create posts full of personality.

Chris Pratt recently got a lot of attention for his funny on-set short Instagram videos about the strict diet he was on while filming Jurassic World 2. The videos didn’t directly refer to the film, but have generated hundreds of thousands of views and helped to strengthen Pratt’s personal brand as an actor and raise awareness of the film.

Facebook, on the other hand, can be great for sharing more in-depth thoughts as it allows you to post longer text-based content, as well as pictures, videos and links to your website, places to buy tickets for shows you are in and a whole range of other content.

Twitter, likewise, is great for allowing you to post links to external content, such as your website, blogs and relevant news articles. It can also allow you to be part of wider conversations relating to the acting industry which can be a great way to network.

Cross-promotion is the key to social media success

The key to effective social media for actors is to understand that you need to be promoting your acting and projects across multiple social media platforms at once, to make sure you get the biggest possible reach.

There are various social media management tools such as Hootsuite which can make this process easier, allowing you to post across multiple social channels from a single place. When cross-promoting, it is important to remember to tailor your posts to the different social channels you are targeting.

A basic example is that you might ask people to retweet something on Twitter if they agree, but this would make no sense if you posted the same thing on Facebook. It’s also worth taking advantage of the extra space afforded by Facebook to craft effective posts, rather than restricting yourself to the 140 characters allowed by Twitter.

Mastering the art of cross promotion means you can connect with more people, while making sure you hit the right demographics for different projects, depending on where your various target audiences are most likely to be found.

Master social media and much more to build your acting career

Understanding the importance of social media for actors and effective self-promotion is just one of the tools successful professional actors need to have at their disposal. To build a successful acting career that allows you to earn a living doing the thing you love, you need to have a complete understanding of the business of acting.

At the Brian Timoney Actors’ Studio, we specialise in both world-leading method acting coaching and teaching our students how to take those skills out into the world and find regular paid acting work. That’s one of the fundamental differences between our approach to teaching acting and what you will learn elsewhere such as drama school.

Our 1-Year Ultimate Acting Programme covers everything you need to succeed as a professional actor, so if you want to turn your acting dreams into your everyday reality, please don’t hesitate to apply today!

To find out more or to enquire about our 3-Day Introduction to Method Acting Bootcamp, please get in touch.

So you have an agent, congratulations! You’re already one step ahead of the rest of the many actors still looking for representation. At first, things all seem to go well: they’re excited about you, they say they’re putting you forward for lots of roles, and almost guarantee that work is right around the corner. As far as you’re concerned, things couldn’t be better! And yet, after a few months, their calls dry up. You barely get any auditions and when you do, it’s clear you’re not right for the part. If this sounds familiar, it can mean only one thing: you need a new agent.

With competition so fierce in the acting world, getting an agent can seem like an impossible task in itself, let alone having the luxury of picking the one you want. But the truth is, getting the right acting agent is absolutely fundamental. If you don’t and you choose to stay with them anyway, this will only delay your career. This is a wide-ranging problem in the acting industry and affects many actors, who frequently find themselves stuck in a rut under the wrong representation.

Don’t let yourself fall victim to it, work hard at getting the right acting agent.

How To Get The Right Acting Agent

Leave them with a letter

You’ve probably learned by now, that in this business, reputation is everything. Leaving your current representation in any other circumstances than amicable may haunt your career prospects. As always, it is important to be professional about it. So ring them up and discuss your feelings, after all, they may feel the same about the incompatibility. If that sounds a little difficult, consider sending a formal letter or email. Make sure it’s polite, professional and grateful, whether you feel particularly thankful to them or not. Agents tend to have contacts, and if you don’t want those contacts to write you off as a performer, make sure you bid goodbye with a fond farewell, not a bitter one.

Go solo for a while

Having an agent is not a prerequisite to finding work. There are many other ways you can find it yourself. While you are in between agents, there’s no reason you should stop auditioning and searching for promising projects. After all, taking a breather from representation will give you some time to take stock, get some perspective and understand just what is that you really need from an agent, and the kind of work you want them to find for you. Seeking it out yourself will really give you a taste of what’s available out there, and may even lead to agents approaching you. There are many ways to find auditions without an agent, from using websites such as using Backstage or Spotlight to networking with friends and contacts in the business.

Be aware of your type

Now you’ve made the courageous step to leave your previous representation, you have to be your own superstar agent for a while. Getting yourself the right acting agent starts with knowing exactly what kind of a performer you are, and the sort of work you’re right for. You might already have some sort of idea about the kind of actor you are, but you need to have it completely worked out. Typecasting is a standard method for casting in the industry, and you need to decide how to make yourself the best in your respective field. So are you a bad-guy type? Enhance your look, be exactly what someone would picture when considering the typical bad-guy character. Agents often select actors on the type first, talent second. Work with what you already have and make sure you tick that box first.

