ACTORBEAN » Actor Stuff

Who’s Your Dadd– er, Trainer? Celebs Flock to Ultra Buff BodyDesignByWade Trainer

theBean — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:46:17 +0000

If you’re a Los Angeles gym-frequeting resident — whether a starlet trying to keep the OK! magazine cellulite-finding faux-journalism rats at bay — or an up and coming actress that needs to mix in some Abs with her (sadly secondarily important) Julliard degree — you’ve likely seen this super-hot, buff new trainer around town.

We ran into him the other day while oggling the star he was training — and, well, his abs (he requested us to keep the young woman he was working with confidential, so we’re grudgingly acquiescing), and unlike many of the celebrity trainers with HeavyMan bicep sized egos… Wade was the nicest guy ever. And we rarely talk about fitness on here. So!

If you want to work off some of the beer you drank after your last bombed audition… (just kidding), or you just need to get in amazing shape, we’re giving a shout out to rockin’ fitness trainer Wade Foote of BodyDesignByWade.

He can be personally reach by email here, and trains primarily in Los Angeles.

March Reel Competition!

theBean — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:44:10 +0000

Every month, ActorBean.com has a competition for The Best Actor Reel, ever. We rotate between the absolutely ridiculous and the submission of standard “serious”, agent-submission material.

This month we celebrated Meisner with the “Worst Meisner Exercise, Ever”

Grand Prize: Jackson wins a free round trip ticket on Virgin America from New York to Los Angeles!

Winners receive an EDITORIAL ARTICLE in ActorBean.com and a ROUND TRIP TICKET between NEW YORK & LA!

This month’s competition: “Serious / Professional Reels”. Submit your theatrical reel to info@actorbean.com with “REEL COMPETITION – MARCH” in the subject line. The entry fee is a $10 donation to Actorbean. You can utilize Paypal below, just make sure that your PayPal email matches your submission! ***YES! YOU MAY SUBMIT MULTIPLE REELS! Just add 10 per ***

Have $3 In Your Paypal? Use it to Finance A Film with KickStarter.com

theBean — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 04:06:50 +0000

It’s almost midnight in LA but… how cool is this site?

Kickstarter.com is a site we accidentally stumbled upon thanks to Nate Taylor (his feature film Forgetting the Girl will be unveiled this year), that actually helps young film directors FINANCE projects!

Take this young chap for example. He’s bald, he’s kind of funny, and he’s uploaded a video with a candid request for your dollars. Good for you, Corey Williams. You’ve raised $225 bucks! Not a ton of money, but hey — getting money out of people in this economy is a feat in itself, so you’re certainly doing something right.

Fantastic idea, and more people should get involved with things like this. Have a random $3 in your Paypal account? Throw it to a director. Who knows… if enough people partake in this virtual tip jar of filmmaking, perhaps more roles will be open to up-and-comers in the New York and LA markets.

www.kickstarter.com

Acting Reel: How Long Should It Be?

theBean — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 03:01:04 +0000

An actor’s reel is ideally about 2 minutes long. Any shorter, they don’t get to see what you can do. Any longer, the attention span is shot — unless you’re the next Meryl Streep. And let’s face it — your probably aren’t. No offense! You may — and hopefully will — get there one day.

As a rule of thumb: Think of casting directors and agents as beta fish on crack. They flitter about in tiny confined spaces all day, are brilliantly hyperactive, and have a nearly negative attention span. They will stare you blankly in the face, and hardly ever remember who you are.

A great example of an actor’s reel can be found here. This is a great up-and-coming actress named Erika Smith (represented by Maude Kaplan Management and ElectricAvePR), and what she has had put together is simply brilliant. One of the creatures we like to call a Real Actor (versus the Wannabe Actor, or the Abercrombie Actor — see Actor Talent-Level Definitions here), Smith has a slew of training (including a B.A. from Hunter), has guest starred on multiple episodics, and is signed to a strong boutique management company in New York.

Notice that Erika’s reel is about four minutes long, double the length of a reel we’d usually suggest. However, Erika has various “clips” and “versions” on her website — and she likely gives out different reels (some are longer, some are shorter) to different casting directors and agents.

An agent really interested in Erika might want to see more. Erika has the “long reel” ready.

Erika’s focus is obviously comedy, so that’s what she plays up. She has everything on her website, uploaded to YouTube, and on Facebook. She’s easy to find, has everything put together professionally — and most important? She’s a damn good actor.

