So acting is more like meditation/visualization of a scene and entering yourself into it in order to draw out real authentic emotion, rather than pretending .
Yes, it is, as you say, like that, but also involves lots and lots of study of scripts in order to understand them really fully. So it involves the intellect as well as the instinct. John Windsor-Cunningham
Precisely. You have to imagine you ARE that character. You are actually experiencing the film's scenes as this character. And you respond and react as the character.
Well said! Keep out of acting if you can, the whole field is full of unemployment and delays, - for some anyway - but glad you had some fun with this, and being imaginative is good for all careers! John (www.Windsor-Cunningham.com)
Crying is one of the hardest things to do realistically when it comes to acting, holy shit I managed it with that instruction thank you from the bottom of my heart, International school of screen acting here I come 👍
I started crying then laughing cause I realized it wasn’t real then started crying again cause I realized that story is true for someone somewhere and it made me actually sad
When you actually feel sad the second time after realising it’s true for some other person. Isn’t it like sympathising for the character. But here you are that character. So basically your expressions are feeling sad for someone . Any ways to change on the imagination?so i can be the one feeling sad being the character ?
Well I think many young actors have an idea that acting can be a big deal, can be more than "just showing off" - ! - and even very experienced actors sometimes need to be pushed into seeing what is dull in their work, so, yes, I'm desperate for actors to get it 'right' if possible. It just takes a lot of WORK ! John Windsor-Cunningham
Even though I'm 7 years late with a comment, the feeling was really weird, like I felt it like in every part of my body, and I could hear my heartbeat (or feel it). Anyway, I felt this only once in my life and it was when my grandmother called me and said that my grandfather died. Obviously, I started crying when she called, but it was the same weird feeling, like creeps through my entire body or something like that and coldness, it became really cold in the room. Anyway, great video, definitely will watch more since I want to get into acting because I feel like it's really fun and possibly good career.
Being a professional cellist, I find this video extremely helpful. Musician have to actually feel the emotions they are trying to convey in the music or it will not be convincing to the audience. I am going to have my university students watch this. Thank you!
How very kind of you to say that. It makes me want to hear you play. If I can be of any help to you or your students remember I always answer odd questions about any of this for no cost (and best done through the 'Contact' page on my website Windsor-Cunningham.com) and that - as your message was so kind, if you personally want to contact me on Skype some time to chat a little I would not think of charging you or my time. All good wishes John
I was thinking exactly the same thing as I’m a singer. There’s loads of songs that I’m obliged to sing that I don’t like or don’t like to sing.... but when I sing them (especially something where the character changes during the song or something happens) I have to try and keep remembering to let the character find that emotion as the song goes along. It’s bloody hard sometimes
Being that my older brother died in a car accident when I was 16 - all of this felt very eerie and close to me. Especially since I did in fact go to the hospital with dreadful anticipation and heard the news in a similar way from a male doctor. So this might have been a bit too good of a way to incite a legitimate reaction from me. I miss him. I can't believe it's already been 3 years.
Good Heavens, I'm terribly sorry. Reality mixed with imagination can bring up terrible memories, and I'm afraid I don't think about that n advance of posing the video. But, if I may, I wish you well, and thank you for the way you recall your brother so vividly for us all in a sense. But enough. I'm stepping out of order here, I fear. Sincere best wishes, John (www.Windsor-Cunningham.com)
He intrigues me. I love it. I'm more than inspired and suddenly I believe I can actually go through with my plan of becoming the best version of myself as an actress. This lesson was truly helpful, thank you.
Thanks for kind words. Just push yourself to read and follow writers and directors and actors you like (we are told to call male and females "actors now) and hopefully you will find you will find that inspiration all over the place! John Windsor-Cunningham
John Windsor-Cunningham omg you answered haha. i'm not really used to this so i'm kind of having a tiny fangirl moment. could i maybe ask you a question? i'm currently preparing for a video audition for a feature film (about this bipolar teenage girl that loses her mother because she kills herself) that i'm supposed to send it till dec 15. i got the script and i'm trying to read through it but i'm really afraid i'll mess it up and won't portray the emotions as the casting director expects. are there any tips you'd recommend me in order to not mess this up?
Dont send messages on this please, use my email, as I'm getting over a thousand sometimes and miss them. I can't do private coaching til after December 17th a I'm in a play in New York, so cant help more than to say work night and day on the thing. Dont contact if you do want coaching til after December 17th please. and if not then just work harder than you ever have before, JOhn (email is on my website for the future, but not til after Dec.17th).)
I recently decided to visit a dream of mine that has been in my heart for years, to start acting. Your UA-cam channel popped up and this exercise competently struck me. You actually got a true reaction out of me. My knees buckled and I started crying. Wow thanks so much for sharing your talent.
Best way to start is to get in touch through the 'Contact' page on my website www.Windsor-Cunningham.com and I'll be happy to answer basic questions at no charge (!) I also coach on Skype and in New York at what I'm told is the lowest rate going!
This was one of the areas I have most difficulty with breaking down, due to my background, with this instructional video I actually managed it I'm blown away , it shows what phenomenal instruction can do for your acting career
I feel like I'm going to have a lot of trouble with acting because the only way I can be legitimately emotional about something that isn't real is if I'm surprised about it, or it wasn't what I was expecting. I failed The dead sibling exercise so hard because I predicted it ten seconds in.
Just saw your response, and yes, of course, as you say - 'surprise' is a necessary part of all this, and the fact that you 'predicted' the end of the story stopped it working, but without coaching you I can only point you to the gentler video I have on the site called, I think, 'the most important acting lesson in the world' which may help you be calm and to let yourself be surprised, if I may say so.
I did predicted it too because this really happened to me...with my relative sudden death..and in this exercise I reacted in exactly the same way I reacted on that fateful day...
Elliart 7 I think maybe it’s less about surprise and more about being in the moment. In real life if you are on the way to the hospital because someone has been in an accident your mind will jump ahead too and try to predict the outcome. You don’t really know until you are told what has happened. Hope that makes sense.
Thank you! I’ve been at a road block in my voice acting career where it felt I wasn’t tall enough to ride, I was never good enough to apply, I was never good enough to act. But that in itself was the problem I was in the mindset of “acting” as my character not “being” my character. This has genuinely shocked me awake. I’m currently driving back to my recording booth and I’m not gonna stop acting for the next 2-4 hours just coming up with scenarios and scenes in my head! Also I’m watching all your videos from now on.
Thanks for kind words. Another source of inspiration in this often-awkward 'job' is to find characters and style of script which - for some strange reason - we simply 'like'. Some very respectable actors like playing drug addicts, and some very inexperienced actors like playing doctors and professors! So the trick is to 'keep at it' - which, fortunately for us, many other actors don't really do ! J
When you did the exercise, at the end I started crying. Really crying. Tears after tears after tears. I wasn't trying to, I just did. And for a few seconds--I believed that my family member actually died.