Give them a reason to be interested

Before you start making your list of agents to contact, you need to be ready with something to offer them. You can’t just send them an email with your acting CV and headshots: you’ll just be added to the pile and probably fail to receive a reply. You need to have proof that you’re a serious, working actor, and proving this can take many forms. You could send them a link to your updated showreel on IMDb, or an invitation to a play you are starring in: something that shows you are actively working, not just lazily sending out your CV to agents hoping that they’ll do all the hard work.

Do your research

Now you know your type and have managed to find some work on your own, it’s time to start researching agents. Getting the right acting agent can be a long process, but ultimately it may be the difference between a successful career and a failed one, so it is worth investing the time and effort. Use resources such as Backstage’s online directory of managers and agents to find reputable agents for building up your list of possible options. Research further into the agent’s work and the agency they’re affiliated with websites such as Backstage’s Call Sheet. There you will find a list of the kind of actors they represent, as well as get an idea of the size of the agency and whether they are SAG or Equity-franchised or not. Speak to your friends and colleagues in the business, and check out the websites of agencies you are interested in.

Select realistic options

If you are still new to the business, don’t approach a big prestigious agency which is likely to have numerous actors with far more experience than you. Be realistic. Go for small to medium sized agencies and those with a reputation for finding and signing new talent. Getting the right acting agent doesn’t necessarily mean getting the best one in town with all the contacts, it means getting one that will have time to work with you and have experience of working with newcomers.

Start contacting them

Once you have your list, you can then begin selecting your preferred choices and sending them your CV, headshots and cover letter. Some you may hear back from within a few days, others you may not receive any response from. If you know someone who knows an agent you’re interested in, get them to recommend you. It may be just what you need to catch their attention. If it’s been a few weeks and you’ve had no responses, redo your CV, retake your headshots and start sending out submissions again. Persevere and continue sending out emails until you have a good number that has gotten back to you and wish to set up a meeting.

Attend multiple meetings

For each agency that shows an interest in meeting you, you need to research them ahead of the meeting. Find out about them, their clients, how many agents they have, the background of those agents, and even how long they’ve been in the business. At the meeting represent yourself well, but remember, it is just as much an interview for the benefit of the agency as it is for you. They will assess your personality, look and type, but if you’re serious about acting, you’ll want an agency that auditions you, giving you a chance to show your talent. Otherwise, they’ll be putting you forward for auditions based on nothing more than how you look. Pick an agency that you know is on your page and understands the roles you want, but also the roles you’re likely to get in the current climate.

Get ahead of the game

Getting the right kind of acting agent can seem like a daunting task, particularly if you already have representation. Ultimately, however, it is worth the effort and time, especially if you feel like your current agent is not fulfilling your needs.

Brian’s Ultimate Acting Programme provides world-class method acting training and gives students the opportunity to gain real and meaningful insight into the acting industry. At the end of the year, everyone participates in a graduation showcase, hosted at a top London venue frequented by many of the industry’s biggest players. There, students have the opportunity to perform and meet agents and set up promising meetings there and then.

Ready to get serious about your acting career? You can apply here for your chance to get accepted.

The steps you take in the first stages of your acting career will have a huge impact on your entire acting future. One of the most important decisions you can make when embarking on your journey to becoming a professional performer is whether or not to go directly into movie acting.

Stage, television and movie acting will all require you to learn different techniques and adapt to the unique styles of each medium. From voice modulation and breathing techniques to learning how to work with cameras as opposed to audiences, there are several major differences in these different forms of acting.

The first thing to remember is that there are around 38,000 working actors in the UK. However on average, only one in 50 makes more than £20,000 per year. This is why it is so vital that you know exactly what part of the industry you want to join and that you hone and perfect the skills specific to your acting style.

Successful actors are few and far between because star quality is hard to come by. When an actor has star quality, audiences, directors and casting directors know it. If you do decide to go straight into movie acting, then you will need to know exactly how to work with cameras, set lighting and, most importantly, have the skill-set and ‘star quality’ to engage movie audiences, hold their attention and make them believe in the emotions you portray on screen.

What Makes Movie Acting Different?

If you were to start out by acting in theatre or on television, you would learn to develop your character through the rehearsal process. However, according to actor and director, Ben Miller, when acting in a film role, you must spend the entire process becoming your character. In an interview with The Guardian, Ben Miller describes the movie acting process as one in which you;

“live and breathe the character”.

He also says that filming a movie creates an atmosphere which makes this as easy to do as possible.

