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What makes a great headshot?
It’s the simplest thing in the world but most actors get it wrong. And photographers get it wrong and ironically, many headshot photographers working specifically with actors get it wrong.

What’s the secret?
Nothing. Doing nothing. All you have to do is be yourself in front of a camera. Simple. And yet very difficult for most actors who are incredibly SHY when it comes to being themselves. If they can’t focus on being another character- something we all spend years learning to do as actors- then there’s confusion, insecurity, fear and tension which makes for a lousy headshot. Adding to that is the frustration of most photographers I’ve met or worked with who don’t know HOW to get an actor to RELAX. So they say things like “Relax, chill, be more calm, stop biting your lip or squinting your eyes!” or “Relax your forehead-there are lines and wrinkles where you’re frowning, lower your shoulders, breathe!” The list goes on. The result? An actor gets more self-conscious, upset, more nervous and more tense. It’s a downward spiral.
What to do?

Five Easy Steps To a Great Headshot

1- Choose a photographer that YOU feel comfortable with not the “trendy” hot guy to whom every actor goes. (“Oh, if only I had a HEAD SHOT with this top guy I would be successful, too!”) NO, not true.

2- Go over your “type” and range-the kind of roles in which you will be cast and play BEFORE you decide on the wardrobe. There’s nothing worse than a generic headshot, one with an actor dressed in a boring white shirt or a black sweater with a phony smile. Know your roles. Doctor, Lawyer, Businessman, Teacher, Mom, Dad? Dress it or suggest it. Wear your favorite colors-solids are generally better than prints. Another mistake? An actress wearing too much jewlery, make-up or choosing outfits that are more suited to a disco, a beach party, baseball game or just hanging out at a bar. That’s OK if that’s what you’re selling as your brand. If not, casting directors are confused about how to cast you or call you in for a role, so they don’t! (Get the advice of a Career Coach if you don’t know your type or what to wear).

3- Explain thoroughly to the make-up artist and hair stylist EXACTLY how you look every day. All too often a stylist will do your hair they way they see you not the way you usually look so you end up with photos that don’t accurately represent YOU. This is especially true for women but may apply to men with longer hair that can be altered with mousse, spray, a curling iron. For women with curly hair-if that’s how you look don’t straighten your hair just for the headshot unless you want to do that everyday of your life henceforth. Casting Directors want to see the real you not how you “could be”.

4- Bring a CD or several with music you love. Create your own “space” and place within the studio. Bring water or your favorite juice, snack, food. Bring your favorite photos of your pets, children, family or partner so you are thinking about positive images and memories. Focus on just being comfortable.
THEN, take a half hour or even 15 minutes to sit still and just be- yourself. Don’t arrive late and rush into a shoot with the stylist fussing, getting dressed, photographer clicking, lights blinking. All that creates tension. Relax BEFORE you sit in the chair or stool on which you will be photographed.

In my experience with over a dozen top headshot photographers in as many years, the best shots I ever obtained were taken by a photographer who was a part of a husband/wife team. He greeted you at the door and offered refreshments leading you to a peaceful dressing room where you could unwind with soothing music. She sat and talked/laughed with you for a full half hour BEFORE you heard a click from her camera or saw a flash of light from the strobe. Of course they knew lighting and were skilled in the art of photography but their success as a team was understanding the psychology of relaxation and harmony for their actor/clients. Brilliant!

5- Use your acting “technique” while you are being photographed. Think Fun thoughts (your subtext or inner monologue). Talk about your life. Tell a story about your family or your travels. Let the relaxation of JUST TALKING show on your face. That’s being You. Talk, tell a story and then let it go. Sit still and “glow” in the memory or the laughter. Then, you are giving the photographer something to capture. YOU. Your energy. Your joy of living. The joy of being YOU.

And THAT makes a great headshot!

Happy Marketing!
Gwyn

Gwyn Gilliss is the Executive Director of TAM, The Actor’s Market (www.theactorsmarket.com) a marketing firm for actors. They provide monthly FREE seminars/teleseminars, FREE weekly marketing tips as well as access to top photographers, graphic artists and videographers (www.sizzle-reels.com) who provide every marketing tool an actor needs. Gwyn’s acting career spans several decades during which time she appeared on and off-B’way, in classical roles in American Repertory companies in over 18 contract and recurring roles in Daytime/Primetime TV, Films and dozens of network commercials and V.O.’s. As a Career Coach she is available to work One-on-One with actors at all levels.