I think we get so caught up in getting into as many acting classes as we can, and using as many techniques as we can, that we forget the base of acting is so incredibly simple. It's tough, but it's so simple. Just be. And you are. Not believing that you are, not pretending, you just are.
Yes, it's simple, but the amount of study and work, the amount of detective-work that is needed on a script, the amount of time needed to work out WHAT the simplicity is needs experience. John Windsor-Cunningham
I just wanted to finally figure out at 41 years old how to do a british accent for a Dungeons and Dragons character, and now ive watched like 6 of your videos and you've got me totally fired up about playing the game on a whole new level of immersion and imagination! And honestly just the psychic flexibility it all exercises and imbues is exciting ❤
Yes, I totally agree that 'immersion' - to keep studying and trying parts in different ways - as well as discovering what the lines really mean rather than trying to get a perfect accent - accents don't interest an audience for long - is the way to feeling at home in a part. And if you find parts that just 'suit' you - the job may start to be more fun! John.
You're welcome. Remember you can always ask odd questions - for not cost - through the 'Contact' page on my website Windsor-Cunningham.com and that I coach on Skype if needed. Best wishes, John
Shit this exercise is great , and same time is bad . I accepted the situation the moment he said ur sister died , my heart stopped for 3 sec and I started feeling dizzy . If ur in front of camera u might forget ur lines the character's gestures etc , Eventually it ll lead you to mental state . Acting should be in a enjoyable way. Again it's good exercise but becarefull folks , as a actor you should be able to go into the character and come out . With this exercise you will be stacked and ll have hard time to come out ,Acting is about impressions you have to pretend that ur someone else , don't accept that ur someone else , because u never can be someone else . Acting is a mental game, go with ur limits don't push it too hard some stuff can be done with feelings some with impressions . Good luck ppl
As soon as you said they were dead it actually felt like my heart broke inside and I started crying and almost screamed wow this is incredible your a brilliant instructor and I love how honest and straight to the point just so incredibly and it’s so true
Well, Hi Ebony, great that your imagination works so well, sorry that you felt so upset - ! - if you need an antidote you might try video number "7" (just that one) on my other website which is wwwMadEnglishman.com but either way best wishes, John
John Windsor-Cunningham thankyou, I will definitely check it out. Who knew I would meet my little brother Sam one minute and figure out he’s dead the next!
It was a dream. Sam is waiting round a corner, planning to pop out and meet you one day. He's also won a small lottery prize he wants to share with you then so all good news in the end!
@@ebonystephens1424 It was a dream. Sam is fine, and just waiting to pop out from behind a corner later this year to show you that you still have a brother, and to share the lottery prize he recently won. So all quite good news in the end!
"Shock" sounds like a terrific reaction you allowed yourself to have. I only hope it encouraged you to see (if you need to ) how strange the imagination can be. Best wishes anyway. John Windsor-Cunningham
Damn when I was "in the cab" I actually had a real pit in my stomach and when I got to the hospital and you told me the news, I actually felt my stomach tighten up, and in a few minutes I was crying. Very well done video!
I have never been able to cry on cue, but when you told me my fake little brother died, tears started flowing. Thank you so much. I now realize that I've simply been ACTING.
Thank you for putting it clearly that’s amazing I act with myself since I was 10 but only started having a career in acting at my 20s and all I can say is the hardest part is when directors tells you to have certain emotion because that won’t be real and believable and you want to do it your way or be free to make it fun and entertaining. Thanx again
You raise a huge, giant, important subject. Arguing with directors, in my own personal experience, resulted in my not being asked back to twenty big theatre companies - even after having successes with them, Directors hated me disagreeing with them, because I did not know how to show them I was right in my acting. Then - as you seem to be doing - I began to learn how to fill up a character realistically, and the arguments with directors stopped. If I'd learned at your age I might be a star by now, but that does not matter, of course; - what matters is that I did learn (as all actors need to) to understand what is behind lines and to act THAT truthfully. So keep working hard! John Windsor-Cunningham
Hi Mr. John, I don't want to stall the response. I just want to tell you how amazing you are sir. I've crushed like never before. My emotions blasted out of me, my whole world collapsed in a split secound. Interesting part of it is that I can't call myself an actor yet, because I only recently decided to work on myself to become one. This was true epiphany for me and I want thank you so much for sharing your wonderful method with us all. You are the saint!
Thank you for your so kind words. I so often remember a wonderful production of Uncle Vanya I did, many years ago, and am sorry that Moscow is one of the few places I've not worked. And now, of course, everything is so difficult for everyone, so I send you good wishes back. John Windsor-Cunningham
As someone who has not acted since he was a child, you had me crying in the hospital exercise. I can still feel it half an hour later that I ACTUALLY had a younger brother
Brilliant. This was actually very insightful. I listened to your story about me and when I got the news my sister had died.. I immediately teared up. I wasnt sure what to say so I just looked intensely at the doctor in disbelief.. but also I know that he was being truthful. I'm going to watch this several times. Thank you
hi!!! i’m a student who just entered middle school, and i find this film and the other short one from this very helpful, see i’m fairly new to acting but i am also more mature then my age group and act older than i am, but i’ve actually been thinking of how to ACTUALLY ACT and when i explain this to my coaches they just blow it off and say something along the lines of “oh well you are acting so you can’t actually be in that emotion (and/or) place!” well this is exactly what i was talking about!!!
Sounds like it may not be necessary to talk to anyone about it. It makes life easier if we avoid arguments. One of my videos, number 28 of the 'free videos' on my website ( Windsor-Cunningham.com ) also says the same sort of thing, And I'm not saying you were in the right anyway as I dont know you and I wasn't there! Best wishes, John Windsor-Cunnngham
You're welcome. (And better videos coming soon hopefully). And you're right, - of course, - to keep searching channels, classes, even a few books, and certainly plays and screenplays, because you'll be getting almost as much experience as if you were doing 'employed' work. John
Honestly, this is phenomenal. It had the exact same effect on me as probably intended. It got a reaction out of me, and I started to genuinely react surprised with that specific emotion. As I was fully into his sayings, and just really in the moment. This was, so very helpfull!
