Blog - Posts tagged ‘good’
Sooooo… With the madness of March and April calming down somewhat, I can hopefully get some blog updates on, starting with a few headshots… From left to right – Amanda Dawson, Matt Kennedy, Carly Miles, Brett Shiels, James Austen Murray and Bonnie Hurst
Really enjoyed my shoot for the new Epic kickboxing gym, in Notting Hill this week, shooting all their promotional photos for their new website. The gym has amazing views over west London and is in a great location, for more information, you can visit http://www.epicgymkickboxingclublondon.co.uk/ and get kickboxing!
A lot of people come to me for commercial/portfolio shoots, whether it is to refresh older shots or their agent has requested them to get some for their portfolio, it can be daunting knowing what looks to go for.
If you are an actor/actress, commercial shots can be used for commercial castings, often casting directors request to see full body shots to get a feel for your look and personality, these can be stills from commercials/jobs you have done previously or in this case, creating an atmospheric shot that looks like it has been lifted from a job. Dancers are more than often asked for body shots as it is such a key part of what they do, dancer shoots lend themselves more toward movement and showing the body at it’s best and being flexible (hopefully!) during the process.
So bearing this in mind, you need to pick clothes that are going to get the message across that you want and show you at your best.
As with my headshot sessions, I always say start with something you feel confident and comfortable in, there is no point bringing that top you never where because ‘it’s a bit tight’, because all you’ll be thinking is… ‘it’s a bit tight!’ find clothes that empower you, ones you wear and think… I look good! It’s great to bring outfits that contrast as well, so if you are going to bring something that is bright, loose, modern and trendy, contrast it with neutral, tight and smart. Think about the types of castings these photos will get you, are you young and energetic? then bright clothes are great and think of something you can move in, possibly tighter fitting, as well as some baggy clothes and something that will make you look a million dollars and like you are about to hit the town.
If you are an Actor, Singer, Dancer or Performer of any type in the arts, the start of a new year is the perfect chance to give yourself a kick-start and get yourself out there and be seen, but what are the best ways to do so?
Following up from my post last month on branding, I have listed below my top 10 tips for 2010 to give yourself the branding you need to make it a perfect year and get the jobs you need.
1 Photos – Of coarse this was going to be number 1 as it is what I deal with daily. Never under-estimate what a positive effect new photos can have for you, not only from a ‘fresh-start’ psychological point of view, but also giving people a fresh look at you. Your agent will be encouraged that they can re-market you and send your new photos out for break-downs that possibly the old ones weren’t right for.
2 Showreel – There is no excuse for actors to not have a showreel of some kind these days, the biggest problem is having enough quality material. Student films and short films are a great way to boost your content, although be aware that they can sometimes be disorganised productions and end up causing you more hassle than they are worth. Follow your gut instinct, and choose the ones that appeal to you and have a drive behind them. Shooting People – The independent filmakers network and similar sites are a good resource for casting breakdowns.
There are companies out thre that can edit your existing material together for a very reasonable price, there are also companies that will record scenes for you and edit them together, although pick carefully, as they can easily look cheap and can be pricey and not always the best choice. You can also upload any videos you have to sites like youtube and vimeo, which is great for people to be able to search for your work. For more tips on showreels, read my recent interview with picturebook showreel company HERE.
3 Website - A great way to have all your details in one place and be able to show people who you are. Website companies like Wix.com and Clikpic.com are cheap and easy to manage the galleries and C.V., add new pages and tailor a website to your needs. Its not as daunting and scary as you may think, nor does it have to be expensive. Check out my article on BRANDING YOURSELF to read more about websites and promotional material.
4 Write Letters – Grab yourself a copy of Contacts, or The Actors handbook which are great resources for knowing who’-who in the industry. Write to Casting directors of productions you admire, try and keep them personal instead of blanketing hundreds, you are more likely to get a response that way, and don’t be afraid to follow up with a phone call, it puts you in direct contact and you have a point of reference to discuss.
5 New Agent – If you are in a loveless relationship with your agent maybe it is time to move to pastures green. It can be a daunting thing in such a flooded industry, but with careful research into what agencies specialise in, you can find one to suit you, again, always try and personalise your applications too, find a name that you can write to, and even phone before writing to see if they are considering new clients, again, the Contacts Book, produced by Spotlight is an invaluable resource for listings of all agents. Read my interview with Agency Scott-Niven Associates to get an idea of what agents look for in new applicants HERE.
6 Networking - In an industry where a majority of work is generated by who you know, it is important to keep networking. Go to friends shows and film showings, introduce yourself to directors and producers, If you are a member of casting websites, they often advertise social meet-ups, don’t dismiss them, if nothing else, it is a good opportunity to meet other people in your position and discuss whats happening at the moment in the Industry. Write to old contacts and directors that you have worked with in the past, and above all, stay positive, it is a small world so try not to bad-mouth as you can nearly always guarantee it will backfire on you!
7 Watch New Theatre – Get along to the Royal Court, The Bush or any of the other great new writing venues to see whats about. A great way to get enthused about what you want to be doing and its always good to be able to talk about recent work and writers with new contacts.
8 Go Shopping – You should take the opportunity of the January sales to get some new clothes that are going to show you at your best, a couple of nice shirts or a dress that you can save for auditions and that are going to make you feel 100%. If you don’t feel positive when you walk through the door, you will not be able to make a good impression. Now is also a great time to get things like movement clothes, dance shoes, and books or plays that you may need. Keep reading… it will really help your confidence in the audition and rehearsal room when you can reference literature that relates to what you are doing.
9 Analyse yourself - Sit down and have a think about who you are and where you need to be heading in 2010. Ask yourself: What is my casting? What are my strong points as a performer? What are my weak-points? Where do I want to be this time next year? How can i achieve that? – You need to be honest with yourself and lay down a plan of action for the year.
10 Join Online Websites – Casting sites like Casting Call Pro and Castnet are two sites which are very popular when it comes to online casting breakdowns, but it is also worth considering sites and publications like PCR and The Stage are perfect for keeping on top of the industry and what is happening.
Dont let the industry get you down, it is one of the hardest in the world to work in, but you need to take every knock-back with a pinch of salt and look to friends and family for the much needed support you need to stay positive.
If you have any comments or ideas of how to promote yourself in 2010, please share in the comment box below, and Happy New Year!
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.
