Staying positive can be challenging within any line of work, but within the acting industry, it can really mean the difference between making or breaking your career – especially when you’re going through a dry patch. Negative thoughts may be swirling around your head, telling you that you were never good enough, and have to pick another profession, pronto. Positivity in acting is essential if you’re going to survive.
The truth is, negative thinking affects everyone, and dwelling on things that get you down will do nothing for your mental health or your acting career. Yes, there may be bad auditions, and unfortunate performances that leave you red-faced, but there will also be great jobs and auditions where you know you’ve given your best. Working at beating down that inner negativity and replacing it with a positive outlook is one of the best things you can do for your well-being and future career prospects.
It happens to the best of us
Peter Mackenzie, once interviewed the veteran actor Jack Lemmon, star of Some Like It Hot and said that during the interview he said:
“not a day went by when he didn’t believe that there would be a knock on the door and there would be two guys from the ‘Acting Police.’
They would tell him to come with them because he was no good. And Jack said he would go because he knew they were right.” Lemmon won two Academy Awards in his 50-year career and was nominated eight times in total. He was without question a great actor, and yet he constantly carried around a deep-seated dread that he was never actually good enough.
Mackenzie also talks about working with Meryl Streep, who with 19 Academy Award nominations holds more than any other actor, and is generally agreed to be one of, if not, the greatest actress on the planet. Working with her on Nancy Meyers’ It’s Complicated, he played the therapist to her protagonist and recalled a particularly gruelling 13-hour shoot for one and a third pages of dialogue.
“On every take Meryl committed 100 percent, giving the same energy when it was over her shoulder for my close-ups. Eventually that took its toll. She turned to me and whispered, ‘Am I any good in this scene?’ The back of my head exploded.”
It just goes to show: whether you are an aspiring actor or a successful one, that negative part of your brain, criticising every move and revelling in your mistakes is shared by everyone. The real skill comes when you learn to turn that voice against itself and use it as a positive force.
What can actors do about negativity?
The acting industry is tough, so it’s hardly surprising that negative thoughts seem to come a lot easier than positive ones. Although you will have received positive feedback in some auditions, the likelihood is that the comments that stick most in your brain have come from incidences where you received negative feedback: validation, to you, of your worst fears.
Actor Bret Shuford writes that although our natural response is to work at pushing these negative thoughts away, most of the time this only makes them stronger.
“The best response you can have is to embrace them. Listen to the thoughts. What are they saying to you? These thoughts are trying to protect you because you are going into dangerous territory.”
In other words, negative thoughts are not there to make you feel down for no good reason, rather they are a natural response to you being in an area outside of your comfort zone. As far as your mind is concerned, it would be easier to just give up and walk away. After all, the easiest option always seems like the best option at the time. However, once you understand this, it becomes easier to silence these thoughts and turn them around to work for you instead of against you.
From Fears to Flowers
According to Bret Shuford, his three tried and tested methods for turning negative thoughts into beacons of positivity are as follows:
1. Be grateful. Since gratitude and fear are not coexisting emotions (according to scientists), when you begin to feel negative and fearful, focus on what you are grateful for. Maybe you already have a job or a great shot at a role, or have recently moved somewhere new. Whatever you currently have, focus on how grateful you are for them: a sure-fire way to reinforce your positivity.
2. Make Mantras. Listen to your negative thoughts: what are they actually saying? Do you hear some things over and over? Break down sentences, such as ‘I’m not good enough for the part, no one will like me’ and realise that it is only your brain trying to protect you and prevent you from allowing yourself to be vulnerable, as you would be in a performance. Reverse the sentence and make it your mantra- ‘I’m not good enough’ becomes ‘I am a talented and worthy actor, I am a valuable part of the production’, and so forth.
3. Meditate. Nothing is more proven to increase feelings of positivity and general well-being than meditation. Meditation allows you to focus on yourself and see the world around you in a different light. It can also help you let go of feelings of stress and feel calmer and more at peace with yourself. There are many meditation programmes available online to help you get started.
The Marriage of Positivity and Persistence
With your new and improved positive outlook, you’ll be able to achieve the second most important thing when it comes to acting: persistence. Just as in any industry, persistently putting in the effort to keep going and offer more than your competitors is one of the most effective ways to make sure you get steady work. Hollywood is rife with tales of long-suffering actors consistently going the extra mile to gain the attention of the people in charge who would eventually give them their big break. So it’s very much worth keeping this in mind during your darker moments.
The truth is success in acting is just as much about luck and persistence as it is about talent, and you need to have all three to make it big. That negative voice in your head may be gnawing at your confidence and motivation to keep going, and it is only by turning it into your greatest ally that will you become able to beat it down once and for all. Positivity and persistence will get you there eventually, you just have to believe not only in this philosophy, but also yourself.
Start with Great Training
Nothing will help you stay positive quite as well as having an excellent training course behind you. My exclusive One Year Ultimate Acting Programme offers everything you need and more to start your career as a professional actor. We specialise in teaching ‘the Method’, as well as the skills you will need to navigate the business side of the industry. If you want the chance to meet Hollywood casting directors and build useful connections to give yourself the shot at becoming a professional actor, check out the testimonies from my past students who have gone on to become successful working actors. Make it happen today. (And hurry! Auditions for next year will take place on the 28th September!)
When it comes to acting there are a few misconceptions about it held by those outside the industry. If asked they would most likely decide that typecasting must be a bad thing for an actor, sure to doom them to a career of playing the same characters over and over. For those who know the industry, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
As any aspiring actor will know, getting work can be a tough process, and there are always more actors than there are parts available. So if you are lucky enough to get an audition, or even a part, you should take it, even if it puts you in a role you would rather not play. Everyone has a ‘type’ which dictates the sort of characters they’d be most suited for, and if you want to get anywhere in this industry, you will have to learn to love yours.
What ‘type’ are you?
Before you even start looking for work, you need to understand the sort of characters you have a decent chance of being cast as, and one of the best ways to do this, is finding out for yourself the type of actor you are.
Just as we unconsciously stereotype people in everyday life, from what they look like to their behaviour, casting directors are experts at assessing you and your personality. Whether you like it or not, they will put you into a box of sorts, which helps them decide exactly where you’d fit in their production. Help yourself by working this out for them, and going for the roles they would see as most appropriate for you.
