Boo!
Did I scare you?
Probably not. You’ve most likely outgrown all those childish fears of things
that go bump in the night. I know I outgrew my fear of Dracula and vampires...I
think. Midnight every Halloween I start to have my doubts though.
In keeping with the
season I’ve decided to write about the one thing that can send shivers down
even the most seasoned actor’s spine...Headshots.
Everyone has seen at
least one scary movie. There’s a simple formula and it’s always the same. I’m
going to use that formula to make a new feature film, a movie about a monster
that has the power to suck the life out of any actor’s career. The movie is
called “Pict-ula”.
[Cue scary music: Dun dun duuuun!]
Hopefully all actors
will come out “alive” (with great headshots).
The first rule...
In any horror movie
the monster lurks in the darkness and the first victim is the first person to
be alone.
When you’re at
auditions ask to see other people’s headshots. We’re actors. We like the
attention. And if we like our headshots we’ll tell you. We’ll also tell you who
took them, whether we liked the photographer and how much they cost.
While looking at
headshots try and discern if and why it grabs your attention and if it looks
like the actor holding it. If the headshot doesn’t look like the person holding
it politely excuse yourself. And RUN. The actor is under the spell of “Pict-ula”.
[Dun dun duuuun!]
Remember our monster
has no reflection. So if the actor isn’t reflected in his picture, the career life has
been sucked out of him. And besides if you look like your headshot there will
always be two heroes and you’ll never have to fight monsters alone.
Next...
You can’t
effectively kill a monster when you have no idea what that monster is. “Pict-ula”
[Dun dun duuuun!] has many incarnations based on geographic location. There are
however some basic rules you must know in order to slay the beast:
1. Headshots must be in color
2. Headshots must be taken digitally
3. Headshots must be sized 8” x 10”
4. Headshots must be in a matte finish
5. Headshots must have the actors name on the
front
My film takes place
in New York City, where lithographs and copies of headshots are powerless
against “Pict-ula”. [Dun dun duuuun!] In
other regions these may be perfectly acceptable forms.
Also studio
backgrounds (the colored sheets pulled down behind you), while not frowned
upon, aren’t generally in use.
Now that you have friends to back you up and know what
you’re dealing with, you must...
This is the part of the movie where the intrepid adventures
seek out people well versed in monster information. You know, the doddering old
professor of antiquities who has studied the legend and secretly believes it to
be true. He or she has the key to finding and slaying the monster.
In New York there is a bevy of classes and seminars an actor
can take where they meet casting directors and agents. People commonly refer to
such services as “Pay to Play”. An actor is paying for the privilege of meeting
industry professionals who can help further their career in some way. During
these sessions there is usually a question and answer period. Use it to gather
knowledge. For example instead of asking an agent how many clients they have (which
some agents consider to be rude and none of the actor’s business), ask what makes
a headshot stand out and grab their attention. In fact ask anyone who has any
connection to casting what-so-ever. They probably have had several encounters
with “Pict-ula” [Dun dun duuuun!]
Compile your data. You’ll come out with a few consistent
answers, one of the most popular being “it’s all in the eyes”.
At this point in the movie there is always some hot-headed
hot shot who wants to immediately run off and kill the monster. No matter what
you do or what you say he is going to go it alone and unarmed. So let him. We
need to keep the audiences on the edge of their seats. No one has succumbed to
the monster in our movie for awhile and better him than you.
What the rest of the monster hunters should do is...
This is the hardest and lengthiest section of the movie. Many films will only have a montage, a quick moving splicing of events as the heroes prepare. Our feature film will play some details.
Your first resource is you. Who are you? And remember one of
the most important through lines of the entire blog site: what is your product?
If you are an actor still in school or recently graduated
this can be a bit more challenging. In educational settings roles are given out
on a need basis. A production needs a 65 year old grandmother. Someone has to
play her, so the role goes to a nineteen year old sophomore. Is that her
product? Not yet. An actor needs to see what type of roles that they are
consistently cast in, that are close to
the age he or she appears to be. This is what the people behind the table
will buy. This will almost undoubtedly be the actor’s “product”.
Once your product is determined, you need to get clothes
that fit that type. Find “you” in commercials, sit-coms and stage shows. These
people are your “product models”. There is a tendency for each character type
to dress similarly. It makes for quick recognition on part of the casting
people. I’ve recently been checking out ethnic Dads and there is indeed a kind
of “uniform”. Wear something similar to your product models in your photos.
It’s your garlic to ward off “Pict-ula”.
[Dun dun duuuun!]