Thank for kind words. And the point is that if we work out the background of any situation - perhaps with some parallel in our own lives - (that we hate spiders so we can act as if we hate women, some spiders being female ! ) - any situation is easy to imagine. It may seem hard work sometimes, but actors whom we compete with are doing that work, so we just must sort out what any damned lines are about ! John
@@NewYorkActingCoach Yes, makes complete sense, John. Btw- perhaps you are familiar with the Teach character in American Buffalo? I have to deliver the F*** Ruthie monologue for stage. I've got the accent, I've learnt my lines. But I'm still searching for the reality. Dustin Hoffman pulls it off in the movie where he's out in the street crossing a road which adds to the realism and inherent energy. The monologue's opening line artificially sets off the intensity when Teach F***'s four times at Ruthie in her absence to express his anger about her to his friend Don. Any guidance would be gratefully received.
EVery actor is different and I don't know what you are like, so I can't sensibly suggest specific ideas (unless you want coaching n which case please use the Website), but every line means something, ad they can't all be in the same note of complaint! He may be angry with himself, or amused, or tired, it's up to you. So study each line to find out. John
@@NewYorkActingCoach Of course,, and I will explore your website. It was a naïve question and thank you for entertaining it. For interest, their is a school of thinking, for this particular play, that because it's set in Chicago the character is allow to rattle through his lines, landing her an there for emphasis. My Director made this point which leaves little room for the subtler form of the art. I may well develop my own interpretation, fingers crossed. Thank you again.
I've had the pleasure of knowing this gentleman for many years. He is indeed a brilliant actor. And a completely and utterly sincere person in his zeal to be of help to others.
I seriously began background acting this year, having worked 4 films, 2 cable shows and a music video in past months. I got the bug on John Frankenheimer’s Andersonville film many years ago as part of a reenactor core group. Recently retired, I have lots of time to study how tos and to learn. I’ve been featured twice and just performed my first video audition. I think you’re a big help to people wanting to learn how to make the character themselves, complete with emotions, mobility, spice and “live” acting. We can learn something of direction from instruction but it is what’s inside us that must make the character real. We must believe in ourselves as a character to become believable as actors. Thank you for what you are doing.
Thank you so much for this insightful video. This exercise was very clarifying and so helpful as I am a new actress. I cried for my sister! ( and I'm an only child) I enjoy your insight and knowledge, and look forward to learning more with your channel. Thank you!
"Genius" eh? Well thanks! More videos coming soon, just terribly busy at the moment. But I appreciate kind words. (www.Windsor-Cunningham.com) and if you want an antidote to the tears you experienced you might like to watch my other, completely different website, www.MadEnglishman.com and just watch video number "7". Best wishes anyway! John
If you need specific help I do coach on skype, and charge as little as possible - just use the "contact" page on my website www.Windsor-Cunningham.com or my email (not here please!) at jwcactor@yahoo.com
YEs, well said. Acting is rather like breaking the law and knowing you'll get away with it. So little wonder, maybe, that some prisons have extremely popular acing classes. J.
Thank you John. That exercise was amazing, and it is the first time I have ever been taken through anything like that. The emotions I felt as the exercise ran its course was pretty amazing. I often feel that I 'over-think' things, this exercise will now be a handy tool moving forward. Thank you and bless you for posting these great videos. Cheers from New Zealand.
Thanks for kind words. Sometimes, of course, a part needs to be tried lots of different ways before we find something in it which we have (in some very small way) in ourselves, - like when a part needs us to fear somebody but we remember that we hate spiders ! - but the result can - thank all the heavens - be fun! So when actors don't speak of enJOYing their work it's a 'concern' ! John
Thanks for your kind words! I make it sound a bit simple. Actors need to struggle before finding the thin little truth to fatten up their lines. But by working at it - as seen by the success of countless pushy actors - many learn to be quick at guessing what is behind their lines, and have begun to guess new, clever, intelligent, exciting, world-improving truths in their 'character'.. So I fear one has to keeping at this, doing as much work as one can manage of any kind! . John
Thank you for saying so! It's encouraging because so many productions are being rushed with no time for truth and reality (and fun!) to be central in them. Ah well!! If you want specific help with anything I coach on skype and in NY and charge as little as possible. All best wishes to you back. John - oh and I don't always see messages here, so if anyone need to get in touch it's better to use the 'Contact' page on my website (www.Windsor-Cunningham.com) or my email jwcactor@yahoo.com , but I'm not pushing anyone on that, you may all manage on your own if you stick to the truth of lines.
Hey! I found this so handy! I loved the exercise at the start; genius! I found myself freezing from eating the food I was, and in this complete frozen state, I found it to be a true reaction from what you've said! Thank you! I got cast in a play where I play a vivacious, raucous & sassy dancer, stuck in the underground tube with older men and 2 other female characters (ones an elderly, one slightly older). When we did our first rehearsal, I struggled so bad; I couldn't find anything to relate to my character. Im far from confident, or sexy or showy or loud.... This is the first play I'm in and I have no idea how to 'act' or 'be' my character... or even relate to her! Please help..!
Happy to help. Obviously I need to know what your main scenes/ lines are that are difficult, and that can't be done by e-mail, but I'm happy to work with you on Skype or if you're in NY in person. A session lasts just over an hour so that we don't have to rush when we reach 59 minutes - ! - and costs $35 which I think is fair. Best to get in touch through the 'Contact' page on my website www.Windsor-Cunningham.com and I'll fit you in as soon as possible. There are dozens of 'trick' ways of achieving what you mention, as well as deeper ones if you have time (or need them). Best wishes, John
+John Windsor-Cunningham how do you feel about child actors what's the best advice you would give them and what do you think would be a good character to start method acting please
Sorry, only just saw your question. Too hard to answer in a few lines. If you want a session use the 'contact' page on my website www.Windsor-Cunningham for details. John
Brilliant! Never enjoyed watching and listening to a lesson this much! I sobbed through watching the video and losing my both characters. ACTUALLY! Thank you.
I did nothing, i tried to just be "real" but when you said the person had died, i wasn't prepared for it and it actually hit me. I didn't cry, I felt sad, like something was taken from me. Perhaps it was how you said it, great work.
Oh. My. Lord. Listen I don’t have any siblings but that exercice made me feel the loss of him. I’ve never felt this on acting purpose. My mind was turned on denial and shock and anger. Thank you so much for this acting lesson which is the most helpful one I’ve ever been given.
Thanks for your kind comment.More on my website if you want it, Windsor-Cunningham.com (and a 'Contact' page if yu want coaching, - though sounds like you may not need it ! ) JOhn
Fantastic video. Can you do a video about "ambivalent" acting, too? Most of the time it's great to have an actor delivering a sense of his acting being "dead on". But what also interests me as a viewer is that sweet pleasure of uncertainty where there suddenly are a NUMBER of possible emotions/motivations behind a character's action or reaction of which one then has to figure out what the most accurate might be. How can an actor achieve that kind of puzzlement in the audience?