Discovering your ‘type’ is not as easy as just looking in the mirror and asking friends and family about the kind of roles they think you’d be good in. You need to find some objective strangers to enlighten you.
Go out and meet people to strike up a conversation with. Ask them what age they believe you are, and what job they think you have. Then, find someone else and ask them the same. Ask enough people and you are sure to notice a few trends in the feedback you’re collecting. This will allow you to understand how people see you, and the sort of assumptions they make on you based on your appearance and personality.
For many actors, what they are told may be different to what they are expecting to hear, since a lot of actors can be delusional about how they come across. Completing this exercise is the best way to get a true picture of your type, and allow you to begin to make use of it.
Enhancing it
Working out where you’re most likely to be cast is infinitely useful, but to increase your chance of clinching those type-specific roles, you should work on enhancing your type.
Say, for example, you are a leading bad-guy type – you could enhance this by dying your hair darker and giving yourself more dynamic facial hair. Likewise, if you are more suited to motherly roles, get a ‘mumsie’ haircut and make sure you go into the audition in appropriate clothing. Playing up your type could very well give you the edge you need to start getting cast.
Headshots come into this too. To get that audition, casting directors spend around 3-5 seconds looking at your photo, so it needs to both look like you and clearly demonstrate your type. Don’t choose the best looking one, but rather go for one that conveys something about you and your personality.
Work will come
Only by embracing your type and playing it up, will you be cast, and even then, you should not be worried about being typecast. To some degree, typecasting is inevitable and it can be seen even at the highest echelons of Hollywood society. Whether you like being the geeky best friend or the dumb muscular boyfriend or you hate it, work is work and building up your CV credits and getting your foot in the door is the most important thing.
Being a working actor is a huge achievement in itself, and while you might not be enjoying the roles you are currently playing, it will give you a chance to meet people in the industry who might be able to change that for you a little way down the road.
Eventually, if you continue to have success in your career, there will be a chance to ‘play against type’, like Charlize Theron did in Monster and with a little luck that will help propel your career forward when the time is right.
Not every actor needs to break away from type for success however. Take Clint Eastwood as an example. Eastwood has made his gritty hero type iconic, having played it to perfection for decades.
Typecasting can be key
There’s no avoiding it, you will be typecast, and you must be grateful for it. It is your foot in the door and embracing it is your best bet towards getting work and building the career you’ve always dreamed of. Every great actor has been put in a box at some point and had to find a way to get themselves out of it eventually.
Remember- to be typecast is to be considered appropriate for some sort of role, which is a whole lot better than nothing at all. Embrace your type and work it for all it can be, it may even lead you to Hollywood greatness one day.
Get a Head Start
Getting ahead in your acting career needn’t be tough if you start with a great course. 80% of Best Actor winners from the year 2000 make use of the Method, and here at the Brian Timoney Actors’ Studio, we offer leading training through the One Year Ultimate Acting Course. You too can join the ranks of greats like Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro by learning some of their most effective acting techniques.
Just like in any other line of work, acting requires professionals to do their homework and really get to know their craft. If you’re serious about becoming a professional actor, and following in the footsteps of the legendary performers who came before you, then you will need to know everything there is about the acting industry.
One key piece of knowledge that every trained actor should have is a thorough understanding of camera angles. You could be forgiven for thinking that this is something that applies more to behind the scenes staff such as directors and camera operators, however, when you get to know your camera angles, you will find this makes a huge difference to your acting ability.
Not only can an awareness of camera angles seriously compliment your on-screen performance, it can also convey your professionalism and dedication to your career. As soon as you walk on set, your colleagues both in front of and behind the camera will be impressed with your in-depth understanding of the filming process. So what type of camera angles are there and how can you become more familiar with them?
Extreme long shot
The extreme long shot is as far away as camera angles can get. In this instance, the actor takes up a very small section of the screen. Extreme long shots are usually filmed from the outside and can even be taken from as far away as half a mile. This is a scenic angle which is used to establish the location and setting of the film, rather than focus on the actor.
Long shot
Similar to the extreme long shot, long shots are taken from some distance away from the actor. A very common angle in film, the best way to describe the long shot is that it is as close to real life dimensions and perspective as cameras are able to capture. The long shot would typically show the entire body of the actor from head to toe. Somewhere between extreme long shots and close ups, people are in focus in this type of shot, but plenty of background can be seen too. Think of that iconic opening scene in The Sound of Music where Maria is singing and dancing alone with the stunning scenery of the Alps Mountains behind her. This is perhaps one of the most recognisable long shots in cinema history.
Close up
The close up is where an actor’s emotions really begin to show on screen. If you’re a film buff then you’re probably familiar with the character Norma Desmond’s iconic line; “alright, Mr DeMille, I’m ready for my close up” from the 1950 black comedy, Sunset Boulevard. This camera angle focuses on just one actor, with very little background in sight. We only look at the performer, usually from the shoulders up, with everything behind and around them appearing as a blur.
Extreme close up
As you might have guessed from the name, the extreme close up is a more zoomed in version of the close up. This is an exaggerated point of view, showing a more magnified version of the actor’s face than the human eye would naturally see. The extreme close up tends to focus on just one facial feature of the actor, such as the eyes or mouth. Famously used by Quentin Tarantino in many of his films, the extreme close up can create a very dramatic effect on screen. The way the camera focuses on just one feature means that intense emotions can be portrayed in an extremely intimate way. Tarantino isn’t the only director who is known for using extreme close ups in his work. Martin Scorcese’s 1976 thriller Taxi Driver famously opens with a dramatically intimate close up of Robert De Niro’s eyes.
Over the shoulder shot
An over the shoulder camera angle is usually used to depict the relationship between two characters on screen. This tends to be a medium distance shot where the camera is positioned behind one figure, with the back of their head and upper torso in view, as well as the face and front of the person opposite them. This is a common way for conversations to be filmed and really focuses on the front-facing actor rather than the person positioned in front of the camera.
Dolly zoom
You know that dramatic moment in a film when a character suddenly works out a huge twist in the tale, and the actor seems to zoom towards the camera while the background surges backwards? This is called the dolly zoom, named for the wheeled dolly cart that the camera is attached to during filming. This style of filming was first developed by Alfred Hitchcock and has been used to portray intensity on screen ever since. The example of the dolly zoom scene in Steven Spielberg’s Jaws when Chief of Police, Martin Brody sees a child being eaten by the shark from the beach has become so synonymous with this technique, that dolly zooms are often referred to as ‘the Jaws shot’.