Almost every actor needs to be literate and able to understand language from a variety of eras. A good actor can become anything he or she wants to be. If you want to really stand out as an actor, you will have to make your resume stand out for you.

When you look at all the famous actors out there they all have one things in common they all were passionate about becoming an actor, you need to be passionate about acting to become and actor. Plan to study your craft and become good at it; create your talent and persevere even if you are not getting parts and then share your knowledge and learn from others who share the same passion.

When working with agents to get work you should conduct yourself professionally in a setting. Actors need to promote themselves anyway they can, they need to hone their craft, try creating your own projects or joining a community theatre, co-op productions or doing anything that will help you get your name out there in the public and will help find an agent or someone who will notice your talents. Include a small thumbnail headshot of yourself on your resume.

What does the term acting mean, the definition is a person who portrays someone else or a character either on screen or on stage. When choosing an acting school you will need to notice that they offer many different programs that allows for flexibility when choosing the time to take the class this allows the student the ability to meet the requirements. The perfect forum is acting school it embraces the actors/actresses with the ability to enhance their talents to become the best they can be. When taking classes in a Universities they teach the finer points of how act and improve students craft of acting, they sharpen your skills but they do not spend the time showing actors how to get work on a consistent basis, or how to make a living as an actor.

The range of skills that an actor must have to be effective is very wide. To prepare for the skills to act you will need the following: you will need to connect to directors, producers and other actors and to listen to all of them.

When people talk about a hidden acting agenda they are referring to a term that describes a phenomenon where actors hide a condition or some trait or a quality of theirs because one of these things was the source they use that occurred earlier in their lives.

When actors perform in theater halls they were designed to have incredible acoustics, the reason for this was to help actors and performers so the audience are able to hear them and to give the performers and actors natural reflections when performing. People watch TV, go to movies or theater to be entertained. You need to start some place when becoming an actor, you should look into short films or independent theater and you should take a few simple classes, this will help you on your way, it is just the beginning.

Although, there are some exceptions, normally agencies will not work with actors that have no experience, it is very rare that they will consult inexperienced actors or take them in as clients.

5 Steps to Awarding the Oscars

Are you a fan of the movies? Then you may be wondering about the process that’s involved in selecting the best actors that are awarded Oscars by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Indeed, the manner in which the best actors and actresses are chosen for Oscars is a rather complicated process on some level. With that said, the nomination and election process for movies, actors, actresses and the like within the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been in place for years. The process seems to work well although some recent complaints have been voiced in regard to the advertising campaigns that now surround the awards process following the announcement of nominees.

1. The first step in selection the best actors in movies as part of ultimate awarding of the Academy Awards or Oscars is the nomination process. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is made up of men and women who are professionals in fields related to the making and production of movies. A slate of nominators is appointed by the Academy to come up with the names of the actors and actresses who will be put before the enrolled members of the Academy as nominees for Academy Awards. The actors and actresses are nominated for their work in movies that were produced and that were presented in theaters during the preceding year. Needless to say, a nomination for an Academy Award is one of the highest honors that a person who works in the movies can receive at any time in their lives.

2. Following the nomination process, voting by select members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences occurs. The voting process employed by the Academy when it comes to rewards for movies is rather interesting and unique. For example, all of the actors who are enrolled members of the Academy vote on the slates of best actors and best supporting actors who have been nominated for Oscars for their roles in movies. Likewise, directors vote on the directors prize, screenwriters on the screenwriters prize and so forth. All members of the Academy are able to vote on those movies nominated for best picture.

3. Prior to the actual voting process, a very active promotional campaign takes part on behalf of the nominated actors from various movies. In recent years, significant advertising campaigns have been mounted in support of the different actors, actresses and other professionals involved in movies. Ads are taken out in the trade publications. Banquets are held promoting different movies. Thousands and thousands of dollars are spent promoting the nominated movies, the actors, the actresses and the nominees in a variety of other categories. Indeed, the campaigning for Oscars has become one of the most competitive ventures in all of Hollywood — even more competitive than the scrapping and clawing for roles in movies.