Easier to be clear about this if we were talking on Skype,since I can't be sure if the words I use mean the same thing to you. If the emotion or the truth of a line or scene is fully played then there probably isn't a need to show what one feels in fact. A line can be said truthfully without it being obvious what feeling's behind it. One example (and it's easier to answer stuff through my website in future please on the 'Contact' page)'- but if I say "Yesterday was the worst day I've had in ten years" with the same simple, confident, matter-of-fact tone I could also say "Yesterday was the best day I've had in ten years" the same way, just swapping one word round. But to do it well you have to know what that extraordinary line REALLY means. THat's as much as I can say here. More if you want it come to me for a Skype session.
***** Thanks for your reply! Let's just say a director decides that it shouldn't be clear to the audience if the character in that moment really means what he/she says or the opposite of it. So you as an actor may have worked out what that line REALLY means but if you would then be asked to play it in such a way that the meaning of that line, the CHARACTER's internal attitude towards that line would remain opaque and disputable to the audience, what would you do?
Wat strikes me the most isn't his instructions per se. Don't get me wrong, he knows his onions etc, but with acting, the truth is, no one really knows anything for sure. And that's why I love listening to him: he's very aware of that very fickle nature of the craft of acting, so he never lords anything down. Personally, there are times I've watched his videos without getting any actual, etched-in-stone tips that can work for me, but I'm still so satisfied......because, sometimes, for young actors like me, very few things are as helpful and encouraging as seeing a true veteran of the trade, aged and experienced, and yet brimming with passion enough to sit himself in front of a camera and just talk...talk to me...talk about acting...talk to me about life. That's the point: with this man, the lines between life and acting can become so refreshingly blurred.
I’m not really an emotional person so the result I got when you said that they died seemed pretty accurate for me as my heart sped up and my breathing become slighter more audible but my face stayed blank like I was processing this. Really strange but it worked!
I have no intention of taking up acting as a career but given the condition that u would teach me, I might rethink about acting, you are a great teacher Sir. Respect from India.
I would be happy to teach you but it is a profession full of much unemployment, , and needs enormous dedication, so probably not a good idea unless it matters more to you than anything else in life. John (www.Windsor-Cunningham)
Best video ever... I felt as if I truly lost my "38 year old brother, Robert, with brown hair." I had to take a second to talk to the doctor... in my head. You, dear sir, are an inspiration.
Best way to start is to get in touch through the 'Contact' page on my website www.Windsor-Cunningham.com and I'll be happy to answer basic questions at no charge (!) I also coach on Skype and in New York at what I'm told is the lowest rate going!
***** Hello, Mr.John!!!!!! I am so happy to find you and such wonderful lessons!!! I absolutely love them !!! And on my way to your web-site!!!) Thank you very much, Mr.John!))
+John Windsor-Cunningham thank you for so much for all of these videos they are so instructive I can't put into words, I would definitely like to discuss some situations with you that pertain to myself in regards to starting my career, in acting
Thank you for this video!! I actually did practice "acting" during the exercise. My 'brother Kenny' died in an accident, and my realistic reaction actually shocked me! I cried on command for the first time and realistically approached it! So excited, I'm moving to Los Angeles to pursue modeling and acting especially, I've been watching so many videos to better my acting and this is the best one hands down!
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
So acting is more like meditation/visualization of a scene and entering yourself into it in order to draw out real authentic emotion, rather than pretending .
Yes, it is, as you say, like that, but also involves lots and lots of study of scripts in order to understand them really fully. So it involves the intellect as well as the instinct. John Windsor-Cunningham
Precisely. You have to imagine you ARE that character. You are actually experiencing the film's scenes as this character. And you respond and react as the character.
He makes me want to act even though acting isn't my career path
Well said! Keep out of acting if you can, the whole field is full of unemployment and delays, - for some anyway - but glad you had some fun with this, and being imaginative is good for all careers! John (www.Windsor-Cunningham.com)
You don't have to act as a career. You can act just because you love it. As a hobby, if you will.
Me too 😎
@@annaibanez2499 exactly my thoughts
Everybody is an actor to some extent and every job interview is definitely an audition!
he's got a cool voice
He's actually from Mississippi . . . it's called acting!
yess
Yes! Actually... Like a Devil is Disguise. I Love It.
Crying is one of the hardest things to do realistically when it comes to acting, holy shit I managed it with that instruction thank you from the bottom of my heart, International school of screen acting here I come 👍
+Koji G I did it too, pretty cool
Koji G o
I think about The Shield when Lem dies and Vic is seeing his bloody body. Always gets me crying .
laughing is harder.. for it to be realistic
@@Jinstarro not gonna lie laughing is hardest whenever I even laugh naturally people say it sounds fake
"Simply accept the situation" - very profound words, thank you
I started crying then laughing cause I realized it wasn’t real then started crying again cause I realized that story is true for someone somewhere and it made me actually sad
Great! Sounds like the exercise worked for you. You can make up your own, of course. Best wishes, John Windsor-Cunningham
@Ephraim Winston me too
Did you. Did you really. I actually find that hard to read... it's so sad and yet very much funny. Need a Hanky?
When you actually feel sad the second time after realising it’s true for some other person. Isn’t it like sympathising for the character. But here you are that character.
So basically your expressions are feeling sad for someone .
Any ways to change on the imagination?so i can be the one feeling sad being the character ?
This was weird I was genuintly scared while you were telling I was in the cab to the hospital
Yup, that's the point. Up to you if you want to be really scared or not! JOhn Windsor-Cunningham
Same!!! My heart was racing and I had that feeling Why are you so nervous you think you might throw up
You are a genius ! i appreciate your teachings!
4:05
He's the only man in the internet where I knew that he does these 'films' because he really wants help actors about acting realistically
Well I think many young actors have an idea that acting can be a big deal, can be more than "just showing off" - ! - and even very experienced actors sometimes need to be pushed into seeing what is dull in their work, so, yes, I'm desperate for actors to get it 'right' if possible. It just takes a lot of WORK ! John Windsor-Cunningham
Even though I'm 7 years late with a comment, the feeling was really weird, like I felt it like in every part of my body, and I could hear my heartbeat (or feel it). Anyway, I felt this only once in my life and it was when my grandmother called me and said that my grandfather died. Obviously, I started crying when she called, but it was the same weird feeling, like creeps through my entire body or something like that and coldness, it became really cold in the room.
Anyway, great video, definitely will watch more since I want to get into acting because I feel like it's really fun and possibly good career.
I'm a month later, hello!
Um, hello? I guess
Being a professional cellist, I find this video extremely helpful. Musician have to actually feel the emotions they are trying to convey in the music or it will not be convincing to the audience. I am going to have my university students watch this. Thank you!
How very kind of you to say that. It makes me want to hear you play.