High angle
In a high angle shot, the camera is positioned above the action, looking down. A crane is usually used to create this shot which gives the impression that the audience is looking down on the actor from above. The actor is the main focus in the frame and in many films, it is used to portray fear, submission or weakness in the character. The high angle shot is yet another example of a camera angle which was developed and perfected by Alfred Hitchcock. The legendary director often used this technique to portray a sense of foreboding and fear, it was particularly prevalent in scenes where birds descended down on people in the 1963 horror, Birds.
Low angle
In contrast to high angle shots, low angles, as the name suggests, are filmed from a low angle, where the camera has been positioned below the natural eye line. In the same way that high angle shots are used to make the character look inferior and insignificant, the low angle is a cinematic device used to create a sense of strength and power. This angle is popular in the superhero genre. Usually, when we are first introduced to the main superhero, we are introduced to them with a low angle shot from below.
Movement
It’s not just your angles that you need to be aware of when you’re in front of the camera. There are several different ways that the camera will move when filming you and this is also something that every actor should be well aware of. After all, the style of camera movement that the director opts for can be hugely important and completely change the pace and atmosphere of the film. Here are a few of the camera actions you can expect to come across during your on-screen acting career.
Pan
The classic pan is one of the most commonly used and recognisable shots in the history of film. This simple movement is a staple of the film industry and works by scanning the scene horizontally or vertically. By placing the camera on a tripod stand, the pan creates a natural movement similar to the ones we make with our eyes.
Handheld
Handheld camera angles are a great way to create an incredibly realistic shot. This type of angle is used in documentaries and news reel footage, so it translates on to film and television in a believable, fly on the wall style – and gives you a sense that you’re really a part of the action. When a shot is being filmed with a handheld, jerky camera, it is more important than ever that the emotions you portray in your performance are completely real. If you’ve ever been terrified while watching The Blair Witch Project then you know just how much handheld cameras can portray a sense of realism and building tension.
Get to know your angles
When it comes to acting, nothing is more import than getting plenty of practice and rehearsal in. It is well worth spending plenty of time in front of the mirror to really get to know your face and how your features look from different angles. You could also take some selfies on your Smartphone and record videos of yourself from as many different angles as possible. Another great bit of practice is try to master your smile, frown and other emotional expressions. Experiment with holding your chin in different positions and play around with your body language. The more you get to know your own features, the more adaptable you will be when being filmed from different camera angles.
This is just one of the many important features of acting that will be covered when you enrol for an intensive acting course at the Brian Timoney Actor’s Studio. If you want to find out more about the importance of camera angles and how exactly to utilise them to enhance your performance, as well as everything else you could need to know in your future acting career, sign up for our three day Introduction to Method Acting Boot Camp or the 12 month Ultimate Acting Programme. Get in touch for more details.
Method acting is not a single process, but rather a combination of different techniques which, when put together, create deep, engaging performances which feel entirely real. Knowing which of these method acting techniques to use at any given moment is one of the skills method actors have to learn and depends on both the circumstances and the needs of the actor and performance.
By looking at certain parts of the performance process and different types of actors, we can see the merits of the various method acting techniques and when they are appropriate to use.
Rehearsal
During the rehearsal process you are first working out how to play your role, so this is the point where you need to be focusing mainly on analysis, interpretation and experimentation. There are certain core method acting techniques which can significantly help you here.
Given circumstances – This is the process of analysing the script to understand the environment and situation your character will be in for each of your scenes. Getting a handle on this broader context helps to inform the way you perform, leading to deeper and richer performances. As such, this needs to be carried out as soon as possible during the rehearsal process.
Relaxation – For method actors it is important to get into “neutral” before they begin acting. This means letting go of your usual physical ticks, such as the way you hold yourself and move your hands when you speak and also clearing your mind of your personal emotional state at the start of each session. This makes you a “blank slate” onto which you can build a performance. This is just as important during rehearsals as at any other point in the performance process.
Objects – To create a convincing performance, actors have to believe in the environment they are inhabiting. One way method actors do this is to focus on the objects in the set, such as chairs, bowls of fruit – anything real – and build a belief in their relationship to that object. By buying into the environment on that small level, they then can ignore the less real parts of the environment – such as cameras or an audience. This process of buying into the environment has to start during rehearsals so it is second-nature by the time of the actual performance.
Affective memory – One of the most fundamental method acting techniques, this is the process of using real memories to stimulate real emotions for a performance. Method actors recall personal memories with a strong emotional association, then vividly recall those memories so they experience again the emotions they felt when the memory was formed. By starting to do this during rehearsals, actors can be confident they have the tools in place to produce real emotions on cue when performing for real.
Substitution – The memories used for affective memory do not have to be direct analogues of the scenes being acted out. This means if you need to be sad, you simply have to recall any sad memory, not just one that is very similar to the scene being acted out. Working out these substitutions should happen during rehearsals so you have everything in place before you start the real performance.
Sense memory – This is a way of making affective memory work. Sense memory focuses on remembering the senses associated with particularly powerful memories. That way you effectively hotwire your brain into replaying the required emotions without a lot of logical processing. So, for example, thinking about a song that was playing when you were really happy can instantly make you feel happy again. These sensory cues should be worked out during rehearsals so they are all in place before you go in front of the cameras or an audience so you can be guaranteed an effective performance when it counts.
Animal exercise – One way to create a convincing physical presence for a character is to base their movements on an animal. If you want a character to seem powerful and aggressive you might base your performance on a gorilla, as Marlon Brando did for his Oscar-winning performance in A Streetcar Named Desire. Do this during rehearsals and try out different animals and different interpretations of their movements until you find something that works.
Speaking out – This is a technique specially designed for rehearsals. It means breaking character during a run-through in order to directly explain an issue you are experiencing, such as not knowing how to say a certain line. You then return to the rehearsal and carry on as if nothing happened. This means issues are identified without breaking the flow of rehearsals too badly, saving time while still dealing with potential problems.
Private moment – If you are struggling with getting comfortable on stage or in front of cameras, the private exercise moment can help. This involves taking something you would normally do in private and doing it publicly instead. By forcing yourself to get used to doing private things in public, you should then suffer less anxiety during performance and appear entirely natural, as if you were not even conscious that you were being watched or recorded. As this is a tool to prepare you for performance, it is inherently part of the rehearsal process.
