Earlier this year I had the opportunity to sit down with one of Austin’s top commercial casting directors – Donise Hardy from A Casting Place. She gave me some great tips for actors getting new headshots.
If you’re not getting work, it could be you have a bad headshot.
In Austin, casting directors want to see a smiley photo showing teeth. The photo should be a clean, full-frontal view of your face and shoulders.
Do:
– Pastels and jewel tones are great color choices.
– Choose photos where the camera is at normal eye level (normal viewing perspective).
– Eyes should be right down the barrel of the camera with a fun, warm and happy expression.
Don’t
– No makeup if subject is under 16 years old.
– No big jewelry. The picture is about your face, not your awesome necklace.
– No patterns, logos or glitter on clothing.
– Avoid all black or red
– No 3/4 shots
Headshot Prints:
– Your name should be located in the lower right hand corner of the picture. Casting directors will put headshots in a binder and will look for the name in the right bottom corner when flipping through the book.
– Have your headshot set up with a white border. Casting directors or producers will often write notes in the white margins of the headshot.
– If you have agency representation, the agency logo should be on the left side of your headshot prints, opposite the name.
One last tip regarding auditions:
– For TV commercial auditions, dress the part. Be “IT” when you walk in the door.
You didn’t mention the fact that it is important to be sure your prints are exactly 8×10 size. A lot of people come to me confused about the size of the print versus the crop of the image. Remember:
Headshots can be 4×6 cropped, but must be on 8x10in paper, with a resume cut and stapled to the back.
So important!!!
your post is very valuable for me in taking actor headshots.thanking you