If I can be of any help to you or your students remember I always answer odd questions about any of this for no cost (and best done through the 'Contact' page on my website Windsor-Cunningham.com) and that - as your message was so kind, if you personally want to contact me on Skype some time to chat a little I would not think of charging you or my time.
All good wishes John
I was thinking exactly the same thing as I’m a singer. There’s loads of songs that I’m obliged to sing that I don’t like or don’t like to sing.... but when I sing them (especially something where the character changes during the song or something happens) I have to try and keep remembering to let the character find that emotion as the song goes along. It’s bloody hard sometimes
Being that my older brother died in a car accident when I was 16 - all of this felt very eerie and close to me. Especially since I did in fact go to the hospital with dreadful anticipation and heard the news in a similar way from a male doctor. So this might have been a bit too good of a way to incite a legitimate reaction from me. I miss him. I can't believe it's already been 3 years.
Good Heavens, I'm terribly sorry. Reality mixed with imagination can bring up terrible memories, and I'm afraid I don't think about that n advance of posing the video. But, if I may, I wish you well, and thank you for the way you recall your brother so vividly for us all in a sense. But enough. I'm stepping out of order here, I fear. Sincere best wishes, John (www.Windsor-Cunningham.com)
He intrigues me. I love it. I'm more than inspired and suddenly I believe I can actually go through with my plan of becoming the best version of myself as an actress. This lesson was truly helpful, thank you.
Thanks for kind words. Just push yourself to read and follow writers and directors and actors you like (we are told to call male and females "actors now) and hopefully you will find you will find that inspiration all over the place! John Windsor-Cunningham
I have a new appreciation for how difficult acting really is.
i swear i actually started tearing up when he said "your family member died."
Of course you did. Nearly everyone does. That is the point! But thanks for saying. John Windsor-Cunningham
John Windsor-Cunningham omg you answered haha. i'm not really used to this so i'm kind of having a tiny fangirl moment. could i maybe ask you a question? i'm currently preparing for a video audition for a feature film (about this bipolar teenage girl that loses her mother because she kills herself) that i'm supposed to send it till dec 15. i got the script and i'm trying to read through it but i'm really afraid i'll mess it up and won't portray the emotions as the casting director expects. are there any tips you'd recommend me in order to not mess this up?
Dont send messages on this please, use my email, as I'm getting over a thousand sometimes and miss them. I can't do private coaching til after December 17th a I'm in a play in New York, so cant help more than to say work night and day on the thing. Dont contact if you do want coaching til after December 17th please. and if not then just work harder than you ever have before, JOhn (email is on my website for the future, but not til after Dec.17th).)
John Windsor-Cunningham okay. thank you very much for everything. good luck with the play :)
Gosh I felt the tears on the way when the lady on the phone paused and said it was more serious than the arm
I'M ELEVEN INCHES TALL AND I'M CRYING
diromiz me toooo
Samee
Let's start a tiny revolution
@@hayleyb467 while sobbing
I recently decided to visit a dream of mine that has been in my heart for years, to start acting. Your UA-cam channel popped up and this exercise competently struck me. You actually got a true reaction out of me. My knees buckled and I started crying. Wow thanks so much for sharing your talent.
Best way to start is to get in touch through the 'Contact' page on my website www.Windsor-Cunningham.com and I'll be happy to answer basic questions at no charge (!) I also coach on Skype and in New York at what I'm told is the lowest rate going!
This was one of the areas I have most difficulty with breaking down, due to my background, with this instructional video I actually managed it I'm blown away , it shows what phenomenal instruction can do for your acting career
how's it going now?
I almost fell over laughing when the "Do you want to see how to kill someone realistically" come up on screen. I don't know why, but it was jarring. 😂
You are brilliant. So utterly convincing and remarkably charismatic. What helpful words. Thank you.
I feel like I'm going to have a lot of trouble with acting because the only way I can be legitimately emotional about something that isn't real is if I'm surprised about it, or it wasn't what I was expecting. I failed The dead sibling exercise so hard because I predicted it ten seconds in.
Just saw your response, and yes, of course, as you say - 'surprise' is a necessary part of all this, and the fact that you 'predicted' the end of the story stopped it working, but without coaching you I can only point you to the gentler video I have on the site called, I think, 'the most important acting lesson in the world' which may help you be calm and to let yourself be surprised, if I may say so.
Oh, I actually saw that on my feed. I'll go check it out, thank you so much!
I did predicted it too because this really happened to me...with my relative sudden death..and in this exercise I reacted in exactly the same way I reacted on that fateful day...
Elliart 7 I think maybe it’s less about surprise and more about being in the moment. In real life if you are on the way to the hospital because someone has been in an accident your mind will jump ahead too and try to predict the outcome. You don’t really know until you are told what has happened. Hope that makes sense.
I also guessed it in like the first 10 seconds, but I still started crying… What is actually wrong with me
This man could narrate the phone book and I would listen. What a voice
Thank you! I’ve been at a road block in my voice acting career where it felt I wasn’t tall enough to ride, I was never good enough to apply, I was never good enough to act. But that in itself was the problem I was in the mindset of “acting” as my character not “being” my character. This has genuinely shocked me awake. I’m currently driving back to my recording booth and I’m not gonna stop acting for the next 2-4 hours just coming up with scenarios and scenes in my head! Also I’m watching all your videos from now on.
Thanks for kind words. Another source of inspiration in this often-awkward 'job' is to find characters and style of script which - for some strange reason - we simply 'like'. Some very respectable actors like playing drug addicts, and some very inexperienced actors like playing doctors and professors! So the trick is to 'keep at it' - which, fortunately for us, many other actors don't really do ! J
When you did the exercise, at the end I started crying. Really crying. Tears after tears after tears. I wasn't trying to, I just did. And for a few seconds--I believed that my family member actually died.
you're a genius
I think we get so caught up in getting into as many acting classes as we can, and using as many techniques as we can, that we forget the base of acting is so incredibly simple. It's tough, but it's so simple. Just be. And you are. Not believing that you are, not pretending, you just are.
Yes, it's simple, but the amount of study and work, the amount of detective-work that is needed on a script, the amount of time needed to work out WHAT the simplicity is needs experience. John Windsor-Cunningham
I just wanted to finally figure out at 41 years old how to do a british accent for a Dungeons and Dragons character, and now ive watched like 6 of your videos and you've got me totally fired up about playing the game on a whole new level of immersion and imagination! And honestly just the psychic flexibility it all exercises and imbues is exciting ❤
Yes, I totally agree that 'immersion' - to keep studying and trying parts in different ways - as well as discovering what the lines really mean rather than trying to get a perfect accent - accents don't interest an audience for long - is the way to feeling at home in a part. And if you find parts that just 'suit' you - the job may start to be more fun! John.
I was crying for Nasa. She's still in my heart with her two ponytails swinging and her printed white frock.