Performance
When it comes time to give your performance, you will usually no longer need to actively go through some of the exercises. You will have already worked out the given circumstances and so, although these will be in the back of your mind, you will not be running through the exercise during a performance. Likewise, you should have already worked out your substitutions, so unless a memory suddenly stops working for you, you shouldn’t need this exercise anymore. If you used an animal exercise to create a physicality for your character, it may be helpful to consciously remind yourself of this occasionally, but ideally the physical side of your performance should be second-nature and instinctive by this point. Finally, you will not be speaking out or carrying out a private moment exercise during a performance for obvious reasons – it would completely break the reality of the performance!
The techniques you will still likely use during performance are:
Relaxation – Being able to get into neutral is just as important, if not more important, for a performance as it is during rehearsals. Using method acting relaxation exercises before a performance means you are prepared to let go of “you” and become your character. It also means you can be more confident of delivering results when it counts, helping to boost your confidence and deal with nerves.
Objects – Having an audience watching or cameras rolling can make it even harder to believe in the environment you are inhabiting for your performance. Focusing on objects is therefore even more crucial during a performance than during rehearsals.
Affective memory – This is not just something you use during rehearsals to work out how to more accurately “fake” emotions during performances. Instead method actors use affective memory during every performance so the emotions they show are real every time. This is particularly helpful in theatre where you may end up performing the same part night after night for weeks, months or even years. Affective memory can help keep your performances fresh.
Sense memory – Although you should have worked out your sensory cues during rehearsals, you still need to use the sense memory technique to focus on those sensory cues and activate the required memories and emotions.
Moment-to-moment – This technique may be used to a certain extent during rehearsals, but is perhaps more relevant during performance. Moment-to-moment means believing in and inhabiting a scene so fully that if something unexpected happens, such as a co-star fluffing a line or improvising something, you do not react in character. This is because you are experiencing the performance “moment-to-moment” i.e. not just following a series of predetermined actions like some kind of automaton.
Types of actors
Generally, all method actors will make use of most of these techniques most of the time. Some, like affective memory and given circumstances will almost always be used by all method actors. However, how much use you make of some of the exercises will depend on the type of actor you are.
There are three broad types of actors and which you fall into will determine which of the method acting techniques you need to focus on most:
Creative actors – These are your quintessential method actors. They analyse a script, work out which emotions they need to portray and then use all the core techniques such as affective memory, sense memory and animal exercises to create a rich, dynamic, living performance. They will use virtually all of the method acting techniques, although more experienced creative actors may find less need for exercises like private moment and objects. This is because, over time, dealing with the issues they are designed to resolve can become second-nature meaning the exercises are no longer actively needed.
Imitative actors – This type of actor relies on consciously imitating what emotions look like, rather than actually feeling them. They may use techniques like affective memory initially, to work out how best to fake the emotions they need to show, but they don’t use the technique on an on-going basis. This type of actor may be convincing up to a point, but their performances will never feel quite real. They need to focus more on using affective memory and sense memory to really start feeling the emotions they want to portray every time, rather than falling back on studied imitations.
Stage hacks – Nobody likes to be called a hack, but the reason we use the term is because these are actors who may well have a fair amount of performance “talent” but they fall down because it’s all about them, not their characters. The hack never really tries to “become” their character as their own ego gets in the way so they never really leave their true self behind. Stage hacks need to focus more on relaxation, getting into neutral and letting go of themselves, then use given circumstances, affective memory and sense memory to start building more real, three-dimensional performances.
Understand method acting techniques in just one year
Ready to start getting to grips with method acting techniques? The Brian Timoney Actors’ Studio offers the world’s leading method acting tuition for aspiring professional actors. Take our 1-Year Ultimate Acting Programme and you will learn to master every aspect of the method acting process and develop your own unique approach to the discipline.
Not only that, we also train you in the business side of the industry, so you know exactly how to get out there and land paid acting work straightaway. With our help you can become a highly talented working professional actor in just one year. So, if you are serious about making your acting dreams into a reality, don’t hesitate – apply today!
To find out more or to enquire about our 3-Day Introduction to Method Acting Bootcamp, please get in touch.
At first glance, a script may seem the be all and end all of a production. You expect the script to contain everything you need to know about the production and the character you’re playing. But when you take a closer look, they actually give little more than the bare bones. It is up to you to fill in the gaps and build a performance out of what’s there. Scripts are often vague and open to interpretation and to clinch the part during an audition, you must become the best interpreter of the bunch.
During an audition your particular interpretation will be scrutinised, and with the prospect of getting cast hanging in the balance, it is crucial you get all the information you need out of the script. It may not be easy, but learning how to go about it and understanding the importance of research will give you the head start you need.
Deciphering the Language
Who is the character?
Unless you’re auditioning for a big role, it’s likely the character description will read something like this: POLICE DETECTIVE, 42. So you get a profession, an age and maybe some sort of appearance description if you’re lucky. You may already be able to make some assumptions on the character based on similar people you’ve encountered in real life, but ultimately, the description doesn’t give you a lot to work with. You have little information on how to really make your character come to life.
First things first, read through the script in its entirety (if you have it). Use it to extract as much information about the character as possible: What have other characters got to say about them? What’s been their journey? What’s their overall impact on the production? Then you can take to the internet to do your research. Find out what it takes to become a police detective, the sorts of things they do day to day, and look further in to the types of crimes and events that are features in the script.
Then focus on their age. If they’re 42 look back and research the world they grew up in – if you can work out how things were different when they were children, you can understand how this might shape their world view and behaviour in the present day.
As actor Stephen Tobolowsky writes, if your character is based on a real person, and they are available, use them for research too! They will offer you a much greater insight into the motivation behind the creation of your character, and may even give you a new perspective on them.
After that you can start asking yourself some questions and begin filling in the gaps. Start simple: “What do they do? And then move to the less obvious. Do they do it well? Where do they excel? Where do they fall short? What did they think this job would be? What did it turn out to be?” For their age: do they seem younger or older than their actual age? Has their job prematurely aged them or kept them young? How would this affect their opinion of it? And for an emotional connection, “What is their greatest hope? What is their greatest fear?” Answering these questions will help add meaning and breath life into POLICE DETECTIVE, 42.
