Blog
Welcome to Brian Timoney’s Acting Blog. Here you will find important information on acting and the acting industry, including breaking news! We are an acting school dedicated to method acting and business of acting techniques. Our updates and posts are like mini acting classes so don’t miss out and join us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for our regular updates!
Why you should NOT try to learn lines…
A question I am asked mucho is ‘How do you learn lines?’ My answer. Don’t learn lines. Confused? Excellent. All…
Do you need some Actorlash?
If you have never seen the film Whiplash, then you must. It’s about an elite student jazz band and the…
How to get more and better dates…and acting work!
Okay, let’s talk about dating. As a happily married man I don’t need to do this anymore, but I do…
Failing at something you don’t want…
Have you heard of Percy Carrey? Didn’t think so. How about Jim Carrey? Yes, of course you do, in fact…
5 things never to do before acting…
Here are some performance-affecting activities to be avoided. 1. Sleeping or closing your eyes an hour or less before a…
5 ways to ruin a good performance
No one wants to ruin a good performance, but it does happen. Let’s count the ways… 1. Faking and/or forcing…
The guilt of not doing the job your parents wanted you to do and becoming an actor instead!
A former student of mine said to me the other day. ‘You know what Brian, I still feel guilty about…
The benefits of NOT being an actor
Acting is not for everyone. And if truth be told, there are some benefits to not being an actor. Here…
Tiller, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
This is a true story. Natalie’s dad knew this guy who went to fight in the Second World War. When…
5 things that make you squeal as an actor
Here are 5 things that as an actor will make you squeal with delight…like a little piggy: 1. The phone…
A message from Shia LaBeouf on following your dreams
I saw a brilliant video the other day. It’s Shia LaBeouf giving advice on following your dreams. Go…
High heels and no knickers – Controversy at the Cannes Film Festival
There is an old Scottish saying “Fur coat and nae knickers’’ Roughly translated, it means someone pretending to be a…
Why the pursuit of acting is your best revenge…
One of my favourite films is the Pursuit of Happyness. It tells the true story of Chris Gardner. Chris is…
An inspirational letter from Mrs Brown, Mrs Quinn and Mrs Brierley
This week there are young people all over the country sitting SAT tests. As you can imagine, this is quite…
The woodpecker acting technique
One of my favourite birds is the woodpecker. It finds a tree and has a little peck. A tiny bit…
The champion dog wrestler
Natalie, my wife, told me this bizarre but true story from her childhood. Her dad went to the local pub…
The trick to triggering authentic emotion on demand
Let’s do a bit of ‘’Q&A’’ action today. Question: I am a student studying Musical Theatre and recently I was…
9 out of 10 people won’t do this…are you one of them?
I heard this interesting stat the other day. 9 out of 10 people do NOT pursue the job of…
If I were Prime Minister…
There is no getting away from it. The election is but a hop, skip and a jump away. I don’t…
Al Pacino – The superintendent turned Hollywood movie actor.
Did you know that Al Pacino was a superintendent before he became an actor? This is what he said about…
Al Pacino – The superintendent turned Hollywood movie actor
Did you know that Al Pacino was a superintendent before he became an actor? This is what he said about…
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master of the Method
Today marks the first anniversary of the tragic and premature death from a drug overdose of master of the…
How To Live Truthfully in Imaginary Circumstances
“Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances” Sanford Meisner Sanford Meisner’s definition of acting is a beautiful and profound one, and…
Battle of the Brits: Our Picks For Awards Season 2015
Happy New Year! We hope that you all had a festive and relaxing Christmas, and are raring to go…
The Unconscious – Saturation & Character
“At times I thought he was me” Eddie Redmayne When talking about his portrayal of renowned scientist Stephen Hawking…
Using Your Body and Voice
“Actors should…wear a costume, adjust the volume of their voice, achieve physical transformation into the character they portray, allocate…
Freeing Your Instrument
“It’s your own self-serving stuff that gets in the way. You get out of the way of yourself to…
Jack Garfein at the BFI | Director of the Method Generation
As if the BFI “Birth of the Method” screenings throughout October and November weren’t enough of a treat for…
“The Birth of the Method” – BFI Method Acting Screenings in Oct & Nov
The BFI is staging a series of screenings in London throughout October and November to celebrate the birth of…
Is The Method Too Much For Actors?
In a recent article in The New Yorker, Richard Brody asked whether method acting is destroying actors, citing…
Method Acting Exercise – Sense Memory
“An actor’s job is to “feel on cue.”” Backstage Every great actor uses their own lives to the full, and…
Method Acting Exercise – Affective Memory
“Act with your scars” Shelley Winters “Affective memory” technique is probably one of the most well known method acting…
Bringing Real Life Into Your Performance
“The secret to moving passions in others is to be moved oneself” Aristotle We were reading recently about how…
Daniel Day Lewis – Mad Or Our Greatest Method Actor?
“films don’t begin only when the camera starts rolling” Daniel Day Lewis Most headlines you read about Daniel Day-Lewis,…
Is Method Acting Training Like Putting All Your Eggs In One Basket?
“Method acting is what all actors have always done whenever they acted well.” Lee Strasberg …
Revelations From LA # 2
LA Video 2: This is video is all about where emotion comes from and how to create it. Enjoy!
Revelations From LA # 1
Video from LA: I was in LA recently with my students and there were quite a few revelations! This video…
Defusing the invisible acting bomb
One of the major issues faced not only by actors in training but by many professional actors too, is not…
Pictures from showcase rehearsals
As well as working on the emotions and behaviour of characters when you get into the final stages of rehearsal,…
Are You A Leading Actor?
One of my favourite war films is The Guns of Navarone. The plot revolves around a group of soldiers who…
I wasn’t destined to be an astronaut
At Christmas I read a brilliant book that I highly recommend for all aspiring actors. It’s called An Astronaut’s Guide…
The Best Christmas Present Ever
My students very kindly got me a Christmas present, which is very quickly becoming one of my favorite Christmas…
Branding: Your Key to Acting Success
See that huge, seemingly impenetrable cast iron door between you and the career you want? Life would be a lot…
Acting Inspiration – Why Do You Act?
Why Do You Act? In our method acting courses we often teach the importance of remembering what you want. For…
Acting Tips: Targeted Marketing
Targeted Marketing I’d like to introduce a concept that people in the corporate world have known for ages. It’s called…
Method Acting Exercise – The Private Moment
When someone watches you, you change. Research conducted in the personal training industry has discovered that when someone is simply…
The Art Of Self-Taping For Hollywood Movies
Last week I managed to get one of my students an audition for a major Hollywood movie. I can’t tell…
James Gandolfini Method Actor
Last night my wife Natalie and I decided to watch a movie. It was called ‘Killing Them Softly’. It’s a…
Ryan has a big problem.
He’s got too much acting work on. Now, I know you may not have much sympathy for him, but to…