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Ideally, you want to meet casting directors and agents face-to-face like a door-to-door salesman, but that isn’t always possible. So until cloning becomes feasible, the next best solution is to rely on head shots.

A head shot is a close-up photograph of yourself that you submit along with your resume to agents and casting directors, so they can evaluate you in your absence. (Find more info on putting together a five-star resume in Chapter 5.) Essentially, your head shot is an advertisement that shows the best features of you as the product.

The photograph should focus on your face and hair, reflecting what you honestly look like. A good head shot

 Makes you look natural. (Deliberate posing can make you look phony.)

 Shows you looking directly at the camera.

 Shows you smiling (for comedy), relaxed, and friendly. Furthermore, head shots can also show your serious side (for drama), your business look, and any other role you’re able to portray. For instance, you may have a gang member/biker look that may get you in for that particular role.

 Makes casting directors say to themselves, “I’d like to meet that person, or that’s who we want for the role!”

Make sure your head shot looks like you.

We suggest you update your head shot during your acting career to reflect the way you look now (as opposed to three years ago when you might have gotten your last head shot taken). Also, every time you make a major change in your appearance, such as cutting considerable length from your hair or dying your brown hair blonde, you should get new head shots to reflect your new look.

A head shot serves two main purposes:

 To get an agent interested in representing you. As a beginner, this is the main purpose of your head shot. A good head shot can attract the attention of an agent and make him or her want to sign you on as a client.

 To get a casting director interested in calling you in to an audition. After you audition, your head shot also helps the casting director remember what you looked like and what he liked about the way you acted and looked.

The most common head shot captures your face and part of your shoulders, as shown in Figure 4-1. The actor isn’t wearing distracting jewelry, and her makeup is conservative and flattering. (Note: You should apply makeup sparingly. You want to look natural in your head shot, so makeup shouldn’t be obvious, unless you’re pursuing a particular role.) She’s looking directly at the camera, and her hands aren’t covering or obscuring her face. In she appears relaxed and looks natural. Figure 4-2 is another example of an effective head shot.

Source: Dellon Thomas/Pexels

FIGURE 4-1: A standard head shot.

Photo by Sean Garrison

FIGURE 4-2: Another standard head shot.