Blog - Posts tagged ‘casting’
A few lovely people from the spring/summer so far…
From left to right, Sam Parker, Hannah-Jane Fox, David Threlfall, Hannah Shuter, Scott Ellis and Laura Teahan
Whatever photo you chose to use from a photo session will need enhancing slightly, this could be anything from removing blemishes and loose fly-away hairs to colour and contrast balancing, and even more drastic edits – but beware…
The power of digital photo editing is immense, whatever you can imagine is possible, just look at the dove beauty commercial that was released to show how advertisers manipulate images, but is manipulation a positive thing or not?
Headshots must be natural, you need to look like yourself when you walk in the audition, if you want a thinner nose, there is no good making it thinner on a photo if you don’t look like that normally (same goes for ears, eyes, foreheads, lips, cheeks and double chins I’m afraid!)
Some photographers re-touch photos more than others, when people were solely shooting on film and working with prints, any touch-ups needed to be done very scientifically in the development stages, now, with the use of digital computer technology, all photographers have access to some kind of photo software, but it’s how they use it that’s important.
Probably the most important aspect of post-production is colour and contrast balancing (that, and zit removal, no one wants to stare at those) just by adjusting the contrast slightly on your photo, you can enhance the whole feel of it.
Try to avoid ‘the washed out look’, a lot of photographers, especially working in black and White can over expose photos slightly to blow out the skin and therefore make it look smoother.
I very rarely ‘airbrush’ anyone’s skin on headshots, as on the right hand photo below, with the quality of digital being such high definition, you can tell instantly and it looks plastic, great for beauty product advertising, but not so much when people want to see your real skin tone.
Be specific. When selecting your photos to be edited, let your photographer know any issues that you may have, you may end up having to spend more money getting them done again of you don’t.
Be realistic. You need to accept your image for what it is, refining, tweaking and beautifying photos is fine, but if you are using your images for self promotion, keep it real.
A few months after I shot Peter Dickson (voiceover man for X factor and E4) I had his client (Peter is a man of many talents and runs his own talent agency…) Lloyd Daniels in for a calendar shoot. Lloyd was in the final for X factor in 2009 and has since signed with a new agency, been touring the UK and has an album coming out in the Spring. Lloyd was great fun to work with and had a strong idea of what he wanted so he moved well in front of the camera. He knew his angles and we had great fun experimenting with his wardrobe! Of course, I couldn’t let him last the whole afternoon without doing my terrible Welsh accent or giving him an example of my own X factor voice! A great guy and I wish him all the best for the future. For more information, visit his official website
Just before Christmas, we had the return of an old client but with a new fresh look. Hannah had gotten rid of the long red locks and replaced them with a short, dark crop and we had a variety different styles to play with.
14
FINDING A NEW HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHER…I FEEL LIKE MY HEAD’S GOING TO EXPLODE!!
by nicholas | No Comments
This weeks interview is with Joe and Alice from Picturebook Showreels, Giving us the scoop on what will make you shine on your showreel. What exactly do you guys do at Picturebook? We create, edit and host showreels for actors and presenters – Picturebook creates sleek and impressive visual portfolios of the actor’s screen work. With our Picturebook Profile Pages we can host your showreel online on an individual and personalised webpage, complete with links to your CV, headshot and representation/contact details. It’s a easier to show you than to explain! Have a look – www.picturebook-showreels.co.uk/examples Why is it important for actors to have a showreel? Nowadays video showreels are becoming more and more important as a marketing tool. An increasing amount of casting directors, directors and producers will insist on seeing an actor’s showreel before considering getting them in for a meeting. Nearly all US casting directors work like this and have done for years. Within 2 minutes, any prospective employer can get an idea of your physical and emotional range, what better way to advertise yourself! How long should a showreel be? Good question. It’s dependent on a few factors but we generally recommend a showreel to be between 3-6 minutes. What can I do if I don’t have much material for my showreel? It’s never about quantity but quality. As long as you have one good, well lit scene we can create an effective showreel for you. We can create a short montage if necessary of 2-3 expressions, variants of physicality to grab the viewer’s attention and then edit the showreel to be a teaser of your talents. Does it all need to be broadcast TV and film work that I have done? No, not at all. As long as your screen work is well produced (good sound, picture and lighting quality) and the content is engaging then we can use it to market your talent. If I wanted to record my own material to put in, what are the best kind of scenes to use? We don’t recommend doing this unless you can ensure good lighting, picture and sound quality. A camcorder in your back garden does not market you professionally no matter how good you are. If you are able to film something well then consider finding and producing a contrasting piece of material to your current material ie A different accent, look or character. Your showreel is your opportunity to show your range as an actor. Is it best to show a whole range of emotions and characters, or keep it focused? It is useful to keep your strengths in mind when choosing scenes, you do want to present yourself in a somewhat commercial light – you will know from your headshot choices what you need to portray yourself as in order to get an audition, ie quirky, beautiful or intense. Which image sells you best? – Reflect that choice in your showreel scenes, however take the opportunity to show yourself differently after the initial commercial impression if you have the material. Can I have music on my showreel, if so what kind of music is best? A good, well-chosen piece of music can really add to your showreel. Every actor is different and so the music must reflect who you are as an actor. What about copyright on music? Is it all right to use mainstream music? Uniquely we have a pool of recording artists and signed producers who can create music to suit your showreel, so that’s our way round it! Mainstream music has to be cleared, that means you need to have permission to use it to avoid infringing copyright. Royalty Free music is available to use wherever and wherever you like so that’s also a good way round that issue. When I have my showreel, what’s the best way of getting it out for people to see? The Picturebook Profile Pages are a great way to get your showreel out there. A simple link sent via email, posted on websites and embedded in your CV means your showreel and all your information is only a click away. Should I send DVDs to casting directors? We offer a master DVD, along with extra copies of your showreel, all professionally packaged and finished, so you can pop them in the post at will. However we find the easier and more immediate option is to send your Picturebook Profile Page link via email or embedded in your CV. Is it possible to put stills photos and headshots on my showreel? Yes, if the photos are at a high resolution, a headshot at the start or end of showreel is a nice touch. How long does a showreel take to put together? We promise to have your showreel ready for you to view within 3 days of receiving your material. If we can show it to you before that we will. Whoever you choose to edit your showreel make sure you get the opportunity to view it and give notes for any changes you or your agent wants before sign off. It’s your showreel, we feel strongly that you should feel excited by it, – after all it’s your work! I’ve never had a showreel because I’ve thought it’s too expensive, is this true? Showreel companies’ prices vary but generally it is a very affordable way to get yourself an invaluable marketing tool. We at Picturebook are solely with Actors in mind and so offer a very actor friendly price of £120. Picturebook Profile Pages are £30 per annum which includes all headshot and CV updates and changes. Fancy seeing what we do? Visit us at www.picturebook-showreels.co.uk or drop us a line at info@picturebook-showreels.co.uk
The background of your photo has more impact than people often give it credit. Subtle changes can have a huge influence on not only how you look, but also how people perceive you.
