HEADSHOTS
What are Headshots ?
Headshots - An 8 x 10 sized photo of an actor's face. Used in order to submit the actor to a specific role. Up until not so long ago the proper photo was in black and white. Today the photo can be a color one, and in some cases shows more than the actor's face. Some headshots shows 3/4 body shots, and there are some that show full body shots. But study shows that for best results, the clearer the face and the eyes are, you are more likely to be called to an audition.
SAMPLE HEADSHOTS
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Headshots Tips !
Casting
Director Diane Heery - Heery Casting Philadelphia
The headshot should LOOK LIKE YOU! It sounds
simple, but too many shots come in that are "glamourized"
or are 10 years old. Even if people say that your
shot still looks good, if it's 5 years old- it's
time for new pictures. 3/4, landscape or "head"
shot are all good; this allows a little freedom for
the actor's own "creativity" with their shot. If
it's a little too artsy, it will detract from you
and draw our attention to the "Art" of the shot.
Color pictures seem to becoming the new trend - the
ones that I've seen are very striking. Getting in
for an audition depends more on your TALENT than
your picture. The picture is just your introduction
to casting directors and agents. Sometimes, but not
often, an actor may be booked without auditioning,
but that would only happen if we could guarantee
that the actor in the picture is the actor that will
show up for the booking! Most times, only extras are
booked from headshots.
Casting Director John Strawbridge - Pat Moran &
Associates Baltimore
There's no question that the most important thing
about a headshot is that it look like you. You want
to be sure you're called in for roles you're
appropriate for, and not for roles you have no
chance of getting. That's not something I "look for"
- if I don't know you I can't judge that. If I do
know you, then a headshot is really just a reminder,
and the quality and style are much less important.
What I do look for in a headshot is a sense of who
the actor is. I call a headshot the 1/125th of a
second Audition. I look at the eyes. Do they
project personality, confidence, intelligence? Or
do they say "Hurry up and take the picture!" I tend
to prefer the 3/4 shots, since they give me a better
sense of who the person is and what they look like.
But, obviously, most of my work is with standard
headshots, and that's fine. I don't care for color
shots. They never look quite true. "Artsy" shots
are fine... as long as I can still see what you look
like, and that artsy is the personality you want to
market.
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