I assisted Thurston, my bestie, on a photo shoot. A young
college kid, a really nice guy, needed new headshots. He had brought with him a
leather jacket and a couple different t-shirts. Even though I didn’t know what
his talent was like, I was skeptical. He’s a good looking nice kid; I didn’t
expect a leather jacket which is generally quite passé in terms of headshots. I
asked him what types of characters he usually gets cast as. His reply was bad
guys, like young mafia types, hoods and gang members.
His new headshots are great. They look like him. His
individual genuine quality came through. You also see that “bad boy on the
other side of the law” quality. His headshots will serve him well. He faced the
monster and came out alive.
This young actor knew exactly what he wanted. His school
advisor helped him choose a photographer, Thurston, who’s portfolio best represented
their goals. Our young adventurer had specific instructions on the looks of his
photos and communicated those things to his photographer. The ideas you bring
to the session, regardless of where they come from, will help guide the
photographer to creating your vision of a photo. Think of the ideas as your
holy water. It won’t kill the monster but it will keep him in line.
The last resource you need is money. When all is said and
done, a modest session with retouching and reproductions will run about $1000. There
are headshot sittings that can cost upwards of $1300 before retouching and reproduction. Yes, bargains are out there to
be found. Some photographers offer specials. Those specials do come with
limitations however. These limitations can include how long the sitting is, how
many changes of clothes you can have, and how many photos are taken, to name a few. The old adage is true “you get
what you pay for”. Do you really want to face our monster wielding a plastic
stake?
Women will have the additional cost of hair and makeup. Most
photographers have a makeup artist with whom they work. Their fee is set in
stone and can run anywhere from $100-$300. Men should not wear makeup, other
than maybe powder to lessen shine. A word of warning: you must be able to daily recreate the look the stylist does for you during the headshot session. Otherwise you will look like the walking dead as you enter the audition room.
It all adds up to a lot of money, yes. But done well they
can serve you until your physicality changes. Besides it’s that time of year
and headshots make the perfect holiday gift. My first headshots were a gift
from my parents. In fact that’s the only gift I got from them for an entire
year. And bonus: your family will love getting a framed headshot from their
“big time New York actor relative” as their holiday gift!
Et viola! You’ve got your stakes, your garlic and your holy
water. Now you’re ready to...
To gain entrance to the demon’s lair you’ll need to battle
the minions who guard it.
Use the list of qualified photographers you gathered from
other actors, casting directors and agents and make appointments to meet all of
them. For most actors it’s imperative to connect and feel at ease with their
photographer. If the photos are to be taken in a studio make sure the meeting happens
there. It will help you be more comfortable at the actual shoot.
Outdoor shoots with natural lighting are all the rage now. I
think both will soon be added to the “Lore” section of subsequent movies. If
it’s going to be outside, ask to see what locations the photographer uses. Some
locations are over done. So it’s okay to bring a list of places you’d like to
use. Remember your ideas are holy water. Through them at everyone you meet and
watch who recoils. You want a photographer who will work with what you want as
opposed to running the shoot how they want.
While meeting with a photographer you must look through his
book. It’s imperative that you search
for other actors who are your physical type. Remember, if you stay in a group you
won’t become another victim of “Pict-ula”. [Dun dun duuuun!] If you’re
dark skinned, how does the photographs of people with similar skin tones
appear? If you’re blonde, do the pictures of blondes have true to life hair
color? Does the photographer excel at taking a man’s photos and a not woman’s,
and vice versa? Pick well and remember to always go with your gut.
In horror movies, if someone has a bad feeling about a
situation the others usually ignore him or her and journey forward. It’s then that
people become victims of the monster. It’s the same in our movie. If you have a bad or uneasy feeling about a photographer or a studio, even if you
can’t quite put your finger on what that feeling is, run. This is not the
photographer or studio to use. Get out. Save yourself...and your money.
Once you have found photographer, and thus the entrance to
the lair, it’s time for...
You must do two things in preparation for the fight:
Several weeks before your actual
headshot session, the only liquid you should consume is water. It’ll flush your
system of toxins and give your skin a natural glow.
You need to get as much sleep as
possible in those weeks leading up to your appointment. You can’t have a productive
session if you’re tired, yawning and have sleepy eyes the whole time.
Your full concentration needs to be on the task at hand. Try
and free up your entire schedule the day of the shoot. Few things can crush a
headshot session faster than running late from work or being worried about
getting to work after the session is finished. In horror films this is where
monster hunters succumb to their own demons, even before reaching “Pict-ula”. [Dun dun duuuun!]
You need to feel at ease, comfortable and relaxed during your
shoot. Then your headshots will look relaxed and you’ll appear approachable and
friendly. I recommend bringing a friend along to your session, especially for
the women. Every hero needs a side kick and there is safety in numbers
...unless of course you’re the African American man in the movie who up until now has only had two lines. No matter what he does, he and his girlfriend are toast!
