5-23-08
Do
you really need a
headshot?
Yes, is the concensus. But not that many.
“Hey, dude, we live in a digital age. I can just scan my face with this multichronic scanulator and hundreds of people can have my mug on their phone-tv-email-web browser thingy within seconds.”
Here’s a clue: the people who you are trying to impress don’t want your mug on their phone-tv-email-web browser thingy. Or, really, in their e-mail box. They want to have a picture of you to hold in their hands.
That’s not to say that digital hasn’t changed the way people cast. For TV and film, especially, agents submit to casting directors primarily via the web. Most Chicago agents and casting directors are on Breakdown Services, which not only has actors’ headshots, but also their resumes—updated as they work. And it’s all free. (There are perks actors can pay for, but the basic listing is free. And the basic listing is all your agent or casting director care about.)
So, for instance, Claire Simon puts out a call for males between the ages of 35 and 45 to play the father to three young boys in a tearful, coming of age drama to be directed by the latest slightly fading A-list star who still has enough clout to convince the studios to let him do an “independent” film. And Simon puts that call out to agents, who then click on the actors that they feel would be best, and send those to Simon, who culls through them and calls in the ones she likes. It’s not just the digital photo. It’s the resume. It’s your agent’s recommendation. It’s your past contact with Simon that gets her to call you in.
But once you’re called in, she wants you to hand her (or one of her assistants) your actual, on paper, 8X10 headshot. She wants to make notes. If she is sending the audition video off to a client in another city, she’ll want to have something to put in the “yes” pile and something to put in the “no” pile. If the client is there, he or she will never remember which actor impressed—or didn’t—unless their picture is right in front of them.
This is why it’s so important that your shot look like you. They are primarily used to identify and remember you after you have left the audition.
For theatre, it’s even more important. Theatres—especially small ones—aren’t going to keep digital files of actors, though some are trying. You walk in. You hand the stage manager your headshot (with updated resume attached on the back). You do your schtick. You perhaps take some direction. You thank them. You leave. And when you leave, the headshot becomes a trace of you that is left behind. The next day, when they’re figuring out who to call back, you will still be with them. On paper, at least.
But there are some things you need to think about in this digital world. First, you can now print color shots. John Nesbit at A&B photo points out that color is the same price as black and white. And most people have color printers and copiers now, so black and white is only important for mood shots.
Second, you can send your headshots to the printer in digital form. You don’t have to go anywhere. National Photo moved their facilities to Franklin Park a couple of years ago because they realized it didn’t matter where you were in this digital age. (Though Barry Rubin is surprised by how many actors live just west of the city and still drop in in person.) After the file is prepped, the printers will send it back for approval. Some, like Nesbit, then take the extra step of sending a hard copy—just to make sure your shot is what you expected when you see it on paper.
And that brings us to the fact that paper and digital are different media. This is important only in that your headshot has to look good in both of them. For years, we have been advising people to consider what that proof sheet picture will look like when blown up to 8X10. That’s still true. But you now also have to consider what it will look like at 200 pixels. Subtlety doesn’t always play that small. Mood doesn’t either. But when the digital picture is larger, it will tend to pop out more at the viewer; so big, surprising pictures sometimes will literally push people back.
The good news is that you have more to choose from. Your photographer can now take as many pictures as the time allotment calls for; he’s no longer charging by the roll. And you can refresh your shot with your agent simply by sending a new digital image. There’s no rule that you have to bring the SAME headshot on paper as was seen on digital. They both just have to look like you.
And that means that you get to save money in printing costs. No longer is it required to print 200 8X10s. Now, a print run of between 25 and 50 is sufficient. Which means you can put all your time and energy and money into the shots, themselves.
Now, all you have to do is find the right photographer.