If you have arrived here from my ‘ask a stills photographer’ article, great! For even more in-depth knowledge on how to become a unit stills photographer, register your interest for my book or my exclusive 1:2:1 mentoring sessions below and I’ll be in touch!

If you haven’t read the article, I absolutely recommend you check it out as it has tonnes of useful info and tips on how to start a career as a unit stills photographer and everything that goes with it!

Thanks and have a great day!

The post How to be a unit stills photographer appeared first on Aimee Spinks Photography.

The producing and publicity team on Military Wives were struggling to know how to handle photo approvals – doing it manually using multiple folders or printed contact sheets just wasn’t an option as it would mean days of man-time and the risk of images getting lost, duplicated or released without approvals.

For many years I had recommended the main photo lab operating in the industry as they have a piece of software that facilitates photo approvals. The problem was, however, always the cost due to the nature of how their platform worked. After recommending this photo lab to the producers of Military Wives, they returned simply stating it was too far out of their budget, just as the previous independent films all had.

Noticing a trend, I saw a gap in the market; an easy to use online system that enabled productions to manage their photo approvals in a time and cost-effective way. I spoke with the producers of the movie and told them if they would commit to being my first client, I would commit to getting the platform built.

The idea for the platform had been percolating for a couple of years and had already gone through some rough drafts so this was the spark needed to finally commission it to be built. Several months later after partnering with software agency, Scorchsoft, I had a working prototype and a client willing to beta test it!

The team at Organic were overseeing the approvals process for Military Wives now with the assistance of our newly built platform, and they were absolutely integral to the development of subsequent versions of the web app by providing us with invaluable feedback on its process and features.

Clearly impressed with the potential of what Image Approvals could do to make their lives easier, Organic went on to work with us again, this time on Golden Globe nominee, The Father, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman, and using v2.0 of the platform.

Taking an iterative approach to the launch of Image Approvals has been fantastic as it’s enabled us to test with real-world needs and users, culminating in the current v3.0 with added features, more efficient workflows and platform improvements that have been implemented thanks to the feedback of our users over the last 3 years.

We still continue to develop the platform but always with one ethos in mind: keep it simple and easy to use. It can be easy to get carried away constantly building new features that are bolted on and before you know it you have a clunky bit of software that does lots of things most users don’t need it to do and in a way that is confusing and horrible to interact with. That’s why every new feature or improvement to the platform is rigorously planned out to make sure it is providing the right kind of value to our client.

Right now, the development team are working on a really exciting new feature for the Image Approvals system that will make it easier than ever for clients to manage their photo approvals so watch this space for news!

In the meantime, if you’re a photographer, unit publicist, photo manager or producer looking to take the cost, stress and time out of handling photo approvals, why not head over to the Image Approvals website where you can check out how it works and get a quote or request a demo. And remember, you don’t need me as your unit stills photographer to use the platform!

If you do happen to need a unit stills photographer, great! Drop me an email to find out about my rates and availability or check out my unit stills portfolio here and my posters/specials portfolio here.

The post Online photo approvals: the beginning of Image Approvals appeared first on Aimee Spinks Photography.

Waaaay back in 2014 – though in all honesty, it feels a lot longer ago than that – I worked on one of my first ever serious feature films as the main unit stills photographer. I was as green as a grasshopper back then, having only worked on bits and pieces here and there, or assisting some of the industry’s best still photographers.

There was that *one* movie I did around 2012 but we aren’t going to talk about that one; it was a straight to DVD flop that involved a very shady producer who didn’t believe in paying his crew so as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t count.

So I cut my teeth on Billionaire Ransom – at the time of shooting called ‘Take Down,’ -and it was my first proper movie all to my self with proper producers, a proper director in the form of Jim Gillespie, and proper crew, some of whom, I have remained very good friends with to this day.

Why am I reminiscing about a job I worked on over 6 years ago? I happened to stumble across a poster I never knew existed!

Every now and then it’s good to do a quick Google search to see what unit stills have surfaced from jobs. Some productions are great and they put out loads of content that you can share and use in your portfolio (shout out to the AMAZING Outlander team over at Starz!). Others, not so much. Most of the time your stills photography won’t get released until 12+ months after you took the pictures in the first place and by that time you’ve moved onto the next job so it can be easy to forget to check and share past work. Which is a reminder to myself to do this more often!