Note Your Heart Out
Often the scripts that belong to the best actors are the ones covered in notes. When De Niro was rehearsing for the main part in Jacknife, David Jones the director was so astounded by the amount of notes made on the script, he could barely take his eyes off of it.
When you’re auditioning you may not have access to the full script. Often you’re only given a small amount of information on your character and a few lines. Whatever you have, it’s important you go through it all and note anything that may be worth remembering. Whether that’s how you first react to a line, or an emotional moment that strikes a chord. The important thing to remember is that you will only get one chance to read the script for the first time. This makes your initial reaction a precious moment, and why it’s so important to take notes.
You can then go on to use your notes to aid your performance and understanding of the script and character. When making notes, think about how a viewer or audience member might feel or react to your performance and how this can aid your delivery and execution of the script.
If its good enough for the greats like De Niro and Anthony Hopkins, it’s good enough for us all, and those initial notes and subsequent additions may make a real difference to your audition.
Don’t freeze up: How to Handle Cold Readings
Sometimes you may not be able to read the script in advance, and will be handed the material in the audition room. Yet as scary as cold reading sounds, there are a number of things you can do to improve your chances of giving a great audition.
1. Research What You Can
You may not have seen the script prior to an audition, but as we’ve established, the script is only one part of a greater puzzle when it comes to character building. Use all the information you can find to get an idea of what the story line is, and the kinds of characters they are likely to be looking for. If you’re auditioning for a play in particular, you may even be able to find a copy of the script if you do a little digging.
2. Don’t Hide Your Face!
Just because you aren’t familiar with the material, don’t expect the casting room to be forgiving if you use the script to hide your face. Your performance is just as much about your facial expressions as the delivery of the lines- you need to make it so the room can see them.
3. Get Good at Reading Aloud
This skill is key to nailing a cold reading. The less stumbles and stuttering you do over the words the better. Read out loud as much as you can – poems, magazine articles, storybooks- the more you do it the better you will be at giving a clear and confident reading.
4. ‘Perform’ as Much as you Can
Walk around and act while you read, reacting to the words you are saying, and if it is a group audition, be sure to react what other actors are be reading. It’s important you look up as often as you can manage and respond to any other speakers. And if the director asks you to try something in a different way, be positive and do it- it’s important you can show you can be directed and show your openness to other ideas and suggestions.
Give A Great Read Every Time
Getting what you need out of a script can be difficult, particularly when you’re up for a part and you need to impress. By doing your homework and researching properly, by taking time to understand the character, and annotating your script, will ensure you’re a step ahead of the competition.
Understanding the script, its message and motivations, and knowing exactly how your character works and fits into that is a great way to give a stand-out audition.
You can learn even more about how to read scripts in an audition with my One Year Ultimate Acting Programme. We will teach you all you need and more about working the script to your advantage, and the many aspects of the Method that will help you get there.
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity. – Charles Mingus
Making the complicated simple is acting in a nutshell. Actors take whole backstories and historical contexts and transform a wealth of emotion and event into simple physical gestures, and simply-spoken lines.
Another way to look at creativity in acting is as the point where imagination meets belief – this is the lifeblood of a good method actor. Some imagination is needed to get into the mindset of Hamlet, and see yourself walking through Elsinore Castle – but it is belief that makes you truly become Hamlet to not just the audience, but also yourself.
That is the key to a good performance; believing in yourself. If you can’t, neither can your audience. Creativity, then, is what brings reality to a performance. If I were to play Hamlet, I would imagine myself walking through my own hallway instead of that of a fifteenth century Danish castle; this way I really feel that I’m in my home, just like the character does.
Creative Memory
One way to exercise your imagination is through the method acting technique of sense memory. When you recall a part of your life that is useful to a performance, you must recall every sensation you felt in that memory. For example, when remembering your childhood bedroom, you would explore the sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste of that memory.
It takes some creativity to begin with, but your brain can be trained just like any muscle. Soon, you’ll know the smell of that misty morning your father left and will be able to cry on command with no trouble.
Recalling past memories is one thing; the creativity comes in when you apply it to your performance. These sense memory emotional aids are sometimes called “parallel experiences”.
Christopher Walken shoots himself at the end of The Deer Hunter in an emotional game of Russian Roulette. When asked what he was thinking during the scene, he describes a memory of the summer camp he went to as a child. The memory evokes in him a sense of abandonment and anger, which his character in The Deer Hunter required.
In this way, creatively applying your past memories to a present performance can produce a more authentic and effective act.
Creative Emotion
Positive
The quality of your acting is affected by your emotional state. If you’re feeling down, your creativity will be shot and your acting will be affected. To get into a creative “mood,” we have to draw on theories of body and mind as interconnected.
If your body is creative, your mind will follow – so why not dance? For the next week, spend five minutes before you head out in the morning doing a dance. Find your favourite jam or just turn on the local radio station, and let your body be creative. Jump, clap, sing along – anything to get your body pumped and interpreting the cues around it.
You might find the day that follows to be more productive, or at least more positive.
Negative
Negative emotions don’t necessarily mean you can’t be creative. In fact, many acting methods and techniques aim to produce emotional vulnerability – this is where the stereotype of the highly-strung actor comes from. The idea is to train your brain to react with authentic emotion to a particular set of triggers.
This is done using a creative application of your emotions. When you’re feeling down, the last thing you want to do is work – I know. But if you take a moment to become fully aware of your surroundings and your senses in these moments then you can draw on them later, in performance.
Creative Improvisation
Improvisation is a class virtually every actor will take, although not many pursue it as their sole style of acting. It’s the most intense exercise in creativity and imagination that an actor can take, and as such it’s a good idea to indulge in some improv now and again.
For the uninitiated, improvisation is a form of acting in which there are no lines or scripts of any kind. Usually short form and consisting of games, a troupe will take words shouted by the audience and improvise a scene based on it.
There are many benefits to performing improv: quick reaction times, comedic catharsis, physical exercise and – most of all – creativity as both an individual and a team member.
Studies show that during improvisation, actors’ brains become fully immersed in self-expression and the self-monitoring part of the brain shuts down completely. This means that creativity is allowed to flow unhindered, like the actors’ version of a dance.
