Actor Headshots: A View From The Other Side

Your actor headshots are your business card, so to speak. It's your chance to make a first impression, a positive first impression! Use that opportunity to the fullest!

As ActingCareerStartUp.com continues to gain momentum and becomes increasing more popular, Spring 2008 marks the beginning of the next phase of my plan, which is to add videos to the site; videos of different types.

I recently conducted my first casting session that I actually executed myself in search of actors. So instead of going into a casting director’s office to audition for an acting job I wanted, it was I who was searching for actors for my new web video project.

What an interesting experience!!! So interesting in fact, that I have to tell you about it.

I’ll break this report down into two parts:

1. Submitting headshots

2. Communication with the casting agency (Coming soon on another page. Stay tuned.)

Part I: Submitting Headshots

Briefly here’s what I experienced taking into consideration that the casting notice was directed to Non-Union Actors and I also stated that I would also consider actors with little experience. Another thing to take into consideration is that the things I didn’t like are exactly that, things that I didn’t like. My aim here is to make you think again about your own submissions and about what your headshots look like and how they could be perceived by the casting directors and agents you submit to.

Actor Headshots: 7 Things I Experienced

1. Many submitted actor headshots of poor quality. It was so obvious in some cases that the pictures were not of professional nature, i.e.:

· taken with a digital camera,

· poor lighting,

· expressionless,

· taken in a poor and inappropriate setting,

· vacation pictures,

· inappropriate poses, etc.

2. There was one girl whose picture I saw and I really liked the energy she projected in the photo. I then was curious to read her résumé and look at some more of her pictures. I opened up a page with the original picture I saw as well as three others. The other three pictures were so bad, that I didn’t want to call her back. They were very unprofessional and showed me that the one that I originally saw, was retouched to the extent that it didn’t look like her.

3. Many of the actors had posted several of their pictures on the website where I posted the casting notice. A few of the women had submitted pictures in which they were blond and another in which they were brunette. I personally preferred to know what I was getting right away. I didn’t know if they would come in blond or brunette. So, if I had really been interested in having on of them come into audition, I might have had to call first and ask if she was blond or brunette. Is it a big deal? Maybe. Maybe not. But it really doesn't matter what we think. It's the casting directors and agents who count the most.

4. Another girl had submitted two different pictures and one of them was retouched so much that it didn’t look like her anymore. Unbelievable! That’s bad.

5. I had one girl come in, who didn’t look a lot like her headshot. Not good. You should always look like your photo, because that’s part of the reason why you get called in by a casting director or agent. If you walk into their office and you don’t look like your picture, i.e. your hair is a different color or shorter or longer, or your picture has been retouched too much, that you could seriously upset someone.

6. Finally, something else I saw quite a bit of were terrible, terrible poses. What kind? · Like a model, a full-body shot leaning against a wall, so far away that you really can’t see the facial expression.

· Some of the women had very promiscuous poses, that seemed like they could have been on the cover of a pornographic magazine! For some casting calls that might be appropriate, but in my casting notice I did not hint in that direction, not even a little bit. The things is, aside from that possibly damaging your chances to get the audition, what it really shows is that the person is not fully aware of herself, otherwise she would not have sent in inappropriate photos like that.

· One girl submitted a picture that, while I'm sure she must have thought it was sexy, but to me it looked like she was posing as if she were to have a bowel movement!

Actor Headshots: Who Got The Job And Why?

7. The people I liked the most, which means those who gave the best interviews, were also the ones who submitted actor headshots that were professional, that looked liked them and that matched the energy they projected when I finally got a chance to meet them. For me, that was very precious. With those people I felt like I got exactly what I asked for and what I wanted. And those are the reasons why they got the job!

Having read all that, my question to you is, “How are your headshots?”

If you want some more guidance about your actor headshots, have a look at this page with advice from one of New York's top headshot photographers.

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Video Special Report!:



The Top 10 Reasons Why
Most Aspiring Actors Never Make It!

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Hi Tony
I would like to thank you for helping me with the monologue question I asked in October 2007. I went to the auditions for a Drama course and I am happy to say that I have been accepted as a first-year student at the Tshwane University of Technology. Please keep on sending me those newsletters and let me know where I can find books that will help me in my acting career. Thank you once more. Have a blessed day.
Sincerely
Edward Thaba -South Africa

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Hi,
I was wondering if there is anything established like actingstartup.com in the U.K. because you are amazing and I have learned loads...
Thank You.
Nadine., Newcastle, UK

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Dear Anthony,
Just wanted to thank you for bringing me in to [audition for the video], meet you and chat this Saturday. I was really excited to hear about your working on actingcareerstartup.com and even took a look at it today - it's awesome! You are very well-spoken, knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and it shows through the work that you do! I hope our paths in the industry will cross again and really enjoyed meeting you. Thanks, again and best wishes with your very important work!
Warmly,
Gretchen, NY, NY

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Hey Tony, thanks for the info, yours by far is the most useful, I am 30 years old, and I myself always (secretly) wanted to be an actress, but I never knew where to begin, so thank you. You have given me hope!
Ana C., Tampa, FL

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Hi, I’m John.
You answered a question for me about two weeks ago about how to write my cover letters…I want you to know your advice was helpful. I got called in for a part as an extra in my first movie! It’s not big, but it’s my first one! Thanks for your help!
John, San Diego, CA