Anyway, Billionaire Ransom was a fun jaunt around the Isle of Man and gave me the opportunity to grab shots whilst dangling off a cliff, being out at sea and tied to a tree so I could shoot from an embankment above the camera crew when there wasn’t enough space for even this tiny stills photographer.

This movie was also my first experience shooting action and I was ever so proud of myself for managing to get a series of images of a gun-wielding bunch of hostage-takers when there were 3 operators running around handheld in the tiniest room imaginable. Luckily, I came out of the fray with only one black eye and today I am grateful for LCD screens so we can have a bit more peripheral vision than we did back in the days of DSLRs and sound blimps!

Being my first proper movie, I learned a lot and I’m grateful to my client for taking a leap of faith with someone so early on in their career. Every production, even now, is a new opportunity to learn and improve, whether that’s to improve technically, artistically or learn to better understand and navigate on set politics, or practical logistics.

Believe it or not, and as daft as it sounds, one of my biggest takeaways from being the unit stills photographer for this film was the usefulness of pop-up tents! After going on to shoot several seasons of Outlander up in the challengingly wet and muddy conditions of Scotland, it was good to remember how the camera crew on Take Down brought several pop-up tents that they could stash their cameras in when we were filming out on the cliffs!

I also remember this movie being my first introduction to ‘rain.’ Back then I had blimps to keep my cameras dry but I had definitely not learned to always keep a wet-weather bag with me with waterproofs, even in summer! Luckily, I was able to shoot on a long enough lens to stay out of the main part of the deluge!

Back then, I didn’t know there was a difference between the stills photographer who shot the unit coverage (the actual filming process) and the photographer, often an advertising photographer, who was responsible for shooting the elements for the poster. Sometimes a movie will get their still photographer to do the studio shoot for the poster, other times they will bring in someone who specialises in advertising photography. For some others, like in the case of Billionaire Ransom, the poster will be made up of several unit stills that were taken over the course of filming.

I love studios shoots as you get to really flex your skills as a photographer as the lighting and directing falls on your shoulders as well as the actual shooting. That said, there is something special about images captured in the moment and often these make for the more impacting posters, as the energy is far more real. The actors were there in that moment of emotion and action; not trying to recreate it in a clinical studio without the ambience of a set or support of other cast.

Poster shoots have their own challenges compared to the unit photography. I recently worked on a big US show as both the unit photographer and the gallery photographer (‘gallery’ and ‘specials’ are other names for the poster shoots for a production) and both had their difficulties to overcome. I’ll be writing a blog post about it as soon as the images are released so stay tuned!

Anywho, despite working on ‘Billionaire Ransom’ being a huge step beyond my comfort zone at the time, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and came away with great memories, improved skills and more knowledge to take me into my next job!

Check out the trailer for the movie on Youtube!

Want to check out more of my unit stills, behind the scenes images or advertising photography from other movies and projects? Check out my portfolio.

The post Billionaire Ransom appeared first on Aimee Spinks Photography.

I’m offering my email subscribers first dibs on the limited deals I’m offering this Black Friday!

Want to secure your Black Friday Headshot before they go out on general sale? Drop your name and email below and get 24hr advanced access to one-time only Black Friday Headshot photography deals.

As a subscriber to my emails, you will get 24hr advanced access to these exclusive deals before anyone else.

These deals have NEVER been offered before and are a one time only special for YOU.

Need a new killer headshot to get you the auditions you want? Sign up and check your emails on Thursday 26th November to see what exclusive Black Friday Deals I’m offering.

Deals go live to everyone else on Friday 27th November so be sure to subscribe to grab them on Thursday before they go! 

The post Black Friday Headshot Deals are coming! appeared first on Aimee Spinks Photography.

Judy is such a great interviewer and in under 20 minutes we had covered everything from the business of stills, my experience on the set of Outlander, what it was like to work with Charlize Theron on The Old Guard, and much much more!

So grab yourself a brew and have a listen!

Want to check out the rest of the show?

The Electric Crush broadcasts live from the Tube City Center for business and innovation in McKeesport Pa. with your favourite DJ’s Punk and Judy on WMCK.FM – the new sound of the Mon-Valley.