Movie actors are often required to prepare for a role more thoroughly than actors preparing for smaller roles. This means that as well as reading scripts and memorising lines, you will have to look at your character in-depth and really try to work out the basis of their behaviour and create a fully rounded personality. For example, if you were to play a character from history, you would start by reading up about that person and learn about them in as much detail as possible. If you were cast in the role of an evil antagonist, you might want to think about why this person behaves the way they do- no matter how unsympathetic they might seem at first glance. If you don’t put this sort of research into your role, you might find that the final result ends up quite flat and not believable to the audiences watching the movie.

In his 1990 book, Acting in Film: An Actor’s Take on Moviemaking, the iconic British movie star Michael Caine goes into great detail about the aspects of movie acting that make it different to other styles of performance. He explains how the technology used in film, which allows viewers to see an actor’s face in extreme close-up and hear even the slightest sounds they make, means that movie acting can be portrayed much more subtly. He describes how it is much more truthful and potent for a big screen actor to downplay their emotions.

Michael Caine isn’t the only person to note the difference sort of acting that movie roles requires. In the 1952 thesis; Theory of the Film, Bela Balazs attribrutes the power of movie acting to the close up. He says that the close up causes a subtle style of performance, the likes of which had not been seen before in theatre acting. Balasz calls this the ‘polyphonic play of features’. Similarly, Walter Benjamin also points out the uniqueness of movie acting in his famous 1936 essay, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Benjamin believes that the difference lies in the fact that the performance in a movie is not happening live. This means that the actor cannot adjust their performance to suit the audience.

Both of these are examples of very early acting theory, which goes to show that even in the earliest days of cinema, experts were making note of the difference in stage and screen acting- particularly the fact that the technology, production and editing techniques used in film production play a big part in the way stars act.

The Art of Movie Acting

If you decide to dive straight into movie acting, there are a few things you need to know first. For example, you will film scenes individually and separately from the other actors. This means that you won’t get a chance to watch the entire story unfold like you would in a play. Because of this, some actors may need help from the director to see how their character fits within the wider story as a whole. Taking the time to do this can make a big difference to your performance, even if you only have a small part.

Movie acting is all about ‘hitting the mark’. Film sets are organised very carefully. The lights, cameras and all objects in the scene will be positioned very precisely. This means your movements will be carefully constricted. You will need to stand and move in exactly the way that the director tells you to. Usually, the floor of a movie set will be marked with tape to show actors where to go. This is where the term ‘hitting your mark’ originates.

Movie actors also need to know how to work with cameras. Every time you act in a film scene you should be aware of the type of shot a director wants. A few kinds of shots you’ll work with include extreme close ups, close ups, long shots, over-the-shoulder shots, high angle shots and dolly zooms.

Movie Acting – Should You Go Straight Into It Or Not?

Every person wants to start their career as they mean to go on, and with an acting career it’s no different. However, the question of whether or not to go straight into movie acting is one that you will need to think about. The movie industry is a sector that the majority of actors dream of being in, due to the fame, glamour and the fact that they expect the pay to be significantly higher. However, in reality, if you go straight into movie acting you should be prepared for smaller parts and low paying roles. In the early stages of your career you will need to focus on building up experience by accepting smaller parts. This might seem disheartening at first if you have dreamt your whole life of being a film star, but it will make you a better-rounded performer and build a foundation for your career in the long term.

Some new actors believe that they have to get stage acting experience before they are able to make the switch to performing on the big screen – but this doesn’t necessarily need to be the case. You will need to work your way up through the ranks of the film industry before ever landing a larger role, but it is very possible to begin your career in movies. If you were to pursue a career in film after working on stage for some time, you would be close to starting all over again from scratch. This is because the two mediums are so very different- as are the skills they respectively require.

Many actors prefer to accept as many acting jobs as possible, on stage or on screen, in the early stages of their career, while others prefer to stick steadfastly to their chosen forum. To decide what’s right for you, you will need to spend some time working out which areas of acting excite you most and which you excel in. You might want to speak to your agent or acting coach about this. Some questions that frequently pop up about whether or not it’s best to go straight into movie acting include:

What type of training are you going to undertake?
How much do you understand about the entertainment business and how it works?
How will you go about finding auditions and applying for them?
Which kind of acting appeals to you most- film, theatre, television etc?

When you’ve really researched these questions, you can make an informed decision about which acting route is right for you. You will then be able to create serious goals for yourself.

Start Your Acting Career

Whether or not you go straight into movie acting is a decision that only you can make and the decision will be totally personal to you. Whichever you decide, it is important to remember that there is no easy route or fast track to becoming a successful star.

When you apply to join one of Brian Timoney’s acting courses, such as the Ultimate Acting Programme or the Introduction to Method Acting Bootcamp will provide you with enough tools and insider information to get your career off to the best possible start.

