Although it is aimed primarily at the Irish Market it contains some salient points from an established casting director. However I do not agree with the point of getting 'actors to at first play around with a digital camera in the back garden' as this has no relavancy to what an actual headshot session is like. In my many years experience as an actors headshot photographer in London I can't think of one instance when an actors has told me they'd done this. Neither will it prepare an actor to meet a stranger ( photographer ) and feel comfortable with them. ( This is one of the reasons I insist on talking to my clients befoere they book a session so the can get a feel for who I am. This is another reason why I don't like the automated faceless way of booking online, I think it's imperative that some connection is made before the shoot). I believe that a large part of my skill lies in the fact that I can draw out or encourage or direct an actor into the right state to get a great headshot.
Casting director Thyrza Ging has cast the feature films Satellites and Meteorites and Savage and the television miniseries Prosperity, and is also guest tutor on the Acting for Film and TV training course in Filmbase, giving advice to actors on the business side of acting.
So you’ve photographed yourself in the mirror using your phone, is this enough?
Headshots
‘Your headshot is your calling card,’ explains Thyrza, ‘and the most important thing with a headshot is to give a true and fair view of who you are as a person. Some photographers say, “Please don’t smile” but if you are a very smiley person it isn’t going to be a good representation of who you are.’ Prices for professional headshots range from €80, where you may just receive your photos on a CD, to €200, which may include multiple A4 copies and personalised business cards with your headshot and contact details on them – very handy for schmoozing opportunities at industry drinks receptions, glamorous film festivals and in the Filmbase basement.
‘It’s very important to get it right, and for you to feel comfortable in front of the camera,’ Thyrza continues. ‘I recommend actors to at first play around with a digital camera in the back garden because it is important that you feel comfortable in front of the camera before spending hundreds of euro on a shot. The standard in the Irish industry and the uk is a black and white A4 photograph. In America it’s colour, but a lot of actors here, especially red-headed actors, get colour shots done.’
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