To listen in you can download the Tunein app http://tunein.com/radio/WMCKFM-McKeesport-s256079/…

You can also use the Streema app http://streema.com/radios/WMCK.FM_McKeesport

You can use the WMCK.FM media player http://wmck.fm/mediaplayer.html

You can use your favorite streaming player (iTunes, Winamp, Quicktime, VLC, etc.) and enter this url: http://listen.wmck.fm:8000/listen.pls

You can also find them on Shoutcast here: http://www.shoutcast.com/Search?query=WMCK.FM%20McKeesport

And the newest option to listen http://wmckfm.radio.net/

The post I’m on the Radio! appeared first on Aimee Spinks Photography.

John C. Reilly, with whom I worked on the set of the Laurel and Hardy biopic, Stan and Ollie, was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

Unfortunately, he was beaten by the very talented, Christian Bale, for his role in Vice.

BBC America’s dark yet funny ‘Killing Eve,’ did well and not only saw the show nominated for Best Television Series – Drama, but also had one of it’s incredible leading ladies, Sandra Oh, up for Best Performace by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama. Alongside Oh, was nominee Caitriona Balfe, with whom I have been working on the last two seasons of ‘Outlander.’ It was also a delight to see Elisabeth Moss nominated for this award for her role in The Handmaid’s tale, which is quite possibly one of the most gripping series I’ve ever seen.

With talented and deserving competition, I’m incredibly happy to see Sandra win the award. She is one of the most charming and lovely actors I’ve ever worked with. Not only extremely talented and professional but hilariously funny and totally down to earth; Sandra was such a delight to work with and I sincerely hope our paths cross again!

Want to check these guys out in action? Stan and Ollie is out in cinema’s now, and you can find Killing Eve on BBC iPlayer and Outlander over on Amazon.

Want to see more photos from these productions and more? Check out my portfolio!

The post Sandra Oh wins Golden Globe! appeared first on Aimee Spinks Photography.

I’m proud to say I was shortlisted for the Arts and Culture award along with Alicia Daniels from Aston Performing Arts Academy; Daniel Alcorn from Badego/Birmingham Design Festival/Substrakt; Anisa Haghdadi from Free Radical (Beatfreeks Arts); and Laura Tellwright from Town Hall Symphony Hall.

In all honesty, I was certain I wasn’t going to win. The other shortlisted entrants were so strong and I’d always felt like an outsider to these kinds of events. My husband, Andrew Ward, is a thought leader on the tech scene and being the entrepreneur he his, runs several tech companies including his web app agency, Scorchsoft. As a result, he is a regular at these kinds of corporate awards nights, himself being a finalist for Birmingham Young Professional of the Year 2017, winning the Silicon Canal award for Most Influential Male in Tech in 2016 and also taking home his own Future Face award, this one for Entrepreneurship, back in 2016.

I had always bemoaned that fact that the arts never seemed represented in all of these various awards nights so I was delighted to see that the category for Arts and Culture was last year added to the Chamber of Commerce Future Faces Awards.

Working as a unit stills photographer means it can be really difficult to celebrate your work the way most established photographers do. We do not own the copyright to the images we create, and so it can be almost impossible to get permission to display work in exhibitions, books or submit them into prestigious industry competitions. I saw Future Faces as a rare opportunity to be able to share my successes and I am excited to say I won the award!

When you are just focused on doing the best work you can and forever strive to improve, it can be easy to forget how far you’ve come. I wasn’t sure if I had as much to shout about as some of the other shortlisted candidates, but when I sat down and thought about where I had started out and where I found myself now, I can honestly say it made me feel proud.

I grew up in one of the most economically deprived areas of the country, Blackpool, where the arts just weren’t seen as a viable career option. When you’re from a low-income background, you don’t have the financial safety net that enables you to take risks associated with a career in the arts, or even self-employment and many people in this situation feel a heavy pressure to put aside their passions in favour of a seemingly more reliable career path. Even after I achieved the highest GSCE results my high school had ever had, my friends and family would often suggest I have a “back-up plan.”

Being the stubborn person I am, I ignored their advice and committed myself to a 3-year photography degree, moving out and accumulating thousands of pounds in personal debt knowing that my parents would never be able to support me financially if I didn’t make it work. I knew entrepreneurship would be important, so I supplemented my degree studies with my own reading and research into entrepreneurship and self-employment. As soon as I graduated I moved to Birmingham with my boyfriend (now husband) and immediately enrolled onto Birmingham’s BSEEN entrepreneurship program where I learned valuable skills on how to network, pitch, sell and market.