Brian will teach you not just about the techniques of method acting, and how to draw upon them to enhance your performance, but he’ll also teach you about the business of acting too. This is an absolutely fundamental aspect for any aspiring actor who is serious about making it in this highly competitive industry – particularly when it comes to movie acting.

There is no doubt that method acting is a highly effective series of techniques for anyone aspiring to the highest levels of acting. However, there are many in the acting profession who prefer a different approach – what might be broadly referred to as the opposite of method acting. So what are the alternative acting styles commonly used throughout the industry, and how do they differ to the Method?

Acting styles which often position themselves as opposite to method acting are often based on quite different philosophies, meaning they offer real a contrast both in technique and results. Although most top actors now use at least some elements of the Method in their acting, there are still some very well-known actors who have achieved success with different types of acting.

To help you decide which acting style is most suitable for you, we’ve broken down some of the key ways in which these other approaches differ from method acting.

The Opposite of Method Acting – Truth Versus Imagination

At the most fundamental level, method acting is all about truth. We use various techniques to produce real emotions during our performances, resulting in acting that feels completely authentic to an audience because it is authentic. The most significant of these techniques is affective memory – using our real life experiences as a source to call up the emotions associated with those experiences.

Some prominent acting teachers, such as Stella Adler, felt that this level of authenticity was unnecessary, however. Their approach was to encourage actors to use their imagination, rather than relying on real experiences. So, if an actor needs to appear sad, they would imagine feeling sad so that they can then produce an effective performance.

There have certainly been some very successful and respected actors who have used the imaginative techniques popularised by Adler and others. Marlon Brando, Cybill Shepherd and Harvey Keitel were all at one time students of Adler’s approach to acting. However, it’s important to put this imaginative approach into context. After all, where does imagination come from?

“All ideas are second-hand, consciously and unconsciously drawn from a million outside sources.” – Mark Twain

Creativity doesn’t happen in a vacuum, which means that if an actor tries to imagine feeling sad, they must be using something to fuel their imagination. What is that fuel? That’s right, their experiences. Although “imaginative” actors may be pulling from multiple sources to build a sort of composite emotional output, it is likely that one or two particularly strong emotions are dominating this procedure, especially if it is resulting in a really strong performance. So although relying on imagination rather than real experiences may be in some ways the opposite of method acting, ultimately any really exceptional performance is likely to be coming from a fundamentally similar source.

Acting Instinctively

Method acting revolves around a number of conscious processes that actors can use to build a performance. The advantages of this should be obvious – for anyone wanting to act professionally, having a deliberate, repeatable process to produce a strong performance is essential. After all, nobody would want to employ a plumber who can do a great job sometimes, when they’re feeling inspired, but is useless the rest of the time. Acting is no different – you have to be able to deliver the goods on demand, every time.

However, some actors prefer to take a more instinctive approach to acting. The Meisner Technique teaches actors to stop thinking consciously about what they are doing so they can react instinctively to what is going on around them in a scene. This can produce very naturalistic and convincing performances when used by experienced actors and is popular with the likes of Jeff Bridges, Diane Keaton and Jeff Goldblum.

One problem with this kind of instinctive acting is that it does usually take a long time to get the hang of and often requires a lot of rehearsal to build a strong, cohesive performance. It also works best when used alongside other highly skilled actors, as it requires the practitioner to totally buy into the reality of the people they are working with. Because the process is so externalised, it is easy for instinctive actors to be thrown off by a bad actor or issues with the set or other external problems. By contrast, because method acting revolves around actors building up a coherent internal realism for their character, their ability to perform is much less reliant on what is going on around them.

Actors Who Misunderstand the Method

If you mention “method acting” to a lot of people, they will likely start talking about various wild stories they have heard about actors pulling out their teeth or making themselves ill in a desperate attempt to be “authentic”. This is not what method acting is.

Method acting is about taking the experiences you already have and relating them to your character’s experiences. So, if your character has been stuck on a desert island for ten years, you don’t need to abandon civilisation. Instead, you think about times you have felt lonely and isolated in your own life and how that made you feel, then use those experiences to inform your performance.

Going out and trying to experience exactly what your character is going through is often not practical and can be unsafe, but it is also ultimately unnecessary. While some research may be helpful, for most actors it is not realistic to take time out to go and live as your character. This is why method acting is so useful. A properly trained method actor can achieve a complete sense of realism in any situation using just their training and what they have already experienced.

Exposing Secret Method Actors

Lee Strasberg famously referred to method acting as:

“What all actors have always done whenever they acted well.”

What he meant by this is that great acting is always rooted in emotional truth as we all instinctively know when someone is faking it. Whether an actor is consciously going through a process of recalling specific experiences to summon up a real emotion or not if they are managing to produce an emotional performance that resonates with an audience they must be pulling on their own memories. After all, how could you convincingly “fake” an emotion you have never really felt? Whether these actors would call this method acting or not, that is ultimately what they are doing.