The moral of the article: If you have a 12 minute reel, cut it down. If you have a 30 second reel — add some stuff on top or learn how to Produce Your Own Reel to obtain some additional footage.

If Your Focus is Comedic, use comedic material
If Your Focus Is Dramtic: use dramatic material
If You’re both: use both.

Not rocket science, really. The most important part of this (beside the acting), is the editing and quality of the material.

Good luck!

How To Be Confident In The Audition Room

theBean — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 05:50:49 +0000

Short of drinking a gigantic bottle of Vodka… it’s a a bit tough to walk into a major network television audition completely relaxed.

And you know what? At an audition, you don’t really want to be completely relaxed… the natural energy stirred about by being excited and nervous at the same time is a good thing. The trick is channeling the nervous energy into excited energy, is allowing (not forcing) it to tip into the latter stages before any negatively can consume you.

Confidence Booster 1: Positive Envisioning

The night before an audition, you want to envision yourself doing well — swimming through the lines without breaking character or thinking about the experience as an audition. Go through the lines in your mind, think about what the casting room looks like, and get into character in your head. As strange as that sounds — athletes have testified to positive mental thinking and “envisioning” many times over. If it works for the running dreaming of winning the race — it can work for your audition, too.

Confidence Booster 2: Know The Lines Cold

There are different schools of thought to audition preperation… some actors don’t like to know what material they’ll be presented with to “stay fresh”. Honestly? In the end, I think that’s the lazier of the attempts. If you know the lines cold — and we mean I Pledge Alegence To the Flag cold — you can interact with the reader in any way you wish. They’ll be so in your body you don’t have to think one iota about the lines, and can layer any kind of emotion or “ping pong” reaction to the person opposite you that you want.

Unless you thrive on lack of preparation — and trust us, casting never likes an actor to dip down to sides (it breaks your character in their mind, too) — MEMORIZE YOUR LINES COLD. Spend the time. You want the role that badly, right? Put in the work, or someone else will do it better!

Confidence Booster 3: Feel Like the Character

Spend the time thinking about the little oddities your character might encompass. Think about what he or she might wear, dress, accesorize with. As silly as it sounds, we’ve heard ‘personalizing’ your character can help a great deal. Go to a thrift store, pick out a ring, a necklace, and temporary tattoo… an odd shirt that you wouldn’t potentially wear, but the character might.

Take a little bit of the Bob, Joe, Francine, Gertrude — and infuse him or her with you. Make it a habit to give each character you audition for — or need to represent in class — a trademark. It will begin transforming your various characters slowly. A little method for the experimental actor. Try it.

Confidence Booster 4: Outsource Your Nervousness

One actor swears by combining Dayquil and a Henekin. Uh… whatever works (?). We don’t condone mixing dangerous chemicals, medicine or alcohol — but sometimes a beer pre-audition can calm the nerves by just the right amount. An actor friend we know couldn’t nail an agency meeting before she got there an hour early, holed up in an Irish pub while waiting, and walked in after three gigantic Guinness. Twenty four hours later? ”WE LOVED HER!’ was the agency email. And she was signed.

Not saying to develop an alcohol dependency — but hey. We’re from Manhattan. Enough said.

Hope a few of the tried and true above tricks helped… feel free to let us know what works for you!

The Actor’s Agency List

theBean — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 05:38:52 +0000

Ever wanted a list of agencies you could research and submit to? Check out our list here — these are the hottest big agencies & boutiques out there, complete with contact information like address, phone numbers, emails, and agent names.

The “BIG” Celebrity Agencies

Creative Artists Alliance (CAA)

2000 Avenue Of The Stars

Los Angeles, CA 90067

USA

Phn: 424-288-2000

Fax: 424-288-2900

http://www.caa.com/

162 Fifth Ave.

6th Floor

New York, NY 10010

USA

Phone: 212-277-9000

Fax: 212-277-9099

Agents: Dave Bugliari, Brenna Roth, Bryan Lourd, John Campisi, Greg Cavic

________

International Creative Management (ICM)

10250 Constellation Blvd

9th Floor

Los Angeles, CA 90067

USA

Phn: 310-550-4000

Fax: 310-550-4055

http://www.icmtalent.com/

825 8th Ave

26th Floor

New York, NY 10019

USA

Phone: 212-556-5600

Fax: 212-556-5665

Agents: Jack Gilardi, Michael Kagen, Jadrien Steele

________

Paradigm

360 N. Crescent Dr

North Bldg.