Now 28, 10 years after picking up my first camera, not only have I established a career as a professional photographer, but I’ve done it within one of the most difficult industries to permeate: big- budget film and TV. One rife with sexism and nepotism, though thankfully the former has definitely been on the out.

In a job that is typically held by men over the age of 40, I am now one of the youngest and exceptionally few female (I have only ever come across 3 others) unit photographers to have made it into this role full-time in the UK. Over the years I have had the opportunity to work with actors including Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie and Oscar winner, Eddie Redmayne, photograph Stephen Hawking, and had my work printed on huge billboards across London.

Thanks to amazing photographers such as Jay Maidment and David Appleby who mentored me in my first months and gave me my first door opening opportunities, and to whom I will be forever gratefully, I have wanted to give back. To this end I have, and continue to try and give other young photographers the opportunity to shadow me on set, or give me time to answering questions about the job and offer advice. I’ve also spoken publicly at BSEEN entrepreneurship events about my experiences as a creative professional and entrepreneur, helping those at the start of their journey to make the right decisions, as well as provide free workshops to students at The Royal Conservatoire, Birmingham on actor headshots.

Though I feel I have achieved a lot since starting on my path as a unit stills photographer in 2011, I still have a long way to go in my career and I’m constantly learning and developing my skills. My biggest aspirations include being the main unit photographer on a big action or superhero movie, shooting a poster that makes in into my local cinema, and the honour of being accepted into the Society for Motion Picture Stills Photographers alongside the incredible photographers who constantly inspire me with their work such as Jasin Boland, Giles Keyte, Kimberly French and Jaap Buitendijk.

I want to give a huge congratulations for all the finalists and award winners of Future Faces 2018, as well as a massive thank you to all of the photographers who have inspired me, the programmes that have developed me and my husband who has been not only my best friend, but also my mentor and role model for the last 10 years, in helping me get to where I am today, and I hope that the arts will continue to get support and funding to enable others from less well-off backgrounds to follow their dreams.

Thank you to Edwin Ladd and Jas Sansi for the photos of the event.

Want to see what I shoot? Check out my portfolio!

The post I’m the Future Face of Arts and Culture! appeared first on Aimee Spinks Photography.

“Do I look any different to my current headshot?”

That means….

Have you gained a few years?

Had a few birthdays? It can be surprising how much we change in just a few short years and how that rate of change differs across age groups. Here are my recommendations for how often you should renew your actor headshots when it comes to aging:

Children under 10

This age group is the one that requires the most frequent updates to actor headshots as children grow and change at an incredibly fast rate. It is recommended that child actors update their headshots every 6-12 months. When you’re buying them clothes the next age up, think about getting their headshots updated!

Teenagers:

Teens are still changing and developing each year so it is recommended their headshots are updated every 12 months. This is especially important when younger teens start transitioning into older teens and begin developing more adult features such as developing curves and facial hair, as it dramatically changes their casting type.

Adults:

From 20 years old and upwards, I recommend updating actor headshots every 1-2 years. This frequency is recommended as not only will looks change, but so will your casting type as I mention in more detail further down. In addition to this, a casting director may get bored seeing the same headshots over and over. A fresh one can be the prompt the casting director needs to look at you again and see what new work you’ve been involved with.

Is that it?

Well, no. Other things like these might be a sign you need to update your headshots:

Have you got a new fro?

Rocking a new hair colour? Maybe you chopped it off or have added a few inches, or perhaps you’ve got a weave or are letting loose your gorgeous afro! Whatever the change, it’s a good idea to make sure your headshot reflects your current style.

But what about hair in *other* places?

Beards and moustaches!

The growth or indeed shaving off of a beard or moustache can make you look so different. Take a look at Zach for instance and the difference growing out his hair made!

It’s time to get brutally honest…

Have you put on a few pounds or lost weight?

No one likes to admit they’ve put on a bit of weight but it’s important to be honest with casting directors about your size and shape.

It’s not just weight either:

If you used to be an Adonis and haven’t updated your headshots since you started getting too busy with acting work to hit the gym, a casting director is going to be disappointed when you walk into the audition room and no longer fit the look of the character they need. Even if you haven’t gained weight, have you substantially lost your muscle definition to make you less suited to playing Superman or Wonderwoman without some serious pre-production prep?

But don’t forget…

Pretty much any other kind of change is worth bearing in mind when it comes to updating your acting headshots. For instance, noticeable scars, tattoos and piercings are also good to be honest and transparent about when it comes to your headshots.