This is what we mean by “secret method actors” – people who are unconsciously using method acting techniques without realising that is what they are doing. Given the wrong impression many have of method acting, it is perhaps not surprising that some actors make this mistake. However, by studying method acting and understanding the processes it involves, even those who are already unknowingly using method acting can learn to harness these techniques more effectively for even better results.

Master the Method in just One Year

Although there will always be some who prefer the opposite of method acting, experience has shown us over and over that the Method is the most effective technique for professional actors. So if like 80% of Oscar-winning actors this century, you think the Method could work for you, we can help.

Our courses not only give you a thorough understanding of all aspects of method acting techniques, we also cover the business of acting. That means we show you how to take your newfound skills to the market and start getting paid acting work. This is why our courses are so popular with aspiring professional actors – because we show you not just how to act, but how to use your acting to build a sustainable career.

To find out more or to enquire about our 3-Day Introduction to Method Acting Bootcamp, please get in touch.

The importance of an actor’s showreel cannot be overstated. It’s the clearest, most compelling advert for exactly what you can do and a key tool for professional actors to land auditions. Editing your showreel correctly is therefore absolutely crucial.

There are a number of aspects to a great showreel, but it’s not just about the content. How you put that content together can change a collection of video clips into a powerful and engaging demonstration of just what you have to offer.

Getting the edit right is so vital we’ve decided to put together our top tips on how to cut together the perfect acting showreel.

Choosing the right tools

If you’re going to edit your showreel yourself (see below for the pros and cons of hiring an editor) then you need some solid editing software. There are loads of great free editing programs you can chose from with Windows Movie Maker and Lightworks being two of the most popular.

If you are going to splash out and pay for software, Final Cut Pro is a good choice. However, paying for software is only likely to be worthwhile if you plan on doing a lot of video editing in future.

One thing to bear in mind is whether your computer is powerful enough to make doing your own video editing realistic. Again, it is probably not a good investment to buy a brand new PC just to edit your showreel. But, if you are planning on doing a lot of other editing or are due to upgrade anyway, it may be worth looking at computers suitable for good quality video editing.

Top tip: If you have little or no editing experience, there are a huge number of tutorials on YouTube for pretty much all major editing applications. As long as you’re willing to put a bit of time into learning how it’s done, you should be able to get the hang of it.

What to include

A big part of editing is choosing which content to include. When selecting clips for your showreel there are several different things to consider. Start by gathering together absolutely every bit of acting footage of you have, then ask yourself the following three questions of each clip:

Does this reflect the best standard of my acting?
Does this show off a particular aspect of my acting that other clips don’t?
Is the quality of the footage good enough to give a professional impression?

By assessing each separate piece of footage against these criteria, you should be able to narrow your choice of clips down to those which show off your range to a good standard while looking professional. You then need to begin the task of cutting the clips down and deciding how to order them to have the biggest possible impact.

Top tip: One mistake a lot of people make is including scenes where it’s not 100% clear which of the actors is the subject of the showreel. This can be especially problematic if the first scene is one where you are acting against someone of the same gender and a similar age and look. Try to make your first scene one where you are acting alone or against someone obviously quite different to you in appearance so there is no risk of confusion.

Keep it short and sweet

Agents and casting directors are busy people, so they’re not going to sit through a ten-minute epic to decide whether they want to use you. In most cases, they’ll probably only watch about 30 seconds worth. In general, your showreel needs to be less than three minutes, with one-two minutes being ideal.

The length of your showreel will depend to some extent on how long you have been acting and how much good quality footage you have. Don’t be tempted to pad out your reel with lower quality clips, or allow any one segment to overrun. If you are relatively inexperienced one minute may well be enough. If you only have one or two roles to your name and a particularly long showreel, it is likely to ring alarm bells for the people you send it to, rather than impress them.

Likewise, be wary of letting each clip run on for too long. Be absolutely clear what the point of the clip is and use the smallest section of footage (within reason) that shows off that particular aspect of your acting. Using several fairly short clips will make your reel feel faster paced and keep it engaging.

Top tip: Although you don’t want your clips to be too long, don’t fall into the trap of turning your reel into a montage either. Give each clip room to breathe and get its point across before moving on. If you try to cram in too many short clips you will end up spreading yourself too thin and it’s unlikely any of the individual performances will have time to make a strong impression.

Save the second best until last

This might seem obvious, but it’s something people often overlook – make sure you put your best work at the start of the reel. The reason for this is a) it makes a good first impression and b) people may not bother watching the whole reel if you don’t grab them right away. Many agents and casting directors only watch the first 30 seconds of a reel before moving to the next if nothing they see has got their attention. Start strong and you hugely increase the odds of people sitting through your whole showreel.