I love how you encourage actors to actually be what they’re saying and not pretending to be what they’re saying
Best advice on acting I've seen/heard. Thanks so much for sharing!!
You're welcome. Remember you can always ask odd questions - for not cost - through the 'Contact' page on my website Windsor-Cunningham.com and that I coach on Skype if needed. Best wishes, John
Shit this exercise is great , and same time is bad . I accepted the situation the moment he said ur sister died , my heart stopped for 3 sec and I started feeling dizzy . If ur in front of camera u might forget ur lines the character's gestures etc , Eventually it ll lead you to mental state . Acting should be in a enjoyable way. Again it's good exercise but becarefull folks , as a actor you should be able to go into the character and come out . With this exercise you will be stacked and ll have hard time to come out ,Acting is about impressions you have to pretend that ur someone else , don't accept that ur someone else , because u never can be someone else . Acting is a mental game, go with ur limits don't push it too hard some stuff can be done with feelings some with impressions . Good luck ppl
faarhaann khan that’s you way of acting but I think actually believing it is the way to do it
As soon as you said they were dead it actually felt like my heart broke inside and I started crying and almost screamed wow this is incredible your a brilliant instructor and I love how honest and straight to the point just so incredibly and it’s so true
Well, Hi Ebony, great that your imagination works so well, sorry that you felt so upset - ! - if you need an antidote you might try video number "7" (just that one) on my other website which is wwwMadEnglishman.com but either way best wishes, John
John Windsor-Cunningham thankyou, I will definitely check it out. Who knew I would meet my little brother Sam one minute and figure out he’s dead the next!
It was a dream. Sam is waiting round a corner, planning to pop out and meet you one day. He's also won a small lottery prize he wants to share with you then so all good news in the end!
@@ebonystephens1424 It was a dream. Sam is fine, and just waiting to pop out from behind a corner later this year to show you that you still have a brother, and to share the lottery prize he recently won. So all quite good news in the end!
John Windsor-Cunningham 😂 it was, maybe that money he shares can go to an acting school
I felt soo upset tbh but i didnt cry, this is just because i was like in shock
"Shock" sounds like a terrific reaction you allowed yourself to have. I only hope it encouraged you to see (if you need to ) how strange the imagination can be. Best wishes anyway. John Windsor-Cunningham
Thank u sooo much
I felt the same
Damn when I was "in the cab" I actually had a real pit in my stomach and when I got to the hospital and you told me the news, I actually felt my stomach tighten up, and in a few minutes I was crying. Very well done video!
I have never been able to cry on cue, but when you told me my fake little brother died, tears started flowing. Thank you so much. I now realize that I've simply been ACTING.
Thank you for putting it clearly that’s amazing I act with myself since I was 10 but only started having a career in acting at my 20s and all I can say is the hardest part is when directors tells you to have certain emotion because that won’t be real and believable and you want to do it your way or be free to make it fun and entertaining. Thanx again
You raise a huge, giant, important subject. Arguing with directors, in my own personal experience, resulted in my not being asked back to twenty big theatre companies - even after having successes with them, Directors hated me disagreeing with them, because I did not know how to show them I was right in my acting. Then - as you seem to be doing - I began to learn how to fill up a character realistically, and the arguments with directors stopped. If I'd learned at your age I might be a star by now, but that does not matter, of course; - what matters is that I did learn (as all actors need to) to understand what is behind lines and to act THAT truthfully. So keep working hard! John Windsor-Cunningham
Hi Mr. John, I don't want to stall the response. I just want to tell you how amazing you are sir. I've crushed like never before. My emotions blasted out of me, my whole world collapsed in a split secound. Interesting part of it is that I can't call myself an actor yet, because I only recently decided to work on myself to become one. This was true epiphany for me and I want thank you so much for sharing your wonderful method with us all. You are the saint!
I didn't know I loved my brother this much until now. Wow.
This is incredible.
You're an August Teacher.
All the best from Moscow.
God bless you, dear Mr John.
Thank you for your so kind words. I so often remember a wonderful production of Uncle Vanya I did, many years ago, and am sorry that Moscow is one of the few places I've not worked. And now, of course, everything is so difficult for everyone, so I send you good wishes back. John Windsor-Cunningham
Wow! This exercise was really "real"! Actually made me feel things. Amazing
Of all of the countless videos I have watched about acting, this is the most brilliant and profound…
Very kind, thanks. And better to come hopefully. John Windsor-Cunningham
Thank you, Mr. Windsor-Cunningham, you are a worderful teacher.
RIP Sydney. I had so many emotions pumping through me, you’re brilliant, but yet so simple in a way that I love!
As someone who has not acted since he was a child, you had me crying in the hospital exercise. I can still feel it half an hour later that I ACTUALLY had a younger brother
Brilliant. This was actually very insightful. I listened to your story about me and when I got the news my sister had died.. I immediately teared up. I wasnt sure what to say so I just looked intensely at the doctor in disbelief.. but also I know that he was being truthful. I'm going to watch this several times. Thank you
Wow, my heart stopped and I got tears in my eyes... Amazing! Thank you for your advice! :)
Haha that's awesome! I was just really feeling it, I guess! :D
hi!!! i’m a student who just entered middle school, and i find this film and the other short one from this very helpful, see i’m fairly new to acting but i am also more mature then my age group and act older than i am, but i’ve actually been thinking of how to ACTUALLY ACT and when i explain this to my coaches they just blow it off and say something along the lines of “oh well you are acting so you can’t actually be in that emotion (and/or) place!” well this is exactly what i was talking about!!!
Sounds like it may not be necessary to talk to anyone about it. It makes life easier if we avoid arguments. One of my videos, number 28 of the 'free videos' on my website ( Windsor-Cunningham.com ) also says the same sort of thing, And I'm not saying you were in the right anyway as I dont know you and I wasn't there! Best wishes, John Windsor-Cunnngham
Worked wonderfully...thank you! Amazing how simple suggestion places you in real circumstances and reaction. The sadness came spontaneously.
I'm glad I found your channel. Really felt like I was there during the exercise. Thanks for the lesson.
You're welcome. (And better videos coming soon hopefully). And you're right, - of course, - to keep searching channels, classes, even a few books, and certainly plays and screenplays, because you'll be getting almost as much experience as if you were doing 'employed' work. John
Can you please make more exercises? I just loved this!
Thank you so much for this amazing video. You've just got yourself a new subscriber.
Honestly, this is phenomenal. It had the exact same effect on me as probably intended. It got a reaction out of me, and I started to genuinely react surprised with that specific emotion. As I was fully into his sayings, and just really in the moment. This was, so very helpfull!