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

USA

Phn: 310-288-8000

Fax: 310-288-2000

http://www.paradigmagency.com

360 Park Ave. S.

16th Floor

New York, NY 10010

USA

Phone: 212-897-6400

Fax: 212-764-8941

Agents: Tom O’Donnell, David Guillod, Marc Helwig, Zadoc Angell

________

United Talent Agency (UTA)

9560 Wilshire Blvd.

Ste. 500

Beverly Hills, CA 90212-2401

USA

Phn: 1 310 273 6700

Fax: 1 310 247 1111

http://www.unitedtalent.com

info@unitedtalent.com

Agents: Billy Lazarus, Rene Ronson, Tracey Jacobs, Peter Benedek

________

William Morris Endeavor (WME)

9601 Wilshire Blvd

3rd Floor

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

USA

Phn: 310-248-2000

Fax: 310-248-2020

http://wmeentertainment.com/

1325 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10019

USA

Phone: 212-903-1100

Fax: 212-246-3583

Agents: Patrick Whitesell, Ari Emanuel, Laura Bell Bundy, Jason Trawick

_______________________________________________

Big Players & Boutique Agencies

ABA

9107 Wilshire Blvd., Ste 500

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

USA

Phn: 310-276-1851

Fax: 310-276-3517

Agents: Joseph Lee, Joseph Le, Kim Gola, Chris Ledford

________

Abrams Artists Agency

9200 Sunset Blvd

11th Floor

Los Angeles, CA 90069

USA

Phn: 1 310 859 0625

Fax: 1 310 276 6193

http://www.abramsartists.com

norma.robbins@abramsart.com

vincent.devito@abramsart.com

275 Seventh Ave.

26th Floor

New York, NY 10001

USA

Phone: 1 646 486 4600

Fax: 1 646 486 2363

Agents: Eric Emergy, Jeremy Apody, Jennifer Millar, Paul Reisman

________

AKA Talent Agency

6310 San Vicente Blvd.

Ste. 200

Los Angeles, CA 90048

USA

Phn: 323-965-5600

Fax: 323-965-5601

http://www.akatalent.com/

aka@akatalent.com

Agents: Mike Abrams, Nathan Higgins, Doug Ely, Gregg Klein

________

Angel City Talent

8318 Kirkwood Drive

Los Angeles, CA 90046

USA

Phn: 323-656-5489

http://angelcitytalent.biz

angelcitytalent@sbcglobal.net

Agents: Mimi Mayer

________

Baron Entertainment

13848 Ventura Blvd.

Ste. A

Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

USA

Phn: 323-969-1000

Fax: 818-933-0798

http://www.baronentertainment.com/

Agents: Debra Trevino, Rod Baron

________

Cunningham Escott Slevin & Doherty (CESD)

10635 Santa Monica Blvd.

#130

Los Angeles, CA 90025

USA

Phn: 310-475-2111

Fax: 310-475-1929

http://www.cesdtalent.com/

257 Park Ave. S.

9th Floor

New York, NY 10010

USA

Phone: 212-477-1666

Fax: 212-473-1594

Agents: Melissa Berger, T.J. Escott, Jason Bercy

________

Defining Artists Agency

10 Universal City Plaza

Ste 2000

Universal City, CA 91608

USA

Phn: +1 818 753 2405

Fax: +1 818 753 2403

http://www.definingartists.com

dede@definingartists.com

Agents: Breanna Bell, Kim Dorr, Dede Goldsmith

________

The Geddes Agency

8430 Santa Monica Blvd.

Ste. 200

West Hollywood, CA 90069

USA

Phn: 323-848-2700

Fax: 323-656-6812

http://www.geddes.net/

Agents: Anne Geddes, Kate Richter, Elizabeth Geddes, Lauren Phillips

________

The Gersh Agency

9465 Wilshire Blvd

6th Floor

Beverly Hills, CA 90212

USA

Phn: 310-274-6611

Fax: 310-274-3923

http://www.gershagency.com/

info@gershla.com

41 Madison Ave

33rd Floor

New York, NY 10010

USA

Phone: 212-997-1818

Fax: 212-997-1978

Agents: Linsday Price, Randi Goldstein, Jennifer Konowal, Jay Cohen, Sean Barclay

