Acting Tips For All The Cast
A blog around putting some well needed tips into your acting routine.
Post navigation
Good acting is about reacting, listening and responding. If you get all this right, then you’re on the way to becoming a good actor. Acting is a lot easier if you are having fun, so try to enjoy yourself.
When I do workshops with new actors and they ask me what they need to do, I say:
1. Listen – this sounds obvious, but listen to what other actors are saying – not only their words but their actions too. Actors usually focus on learning their lines and not listening to the other characters. You should be concentrating on both. It can help to memorise your own lines in chunks of three or four sentences at a time instead of whole speeches so you can react better to other actors when they speak. Listen out for any questions asked of you, as it is often your first response that is the most natural one and therefore the best one! Use your character’s name whenever someone else is speaking directly to them too – it helps keep you focused on who you are and what the scene is about!
2. Respond – make sure you have a response for everything that happens within
Act Academy is a new blog dedicated to tips, tricks and techniques for all actors. Whether you are amateur or professional, this website will give you some great content to help improve your acting.
As well as focusing on acting, I will also be incorporating articles on other areas of the industry, such as directing and filmmaking. If you need help with anything, drop me an email: info@actacademy.co.uk
If you want to be a successful actor, there are some things that you need to know.
Firstly, a thick skin is essential. In the business of acting, you will get rejected more times than accepted. But think about it this way: if you were never rejected, how would you know when you were finally accepted?
Secondly, think about your choices and why you are making them. You may have the greatest method in the world but if it doesn’t work for the character that you are playing then it’s useless!
Thirdly and most importantly: If a director or casting director tells you to do something and it doesn’t feel right in your gut, ask them why they want it done that way.
Acting is a field that requires self-discipline and the ability to push yourself. When it comes to acting, you have to be able to focus on the task at hand and not be distracted, otherwise you will find yourself in a whirlwind of confusion.
However, many aspiring actors seem to get caught up in the process, as they try to figure out what it is that makes them tick. This can lead to frustration, which can ultimately lead to failure.
So how do you get over this? How do you know what your limits are and how far you can go?
In this article I am going to share some tips on how to act like an actor. These tips should help you get over any fears or doubts that may be holding you back from getting into character. I hope they help!
Stage Fright:
Everyone is afraid of public speaking, but actors have to be able to stand in the spotlight and perform. The best thing you can do is practice, practice, practice. That’s the only way to get used to being in front of an audience. Remember that they are rooting for you. They want you to do well. Also know that if you make a mistake, chances are that no one will notice. Don’t let your fear take over and ruin your performance.
In my last post I talked about the need to break the mold of your character and find what makes them individual. So today I want to take a look at how we can find the individuality in our characters by breaking them down into their three main components.
This is a fairly simple exercise that can create an immediate impact on your work. It has been used for many years and is highly effective.
The first step is to identify your characters long term goal. What does he/she want? What is his/her motivation?
The second step is to identify what your character wants in the scene, this is called their scene goal. It may or may not be related to the overall long term goal. Why does he/she want this? What does it mean to him/her?
The third step is to identify the obstacle that stands in your characters way throughout the scene. This will generally be another character and will ultimately be (hopefully) resolved, but it might just be an object, or even an internal blockage that they have to overcome. Now why do they want this? What does it mean to them?