The final thing to ask yourself is:

Have I changed my casting type?

As you develop your craft, you’ll discover your casting type and this may change, particularly in the early years of your career. If you feel you are moving away from the kind of characters you used to play a few years ago and want to go in a new direction, headshots are a great way to do this.

For instance; if you want to start being cast for more serious and gritty roles, you might want to consider letting go of your sweet baby faced headshots and updating them with something with a little more edge. Just look at the difference in casting type between the early images of Zach!

Your casting type should always be at the forefront of your mind when getting your headshots done as this is what you want to be selling to a casting director. Speaking of casting directors, why not check out my recent interview with casting director, Sharon Sorrentino and director, Tracey Street, where we discuss exactly what they look for in a headshot and what decisions they make when going through the process of selecting actors for audition!

In Summary:

A new you, means new headshots!

Want to get some new headshots done? Check out the links below!
Interested in booking your next actor headshots? Find out all about my sessions along with prices, HERE. In the meantime, why not check out some of these useful links?

The post How often should you update actor headshots? appeared first on Aimee Spinks Photography.

How to prepare for your actor headshot session…

Your actor headshots are a key marketing tool for your acting career, so it’s important to prepare yourself in order to get the most out of your session. Here are some things you might want to consider:

Think about your casting type.

A good actor headshot is not only eye-catching but also successfully conveys an actor’s casting type. For instance, if you typically play edgier, authoritative or confrontational roles, you may not want to have a bright beaming smile in all of your actor headshots. Conversely, you also don’t want to take those roles too literally and find yourself looking standoffish in your headshots. It’s about subtly suggesting at your casting type, rather than ramming it down the throat of the person viewing your headshots. You still want casting directors to think you’re friendly to work with! (For more of an idea as to what casting directors look for, check out my recent interview with CD Sharon Sorrentino and director, Tracey Street, HERE.)

I always like to have a chat with actors ahead of their headshot session in order to establish what their casting type is, as this allows me to tailor the session and give appropriate direction in order to bring this out in a subtle but effective way.

If you’re an actor at the beginning of your career, don’t worry if you don’t have a casting type just yet; it can take time and experience to fully discover. If you don’t have a casting type, it’s a good idea to think about the kind of roles you’ve enjoyed playing in the past and those you’d like to play in the future. This gives your headshot photographer a good starting point so they can make your acting headshots reflect these areas of interest and experience.

Dress appropriately.

I’ve done a whole in-depth blog post on what to wear for actor headshots HERE which covers everything including which colours are best and why, what fabrics are most ideal and which necklines suit different looks.

The bottom line is you need to make sure you look professional and in something that isn’t distracting so stay away from bright colours, patterns, collars and logos. Make sure your tops are crease and stain-free and be sure to bring options so your photographer can advise on the best tops for you and the look you want to achieve as your choice of tops can make a surprisingly huge difference.

Be fresh!

This might sound obvious but don’t go partying the night before you’re actor headshots; you will look and feel tired and is that really the vibe you want to give to casting directors?

Make-up

A bit of natural, subtle make-up is fine, but avoid looking too glammed up; casting directors want to see the real you. Generally speaking, you’re pretty safe with a light foundation paired with mascara and subtle eye-liner.

If you have woken up with a zit, don’t panic! Most photographers can very easily remove spots and other non-permanent marks but I strongly advise against asking your photographer to remove scars, moles, freckles or tattoos as a casting director will not be impressed if you walk into their audition looking different to your headshots!

Hair

As for your hair, be sure to bring a comb and a bobble, particularly if you have long hair. Even if you don’t normally like you hair up (or even down) it’s worth experimenting with both options during your session as it can have a big effect on your look, especially when working through different expressions and postures.

If your casting type sees you in a lot of period dramas, wearing your hair up can work well with fortifying this suggestion, particularly if in a loose bun or updo that can easily come down half way into your session. A slicked-back ponytail or bun can often work well when trying to give off a practical, confident or authoritative appearance as they are very practical ways to wear one’s hair.

Having the hair down is great for giving a casting director an idea as to the length and thickness of your hair as this can also impact your casting, especially for shows and soaps who don’t expect to ‘wig up’ their cast.

Gentlemen with longer length hair should also consider bringing bobbles or bands to show hair both up and down as, like with their female counterparts, it can make a huge difference to your look.