There’s also another good reason to put your best stuff first. In some ways, editing a showreel is like planning a stand-up comedy set: starting strong lets the viewer relax, knowing they’re in safe hands. This means they are primed to see you positively so will tend to be more generous towards the rest of your material. Hit them with two or three of your best clips at the start and everything else will look better as a result.

Top tip: Don’t make the mistake of dumping all your less impressive stuff at the end of your showreel. You want to start and end strong. Save one really good, impactful piece until the end so that, if people do watch the whole thing, their final impression is a good one. People are most likely to remember the first and last thing they see in a series, so bookending your showreel with two very strong performances will increase the chances of making a great lasting impression.

Is it worth paying for a showreel editor?

The tough reality for most actors starting out is that money is going to be tight for a while, so paying a professional editor to put your showreel together might seem like a luxury. However, you have to remember that you are trying to present yourself as a professional and therefore your showreel has to look professional.

You need to be completely honest with yourself about how likely you are to be able to get your reel to an acceptable standard. If your showreel looks like it has been cobbled together by an amateur, it will distract from your acting and may make it look like you aren’t serious about building a career.

If you can finish your reel to a good standard though, one advantage is that you’ll be able to add new clips and make amendments easily yourself, rather than having to keep going back to your editor and paying more for and changes and updates.

Top tip: If you do decide to self-edit, keep a track of how long you are spending doing it. Chances are it will take you a lot longer to edit your reel to a good standard than it would a pro editor. Timing yourself means you can see if the saving is worth it or is ultimately a false economy.

Kickstart your acting career in a single year

Getting the hang of editing showreels is just one of the skills aspiring actors need. You might not think it’s important, but trust us – it can make the difference between success and failure in your acting career. Understanding the business of acting is just as important as having professional-quality acting ability. Without a solid grasp on how the industry works, you will struggle to take your newly acquired skills to the market, making it much harder to become a true professional actor.

At the Brian Timoney Actors’ Studio we specialise in both world-class method acting tuition and coaching our students in how to get out there and start landing paid work. That means each of our students leaves us ready to start their professional acting career straightaway.

To find out more or to enquire about our 3-Day Introduction to Method Acting Bootcamp, please get in touch.

If you’re serious about being a professional actor you presumably have your showreel sorted. But is one enough? Unless you are only applying for lots of very similar parts, your showreel is likely having to cover a lot of ground, showing off wildly different aspects of your acting. Wouldn’t it be more effective to have different showreels tailored to each of the different types of roles you are putting yourself forward for?

There are a number of pros and cons with having more than one showreel, making it hard to know whether it’s worth the time and effort. We take a look at the reasons some actors need multiple showreels and the different kinds of showreels you can create.

Keeping things focused

One big mistake people make with their showreels is that they aren’t focused enough. If you want to land a dramatic role and half your showreel is comedy then it’s probably not going to be relevant to any casting directors looking to cast a drama. You are potentially wasting half of the time they are spending reviewing your work and may give the impression that you’re not really that committed to doing drama.

This is also true of more subtle distinctions between different kinds of acting. Having a varied showreel can be a positive, in that it shows your range, but it also gives you less space to convince people that you are right for each specific type of role. Having several different reels, each specifically focused on just one area of your acting, can make a much more compelling case for casting you for relevant roles.

Showing your range

One concern is that, by showing less of a range you are reducing the chance for secondary casting opportunities. This is when a casting director sees something in your reel that isn’t quite right for the role you are chasing but would be a good fit for another role they are casting.

However, since you will usually be sending people links to your showreel online, you can always include a link to the main showreel you want them to see and a secondary link to your others reels demonstrating your range. This means if you do impress them with the first showreel, they can bookmark your other reels to come back to when they are looking at other roles later. This gives you the best of both worlds.

Know your acting niches

Many actors are terrified of being typecast, but in many ways, it can be good for your career. The kind of roles you are likely to be offered will, to a large extent, depend on your look and presence. Knowing your type can save a lot of work and increase your chances of succeeding at auditions because you can focus your efforts on the types of roles you are best suited for and therefore most likely to win.

Your showreel can help to define your type, by selecting clips which reflect the kind of roles you are best suited for. If there is more than one niche you fit into, having different showreels that reflect these different types can make it much easier for casting directors to see you in quite different roles.

If you have been playing one type for a while and want to branch out, creating a secondary showreel that shows more of your range can help you break out of being typecast. You then still have your primary showreel so you can keep landing those bread and butter, in-type roles that pay the bills.

Types of showreel

There are as many different kinds of showreels as there are different kinds of actors. The distinctions between drama and comedy are obvious and it can also be an advantage to have separate reels for commercials work versus TV and film projects.

