The Key To Getting More Auditions?
Every actor knows that the trajectory of their career largely depends on just a few factors. One of those factors is your agent, which we talked about recently.
Another one of those is something most actors get completely wrong...
I’m talking about your headshots. I know, it’s a horrible thing to say but that doesn’t make it any less true.
Over the years, I’ve seen first hand that most actors get their headshots completely wrong and that has a huge effect on how you build your acting career.
However, there is a small group of actors that put a lot of focus and effort into making sure their headshots are just right, and that’s typically the actors that make big career progress quickly.
They are the ones that go on to become professional actors.
If that’s something you want to do too, this is something you shouldn’t ignore...
Having the right headshot is crucial to building your acting career, and that’s why most actors think they have it right.
It’s so important that most of them think there’s no way they got it wrong.
That false sense of security can be catastrophic. See, the way it typically goes is that an actor will decide to get into the industry, so they’ll take a headshot and start submitting it to small, independent projects and they will also use it to find their first agent.
Once they sign with an agent, they will usually work with that agent to redo their headshot into something “more professional.”
The problem is that you first have to work with your agent to determine what you want your career to look like and the kinds of projects you want to work on.
See, if you want to play comedic roles, your headshots will be very different from an actor that wants to focus on dramatic or action filled roles.
That’s why you should only take your headshots after you have decided that part. Doing it before then will leave you with a headshot that might look good, but it will not be in line with the projects you are being submitted for.
When Casting Directors look through headshots, they are making a quick decision on whether or not they can see that actor filling the role the casting for.
When they come across your headshot, you want them to stop and take a closer look. That only happens if your headshot aligns with the role they are casting.
If it doesn’t immediately align, they will simply move on to the next one.
That’s a big reason why so many actors have so few auditions...
If you find yourself in that situation, getting things back on track should be a big priority.
First work with your agent to decide the direction of your career and the kinds of projects you want to work on.
What you decide during that conversation can have a big impact on your career, so it’s not something you should take lightly or decide haphazardly.
That said, you won’t be stuck in your chosen category forever.All you are looking for is a starting point or a next step.
Once you have decided on the direction, look for a photographer that will be a good fit. Don’t settle for hiring someone that was recommended to you by a friend.
Look for a photographer that has also worked with actors that specialize in the category you want to focus on.
They will be better able to give you recommendations on poses and outfit choices that will align with your chosen category.
They will also be better able to recommend lighting choices and final touch ups and editing.
After you complete your session with the photographer, they will narrow down the best options for you and do some initial editing on the selected photos.
From there, you should schedule some time with your agent so you can work together on deciding on the photo that should be your main headshot based on the category you have decided to focus on.
Then, you inform your photographer of the decision so they can do final edits on the photo. Fair warning...
The process won’t always be that smooth. I’ve seen actors reshoot 5 or 6 times before getting a headshot that was adequate.
To make things go as smoothly as possible, work with your agent from the very beginning and get very clear on the direction you want your career to go in.
Doing so will help to ensure that you end up with a headshot that fits you and your chosen category. It will give you a much better chance of having a headshot that makes CDs stop and take a closer look.
That’s something that is very difficult to do with a headshot that simply “looks good.”
Of course that is not the only factor that will impact casting decisions. Remember, Casting Directors will also take a closer look before deciding to move forward with you so make sure that what they find about you is up to their standards. Here’s how I can help with that...
Also, you have to be able to deliver a stellar audition when you are invited to read.
We’ll talk about how you can dominate the audition process, next week. For now, start on what we went over today.
As you continue building your career, different things will require your attention. For example, even after you get your headshot done in the manner we talked about, you may find that you are getting more auditions but you’re still not booking consistently.
In that case it could be a number of different factors but something that I’ve seen come up with several actors is reputation.
If you are still struggling to get enough auditions, after you have gotten your headshot done in the way we spoke about, it could be that you’re just not being submitted to the right projects, often enough.
In that case, making yourself more visible to the industry in the places where they are looking for talent can be a gamechanger.
When CDs start actively asking you to audition for them, the dynamics change completely.
So what category do you want to focus on first? Let me know in the comments below or shoot me an email.
If you’re unsure and you want to bounce ideas, feel free to get in touch about that too. I’m happy to help however I can because I truly want to...
See you at the top,
Scott