________

John Carrabino Management

Los Angeles, CA:

5900 Wilshire Boulevard

4th Floor, Suite 406

Los Angeles, CA 90036

USA

Phn: 323-857-4650

Fax: 323-857-4659

Agents: John Carrabino, Reena Patton, Gladys Gonzales

________

Maverick Artists Agency

1680 North Vine Street

Suite 802

Hollywood, CA 90028

USA

Phn: 323-382-0620

Fax: 323-382-0621

http://www.mavrickartists.com

brad.diffley@mavrickartists.com

Agents: Bradd Diffley, Tracy Wynne, Ken Pringle, Jay Schachter

________

Michael Zanuck Agency (MZA)

28035 Dorothy Dr

Ste 120

Agoura Hills, CA 91301

USA

Agents: Michael Zanuck

________

Nicolosi & Co

150 W. 25th St.

Ste. 1200

New York, NY 10001

USA

Phn: 212-633-1010

Fax: 212-633-0050

Agents: Russell Gregory, Jeanne Nicolosi, Michael Goddard

________

Pantheon Talent

1900 Avenue Of The Stars

Ste. 2840

Los Angeles, CA 90067

USA

Phn: 310-201-0120

Fax: 310-201-5958

Agents: Christina King, Tag Turner, Amy Abell, Susan Sussman

________

Phoenix Artists Agency

321 W. 44th St.

Ste. 401

New York, NY 10036

USA

Phn: 212-586-9110

Fax: 212-586-8019

Agents: Randi Ross, Gary Epstein, Justin Busch

________

Rogers Orion

13731Ventura Blvd.

Ste. D

Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

USA

Phn: 818-789-7064

Fax: 818-789-7074

rotalentagency@yahoo.com

Agents: Orion Barnes, Tony Ferrar

________

Visionary Artists

5503 Denny Ave.

North Hollywood, CA 91601

USA

Phn: 1 818 760 9838

Fax: 1 818 753 5738

pvvision@sbcglobal.net

Agents: Patty Vittorito

How To Get An Agent’s Attention

theBean — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:36:08 +0000

There are a few ways to get the exclusive eyeyballs of a top four agent — i.e. a powerplayer at William Morris Endeavor, CAA, ICM, or UTA. You can do one of three things, essentially:

1) Sleep with a big agent
2) Be related to a big agent
3) Do something unconventional and affectant to a big agent

There are plenty of actors out there that have completed ways 1 and 2 with flying colors… and are now series regulars, movie stars, and ephemeral celebrities. But you — Talented Method Trained Actor — you aren’t going to fall from your moral precipice and give a producer an… er, a ‘sexual interaction’ of sorts. You are going to choose door number three, the biggest and heaviest door of them all. And it’s likely the most… ehem, environmentally (read: career) sustainable of them all.

________________

How To Do Something Unconventional To Land a Big Agent

You Are Doing… An Off-Broadway Show

Theatre, yay! Real actors do theatre. Real agents (or agents who want to appear like they’re still interested in the “art” of things) will occasionally go to a few shows and look at the talent. If you’re really, really good — you have a shot in hell at being picked up by that agency. But, let’s face it. You have to be really… REALLY good.

So let’s say you’re at that level of undeniable, it’s-a-mystery-you-don’t-have-representation, level of talent. You’re amazing. You’re Hagen “slash” Meisner. You can be hilarious and heartbreaking all in the same twelve second timespan. You should be with William Morris in a heartbeat.

Yet you’re still doing Off-Broadway theatre. In Brooklyn.

Not to fear — you can still land some industry presence at that show! Here’s how:

1) Move the Production OUT of Brooklyn.
Seriously. You aren’t going to get one decent agent out of Manhattan to attend the play… no matter how good it is.

2) Hire Someone Who Can Do Some Serious PR
You don’t have to spend a million dollars on 42 West. Get some kind of charity outreach partnership, give partial ticket sales to said charity, and then approach a handful of PR companies about doing a pro bono work. Somebody will bite.

3) Send out Industry Invitations
Do the research, and utilize our Industry Email List to blast out your show invitations to big players. Write something scintillating (or have the PR rep do so), but not too long. Nobody wants to read a page long press release.

