Looks are important in the acting industry. But in the eyes of a hiring director, you need a specific “look” to land the job. When you’re starting the process of getting actor headshots, you may hear a photographer asking what “look” you want to convey. This essentially captures the essence of your acting style and personality. Sometimes, you’ll only need to arrange a single session that focuses on one look. Many actors, however, choose to have a portfolio of “looks” that shows their acting diversity and gives them more chances to land an acting gig.
Choosing Your Looks
To get the best acting headshots, a professional photographer will want to know some basic answers. This includes what type of roles you usually play and what roles you’d like to have in the future. Quite often, actors are cast in more than one type of role. They may want to expand their acting horizons by branching out into different roles, too. For each role, you’ll need to have at least a separate change of clothes. You may need to switch your hairstyle or makeup as well. Male actors often take the first round of headshots with a five-o’clock shadow and then shave for the rest. A professional photographer can help you look the part and recommend session lengths to leave plenty of time for preparation.
What do Directors Look for?
Although actor headshots focus on you, the actor, they should also keep the audience in mind. That includes directors and agents. Although directors want to see your personality in a headshot, they also use your headshot to gather some basic information. That includes your age range, socioeconomic status, level of attractiveness, top physical attributes, and personality. In as little as seven seconds, they’ll collect this information from your headshot to determine if you make the cut.
Avoid False Advertising
About 25{c60618cd33f8454ace9542dd2b76166f05fc13f8d222df3325ac925377e6e653} of acting headshots, directors say, don’t resemble the actor’s authentic physical appearance. Industry professionals stress that trends are essential to follow in the acting industry. At the least, you should update your headshot once every two years. You should also get a new headshot if your physical appearance changes dramatically. That can include noticeably losing or gaining weight and getting a new hairdo. If you’re applying for gigs in different areas of acting, be sure to attach the appropriate headshot to your acting resume. Since a director will eventually see you in person, your Los Angeles headshots should look as accurate and realistic as possible to impress a director rather than disappoint.
Getting the right “look” is essential for acting success. If you need a professional to capture the essence of your acting style or provide recommendations for the right look, call on the Headshot Truck to help. We’re a fully-equipped mobile headshot studio with a professional team focused on capturing the perfect headshot look that will make you shine.
