It’s that time of year again! Summer seasons are being announced nationwide and casting processes are beginning. For any actor, the submission process starts with two things: your resume and your headshot. Believe it or not, headshot selection plays a vital role when submitting for theatre auditions. It’s the first thing a creative team or casting director sees when offering appointments. It’s the first thing you present at an open call or conference-style audition and it can be a huge deciding factor in whether or not you get seen. I think it’s an oversimplification to just say “spend more and get better headshots.” If you are at a point in your career where you can soundly invest $1000 on wonderful headshots with a headshot superstar - absolutely do that! You’ll be paying for a process that factors in all of the intricacies of brand navigation. However, if you are smart in your preparation process and do your homework before submitting to an audition, you can make even affordable headshots work for you without breaking the bank. Here’s how.

Do your research

Learning how to do your own research as an actor is one of the easiest and most effective ways to get ahead during audition season. At the very least, know which shows you are auditioning for. Unless you are submitting blindly, (and trust me, we’ve all been there!) you probably already know at least this. But remember, you aren’t just auditioning for a show; you’re auditioning for a specific vision of that show. This is where the research begins. Learn what you can about the theater. What kinds of work do they usually produce? What creative teams have they worked with in the past? What kind of performers have they cast? If you have enough information to know the creative team and casting teams of the project you are auditioning for, research them as well! Find the trends!

After a little bit of Google-sleuthing, there’s a good chance you’ll see some repeat faces and may notice details about headshot styles and genre similarities. Using this information, submit materials that align with these trends. By submitting for auditions with intention - there’s a higher chance that the materials seen by casting will catch their attention (because it was hand picked to!). Does this mean you need to get new headshots for every audition? Not at all! This research will also focus your submissions by finding threads to follow that already align with your skillset and branding. Remember, the more specific your materials are, the more effective they will be when presented to the right audience!

Take control of your branding

Once you’ve done your research, look at your materials and ask yourself

“Are these specific?”

Your headshots should each communicate a unique story. You probably have a couple of headshots. A “commercial” look, a “dramatic” look, and maybe a “comedy” or “classical” depending on your interests. I always encourage the highest level of specificity you are prepared to achieve. Look within these subcategories and see if you can pinpoint what kinds of stories are being told. The best way to have strong materials to submit is to take control of your own branding. 

Make decisions about the characters you want to be playing. For example, a dramatic shot can be so many different things. Are you a guarded teen in a moment of vulnerability? Are you an older sibling comforting a child? Are you a best friend who has just confessed your love for the one person you can’t bear to lose? Look for this level of specificity in your materials. If you aren’t seeing it, bring this mindset into your next headshot session. A quick, affordable session that is fixated on a specific goal may end up being more valuable to you than dropping hundreds on a session set in a general direction. This is why I offer free branding consultations to all of my clients and send a questionnaire with every booking!

Take Dan here for example. He was an expert of his own branding. He wanted something edgy that could be submitted for dramatic work. Something that says, “things are tough out there but I’m going to get us through it.”

On the contrary, his secondary look tells an entirely different story. I see Silicon Valley tech guru, charismatic youth pastor, mysterious and kind new neighbor, etc.

Sometimes, you find the perfect audition, but you don’t have the right materials. Book a mini session! A lot of photographers offer expedited retouching. I’ve had clients book for a specific audition and have their finished shots ready to go within 48 hours.

I did my homework! Will this get me cast?

Well, not necessarily - but that isn’t the point. Something that stands out is when an actor’s branding is perfectly in line with their skillset. This gets them into the right rooms and seen by the right people. Each time you audition, you leave a mark - whether it results in a booking or not. In an industry where they often say the “interview” is as much the job as the job itself is, you can save so much energy by being intentional about where and how you audition. Do your research and own your branding and you’ll learn to recognize much sooner which jobs are in line with what you offer, and which aren’t. And, if you’re building relationships with your headshot photographers - often they’ll be inclined to help you out if you know exactly what you want and how to get it!