Because they are talking to themselves… Because they are on learned lines which is highly unnatural… Because they are embarrassed by the script… Because the new lines came under the hotel bedroom door at 3am Because THEY came in the hotel bedroom door at 3am… Because it’s a night shoot – the night after a […]
Category: Confidence
Mel offers Skype coaching if it is not possible to meet face to face. It has taken me a long time to feel that this is a viable option, but with advances in technology and reports back from actors that it has been worthwhile and valuable to them, I have decided to add this […]
When you are fighting to get auditions, change your agent, fix your showreel, cope with earning enough money in a job that lets you off for castings – it’s easy for the joy to go out of the work. ‘The world is too much with us…’ as Wordsworth put it. But there is a joy! […]
Time for those resolutions… Instead – think of it as dusting off the cobwebs and letting in the sparkle… Some quick thoughts for basking in that sunshine that will grow brighter as the weeks go by: 1. Step out of your own shadow. Allow yourself to believe that you are worthy of doing what you […]
More and more of us are being asked to self-tape these days. It’s supposed to be greener – it certainly saves producers money – but it puts an extra burden on actors. On the plus side, it probably means you try for more opportunities overall. So look on the positive side – this is a […]
There are many things that drive us into being actors: love of words, the magic of our first theatre visit, our drama teacher at school, seeing ourselves mirrored on screen, the spell-binding movie star on the first film we slipped into under-age. It’s often, also, a need to be loved; a way of escaping our […]
It’s really important to stay on relaxed breathing when nerves set in at the audition or performance – or for any public speaking. If you go into upper chest breathing, you get an imbalance of oxygen and carbon dioxide which makes you feel dizzy, nervous, sound unconfident and stops you thinking clearly. That’s why it’s […]
I’ve just spent 16 weeks of my life coaching on the forthcoming mega TV series Marco Polo. Before anyone from Netflix, Weinstein or the Marco Polo production office reads this – let me assure them, the following holds no spoilers. I quote the blog on Metro: “Filmed in Malaysia, Kazakhstan and Italy with a budget […]
There is no one path to enlightenment or acting. There are no certainties, solutions or single techniques. There is no magic potion. Instead there is a continuation of actors, teachers and practitioners. A deep pool to bathe in, drink and find succour. A million ‘techniques’ All these exercises, tips and tricks drive to the same […]
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