...unless of course you’re the African American man in the movie who up until now has only had two lines. No matter what he does, he and his girlfriend are toast!
There are photographers who attempt to loosen you up with
alcohol. DON’T DO IT. It’s a trap. This minion has used its stealth
capabilities to slip under your detection. Even one sip will leave you
powerless and your photos lackluster. And don’t let your side kick succumb either.
He or she will become a minion under a spell and have no free will to help against
you-know-who.
During the shoot is where we lose the most victims to the
monster. It’s because each individual session plays out completely randomly. Every good fight
scene in every good horror flick has unexpected obstacles. Most monster hunters will succumb to the unexpected...otherwise the audience
will get bored and the box office receipts will suffer. You're the hero. You've got your side kick with you. You’ve prepared and
trained for this for the first hour of the movie. You’ve only got like 20 more
minutes of screen time left. Don’t be ridged. Go with the unexpected. Match blow for blow. But keep
your wits about you. Make sure it stays professional, safe and doesn’t
compromise your personal integrity.
After the shoot is over, you will feel if you’ve been
victorious or not. It’s palpable, the sense of accomplishment and relief, the
confidence that your best was given, and the demise of the monster. There are
only two of you left standing now. As you and your trusty side kick walk back through the monster’s lair, spent and longing for a good
night’s rest, or a glass of wine, from the shadows he appears...
Yes my friends, what horror film worth its salt doesn’t have
the monster come back from certain death? Just when you think it’s “safe to go
back in the water” your contact sheets arrive.
This is by far the scariest part of our film. It’s where our
heroes square off with the demon and its many forms. The monster is at
the height of its power, using its mind twisting games to confuse you and
hypnotize you. Garlic, stakes and holy water are useless. It’s a battle of
sheer will between you and “Pict-ula” [Dun
dun duuuun!]
Look at
it methodically. Get rid of the shots you know will not work, the ones with
half closed eyes, crocked smiles, bad clothing choices and the like. If you’re
lucky you’ll have a clear choice if not a myriad of choices.
The demon is stronger
than expected. Our two hunters curse the doddering old professor of
antiquities, whom they believe have
given them incorrect information.
We turn to our
friends and family (especially family if they paid for the headshots) for their
opinions. “Of these few pictures which do you like best?” “Which picture looks most
like me?” If you have actor friends on facebook you've undoubtedly seen the posts requesting help.
Your side kick chooses a photo. You hesitate for a split second. You’re not sure. At
that moment the monster jumps out from behind and then BAM. Your side kick jumps in front of the monster and sacrifices him or herself to save you.
It’s your headshot. No
one can make the decision for you. You ultimately have to be the one who
chooses.
You raise your voice
in a primal scream “I can’t look at another photo! They all look the same!” Your
side kick, while professing their secret love for you, slides lifeless to the ground. You’re blind with rage.
You start hacking at the monster, picking any photo or worse; you toss them
aside letting the monster regain its power, draining you of your sanity as you
contemplate the dreaded task at hand.
Just when you think
all is lost and the monster’s victory is imminent, the doddering professor
enters the lair. He translated a word incorrectly from the ancient text. Now he
offers you the final piece of information on how to slay “Pict-ula” [Dun dun
duuuun!]
The best overall judges of headshots are the people who wade
through hundreds of them every day for work. Consult the casting directors and
agents with whom you have a relationship with about which of your pared down
headshot choices they think will work.
Again I stress that
it’s your headshot. You ultimately have to be the one who chooses. However you
can choose with the help of well regarded working industry professionals. They
are the ones who will be looking at them anyway. It’s just a subjective guess
as to which photo represents an actor’s individual product best. And it’s a
bigger guess as to which photo will help obtain an audition from a submission,
be it email or snail mail. Better to make it an educated guess than a blind
one.
Our intrepid hero,
bloodied and bruised finally realizes the only way to kill the monster is to
confront it head one. With the knowledge the old professor has given him, our hero
attacks with a new fervor. They
fight...on the stairs, in the hallways, through dining rooms, on tables...until
the final blow and the monster has been vanquished.
[Cheers]
Our hero walks victorious, with new headshot in hand out
into the light of auditions. Little does he realize the fight is not over. It’s a never
ending battle; one that needs to be fought each and every time he has or makes
a major discernible physical change. Aging is the
biggest factor in needing new headshots. But something as simple as a
hair style change can cause our intrepid hunter to once again come face to
face with “Pict-ula”.
[Cue evil laughter]