For example, if you take photo number 5 from above, set outdoors in a park, with a backdrop of soft green trees it immediately softens them so that they come across approachable, you also have to bare in mind that soft background are more neutral, especially in b&w and therefore less distracting.
Now take photo numbers 1,2 and 4, the same person but in an alleyway, the light is instantly different, with the darkness of the walls in 1 and 2 giving the face and body more definition with shadow, great for bringing out cheekbones, the catch lights in the eyes (the White reflections you see) will be more focused, and the brick or concrete around them will give them a stronger, more modern feel.
If you look at photo number 4, the lines of the alleyway descending behind him draw the eyes into the center of the frame, creating a focus point which is the face. In number 3, though the lighting is obviously more dramatic with the studio lighting set up being used, the background is dark and neutral and does not distract from the face, nor does it give any character to the picture.
In the picture above, you can see the background blurred in one and not the other, this is called Depth of Field (D.O.F), the shorter the D.O.F when you take a picture, the more blurred your background is, the aim of the background in a headshot is to aid and not distract, so generally the more blurred the better.
With colour photos being used more and more nowadays for casting shots, background plays an even bigger part. You have to think about distracting colours and even small things like litter can ruin a photo.
In the two photos above, you can see how a slight change of angle can prevent distracting items (in this case, it was a large industrial chimney) coming out of peoples heads, you want people to focus in on the eyes and bright lines through the head can deter from this.
If it’s a warm sunny day there may be distracting ‘hotspots’, bright patches of sun behind you, on the left photo above not only is this effecting the trees behind but the hair too, we solved it in this photo by moving slightly backwards and changing the angle to avoid bright objects behind.
There might be an orangey colour in the air if it is a warm sunny day, that would need to compensated for in the White balance to stop you having the face of an umpa lumpa in the final photos. The same goes for dull, grey days, you don’t want to look too pasty, and it is important on those days to get your white balance a bit warmer.
As a client, you should not be aware of these things during a session as they are the photographers problems, but you need to be aware when selecting photos to use for your promotional purposes, as anything that distracts away from the most important thing in the photo is bad (by the way, the most important thing is YOU!)
One of the most common questions I get asked during a photo session is what makes a good headshot? It’s a fair question too, think how much you judge people on first impressions, your headshot is the first meeting, within a nano-second the casting director, agent or general employer will have made a judgement on you that most of he time will result in you getting a phonecall or being placed in the bin.
A friend of mine used to assist a very well known TV casting director, and her sole job each morning was to open the pile of 30-40 A4 sized envelopes and bin the contents (alas, the 10×8 sized headshot print has been wiped out nearly entirely by digital copies, but I imagine the email inbox gets the same treatment. ) she would occassionally be given briefs of certain looks to keep an eye out for, and that is when the headshot that stood out caught her eye.
This is not to say that every casting director does that, you have to remember that they are busy people who seek to find the right actor rather than have it thrust upon them, but that’s not to say the right photo can’t convince them to call you in for a meeting because they are intrigued.
Your headshot has to be real. The real you, but this doesn’t mean it can’t have a bit of character, one common misunderstanding is that you must have neutral actor photos, why? At what point in your life do you walk around in a neutral actor way?
You go through a whole range of emotions from minute to minute each day, happy to sad, angry to calm, energetic to lethargic… Those are just some of the extremes, I could go on, but the point is that humans are capable of so many different emotions, why should you not show some in your casting shot?
I’m not talking about tears and big grins, 97.56% of a headshot is all about the eyes, conveying a range of emotions through your eyes is not an easy thing to do, it takes focus, concentration and forethought, but it’s also about being relaxed with your photographer.
But where can i find a good photographer? You need to find a photographer that you are happy with, that you can relate to in some way and build a relationship with, you wouldn’t expect to do a performance opposite another actor who you don’t know and are unsure of, feel free to ask questions and take advice from friends and colleagues.
I personally don’t even click the shutter on my camera till I have built up a rapport with my client over a cup of tea, for me, being a photographer is not about churning through clients, it’s about taking time to relate to each person and capture a photo that will deliver for them.