The shortest feedback loop I can think of is doing improvisation in front of an audience. – stand up comedian and actor Demetri Martin
Improvisation allows for instant feedback and self-improvement, helping an actor to hone their character and techniques.
Creative Habits
While not all creatives are actors, many actors are creatives. Thankfully, even if you’re not naturally creative there are habits you can learn to enhance your creative potential.
Flexibility is an adjective that follows creativity on most resumes, and it’s how the most creative people live. Work the hours that are your most productive, whether they’re 9-5 or from midnight to midday. This is because the rest of a creative’s habits depend on high levels of alertness and productivity; you must be at your peak performance.
Creativity is, largely, an act of improvement; on your own work and that of others. Creative people observe everything around them – pieces of art, public transport, and small conversations – and expand and improve on them.
When someone calls themselves a “creative,” our minds immediately go to art and theatre. The word creative conjures up wild emotion, authenticity, and colour – and that is exactly what you, the actor, create when you use your creativity on the stage.
In Brian Timoney’s Ultimate Acting Programme we take students who we can see a creative spirit in, who we know are passionate and driven by film and theatre. If you are open to vulnerability, dancing, and the freedom of creativity in acting – apply for the programme.
As an actor, being able to create authentic acting and a believable portrayal of any character you play is one of the most important skills you must master. And shrugging off your own personality and history to embody the life, thoughts and feelings of a character may seem like the most effective way to achieve a realistic performance. However, as Stanislavski said: “the person you are is a hundred times more interesting than the best actor you could ever become”. In other words, the best way to create a believable character is to bring your own life into the process. And in using your own history to bring your character to life, you will allow yourself to give your most believable performance to date.
Getting to know the real YOU
Being able to be your authentic self is a crucial and useful part of becoming a great actor, but it is by no means easy to achieve. Being the ‘real you’ means opening up completely, making you vulnerable. And in our society, being open and therefore vulnerable to others is viewed as a negative, weak attribute. But in the world of performance, it is a brave and necessary step to take if you are serious about your craft.
The truth is, everyone is different, and has had a unique set of experiences. The emotions that are stirred up organically in life are little less than weapons to the talented actor that knows how to use them. Your personal experiences and the emotions and feelings that come along with them are some of the most valuable attributes you have as an actor. Tapping into them by being open and regressive isn’t weak or strange, it’s the only sensible thing to do!
Authentic acting: how to get there
So it’s all very well understanding that one of the best ways to improve your performance is to bring yourself into the character, but how do you actually achieve that and deliver truly authentic acting? Being able to be as honest and authentic with yourself is key. Bringing your own life into a character designed to be performed- and watched, can be a frightening thing, but the authenticity of your performance will shine through.
However getting in touch with your authentic self needn’t be a strained and difficult process, requiring a therapist and countless hours on the couch. Instead you can use some key techniques to get in touch with the aspects of yourself that will be useful to you in performance. So although keeping your mind open and taking time to think about your own behaviour and emotions will be useful, some method acting techniques will allow you a much more ‘targeted’ recall.
Affective Memory
Your best friend in this endeavour will be one of the most beloved techniques of The Method – affective memory.
Affective memory is a term to describe the process of using your own memories to bring a little humanity and a lot of truth to a performance. But it is important to remember that delving into your personal history may dig up emotions and repressed memories that may be distressing to re-experience. While it can be extremely effective, it is not an exercise to engage in lightly and is always best done in a secure environment, such as one that can be found in a method acting class.
How it is done:
First, explore all aspects of the character you are working on. What have they been through? How would that affect them? Have there been any similar experiences in their life to your own?
Once you have an idea of a few experiences that may be worth exploring, find a comfortable place where you can relax and not be disturbed. Think about the experience or event- don’t try to relive it step by step. Instead focus on remembering as many details as possible: the location, how long ago it was, what you were wearing, etc.
Then you should focus on the sensory elements: what could you smell? How did the place look? Were you eating anything? What did it taste like? How was the weather? Did you feel warm or cold? Exploring all the sense memories you have is key to this technique.
Focusing on these details, in particular the sensory elements, should naturally trigger the emotions you felt at the time. Not only will you be able to bring that full experience to a character portrayal, but you should be able to fully recreate those authentic emotions at will.
Authenticity is an art-form
Most people conceal their thoughts, feelings and emotions without even intending to, and unconsciously bury painful or distressing memories. It is unlikely that anyone in your life (including yourself) is being their true, authentic self, which makes exposing it and using it to your advantage a true art-form.
Delving deeper into yourself than you ever thought possible is something that serves to define The Method, and it is a large part of what has made it one of the most famous (and talked about) acting techniques in the world. With over 80% of ‘Best Actor’ Academy Awards going to Method Actors since the year 2000, there’s no denying it works, and has arguably helped to create a higher standard in the world of performance.
Unlocking your authentic self is something that takes time, and it is also best done in a professional Method Acting class. From perfecting your Affective Memory recall, to other performance techniques, it is your best bet to becoming the authentic actor you were always meant to become.
If this is something you want to explore further as part of your quest to becoming a professional actor, my Ultimate Acting Programme will help you learn these techniques and how to put them into practice.
If you want to make it as professional actor you’re going to have to audition. A lot. Most actors will have to go to dozens of auditions for every one that they win, so the more auditions you can get, the better your chances of finding success. Finding auditions is crucial.
If you have an agent, they should be finding auditions for you. However, there is no harm in finding others for yourself as long as they are appropriate and you discuss them with your agent to make sure you are not stepping on their toes.
If you don’t have an agent, you will need to really get out there and hustle if you want to start getting in front of casting directors and other industry gatekeepers. Showing you are already getting auditions and winning roles is also a great way to impress an agent, so as well as hopefully getting you some paid work, it could also help boost your chances of finding representation.
Master the art of finding auditions and you can kickstart your professional acting career without having to wait around hoping someone will just “discover” you (which virtually never happens).
Get focused
There are a lot of opportunities out there for actors if you know where to look (more on that later). To use your time and energy most efficiently, you need to focus on exactly what kind of work you are looking for. Acting in commercials offers a potentially lucrative line of work that can be easier to get into than other types of acting work. Make the right connections and you could soon have a solid base of regular work to pay the bills while you pursue other, more creative, projects.