Incredible. I got to a place I'll describe as "utter sadness". What an amazing exercise. And at no point did I need to act. Phew and wow! Thank you!
Thank for kind words. And the point is that if we work out the background of any situation - perhaps with some parallel in our own lives - (that we hate spiders so we can act as if we hate women, some spiders being female ! ) - any situation is easy to imagine. It may seem hard work sometimes, but actors whom we compete with are doing that work, so we just must sort out what any damned lines are about ! John
@@NewYorkActingCoach Yes, makes complete sense, John. Btw- perhaps you are familiar with the Teach character in American Buffalo? I have to deliver the F*** Ruthie monologue for stage. I've got the accent, I've learnt my lines. But I'm still searching for the reality. Dustin Hoffman pulls it off in the movie where he's out in the street crossing a road which adds to the realism and inherent energy. The monologue's opening line artificially sets off the intensity when Teach F***'s four times at Ruthie in her absence to express his anger about her to his friend Don. Any guidance would be gratefully received.
EVery actor is different and I don't know what you are like, so I can't sensibly suggest specific ideas (unless you want coaching n which case please use the Website), but every line means something, ad they can't all be in the same note of complaint! He may be angry with himself, or amused, or tired, it's up to you. So study each line to find out. John
@@NewYorkActingCoach Of course,, and I will explore your website. It was a naïve question and thank you for entertaining it. For interest, their is a school of thinking, for this particular play, that because it's set in Chicago the character is allow to rattle through his lines, landing her an there for emphasis. My Director made this point which leaves little room for the subtler form of the art. I may well develop my own interpretation, fingers crossed. Thank you again.
That was incredible! I had tears streaming down my face!
I've had the pleasure of knowing this gentleman for many years. He is indeed a brilliant actor. And a completely and utterly sincere person in his zeal to be of help to others.
Wow, I plan to become an actor, you did really well to help me, by giving this advice. Thank you.
I seriously began background acting this year, having worked 4 films, 2 cable shows and a music video in past months. I got the bug on John Frankenheimer’s Andersonville film many years ago as part of a reenactor core group. Recently retired, I have lots of time to study how tos and to learn. I’ve been featured twice and just performed my first video audition.
I think you’re a big help to people wanting to learn how to make the character themselves, complete with emotions, mobility, spice and “live” acting. We can learn something of direction from instruction but it is what’s inside us that must make the character real. We must believe in ourselves as a character to become believable as actors.
Thank you for what you are doing.
Thank you so much for this insightful video. This exercise was very clarifying and so helpful as I am a new actress. I cried for my sister! ( and I'm an only child) I enjoy your insight and knowledge, and look forward to learning more with your channel. Thank you!
I just burst into tears on my couch...ohmygod this is genius
"Genius" eh? Well thanks! More videos coming soon, just terribly busy at the moment. But I appreciate kind words. (www.Windsor-Cunningham.com) and if you want an antidote to the tears you experienced you might like to watch my other, completely different website, www.MadEnglishman.com and just watch video number "7". Best wishes anyway! John
omg i have a play in two days and ur two videos really helped me , i almost cried , thank you so much!! YOURE A GENIUS
If you need specific help I do coach on skype, and charge as little as possible - just use the "contact" page on my website www.Windsor-Cunningham.com or my email (not here please!) at jwcactor@yahoo.com
I love when he says "It's legal, you know, you're allowed..." lol 6:02
YEs, well said. Acting is rather like breaking the law and knowing you'll get away with it. So little wonder, maybe, that some prisons have extremely popular acing classes. J.
Thank you John. That exercise was amazing, and it is the first time I have ever been taken through anything like that. The emotions I felt as the exercise ran its course was pretty amazing. I often feel that I 'over-think' things, this exercise will now be a handy tool moving forward. Thank you and bless you for posting these great videos. Cheers from New Zealand.
Fantastic! Really benefitted from this. Thank you John!
Thanks for kind words. Sometimes, of course, a part needs to be tried lots of different ways before we find something in it which we have (in some very small way) in ourselves, - like when a part needs us to fear somebody but we remember that we hate spiders ! - but the result can - thank all the heavens - be fun! So when actors don't speak of enJOYing their work it's a 'concern' ! John
Holy crap it worked!!! I cried! I did it!! You're amazing! Did you still give online acting lessons?
He put everything I've been thinking into words. I've never heard anyone talk about acting like this, but it's how I act.
Jesus you had me crying like a baby. That was powerful.
This blows my mind. I love it. Thank you so much.
Thanks for your kind words! I make it sound a bit simple. Actors need to struggle before finding the thin little truth to fatten up their lines. But by working at it - as seen by the success of countless pushy actors - many learn to be quick at guessing what is behind their lines, and have begun to guess new, clever, intelligent, exciting, world-improving truths in their 'character'.. So I fear one has to keeping at this, doing as much work as one can manage of any kind! . John
Very clear explanations especially the "I'm eleven inches tall" exercise on how you say that line realistically.
This was “Excellent”!!!
7:20 things we give up, Amen!
Just had to comment again,
this whole video was brilliant Mr. Cunningham!
You're the best acting teacher on UA-cam legit thank you so much.
Thank you for saying so! It's encouraging because so many productions are being rushed with no time for truth and reality (and fun!) to be central in them. Ah well!! If you want specific help with anything I coach on skype and in NY and charge as little as possible. All best wishes to you back. John - oh and I don't always see messages here, so if anyone need to get in touch it's better to use the 'Contact' page on my website (www.Windsor-Cunningham.com) or my email jwcactor@yahoo.com , but I'm not pushing anyone on that, you may all manage on your own if you stick to the truth of lines.
Hey! I found this so handy! I loved the exercise at the start; genius! I found myself freezing from eating the food I was, and in this complete frozen state, I found it to be a true reaction from what you've said! Thank you! I got cast in a play where I play a vivacious, raucous & sassy dancer, stuck in the underground tube with older men and 2 other female characters (ones an elderly, one slightly older). When we did our first rehearsal, I struggled so bad; I couldn't find anything to relate to my character. Im far from confident, or sexy or showy or loud.... This is the first play I'm in and I have no idea how to 'act' or 'be' my character... or even relate to her! Please help..!
Happy to help. Obviously I need to know what your main scenes/ lines are that are difficult, and that can't be done by e-mail, but I'm happy to work with you on Skype or if you're in NY in person. A session lasts just over an hour so that we don't have to rush when we reach 59 minutes - ! - and costs $35 which I think is fair.
Best to get in touch through the 'Contact' page on my website www.Windsor-Cunningham.com and I'll fit you in as soon as possible. There are dozens of 'trick' ways of achieving what you mention, as well as deeper ones if you have time (or need them). Best wishes, John
+John Windsor-Cunningham how do you feel about child actors what's the best advice you would give them and what do you think would be a good character to start method acting please
Sorry, only just saw your question. Too hard to answer in a few lines. If you want a session use the 'contact' page on my website www.Windsor-Cunningham for details. John
Great job Mr. Cunningham. Great performance. You made my evening👏👏👏
You have made a change. Thanks so much for sharing.
