I am very pleased to announce that I have been cast in a film which we will be shooting in Bologna, Italy, at the end of August, 2018. Further details of the production will be announced in due course on social media and here on: www.clarkrenney.com
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As we are approaching the time for those film course submissions, let me remind everyone that I am always delighted to work with University Film Students. As well as being a very enjoyable experience to collaborate with enthusiastic young people, I am always conscious of the fact that it's an investment in the next generation of film-makers, and who knows, somewhere in their number may be the next Kathryn Bigelow or Francis Ford Coppola. I am experienced in this field, having acted for projects at University of the Arts London, University of East London, Norwich University and others. If you are looking for a Mature Actor to work with you on your project or dissertation for your course, please feel free to check out my website and contact me for auditions and castings. You can also find me on Mandy and StarNow...
#actor #actorslife #film #matureactors Is this a ticket which I see before me?
Come, let me clutch thee... Karen and I are looking forward to seeing this one in the summer! #shakespeare #macbeth #royalshakespearecompany #stratforduponavon #dagger #ladymacbeth Since I boldly went into the world of dramatic art some eight years ago, I have had the honour of training with some outstanding Tutors. Foremost among these is Colin David Reese, who has trained me in acting for screen, and most recently on a wonderful workshop on his life's passion... Shakespeare. As a Tutor and a Friend I always value his opinions very highly, and was again intrigued by this, perhaps rather lascivious comment, which he posted earlier!...
'Shakespeare is about passion, emotion, feelings etc; and once the actor starts rationalising or thinking it, it becomes an intellectual masturbation. Which might be enjoyable to do at home but, please, do not do it in front of others. It's most distasteful.' Before I had the pleasure of working with Colin, I had attended a wonderful course on 'Playing Shakespeare' at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. While there, the question came up about the delivery of that most famous line: "To be, or not to be, that is the question." My 'instinctive' thought was to break the line three times, as Hamlet is clearly thinking very deeply about the meaning of his life. My Tutor however, was having none of it, taking the view that Shakespeare did not write as: 'think, and then speak', but rather: 'think out loud'. I understood what he meant. And I understand what Colin means when he says, (frequently!), "let Shakespeare play you". When I started my dramatic adventure I quickly became interested in 'Method Acting', but was instinctively drawn towards the 'Meisner Technique' which I have found to be incredibly real and alive, occasionally traumatic, and sometimes even abusive. However, whilst driven very much by passions and emotions, I am still very much a thinking creature. Cogito Ergo Sum. I am now thinking of undertaking some formal training in the 'Method', since this approach seems to go much deeper into the forces that are actually driving the character. What is s/he thinking? Consciously and subconsciously? Some argue that the character is in the text, that the Actor creates a series of illusions which the audience assemble, individually, to create the character in their own mind. But I increasingly wonder if an Actor can create those illusions truthfully without knowing who their character is? I'm not sure that we can divorce the 'passion, emotion and feelings' from the thought process. The character who says: "And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover To entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain And hate the idle pleasures of these days." Is clearly driven by his passions; but has also thought very deeply about the "plots he has laid"... OK. I'm confused now. I shall have to ask Colin! Which reminds me, if you want to get to grips with the Bard, be sure to check out www.shakespeareworkshops.co.uk and book yourself onto one of Colin's fabulous workshops. You will struggle to find anyone who knows Shakespeare, and how to act his plays, better... The story of Maximilian Kolbe, the Priest who sacrificed his own life to save a fellow prisoner at Auschwitz-Birkenau, is one of the most moving in human history; and an incredible example of compassion and sacrifice in the midst of the greatest act of Man's inhumanity to his fellow Man the World has ever seen.
This is one film I really must see... #Holocaust #MaximilianKolbe Looking through the calls on one of the popular casting sites and I come across this...