Alternately, you might absolutely love theatre or only want to do screen work. Wherever you want to end up, the sooner you make that decision the better you can plan your strategy. Know where you want to be in five years’ time and work out which roles you need to be getting now to set you on the right path. The more specific your goals, the less time you’ll waste on pursuing auditions that aren’t right for your career.
You also need to be realistic about yourself. What sort of roles do your acting skills, age and look best suit you for? This doesn’t mean you need to run yourself down or tell yourself you’re destined to spend the rest of your life playing “Man” in “Background 3”. However, you do need to know your type and make sure you apply for auditions appropriately. Sometimes you may be able to play “against type” but generally you will have much more success if you stick to auditioning for parts that match your existing look.
Do your research
So where do you go looking for auditions? Casting websites are an obvious place to start and there are plenty which are worth checking out. Different sites carry different types of work and have specific joining criteria, so you will have to be selective about which to sign-up with. Look at which companies use the sites and try to get a sense of what sorts of actors are using them to see where you fit. Most casting sites do require you to pay a fee, so the more selective you can be the less money you will have to find each month to support your search.
There are a number of trade publications and websites that list acting jobs, including The Stage and Media Volt. Spend some time searching online and in magazine shops for publications offering the kinds of work you are interested in. Make sure to bookmark any particularly useful sites and consider getting a subscription to relevant magazines so the information you need will always be at your fingertips.
It’s also worth staying active on social media, following local theatre companies, casting directors and actors’ groups as these can often give you a heads up about any potential opportunities. Social media is also a great way to keep in touch with any contacts you make and remind them that you still exist and are looking for work.
Put yourself out there
One of the best ways to find your own auditions is to get out there and meet people who can help you. Go to plays, actors groups, industry events, clubs and bars where industry people hang out and start networking. Let people know who you are and what your career goals are, but don’t start demanding favours the second you meet people or you’ll quickly annoy them or scare them off.
Ask more successful actors where they find auditions and ask casting directors, directors and producers where they go looking for talent. The more people you get to know, the better your chances of one of them remembering you next time they see a relevant opportunity.
Earn referrals
Most small businesses rely heavily on referrals from current and previous clients to get more work. Acting is no different. It shouldn’t surprise you to learn that casting directors, directors, producers and other actors all love to talk shop with each other. That means if you make a good impression, whether in an audition or on a job, word is likely to get around. Of course, the same is true if you make a bad impression, so don’t do that.
Make sure you always work hard, stay professional and give it your all in every audition and each day on stage or on set and people will take notice. You also shouldn’t be afraid to mention your career aspirations or people you would like to work with while on a job as you never know who might be able to put a good word in for you. The flipside of this is to be careful who you badmouth as it does have a way of getting back to people!
This point is especially worth bearing in mind when going to auditions. Even though most actors don’t get the majority of auditions they go for, if you do a good job it could well lead to another audition for a different part you’re better suited for. Stay polite and professional and even a failed audition can turn into a great opportunity.
Learn how to succeed as a professional actor
To make it as a professional actor you need to have more than just acting ability, you need to understand the business side of acting. Whether it’s finding acting auditions, knowing how to get the right agent or understanding how to make a good impression, getting to grips with the business side of the industry is vital for developing a successful acting career.
The Brian Timoney Actors’ Studio One-Year Ultimate Acting Programme offers an industry-leading combination of top method acting tuition and industry insight. We aim for each of our students to graduate with the skills needed to go out and begin getting paid acting work right away. Our many alumni success stories over the years are the best proof of the effectiveness of our holistic approach to acting tuition.
To find out more, please take a look around the rest of the website and, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
There’s no getting away from it: the majority of people who want to be professional actors never will be. Why? Not because of lack of talent, but rather because they don’t have the right attitude.
You see, there are plenty of people out there with the raw talent to become successful actors (with the right teachers and plenty of hard work). But far too many of them think talent is all it takes.
The truth is, to succeed as a professional actor, you need to view it as a career. That means you need to develop the mindset of a working actor, just as much as your other skills. But what exactly does it take to think like a professional working actor?
Be easy to work with
The writer Neil Gaiman once gave some really useful advice on the key to being a successful freelancer (which is ultimately what most actors are):
“The work is good, they’re easy to get along with, and they deliver the work on time.”
These three pillars of freelancing apply perfectly to acting. If you can do good work, are pleasant to the people around you and are reliable, people will want to work with you again and again. This is the key to building a career: not just getting opportunities, but convincing people who give them to you to do so again in future.
Always, always, always listen
If you want to work successfully with directors and other actors, you have to get into the habit of listening. As important as it is to have your own ideas about your character, acting is an act of collaboration: you have to be able to take on board other people’s ideas.
This doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything your director and co-stars say, but you do have to take in their opinions and give them consideration. Remember, the director is the ultimate authority, so although it’s usually okay to suggest alternatives, never forget that their decision is final. Nothing will get you blacklisted from working with a director again faster than a failure to listen to their instructions.
Accept that you have to work at it
Too many people think making it as an actor is all about getting that “one big break” and then you’re set for life. This pretty much never happens. Instead, building an acting career is about landing a series of small breaks, working really hard to impress the people who give you a chance, then some of these will lead to slightly bigger breaks and so on.
It takes most people years of hard work and incremental steps up the acting ladder to get to the point where acting can be a secure source of income. If you’re not prepared to keep believing in yourself and working at your craft and chasing down opportunities year after year, then this really isn’t the industry for you.
Get comfortable with rejection
There’s no getting away from it, as an actor you are going to get rejected – a lot. Most actors spend far more time auditioning for roles than they do actually acting, it’s just the nature of the business. No matter how good you are, or how perfect you think a part is for you, you can’t control what is in the casting director’s head.
Learning how to deal with rejection as an actor means you won’t be crushed every time you fail to get a role and you won’t have some kind of embarrassing meltdown which will put agents and casting directors off working with you in future. You have to develop a thick skin and understand that it’s not personal.
Take rejection well and there’s every chance the same person saying no now will remember you for the future when they have a role they think you’ll be perfect for.
Keep a grip on your ego
For actors, it is absolutely vital to achieve the right balance of confidence and humility. Without a healthy dose of confidence, you’re never going to be able to put yourself forwards for auditions or get up and perform. However, it’s equally important not to get carried away with yourself and develop a huge ego.
Nothing puts other people off from working with an actor faster than the realisation that they’re dealing with a diva. The key is to remember that you’re not indispensable. No matter how good you are, if you make life miserable for people around you, they will find someone else to replace you or, at the very least, be extremely unlikely to work with you again in future.
