Acting Headshot Basics
If you are reading this article chances are you already know what an acting headshot is so most of this info might not be for ya, however if you are brand new to the biz or perhaps you are in highschool and are considering a career as an actor, then this article is for you.
A headshot is an 8 x 10 picture of yourself, think of it as an actor's business cards, which makes it really awkward cuz you do have to have one near you at all times, so it is not rare to see a messy car filled with headshots in los angeles.
What is the purpose of an acting headshot you might ask? Well it is one of the most important aspects of an actor's career.
You see, when a casting director is casting commercials, TV, and or films, Casting Directors will go through hundreds of actor's headshots to determined which actors they will bring in to audition.
Whether or not you get the part is a completely different story, that is up to many other factors that include your talent, chemistry with your co-star, how you look in camera, and even a casting director's mood that day..
..
yup it is what it is.
Now, i wish I can show you how fast casting directors actually look at headshots, it's only a second or two because they are flipping through a lot of acting headshots until BAM! they come to a headshot that matches the character they are casting and that they can feel a connection with, hence the importance of a professional, eye-grabbing acting headshot.
Your talent amounts to nothing if you don't even have the opportunity to prove it in an audition right? When casting directors are casting commercials is much worse, they don't even have physical 8x10's in on their desk to flip through, they go through electronic submissions, so they are looking at their computer monitor screen with a bunch of headshots on it, so you're headshot is a little square on a small screen, and if they catch the eye of the casting director they'll enlarge it, if not you're gone.
I am telling this because there is a big debate of whether you should have your headshot, waist up, full body or just your face, for the reasons explained above I think you get the idea of what my preference and recommendation is, but to settle the debate even further it is called a "head-shot"? Here is a tip, the audience really connects with an actor on screen through their close-ups, and guess what a headshot is a close up! Now to wrap up this introduction to acting headshots I am going to close with this.
There are many tips and guidelines to shoot a successful headshot session but the two most important aspect of a killer eye-grabbing acting headshot are: 1.
The headshot must look like YOU! Many people make the mistake of over glamorizing themselves to take shots, this ain't a beauty contest, sure you have to look good, but most importantly it has to look like you, because there are many roles to cast on Tv, commercials and Film, not just ridiculously-good-looking people (if you saw the movie Zoolander you got that one) Moving on.
Time and time again it happens that a casting director sees a headshot, brings the actor in and they go where is the person from the headshot, in which case you are out the door, and they will remember it and probably not call you for other stuff.
This happens a lot to women who are entering a different age group, the touch ups and make up makes them look 10 years younger and that just isn't you anymore, get an accurate portrait of who you are and you'll book more, because you will be going out for roles that are tailored for you.
2.
They have to look professional, this is not a place to sacrifice quality for price, sure you don't have to spend a thousand dollars like some do, or like some photographers would have you believe, but a picture taken by your buddy with a good camera won't make the cut, a 6.
5 megapixel may look like a fancy crisp shot to you, but remember that casting directors look at hundreds of headshots each and every week, so they can tell right away which are professional shots, and which are not, and by association which are the professional actors and who are the amateurs.
If you are labeled as an amateur the chances of getting called in to audition for good projects are very slim, and what's worse Casting Directors will remember you as an amateur, so not only will you blow your audition you'll blow your chances for anything that Casting Director is working or will work on, and that is not good, not good at all.
Can't stress this enough, headshots are one of the most important tools for an actor.
With so many good photographers that take great headshots in los angeles, or any other major entertainment city, there is just no excuse to have a crappy acting headshot, deliver pizzas for a month if you have to.
Hope this helps in any way.
A headshot is an 8 x 10 picture of yourself, think of it as an actor's business cards, which makes it really awkward cuz you do have to have one near you at all times, so it is not rare to see a messy car filled with headshots in los angeles.
What is the purpose of an acting headshot you might ask? Well it is one of the most important aspects of an actor's career.
You see, when a casting director is casting commercials, TV, and or films, Casting Directors will go through hundreds of actor's headshots to determined which actors they will bring in to audition.
Whether or not you get the part is a completely different story, that is up to many other factors that include your talent, chemistry with your co-star, how you look in camera, and even a casting director's mood that day..
..
yup it is what it is.
Now, i wish I can show you how fast casting directors actually look at headshots, it's only a second or two because they are flipping through a lot of acting headshots until BAM! they come to a headshot that matches the character they are casting and that they can feel a connection with, hence the importance of a professional, eye-grabbing acting headshot.
Your talent amounts to nothing if you don't even have the opportunity to prove it in an audition right? When casting directors are casting commercials is much worse, they don't even have physical 8x10's in on their desk to flip through, they go through electronic submissions, so they are looking at their computer monitor screen with a bunch of headshots on it, so you're headshot is a little square on a small screen, and if they catch the eye of the casting director they'll enlarge it, if not you're gone.
I am telling this because there is a big debate of whether you should have your headshot, waist up, full body or just your face, for the reasons explained above I think you get the idea of what my preference and recommendation is, but to settle the debate even further it is called a "head-shot"? Here is a tip, the audience really connects with an actor on screen through their close-ups, and guess what a headshot is a close up! Now to wrap up this introduction to acting headshots I am going to close with this.
There are many tips and guidelines to shoot a successful headshot session but the two most important aspect of a killer eye-grabbing acting headshot are: 1.
The headshot must look like YOU! Many people make the mistake of over glamorizing themselves to take shots, this ain't a beauty contest, sure you have to look good, but most importantly it has to look like you, because there are many roles to cast on Tv, commercials and Film, not just ridiculously-good-looking people (if you saw the movie Zoolander you got that one) Moving on.
Time and time again it happens that a casting director sees a headshot, brings the actor in and they go where is the person from the headshot, in which case you are out the door, and they will remember it and probably not call you for other stuff.
This happens a lot to women who are entering a different age group, the touch ups and make up makes them look 10 years younger and that just isn't you anymore, get an accurate portrait of who you are and you'll book more, because you will be going out for roles that are tailored for you.
2.
They have to look professional, this is not a place to sacrifice quality for price, sure you don't have to spend a thousand dollars like some do, or like some photographers would have you believe, but a picture taken by your buddy with a good camera won't make the cut, a 6.
5 megapixel may look like a fancy crisp shot to you, but remember that casting directors look at hundreds of headshots each and every week, so they can tell right away which are professional shots, and which are not, and by association which are the professional actors and who are the amateurs.
If you are labeled as an amateur the chances of getting called in to audition for good projects are very slim, and what's worse Casting Directors will remember you as an amateur, so not only will you blow your audition you'll blow your chances for anything that Casting Director is working or will work on, and that is not good, not good at all.
Can't stress this enough, headshots are one of the most important tools for an actor.
With so many good photographers that take great headshots in los angeles, or any other major entertainment city, there is just no excuse to have a crappy acting headshot, deliver pizzas for a month if you have to.
Hope this helps in any way.
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