It’s also important to have options to remove hair from your face should you have particularly thick or unruly locks that have a habit of covering you up – casting directors don’t want to see you hiding behind it!

Trust your photographer

You’d be surprised at the number of actors who are confident on stage and screen but who hate getting their headshots done! It can be an intimidating thought, especially if it’s your first time getting them done. I’ve worked with many actors who do not like being photographed and they have all left smiling with headshots they love and an experience they’d recommend to others. No matter how uncomfortable being photographed might make you feel, a great photographer will know how to put you at your ease and direct you in a way to get amazing acting headshots. My headshot sessions are a collaboration; we work together to see what kind of approach works for you and gets you the best results possible. Every session is tailored to each individual actor in a personal service designed to help you relax, have fun, and leave with headshots that will get you the auditions you want.

Don’t just take it from me! Here are what my previous clients say about their experience with me.

Interested in booking your next actor headshots? Find out all about my sessions along with prices, HERE. In the meantime, why not check out some of these useful links?

The post How to prepare for your actor headshots appeared first on Aimee Spinks Photography.

Sharon Sorrentino is a London based casting director with over 13 years’ experience in the industry, responsible for casting multi-award winning films such as The Journey, Grandfather and The Storyteller as well as authoring The Audition Room,  a pragmatic guide for actors offering tips and inside knowledge on how to land the audition you want.

Tracey Street is a Birmingham based freelance theatre director, as well as an acting and directing coach, and has a show appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival called The Testament of Mary, that completed a sold out run at The Old Joint Stock Theatre in Birmingham, this April.

WHAT’S THE TYPICAL PROCESS YOU GO THROUGH WHEN CASTING FOR A ROLE?

SHARON: When we are the sent the script, we break it down into the characters. Once we’ve broken down the characters with a little more depth, we think about actors whom we think would be a good fit and an interesting choice for those roles, we don’t just want to go for the obvious choice. We check those actors’ availabilities for the production with their agents or directly if they are currently representing themselves. Most casting directors will also put a production and character breakdown out to agents via websites such as Spotlight and CastingNetworks so that they can suggest their appropriate and available clients, though not necessarily for every project we cast. We audition the actors for the roles, usually with the director and/or producer present, though not always at the first stages. Some productions will recall for chemistry reads where we pair up actors who would be playing particularly close roles e.g. spouses, work partners or best friends, if there is the time and budget. We are very involved and always on the actors’ side, fighting for the best actor, not the most famous or the prettiest.

TRACEY: After receiving CV’s and headshots from actors who would like to put themselves forward to be considered for the role(s) being advertised, The first stage of the process for me is to look through the headshots. I’m asking myself, does this person look like how I see the character? Do they have the essence or energy of the character being cast? (e.g do they have a vulnerable quality, kind eyes and smile, a vibrancy, soulfullness, a gutsy urban vibe etc)  If I feel they have a look that I like and connect with for that character then I investigate further into that person. I will look at other headshots they have and any showreel footage.

Also at this stage if I don’t feel like I connect with the vibe and energy of the person in the headshot I will rule them out for an audition. For example, if a person looks unfriendly or moody or might have a bit of an attitude – I am considering that I have to spend 3 to 5 weeks (sometimes longer ) working and creating with this person; I want to choose people I am going to enjoy working with and connect with. Sometimes a selection of headshots that are actors playing only mean and moody put me off – they seem to take themselves too seriously!  Personally I’m particularly drawn to pleasant smiley headshots as they give more of an essence of the person – so I look for the character I’m casting for and I’m looking for the person – the actor – looking for their heart and soul – their essence.

I know actors that have only mean and moody headshots but in real life they are the most pleasant, enjoyable, creative people to work with, but from just their moody headshots I would have ruled them out. Thus I feel it’s good to have a variety of headshots.

After this stage I will look at their CV to see where they trained and what other work they have done, what other companies they have worked for and often if I know particular companies or directors I will get in touch with them to get an informal reference. If a submission gets through these stages then I will call them in for an audition, to meet and work with them in person.

ON AVERAGE HOW MANY ACTORS APPLY FOR A ROLE / HOW MANY HEADSHOTS ARE YOU LOOKING THOUGH TO FILL A SINGLE ROLE?

SHARON: We usually have to look through hundreds of submissions from agents per role that we are casting, as well as thinking on our own ideas and sometimes when specific skill sets are needed we will do searches and they can be in the thousands.