4) Include Temptation-Beats-Bad-Theatre Agent Catnip
Tempt them with alcohol, drugs (just kidding), and easy transportation. Offer a pre-show wine reception (and make sure to be there, in a great dress/suit and Academy Award chic) to make sure they get there.

They might not stick around for the actual show, but you’ll get to do some potentially intoxicated hand shaking. COLLECT BUSINESS CARDS. Make them commit to taking a meeting with you. Then you can (professionally) stalk them to your heart’s content.

5) Transportation, Baby!
The previously mentioned easy transport is key. The most annoying part of this entire experience (from the agent’s perspective) is actually getting there.

*** REMEMBER *** An agent has to SPEND MONEY to get to your show. Sure, you’re comping your industry list with free tickets and a plus one, but they still have to get there. If an agent goes to your show — they have spent their OWN MONEY to do so. That’s huge. And as it is huge — most big agents won’t do it.

________________

The one thing you should spend big-ish money on? Give the agent transportation to your show.

Set up a limo service, a car service, a limo/car service that provides them with a complimentary bottle of champagne (the best move — seriously — get the agent good and liquored up before they arrive at the theatre). They will not only be happier, not spending their own money, but surprised at your ingenuity! They’ll be curious who the hell not only gave them a free ticket, great marketing material, and a FREE LIMO that they can’t help wanting to talk to you, especially if they stick around — and they will, you just drove them there in a car on your own nickel — and you actually ACT well.

And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? The craft? Good acting? If you aren’t a tool, you have training, and you have a presence that can be marketable (you don’t have to look like every Texas beauty queen that’s ever walked in a bikini… it’s actually better if you don’t), you have a shot at being signed.

The big thing is: get the agent there, show them you can act, and have them rendered in a state ready to sign you. In other words? They arrive happy, potentially a little liquored up, and ready to make a slightly rash decision without the approval of the rest of the agency’s partners.

The goal is: Get them interested, and GET SIGNED.

There you go. Champagne and limousines, what can we say? Does the trick every time. Now you just have to act.

*** Disclaimer: This method does not work for Attempted Blonde Homecoming Ingenues or Abercrombie Ab Models Who Don’t Know Who Strasberg Was.

Headshot Session: WHAT DO I WEAR?

theBean — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:28:06 +0000

Like we’ve touched on before, a headshot session is a freakin’ stressful part of an actor’s career. The shots have to rock, and you’re dropping quite a bit of money in an effort to “get this one right”.

So, two days before the session — you’re rummaging through your closet, wondering: what the heck do I wear?

First: Don’t stress. Make sure you start with a clean room, and have a canvas (i.e. make your bed, move pillows) that you can arrange things on.

Second: You don’t need to drag an oversized suitcase to your session. A small carry-on will do. You only need to bring 10 – 12 different looks… and you’ll likely only shoot in 5.

Begin by going through your closet or armoire and pulling out your absolute favorite articles of clothing to wear. If you were going on a date with [insert favorite attractive celebrity here], what would you put on? Exactly. Pull the first thing that comes to your mind. Then the second, third, and fourth.

After you’ve nabbed your favorites, consider which roles you tend to go out for — or would like to go out for. Law&Order? Grab a button-down or jacket that flatters you. Country vibe? Pull something flannel (but not bright flannel, muted tones like blues and greens work better than blaring Ride Em’, Cowboy Red).

Get at least 20 articles on your bed (don’t worry about what you’ll be wearing on the bottom yet), and begin weeding. Throw out three you really don’t need or are too similar to what you have already (example: little black dress with a similar neckline to a little black tanktop). Guys obviously have this a bit easier.

Make sure to include: Your favorite laid-back tanktop, your favorite go-out-to-a-fancy-dinner/hot-date item (something you know you look great in), one quirky character item, and one bright item that makes your eye color pop.

Green eyes = green shirt
Blue eyes = blue shirt

…etc.

One last item: Bring your favorite, most comfy, somewhat sexy pair of jeans. You’ll want to get at least a half dozen three-quarter shots, for fun.

Need More Stuff? Can’t Afford to Drop $500 on Headshot Clothes?

If you don’t have what you need, don’t stress. You can obtain it for zero money, in theory. All you need is a small balance on a credit or debit card that you can part with for 3-5 business days (don’t do this if rent is coming up).

