A good headshot is one of the most important tools (if not THE most important tool) for an actor. Although demo reels and resumes are also important, at the end of the day it’s your headshot that gets you in the door with casting directors and into the audition room. Once you’re in the audition room you can rely on your talent.. but till that point it’s your headshot that counts. How good you look in one photo. EAK.
A little background information for those that don’t know the film industry that well:
When a film (or TV series) is looking to cast actors they hire a casting director and put out a list of roles that they are looking to fill (a casting breakdown). The casting director is in charge of selecting actors to audition for each of these roles, and then narrowing them down. The casting director will then show the audition tapes of their top picks to the producers, director & any other important decision makers. Sometimes they will have their top picks come in for another audition (a callback), but this time in front of the projects big wigs, and even sometimes with the star of the show. Other times they will pick from what they’ve seen. In order to get into the audition room the casting director will send out the casting breakdown (again that’s the list of roles they are looking to fill, with descriptions such as age, race if applicable, and characteristics) to all of the agents. The agents will then send back the headshots & resumes of all the actors on their roster that they think would fit the part(s) perfectly.
Casting directors can get upwards of hundreds and even thousands (depending on which market you are working in) of headshots for each role. Because they get so many headshots, casting directors will literally just flip through the headshots and pick out the few (could be as small as 10-20 from 100-1000 received) that stand out to them for that role. That small number (the 10-20) are the actors that get to audition. Considering the odds, you need a pretty amazing headshot that stands out or you’re just going to get flipped over.
This is a lesson I quickly learned since moving here to Toronto. Whereas actors get auditions for basically any role they fit the description of in Edmonton, in Toronto the pool of talent is so large and competition so high, that that’s just not possible. You don’t get to audition just because you are a caucasian female and fit the 25-30 age range and they were looking for that. Your headshot has to stand out and the casting director has to hand select it out of the hundreds they received for that role.
Unfortunately for me, the headshots I got before moving to Toronto just weren’t working here. My agent submitted me for role upon role and the only auditions I was getting were for commercial work. From leading roles to the one liners, I wasn’t getting in the audition room and there is only one reason why. I just didn’t stand out here. In a city where every second person you meet is an actor, I just wasn’t making the cut on paper. So after having a meeting in the New Year, we discussed where it was that we needed to go with my headshots, and what the brand is that I am trying to sell. It’s not all about being the “mouldable” actor here who can do and be everything. Being the “empty canvas” for them to paint on. It’s about knowing your brand,who you ARE, rocking it, and selling the shit out of it. My old headshots weren’t selling me for me. They didn’t show who I really am. They showed a blank canvas version of myself. A version that just wasn’t working here in Toronto. I needed to get out there and get pictures that show who I am (okay.. maybe a little sexed up version let’s be honest). I needed pictures that were going to get me noticed and in the audition room. So here they are, my new headshots. Do I know if these are going to work? So far so good, but only time will tell and I have a long journey ahead.
Wish me Luck.
xoxo