It can be easy, however, to slip into thinking you need a separate showreel for absolutely every possibly kind of acting work you might want, but you don’t want to get carried away. For most people, two or three showreels will be enough so that you can convincingly show your ability to fill different kinds of roles. If you start aiming wider than that, chances are you are going to be spreading your efforts too thin and will end up struggling to get cast in anything.

When deciding which types of showreels you want to put together, it all comes down to what kind of roles you want to pursue and what footage you have. One thing to consider is whether it is worth getting a showreel shot from scratch.

When to use supporting material

If you are early on in your acting career or have been typecast for a long time, you may not have too much of a range of different clips to show off. One way to get around this when applying for roles outside of your usual niche is to send your showreel, but add some supporting material specific to the role you are applying for.

In most cases, this is likely to be a piece you have filmed especially for this application, which exactly matches your perception of what the role requires. The advantage of this approach is that your showreel will demonstrate your professional credentials and overall acting ability, while the supporting video, even if it’s not a professional clip, should hopefully show that you are a good fit for that specific role.

Recently many casting directors have begun asking actors to self-tape audition pieces to streamline the casting process. This means adding in your own custom-shot footage is seen as an increasingly normal thing to do and can be really helpful if you are trying to break out of being typecast but don’t have any strong professional footage to back this up yet.

Learn the business of acting in just one year

Knowing how many showreels you need is the sort of detail that separates a real professional from a talented amateur. After all, there is a lot more to building an acting career than just knowing how to act. You also have to understand how the industry works and how to successfully navigate your way through it.

That’s where we come in. At the Brian Timoney Actors’ Studio we offer industry-leading method acting tuition, but we also teach you the business of acting. This means our students don’t just learn how to act, but also how to take their acting out into the real world to start landing auditions and winning paid roles. After all, you’re not really a professional actor unless you’re getting paid for it and we can show you how to make that happen.

To find out more or to enquire about our 3-Day Introduction to Method Acting Bootcamp, please get in touch.

As an actor starting out, you probably have at least some experience of auditioning – whether that’s gaining a place on an acting course or landing smaller roles for one-off jobs, advertisements or as an ‘extra’. But how do you land the bigger roles and much sought after movie auditions? While a movie audition is unique and may seem a much bigger deal to auditions for smaller roles, there’s actually a lot of crossover and many similarities.

Perhaps the greatest challenge you’ll face is keeping a lid on your own excitement for bagging a movie audition! So if you have managed to get invited to a casting session, or found one that sounds like a great match for your ‘type‘- here’s how movie auditions actually work.

Getting A Movie Audition

There are two ways to find movie auditions as an actor: get an agent or do it yourself. Getting an agent can be tricky, and they’ll expect to take around 10% of your earnings. However if you are lucky enough to get a good one, using their industry contacts and experience can be of huge benefit. Firstly they will find you movie auditions that you’re more likely to get, and secondly, you’re more likely to gain access to the industry gatekeepers that you’d be less likely to get without one. This can be a crucial part of securing movie auditions in particular.

If you’re going it alone, there are still opportunities for great movie auditions to be found, you just have to do your research. Backstage post local casting notices and a quick google search for open casting calls should give you an idea of the opportunities available in your area. Alternatively, you can use your industry contacts- friends, family or acquaintances in the business: don’t be afraid to get in touch and ask whether there are any auditions or roles coming up that they could recommend you for.

Proper Preparation

The preparation an actor does before a movie audition has the power to make or break it- without question. You may have been given a script, and in that case you will be expected to read it through and memorise your character’s lines properly. Many actors, including the legendary Anthony Hopkins not only read their own part, but everybody else’s as well in order to absorb as much information as possible. If you haven’t received a script but have a character description to work with, consider what this character might be like, and work on a monologue that might fit to the character.

You will need to have copies of your headshots and acting C.V. ready to bring with you, even if you’ve already submitted them, and this should include a link to a demo reel, if you have one.

Pick your dress as if it were inspired by the character you’re auditioning for- it shows commitment to the role before you’ve even got it. So say you’re going for a pirate role: you don’t need to arrive in full costume with a sword in hand – that would look ridiculous. But what you CAN do is wear a slightly ‘flouncy’ top, or wear something that shows off a few tattoos – if you have them of course!

Casting rooms often run on a very tight schedule so being late may very well cost you the audition. If you don’t want to risk blowing your chance, it’s a good idea to make sure you arrive at least 15 minutes early so you’ve got time to prepare and recover if you’ve had a flustered journey. As Shakespeare once said: “Better three hours too soon than a minute too late”: really – they won’t wait for you.