Full on tears started flowing. Like a really shocked sad cry. Wow.
So, so sorry your were sad for a moment, but fun that your imagination works so well. Best wishes anyway, John (www.Windsor-Cunningham.com)
John Windsor-Cunningham don’t be sorry, this was an incredible experience. Thank you so much! You are amazing!
I cannot thank you enough for this video!
Brilliant! Never enjoyed watching and listening to a lesson this much! I sobbed through watching the video and losing my both characters. ACTUALLY! Thank you.
You're very welcome. Thanks for kind remark. More if wanted at Windsor-Cunningham.com John
Appreciated.
I was upset and almost cried
I feel like this exersice is really good
I did nothing, i tried to just be "real" but when you said the person had died, i wasn't prepared for it and it actually hit me. I didn't cry, I felt sad, like something was taken from me. Perhaps it was how you said it, great work.
Well, thanks for saying "great work" to me, but the simple fact is that it's you that did good work. John Windsor-Cunningham
Hi John! Thankyou. I found this video so helpful. Finally I've found something that will take me to the next level! God bless
Brilliant. Thank you. And I love the way this is shot and edited. Superb job!
Heavens! Thank you very much. My editing has improved in fact, but am glad to hear your kind words. John
THAT EXERCISE WAS AMAZING
You are detailed and you can see that you love acting it is refreshing
I love this it was powerful it was really nice talking to y
Oh. My. Lord. Listen I don’t have any siblings but that exercice made me feel the loss of him. I’ve never felt this on acting purpose. My mind was turned on denial and shock and anger. Thank you so much for this acting lesson which is the most helpful one I’ve ever been given.
Thanks for your kind comment.More on my website if you want it, Windsor-Cunningham.com (and a 'Contact' page if yu want coaching, - though sounds like you may not need it ! ) JOhn
Wow. I really want to be an actor but I am very shy and my school doesn't even have a drama department.
If you still need help with the idea of being an actor please use the 'contact' page on my website www.Windsor-Cunningham.com
That first exercise worked surprisingly well...Thank you!
Fantastic video. Can you do a video about "ambivalent" acting, too? Most of the time it's great to have an actor delivering a sense of his acting being "dead on". But what also interests me as a viewer is that sweet pleasure of uncertainty where there suddenly are a NUMBER of possible emotions/motivations behind a character's action or reaction of which one then has to figure out what the most accurate might be. How can an actor achieve that kind of puzzlement in the audience?
Easier to be clear about this if we were talking on Skype,since I can't be sure if the words I use mean the same thing to you. If the emotion or the truth of a line or scene is fully played then there probably isn't a need to show what one feels in fact. A line can be said truthfully without it being obvious what feeling's behind it. One example (and it's easier to answer stuff through my website in future please on the 'Contact' page)'- but if I say "Yesterday was the worst day I've had in ten years" with the same simple, confident, matter-of-fact tone I could also say "Yesterday was the best day I've had in ten years" the same way, just swapping one word round. But to do it well you have to know what that extraordinary line REALLY means. THat's as much as I can say here. More if you want it come to me for a Skype session.
***** Thanks for your reply! Let's just say a director decides that it shouldn't be clear to the audience if the character in that moment really means what he/she says or the opposite of it. So you as an actor may have worked out what that line REALLY means but if you would then be asked to play it in such a way that the meaning of that line, the CHARACTER's internal attitude towards that line would remain opaque and disputable to the audience, what would you do?
Wat strikes me the most isn't his instructions per se. Don't get me wrong, he knows his onions etc, but with acting, the truth is, no one really knows anything for sure. And that's why I love listening to him: he's very aware of that very fickle nature of the craft of acting, so he never lords anything down. Personally, there are times I've watched his videos without getting any actual, etched-in-stone tips that can work for me, but I'm still so satisfied......because, sometimes, for young actors like me, very few things are as helpful and encouraging as seeing a true veteran of the trade, aged and experienced, and yet brimming with passion enough to sit himself in front of a camera and just talk...talk to me...talk about acting...talk to me about life. That's the point: with this man, the lines between life and acting can become so refreshingly blurred.
I’m not really an emotional person so the result I got when you said that they died seemed pretty accurate for me as my heart sped up and my breathing become slighter more audible but my face stayed blank like I was processing this. Really strange but it worked!
Glad you got something out of it. Emotions are strange, but they're there! JOhn
I have no intention of taking up acting as a career but given the condition that u would teach me, I might rethink about acting, you are a great teacher Sir. Respect from India.
I would be happy to teach you but it is a profession full of much unemployment, , and needs enormous dedication, so probably not a good idea unless it matters more to you than anything else in life. John (www.Windsor-Cunningham)
Wow I was really crying omg I was really sad and then I realized it wasn’t real 🤯🤯🤯
Thanks you so much!!!
Best video ever... I felt as if I truly lost my "38 year old brother, Robert, with brown hair." I had to take a second to talk to the doctor... in my head. You, dear sir, are an inspiration.
It made me feel it, wtf... lol i don't want to act, i just feel this was interesting
You have absolutely no Idea how much you have helped me... I honestly cannot wait to go to acting school and become the best actor that I can be.
Thank you John you are awesome
Yes, I actually became quite distraught and had tears, believing I'd lost an Older brother. Thank you for this. it's was amazing.
I want to get into acting. What shall i do John?
Best way to start is to get in touch through the 'Contact' page on my website www.Windsor-Cunningham.com and I'll be happy to answer basic questions at no charge (!) I also coach on Skype and in New York at what I'm told is the lowest rate going!
*****
Hello, Mr.John!!!!!! I am so happy to find you and such wonderful lessons!!! I absolutely love them !!! And on my way to your web-site!!!) Thank you very much, Mr.John!))
+John Windsor-Cunningham thank you for so much for all of these videos they are so instructive I can't put into words, I would definitely like to discuss some situations with you that pertain to myself in regards to starting my career, in acting
If you waqnt to get into acting contact me through the website, sorry I only just saw your question now.
What is the best age to start acting ?
Brilliant exercise! Thank you 🙌
My heart dropped when I heard the news that my sibling had died.
Thank you for this video!!
I actually did practice "acting" during the exercise. My 'brother Kenny' died in an accident, and my realistic reaction actually shocked me! I cried on command for the first time and realistically approached it!
So excited, I'm moving to Los Angeles to pursue modeling and acting especially, I've been watching so many videos to better my acting and this is the best one hands down!