13 Tricks For Crying On The Cue – Complete Guide

Written by firassameer in Beginners Guide,Complete Guides,Tips & Notes,Tutorials

Is crying on command a special skill? The answer to the above question is yes. Casting directors and filmmakers usually tend to pay close attention to scenes that involve crying and so they usually require actors to be expressive with it.

13 Tips & Tricks for Crying on The Cue

It is difficult to cry on cue but it is not impossible. Outlined below are some of the techniques on how to cry on cue.

Table of Contents

#1: Drink Water Regularly

Water makes up tears. The point is that you will not be able to produce tears when you are dehydrated. The body needs an adequate amount of water for its tear ducts to be activated and regardless of how much training you have gotten as an actor, you will not be able to get yourself to cry when you are dehydrated.

If you ever want to know how to cry on cue for acting, you should drink lots of water as often as possible.

#2: Rub Your Eyes with Your Hands

Looking for how to fake cry on command? Then Spend about 20 to 25 seconds rubbing your eyes gently. After rubbing your eyes, open them wide and look for an object or a person to stare at. Make sure to stare at that person for as long as possible until tears begin to fall out of your eyes.

NOTE: This may take some time to master, but as long as you keep practicing, you will get the result.

#3: Recall A Memory Where Your Heart Was Broken

It is important for an actor to feel the emotions of the character you are playing. However, if you are wondering how to fake cry in 10 seconds, you can spend some time calling back a painful memory in your life – maybe one in which someone close to you passed away or you broke up with your significant other.

NOTE: If you can remember every detail of the occurrence including the particular place, time, and what the environment looked like, you would be able to draw out tears.

#4: Apply Tear-Inducing Ointment Under Your Eyes

There are certain roles in films that require a lot of crying and it is not easy for actors or actresses to keep crying for many scenes in a row. As a result, professionals apply tear-inducing substances such as a menthol tear stick under their eyes and the fumes cause the tears to drop. If you must go with this option, don’t overdo it.

#5: Don’t Force It

This may sound confusing but when you begin to think, “What do I do so I can cry on command?” or “How can I make myself cry in a play?” you put yourself under pressure and as a result, you won’t be able to summon tears even if you wanted to. Try to stay in the moment of the scene and shift your focus from achieving the goal.

#6: Picture Yourself Being Weak or Pathetic

Many people pretend to be strong even when they know that deep down, they are not. This is also true for some actors. When you imagine yourself as someone who is feeble or small, you will place your mind in a state of vulnerability that can induce tears.

#7: Engross Yourself Wholly in The Role You Are Playing

Although this is the most common method to make yourself cry on command, the reason why many famous actors can’t cry on cue is that they are unable to wholly immerse themselves in the character they are playing. If you can sincerely express empathy for the character you are playing, you would not have any problem producing tears.

#8: Slice Some Onions

The components of an onion bulb are natural inducers of tears. This is why you appear to be crying when you slice an onion bulb. When next you want to act out a scene that requires tears, you can slice some onions before getting up on stage.

#9: Attempt To Cry Happy Tears

Sad experiences are not the only experiences that make you cry. No rule says the tears you produce must come from a sad situation. You can think of an event or occurrence that made you so happy enough to make you stimulate tears. The process is important but so is the result.

#10: Let Out a Yawn

A few big yawns can help you produce tears when you are on set. You can cover your mouth with a piece of clothing when you yawn because sometimes you would have to yawn over and over again before those tears come out. Yawning without opening your mouth is also effective.

#11: Recognize Your Emotional Triggers

Some people have people, places, objects, or experiences that trigger their emotions. If you can ascertain your emotional triggers and call them to mind when you are about to play out an emotional scene, you might be able to produce tears.

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Convey Real Emotions
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#12: Keep Your Eyes Wide Open

Another way you can draw tears out of your eyes is by keeping your eyes open for a long period. When you are about to act out a crying scene, you can read the script or communicate with other people on set without blinking. If you keep this up long enough, your eyes will begin to water.

#13: Watch A Sad Scene or An Inspiring Video

One other way you can get your eyes wet is to engage in media. You can watch a video of a scene in a movie that always makes you emotional or a video in which someone was able to prevail over a challenge. Watching these videos before your scene can help you get the tears you need for that scene.

Can You Train Yourself to Cry on Cue?

Yes. You can train yourself to cry on cue and that will involve a lot of practice. You need to practice recalling sad experiences or rubbing your eyes as these are examples of how to cry on command for beginners.

How Do Actors Cry on Cues?

Actors cry on cues by calling an emotional experience to mind, chopping onions, yawning, keeping their eyes open for at least 30 seconds, picturing themselves being weak, or empathizing with the character they are playing.

How Do You Make Yourself Cry Instantly?

You can make yourself cry instantly when you slice onions, yawn, rub your eyes with your hands, or apply a menthol tear stick under your eyes.

Conclusion

Your ability to shed tears effortlessly while expressing sad emotions might be what you need to edge other talented actors while competing for the same roles. Therefore, knowing how to shed tears in your next audition or rehearsal could be all that is needed to secure that role. It certainly requires a lot of practice because it needs to be executed as naturally as possible.

firassameer

Firas Sameer, a movie director with several video productions for cinemas, festivals, TV commercials.. etc with several international awards and recognitions for his work.

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