The Waiting Room

On arrival you will be greeted by a receptionist or the casting director’s assistant who will give you the script (if you don’t already have it). You will be asked to sit and wait to be called in. It is crucial that you are friendly and polite towards them, remember – a receptionist can always ‘accidentally’ lose your contact sheet, and you never know how influential an innocent looking casting assistant may be. There are also numerous stories of actors unknowingly insulting the script to the writer or talking down a producer to his PA. Be nice and courteous to everyone – you never really know who’s in charge.

If you have just been given a script, spend as much time as possible reading through your lines and consider how you might deliver them in the audition. In some cases you may not have a script at all and be expected to do a cold reading or be auditioning for a character without lines. In those cases take time in the waiting room to draw upon your past experience and decide how best to improvise or perform your character, so you are ready when you are called in.

The Movie Audition – What To Expect

There will be an X in the middle of the floor- that’s your mark to stand on. Be confident (you made it to the audition because they were interested in you), close the door and get to your mark. Be friendly and greet everyone in the room – judge the situation accordingly. For a large group, a friendly nod and ‘hi’ to each of them should be fine. If the group is a little smaller, it may be more appropriate to shake hands, although do this with caution. With so many actors to see, many casting directors would prefer not to shake hands with everyone for practical reasons.

Next, comes your slate, which is extremely important to get right. Movie auditions are most likely to be taped and so when the casting director is running back through the auditions after a long day, your slate is the first thing they will see of you. Look directly down the camera lens and say your name, age if you are younger than 30, and possibly your agency in both a confident and calm manner.

Next, you will be expected to do a reading, which, for a movie audition is likely to come from the script. Don’t panic. If you’ve done your preparation, you should be fine. If you are reading with an assistant who is off camera, choose where to focus your eye-line – either into the camera lens or just off camera. Whichever you choose just make sure you are consistent.

Remember, the person reading your lines with you will probably not be an actor, and may, therefore, give you a limited amount of emotion and not much to work with. Try not to let this distract you, and give the best reading you can. If you have taken the time to make some bold assumptions about your character’s personality, make sure that comes through; even if it’s not the direction they want to take, they will be impressed at your attempt to develop the character and bring it to life.

Afterward, you might get some feedback and be directed to try the lines in a different way. This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve read them wrong but is, in fact, more likely an attempt to see how well you take direction and whether you can be a collaborative team player. Follow the director’s advice and be enthusiastic about trying it differently.

Eventually, your movie audition will come to a close and the casting director will thank you for your time. Briefly, thank the room yourself and make your way out politely but briskly. Most auditions are only about 10 minutes long, and as soon as you leave, the next actor will be called in immediately to keep everything running on schedule. If you’re sure they have a copy of your C.V. and headshots, as well as a contact sheet with the correct details, you’re free to go! Be just as courteous on your way out and bid farewell to the receptionist or assistants and you’re done!

After the Audition

Your adrenaline is probably pumping and you’re more than likely feeling a bit wired. Go off and do something fun. Meet friends or go to a café you like – something that will take your mind off of the audition for a while. The casting director will review the auditions over the next few days and get in touch if they’re interested.

If you’re chosen you might be asked to a call-back session or come in for a screen test. And if you’re not lucky enough to be chosen, don’t worry, it may be for a reason completely out of your control. You might not be tall enough, or they may even have decided to change the character’s sex- there are all kinds of reasons that you might not be picked, and most of them aren’t related to your acting talent.

What’s important is that you don’t miss the chance to appraise your performance. After each audition, look at what went well and what didn’t, and work on it for next time. Even if you are successful this time: analysing and working on weak spots is the only way you can ever hope to improve on your performance in auditions.

Different Ways to Audition

It’s common for movie auditions to be conducted through self-taping. Often, it’s just not practical for actors to be asked to audition in the room, as the production may be happening half-way across the world. So, if you’re in London and auditioning for a movie in LA, you might be asked to self-tape. Aside from the benefit of auditioning for productions all over the world, self-taping gives you the chance to try out a few takes and send the best one in. Be careful though – this can make it extremely time-consuming if you don’t set yourself a strict time schedule. For tips on self-taping, check out my podcast ‘how to tape yourself doing an audition and not look like an idiot’.

You may also be asked to do a movie audition over Skype for the same reason. It’s a practical way to audition international performers and it diversifies the pool of actors to choose from. However, anyone who’s ever used Skype might be aware that connection issues can greatly affect the quality of a call. If you are given this option, always choose to self-tape your audition if you can, or at the very least, go somewhere with a reliable internet connection!

Great Training Makes a Great Audition

It’s true, you can’t teach talent, but you can teach those with talent how to make the best of their abilities. And with so many actors failing to sell themselves properly in movie auditions and slowing their career growth, perfecting a great movie audition technique is key to success in this industry. If you’re serious about acting, and want to find a course that will really put you head and shoulders above the competition, consider our world-class Ultimate Acting Programme.