Wednesday, 18 January 2012

The Kid In The Front Row Screen Acting School

1. Cinema has been around less than 200 years. No-one can claim any technique is perfect. The art is still developing.

2. Don't yap on about your technique until you're awesome. Nothing worse than an actor yammering on about some teacher with an unusual name, when they can't even remember their lines.

3. Turn up on time.

4. Don't make diva like demands, you're just an actor, and there is nothing inherently special about that.

5. And when I say 'just an actor' It's not a put down, It's just that It's just a job, a career choice, like anything else.

6. Be in it for the long haul. People want to be cast when they're 24 and pretty but there's nothing interesting about being 24 and pretty.

7. Watch films. No excuses.

8. Be careful not to zone out after three takes. Stay in the game.

9. Get clarity from your director.

10. Make decisions about your character, bring it to the table. A director has the vision but you have the inner life. The more you believe in it, the more a director will leave you alone to work.

11. Be the one actor on set at 3am in a frozen cold field who doesn't moan that It's 3am in a frozen cold field.

12. Find something about yourself that you love and don't let anyone shake it. Start at that very point whenever you feel nervous, unsupported or lost on set.

Main Points: Turn up on time, be in it for the long haul.

Care to share?


  1. #11 and #12, for sure. I work on those the hardest. #6 is pretty spot on too :)

  2. ...tough shoot?

    Being a director must be really difficult. It's hard enough not being able to control people in every day life; I can't imagine how frustrating it must be when you're trying to get them to make your vision come alive.

  3. ...Or ask yourself, "WHY am I doing this?" and then operate from there :)