Go to Macy’s, Bloomingdales, or one of the big department stores that has a RETURN POLICY. Do NOT go to places like Forever 21 (no returns, only exchanges) just because they’re cheap! Make sure that the store will take back whatever you buy, and read the return/exchange policy before you whip out your credit card.

Again — make sure you have a small balance to play with — then, go shopping!

Pick out 3-5 items that you don’t have in your wardrobe already, and that you look simply fantastic in. Let’s face it — sometimes slightly more expensive clothing makes us actors feel awesome! It’s softer or better quality, fits in the right places, and will make you feel awesome during your shoot. Get these items!

Purchase with a credit card (or cash, which you’ll get back immediately upon return) and make sure to carefully fold and slip that receipt into a safe place in your wallet. DO NOT LOOSE THE RECEIPT!

Bring the items back home, and (I’d suggest) keep them wrapped and folded carefully in the shopping bag. On shoot day, carry your own items in a small duffle or carry-on — and bring the “borrowed items” along in the original Macy’s or Bloomdingdale’s bag.

*** NOTE *** They likely won’t have wrinkled, due to the way they were folded by the expert folding staff. And it’ll be like unwrapping presents all over again, even though you don’t technically get to keep them.

On shoot day, be VERY careful when putting on the borrowed items. Take EXTRA time putting on shirts over your head, because makeup stains can ruin a return. Do not wear borrowed items when the makeup artist is doing her magic, and bring a small sweater or wrap to cover yourself up when she’s doing touch-ups. Don’t risk getting stuck with expensive (if fabulous) borrowed items!

Finally — the last tip of the day — DO NOT TAKE OFF THE TAGS. The tags — besides the original receipt — are your golden ticket to creative borrow and return.

Moral Issue With “Borrowing” Clothing?

Hey — you’re doing these clothes a favor! Your shoot in them, giving the designers a touch of PR, and as long as you don’t do them any damage — who’s to say any of this is wrong.

EMERGENCY: What if the Tag Comes Off?!

Calm down, it’s not the end of the world. Make sure you save the little plastic thing (and the little plastic t “tip”) as well as the fallen tag. If you can’t find the plastic thing, either use one from a cheap article of clothing you still have hanging in your closet — or buy a shirt from a dollar store for a buck, and take the plastic thing from that item.

Head to CVS of Duane Read, and pick up a mini Super Glue tube. It has to be the original, liquid kind… not any weird stick or child proof brand, these aren’t as effective.

Set up the piece of clothing face up on a surface it can lay on for an hour. Carefully thread the long portion of the plastic thing through the original tag or place it was fastened (if in doubt, thread through the tag). Once threaded, release the plastic thing and see where it falls.

Use the super glue to place a small “dot” of glue on the long part of the tip. Let it sit there for about 8-10 seconds to harden slightly.

Next, take the plastic “tee”. Verrry carefully (you can use tweezers if you don’t have a steady hand), lower the middle of the tee onto it’s former plastic brethren. Hold it there for a few seconds, and then release. If it doesn’t stick and falls off, repeat, and hold it there for longer.

Allow the item to sit there for at least an hour, and test that the tag doesn’t fall off the newly fixed Plastic Thing before placing it carefully back in the shopping back, and trotting back to the department store.

If they ask why you’re returning — you can simply say, “I don’t really need what I bought, impulse buy”.

And that’s it. They’ll take everything back, no questions asked.

Happy shooting!

Want more headshot advice?

– The Bean’s Photographer Resource Page
– Headshot Session: How to Shoot for Free
– Headshot Session: How to Choose an Awesome Headshot Photographer

How to Choose an Awesome Headshot Photographer

theBean — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:15:52 +0000

Let’s face it… headshots (besides the eternally wallet-opening get an agent One-on-Ones), are one of the most expensive tools in an actor’s career. They’re absolutely unavoidable, some can cost more than a month of rent, and they have to turn out absolutely, utterly fantastic. Easy deciding who to shoot with? Yeah right.

So… who are the big names in the headshot game? A few famous “actor headshot” photographers spring to mind (along with green dollar signs):

Peter Hurley
Hoebermann
Theo & Juliet
Jordan Matter
David Noles

Cost range: 700 – 1,400

And a few celebrity portrait photographers which are the go-to for the stars:

Michael Muller
Steve Azzarra
Paolo Mascatelli

Cost range – 2,000 – 12,000

_________________

If an actor shoots with one of the “big guys” above, it’s almost guaranteed that his or her headshots will turn out spectacularly. Right? Not always. Premier and celebrity photographers are masters of their craft — but if we, the actor, are so inexplicably stressed — it’s going to show up in our session. We’ll look worried if we’re counting how much each shot is costing us, we’ll look underslept if we didn’t get more than three hours the previous evening, and we’ll be stiff if we can’t relax and simply have fun during the session.