TRACEY: This is impossible to say, there are so many variables.   Some roles I have had to cast I have had a LOT of submissions to get through, particularly for lead roles.  I’ve had up to 70 submissions for some castings.

“The headshot is HUGELY important. It’s the main thing that I look at. If someone doesn’t have a good headshot it really puts me off.  If it’s not a good professional quality headshot it makes me question the actor’s professionalism and quality of work.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS AN ACTOR’S HEADSHOT TO YOU?   HOW MUCH OF A PART DOES IT PLAY IN GETTING THE ACTOR AN AUDITION?

SHARON: An actor’s headshot is the first impression they can make with us and the director and producers. It is part of our job to always be increasing our knowledge base of working actors, so we go to see a lot of theatre and watch a lot of TV and films. We could see someone fantastic in a fringe theatre show somewhere and want to bring them in for a production. If their headshot is not an accurate likeness or is badly posed, lit, not their best side, etc, this can all work against them where the others on the creative team are concerned if they do not know their work.

If we are searching through Spotlight for example, to widen our searches, we are looking at thousands upon thousands of thumbnail headshots before we click on them to look at their CV, showreel and more headshots to investigate those actors further. Again if it is a bad likeness or you are not engaged with the camera you are holding yourself back and will be missing opportunities.

TRACEY: The headshot is HUGELY important. It’s the main thing that I look at. If someone doesn’t have a good headshot it really puts me off.  If it’s not a good professional quality headshot it makes me question the actor’s professionalism and quality of work.   I need to be able to see an actor’s face clearly. I need to be able to see what they actually look like – there’s nothing worse than an actor that you have called for an audition, turning up and looking nothing like their headshot.   If the headshot doesn’t grab me, if I don’t connect with it, then I won’t call that person in for an audition.

I have even gone out of my way to suggest to some actors (that I know and know the quality of their work) that they get better headshots done as the ones they have just don’t represent who they are as a person or as an actor.

WHAT MAKES SOME HEADSHOTS STANDOUT OVER OTHERS TO YOU?   IS THERE ANYTHING YOU LOOK FOR IN PARTICULAR?

SHARON: An actor’s headshot needs to be current, there are so many actors whose headshots are 15 years old. They come in to meet and they look completely different and sometimes not really appropriate for the role. They need to be engaged with the camera and thinking about something. Whether it’s a toothy smile, Mona Lisa smile or a determined and more hard/harsh a look is up to the actor. I would always say the main picture is the most important, a Mona Lisa smile works better for me personally because it’s more open to interpretation than the hard man look or the overly bubbly look. I won’t ignore the other photos though. On Spotlight you can have a number of secondary pictures, this is where you want to show your different looks and expressions as these cause different feelings to the viewer. Don’t use props such as glasses if you don’t normally wear them. Don’t wear distracting tops, frills, crazy patterns or colours which are too bright as these all detract from your face.  Don’t do any arty poses with your hands obscuring any part of your face. What I am looking for is an open picture with eyes very clearly in focus and where an intelligence is conveyed because the actor is thinking about something, not just grinning at the camera.

TRACEY: Some of the answer to this is in the answer to the first question. I like headshots that don’t look too ‘posed’ I want to see the person, the energy, essence and character of that person. I want to see a smiley one, a serious or more neutral one, a warm one, I don’t like to see ‘posed’ ‘acted / ‘playing a part’ shots.   As a director I want to imagine that myself, I can judge that from basic shots of them as serious, smiley, warm etc.

I like to be able to see the persons face clearly and lit clearly (no moody lighting) No distracting backgrounds.  I want to see the uniqueness of that person/actor. Their essence and energy. That’s what I will ultimately connect with.

HOW MANY HEADSHOTS DO YOU THINK AN ACTOR SHOULD HAVE ON THEIR SPOTLIGHT/ CASTING CALL / WEBSITE? DO YOU LIKE TO SEE A RANGE?

SHARON: I think 5 or 6 is a good number. Your main headshot and some others which show you in a different light, darker character looks if your main shot is smiley, or vice versa. A production still in the secondary photos is also a good way to see you in action before viewing the showreel, especially for actors who have not done that much screen work.

TRACEY: Yes I do like to see a range, maybe wearing their hair differently, in different colours and style of clothing also.  I think maybe 4 or 5 gives a good variety. But of course with that main headshot that is full of their character and essence to grab the attention first.

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