Always be polite and respectful and remember that, even if you’re the star, you’re still just one cog in the machine and everyone else involved in the production deserves your respect.
Never stop learning
Perhaps the most important lesson you need to absorb is that you will never know everything about acting. If you want to build a sustainable career, you always need to remain open to learning new things. Now, that may mean continuing to take acting classes to learn new skills or polish your existing ones, but as often as not, you’ll be learning from the people you work with.
Every single audition you attend and job you work is an opportunity to learn something new. Approach your career with that attitude and you will become a better actor and better professional all the time. Listen to the advice people give you, take on board feedback and never underestimate the power of simply watching how other people work. The best way to learn to succeed is to emulate those who already have, so whenever you are around other actors, make sure to watch how they behave and see what you can learn from them.
The more open you are to learning new things, the quicker you will develop as an actor and the faster you will learn how to fit in in this industry. Keep that in mind and you will be well on your way to long-term success as a professional actor.
Learn how to make it as a working actor
If you want to succeed as a working actor you need to put just as much effort into learning the right attitude and business skills as you do into learning how to act to a professional standard.
The Brian Timoney Actors’ Studio’s 1-Year Ultimate Acting Programme offers more than just world-class method acting tuition, we also have a heavy focus on the business of acting. What this means is we teach you how to get yourself out there and find regular paid acting work so you can build a real career as an actor. You will also learn exactly what directors, agents, casting directors and other industry insiders expect from a professional actor, so you can make the right impression from day one.
Ready to turn your acting dreams into a reality? Apply today for the Ultimate Acting Programme and you’ll never look back. To find out more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
You might not recognise Viola Spolin’s name, but you’ll definitely recognise her techniques: Spolin invented theatrical improvisation.
To improvise is to perform spontaneously, or to create with what surrounds you in the moment; essentially, it’s the art of being unprepared.
Born in Chicago in 1906, Viola Spolin is internationally recognised for her “games” techniques, which still bring spontaneity and fun to the actor’s classroom along with valuable stage skills.
She initially trained as a settlement worker, which exposed her to teaching methods that related to group leadership and social work; she quickly saw how useful these games could be in a dramatic environment.
“Theatre games” were easy to learn, cross-cultural, and highly effective for training groups of actors. Much work has been done since on the value of learning through play, but Spolin didn’t have this to draw on; she just knew improvisation had to be done this way.
The games emerged out of necessity… When I had a problem [directing], I made up a game. When another problem came up, I just made up a new game. – Spolin, 1974.
In 1946 Spolin founded the Young Actors Company, a school for children aged six and older. This was her testing ground for theatre games, and when she quit teaching children to move back to Chicago she took these lessons with her. The Playwrights Theatre Club, Compass, and Second City Company would all learn from her and keep her lessons for future generations.
Why Teach Through Games?
The reason theatre games are so effective is that they don’t require prior reading or contextual knowledge. Any student can pick them up, even with language or cultural barriers. The games have a liberating effect, allowing for spontaneous performance within a group; there is no shame and no focus on the individual.
Because the games work the same way for everyone, they can work as a way to relieve tension in actors; in fact, many classes use improvisation exercises as a warm-up to class, in the same way many method actors use relaxation.
Playing the games increases these skills while also increasing the sensitivity of actors to their own creativity and others. If you form a bond with your scene partners through exercises like Spolins, you need never worry about forgetting your lines on stage again; you will be able to read each other and continue spontaneously, as though there’s no problem at all.
Improvisation is still one of the most popular forms of theatre, and it isn’t just actors who take lessons: politicians, comedians, or just shy folk all turn to improvisation as a way to improve their presence and coherence in public.
We’re not here to talk about improv classes for your stutter, though – how do Spolin’s techniques help you – a method actor?
Improvising On Stage
For all actors, but more particularly method actors, preparation is the biggest part of delivering an authentic acting performance. We spend weeks learning lines, probing our emotional memories, and picking up character habits.
Spolin’s techniques help method actors with spontaneity and creativity on stage without disrupting months of rehearsal. Her techniques take the form of games, which stimulate actors to unlock creativity and attain a high degree of “presence” in the moment. Spolin calls the moment you become present a point of concentration.
In terms of acting ability, lessons using Spolin’s techniques can help you to develop the following skills:
- Physicalisation
- Spontaneity
- Intuition
- Audience awareness
- Transformation
Techniques
Group Counting
Sitting in a circle, actors count aloud, one by one, as high as possible. Instead of going around the circle, however, the actors simply count out loud when they feel the need. If two people speak at once, it’s game over.
This helps actors working in a group to tune into each others’ physical signals, and teaches subtle communication; these are very valuable understandings to have with a scene partner.
Tug of War
Played, of course, without a real rope. The actors should imagine the rope in their minds, and truly fight for possession of it as a team. This form of improvisation teaches actors to build on each other, and work as a team to create an authentic world.
Gibberish
This exercise is a demonstration, which is common for one of Spolin’s exercises. An actor tries to communicate with their audience while speaking in complete gibberish. This encourages actors to forge a personal connection with the audience; to try to honestly impart a part of their emotional reality. Many beginning actors have a tendency to look out over the heads of people, as though they’re not there – but they are.
After communicating in gibberish, the actor then repeats the same thing, but using real words. A close relationship with the audience should develop as a result.
Who Started the Motion?
An actor leaves the room while the rest pick a leader. The leader will initiate a motion, which everyone in the group must copy; motions such as nodding their head or clicking their fingers. They will change the motion now and then. When the first actor returns to the room, they have to determine who the leader is.
This exercise teaches the group at large the importance of taking cues and practicing uniformity as a group, but also helps the guessing actor to rapidly identify scene leaders.
More than 200 games are detailed in Spolin’s book Improvisation for the Theatre, and acting courses around the world still teach them. Her games originated outside of the theatre, and although improvisation theatre is here to stay the games are open-source; corporate retreats, primary schools, and therapeutic classes all use her theatre games to develop self-awareness and build teams.
Although we focus on Strasberg’s method here at Brian Timoney, our Ultimate Acting Programme covers the techniques of major acting coaches like Viola Spolin, too. If you have an insatiable curiosity for all acting techniques, then ask us if we can help fill you in!