Keyword here, guys: You have to have fun!

Acting and performance (as according to the big Method masters) is all about releasing instilled inhibitions and play. So why should one of the most important parts of an actor’s career — the headshot session — be anything different?

*** TIP *** Fill your iPod with a playlist of at least 20 of your favorite songs. Change them up — high energy, sappy, sad — get yourself to dip into the gamut of your actor emotions. It will reflect in your shots.

If you have fun, your headshots can’t turn out badly.

That said, don’t immediately turn to Craiglist after reading this article and find the first second year photography student willing to shoot your stuff for $50 bucks. There’s a slim chance that your shots will turn out spectacularly if you end up trying to go the cheapest route possible.

Our answer? Find a happy medium. If you can’t afford the white-background, your-eyes-have-never-looked-so-bright Hurley — or if you can’t drop 6K to fly to Venezia, Italy to shoot with the celebrity lens of Mascatelli — look through the Reproductions book or check out our Photographer Resource Page.

*** TIP *** Find a photographer who has shot someone who looks like you. If you like what they’ve done with that person, chances are they’ll know just how to capture you, as well.

An actor can get away with spending as little as $300 bucks in Los Angles, and roughly $500-$600 bucks in New York, and will get a good — strong — headshot session.

TIP: If you’re shy or uncomfortable around a still camera, make sure to talk to your photographer of choice, or see if they’ll meet with you for a consultation before you shoot, to make sure you vibe. If you don’t, the aforementioned uncomfortability will set in, and your session will suck.

Most important of all… HAVE FUN!

Want more headshot advice?

– The Bean’s Photographer Resource Page
– Headshot Session: How to Shoot for Free
– Headshot Session: How to Choose an Awesome Headshot Photographer

Headshot Session: How to Shoot for Free

theBean — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:07:02 +0000

We’re all feeling the economic crunch — and let’s face it. We actors always seem to be in a… ‘less than awesome’ financial state. So when it comes to headshots, some of us literally can’t afford to spend any money getting them. Do we give up, and get Bob across the hall in 4C to use his point and shoot Canon while we grin from the studio kitchen?

No. There are ways to get a headshot session for free.

Free Headshot Tactic #1

Make a deal with a headshot photographer. Construct a personalized email to a half dozen headshot photographers, and make them a deal. If they shoot you for free, you will email your entire class list / college BFA list / actor friend list telling them about how great this photographer is, and how happy you are. If they get one or two paying referrals out of it, shooting you for free is worth it.

Make sure you don’t send out a generic email — but touch upon various things each particular photographer you like does, and compliment them on it. A little flattery can sometimes go a long way.

Free Headshot Tactic #2

Use ModelMayhem.com. I know, I know — we serious actors think the fashion world is the bane of artisic existance, etc. However — you might be able to get a free session out of it, so don’t turn your back on fashion just yet!

ModelMayhem.com is free, and you can set up a profile and get approved within a day or so. Make sure to submit a good photo of yourself (yes, a “pretty” one), get approved, and begin searching for photographers in your area. Approach a dozen of them about doing a TFP shoot.

What is a TFP Shoot?: Time for Prints. Your time = free shoot for you. You get either a CD of images (ask for this), and/or prints — and the photographer gets a free shoot and images he can use for advertising.

Make sure to get a feel for each photographer you approach, see if you can ask other models/actors about their experience, and never shoot with any photographer that asks you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.

That said — there are a TON of photographers on ModelMayhem who are really, really good. Again — send them personalized messages and use honest flattery to get them to open up to the idea of shooting you for free.

Free Headshot Tactic #3:

Get drunk, jump a subway turnstale, and get arrested. They have darn good cameras at the NYPD — and you might get some free press, too!

Please Note: Free Headshot Tactic #3 is a joke.

Happy Shooting!

Want more headshot advice?

– The Bean’s Photographer Resource Page
– Headshot Session: How to Shoot for Free
– Headshot Session: How to Choose an Awesome Headshot Photographer