4. Once the voting deadline passes in regard to selecting the best actors in movies for the year, the ballots are tabulated by an independent accounting firm. As each vote is cast for the movies and professionals under consideration, the ballots are sent to an accounting firm that holds them in a secure location. The accounting firm tabulates the votes relating to the various movies in secret. For years, the accounting firm that handled these magical movie awards was the venerable agency of Price-Waterhouse. Not even the men and women who serve as officers of the Academy know who the winners are in advance of the award ceremony itself.

5. On the night of the televised awards, the winners from the various movies in the best actor, best actress and other categories are announced. Essentially no one knows who the various winners are prior to the announcement of the various awards during the award show presentations for the various movies, performances and the like.

In conclusion, and as an interesting aside, the Academy Award statuette was not always known as “Oscar.” In fact, it was screen legend Bette Davis who dubbed the Academy Award statuette “Oscar.” During an Academy Awards ceremony some years back Bette Davis remarked that the statuette looked exactly like her husband … who was named “Oscar.” Oscar stuck.

If you are a fan of the movies, you may be wondering about the process that’s involved in selecting the best actors that are awarded Oscars by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Indeed, the manner in which the best actors and actresses are chosen for Oscars is a rather complicated process on some level. With that said, the nomination and election process for movies, actors, actresses and the like within the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been in place for years. The process seems to work well although some recent complaints have been voiced in regard to the advertising campaigns that now surround the awards process following the announcement of nominees.

The first step in selection the best actors in movies as part of ultimate awarding of the Academy Awards or Oscars is the nomination process. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is made up of men and women who are professionals in fields related to the making and production of movies. A slate of nominators is appointed by the Academy to come up with the names of the actors and actresses who will be put before the enrolled members of the Academy as nominees for Academy Awards. The actors and actresses are nominated for their work in movies that were produced and that were presented in theaters during the preceding year. Needless to say, a nomination for an Academy Award is one of the highest honors that a person who works in the movies can receive at any time in their lives.

Following the nomination process, voting by select members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences occurs. The voting process employed by the Academy when it comes to rewards for movies is rather interesting and unique. For example, all of the actors who are enrolled members of the Academy vote on the slates of best actors and best supporting actors who have been nominated for Oscars for their roles in movies. Likewise, directors vote on the directors prize, screenwriters on the screenwriters prize and so forth. All members of the Academy are able to vote on those movies nominated for best picture.

Prior to the actual voting process, a very active promotional campaign takes part on behalf of the nominated actors from various movies. In recent years, significant advertising campaigns have been mounted in support of the different actors, actresses and other professionals involved in movies. Ads are taken out in the trade publications. Banquets are held promoting different movies. Thousands and thousands of dollars are spent promoting the nominated movies, the actors, the actresses and the nominees in a variety of other categories. Indeed, the campaigning for Oscars has become one of the most competitive ventures in all of Hollywood — even more competitive than the scrapping and clawing for roles in movies.

Once the voting deadline passes in regard to selecting the best actors in movies for the year, the ballots are tabulated by an independent accounting firm. As each vote is cast for the movies and professionals under consideration, the ballots are sent to an accounting firm that holds them in a secure location. The accounting firm tabulates the votes relating to the various movies in secret. For years, the accounting firm that handled these magical movie awards was the venerable agency of Price-Waterhouse. Not even the men and women who serve as officers of the Academy know who the winners are in advance of the award ceremony itself.

On the night of the televised awards, the winners from the various movies in the best actor, best actress and other categories are announced. Essentially no one knows who the various winners are prior to the announcement of the various awards during the award show presentations for the various movies, performances and the like.

In conclusion, and as an interesting aside, the Academy Award statuette was not always known as “Oscar.” In fact, it was screen legend Bette Davis who dubbed the Academy Award statuette “Oscar.” During an Academy Awards ceremony some years back Bette Davis remarked that the statuette looked exactly like her husband … who was named “Oscar.” Oscar stuck.