High Profile TV Commercial Casting for Beautiful and Good Looking Actors'. The description then opens with... 'High Profile TV Commercial for an International Brand is Casting for Glamorous and Beautiful people'. And just to make sure we fully understand the profile requirements, it explains that... 'We need beautiful and confident Actors who look amazing in Tuxedos and fabulous in evening dresses'. Well in fairness, I doubt that I could do the evening dress very well and if truth be told, my Tuxedo days are probably a matter of history too. But seriously guys, what exactly does this mean? I thought it was a joy in the eye of the beholder. Who actually determines what 'Glamorous' and 'Beautiful' are, if not the person who beholds it? I mean to say, look at my picture above. Now I know I'm not Brad Pitt, and I am unlikely to be on the front cover of GQ anytime soon, but my Wife still sees something there! Always nice to share with you, my beautiful and handsome friends... Tonight, Hollywood will once again immerse itself in its great festival of congratulations, speeches and politics called the 'Academy Awards', or more colloquially, 'The Oscars'.
As one who has always loved the movies, I am naturally interested to know who receives the Oscar for whatever particular creative field they were working in; and yet I always feel strangely uneasy about this event, wondering whether it really rewards talent, or is more about who released their picture at just the right time to be 'in the running', who knew who, and perhaps above all, who paid the most money to the right people. That said, there will undoubtedly also be some very worthy winners this evening. One other question which always runs around my mind on this day concerns all those wonderful Actors and Actresses, in so many great films, who will never win an Oscar, never be at the awards ceremony, and perhaps never even be heard of by most people. Every year I think of those fantastic performances which could easily have been worthy of an Award, and I am sure you can all think of your own 'Nominations'. So on Oscars night, allow me to leave you with one of my foremost personal 'Nominations' for an Academy Award that never was... In the Category of Best Actor in a Leading Role: Jürgen Prochnow for The Captain in 'Das Boot' (The Boat); [1981]. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen and originally released for television, this film stands as one of the greatest war films ever made; and is one of the most realistic portrayals of submarine warfare in the Second World War ever shot. I could literally pick several truly outstanding performances, but Prochnow stands out for me as one of the most powerful and moving male leads I have ever seen. For those of you staying up, I hope you enjoy the show, and good luck to all the Nominees at tonight's Oscars... May I take this opportunity of thanking all those Friends who have 'liked' my acting page on Facebook recently. If you have not done so yet, have a look at: Clark Renney - Actor, and if you like it, come on board! Also, if you have your own pages on Facebook dedicated to your work in the performing arts, please let me know and I will be happy to return the favour by liking your page. In addition to Facebook, you can also find me on StarNow and Mandy, and of course on Twitter, where you can be treated to a description of what things would be like if I ruled the World!
And of course, for the most in-depth details about my life, hopes, dreams and projects in the creative arts, stay in touch with me here on my home page. For the Spring 2018 period my Wife, Karen, and I are looking forward very much to visiting Amsterdam to celebrate my reaching sixty 'glorious'?!! years on March 27th. I must say, age is something which has never really concerned me. Quite apart from the fact that I have no choice in the matter anyway, I sometimes reflect that many people don't make it this far. I recently lost a Friend who was younger than me, and heard just two days ago of another who is desperately ill, and may not be with us much longer. And my passion for history reminds me constantly of those young men before me, born in a different time, whose memory is enshrined forever at Verdun, and Passchendaele, and the Somme, and so many other tragic markers in human history. They never got to be sixty. Never got to walk their Daughters down the aisle. Never got to watch their Sons, and now their Grandsons play football. I did. And do. Enzo Ferrari famously said: "What's behind you doesn't matter", and I find that a good mantra for life. Of course there are many things I wish I had done in my life before now, I didn't, and it doesn't matter. I can't go back, but I can add them to the 'Bucket List'; (it's a big bucket!). So I find myself full of optimism and excitement about the projects and plans ahead, both as an Actor and as well-matured vintage Granddad! I am now taking new bookings from April, when I shall be delighted to be involved in your projects for 2018. As a mature Actor who has trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and with many fine Tutors, I can bring both my skills and considerable life experience to bear in a wide variety of roles. Please feel free to look at examples of my work here, and contact me if you feel I could play a role for you... In whatever you're doing... Break A Leg! "I have something for you...
Your Grandfather's Duster. An elegant weapon for a more enlightened age!" #starwars #actors #actorslife #darkside #grandfather The struggles waged by nations are weak only when they lack support in the hearts of their women.
José Marti. |
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