As a top LA headshot photography studio, we get asked about a lot more than just pictures. Your headshot, resume, and reel are all equally important marketing tools. So if you are new to LA, here is some guidance to help you make a great first impression with your materials. Lets make sure your stuff is what pops to casting! 

Headshots… 

They say, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” so don’t waste this opportunity to wow casting at first sight. Make sure your headshots are current and taken by a well-respected Los Angeles headshot photographer. Yes, a shoot is an investment. But can you afford to NOT get new pictures? If you are out here in Hollywood pursuing your dreams, make sure you equip yourself with the right materials to make that dream a reality. LA photos have a different vibe than those taken out of the city. The eyes pop, the backgrounds are natural, and they are less staged than in other regions. So make sure the look of the shot is modern (read: what casting is looking for right now) as well as recent (read: looks like you at this very moment, not 3 haircuts ago). A great picture shows your reps and casting that you are in the game and ready to book right at this very moment! 

Bonus points if your shots are very character specific. What does this mean? It means having a photo that when you look at it, you can immediately call out 5 roles that the person in the picture could play. Think peppy young mom, overachieving intern, jaded barista, troubled teen heart throb, etc etc. Casting literally gets thousands of submissions. So having a photo that makes you look great is awesome. But having a photo that actually makes you look like the roles you are submitting for will take your work to a whole new level. This is what I feel makes Michael Roud Photography stand out. We understand the art AND the business. So our actors book work auditions and roles with our headshots. They leave with more than pretty pictures, they leave equipped to make their dreams a reality! 

Resumes… 

Your resume needs to tell a mini story about you and your acting career thus far. Over crowded? Time to edit! Empty? Time to build it! Look at the credits you have listed and ask yourself, is this a role I could realistically play right now? If not, take it off. No use having a bunch of roles on there you played in college but would never play now. It will confuse casting about your age or range. Specificity doesn’t limit your creativity, it helps casting find the right place to put you and get you work! 

If you don’t have a ton of credits, consider adding roles you’ve played in readings or in class, just put an asterisk by them and make a note at the bottom of the page so there is no confusion. There is room for a little creative thinking in your credits, but please please be honest! Don’t try to be sneaky and fool casting. If you lie on your resume, I promise you will eventually be called out on it. Someone will know someone who actually worked on that show and will say they have no idea who you are. Keep the fibs off the page and your reputation in tact. 

Also, you want to be someone a film team trusts to show up on time, work happily and efficiently, and get the job done. There is often a lot of money riding on you, so make sure your resume reflects your work ethic. Too many actors overlook proper spacing, consistency, and (God forbid) spelling errors on their resumes. If you don’t have an eye for detail, enlist a friend who does for help. Then go to Staples and buy some nice paper and a folder to keep your pretty new resume from getting all bent out of shape while you’re trekking about the town. Remember, this is a job interview. Cough up the extra $7 for the thick tan paper and put your best foot forward. 

Demo Reels…

Reels are the perfect way to get your work seen in a quick way. It is also a lot easier to get someone to look at your footage from the comfort of their own office chair, than to get them to come to Hollywood at rush hour to see your scene in that showcase. But reels have to do just that for casting, make their lives easier! So, that means no long montages of you being cute at the start. Nobody has time for that nowadays. Our attention spans are short and we seek immediate gratification. So get to the point. After maybe a quick title card with your contact info(which you can also use at the end of your reel too) put your best footage first. No need to put footage in chronological order. No need to tell the whole story of the scene. Keep the focus on you. If your partner has most of the camera time, cut away.  

And again, a reminder to be current! No one wants to see footage from years and years ago. If you can’t play the role now, take it off. And please don’t ask if you should include footage of taped plays you performed in college. They do not read well on camera and will not serve you. Save those to show Grandma over the holidays. 

But what if I don’t have any good reel footage to show? No sweat. In this modern age, it’s easy to put together something to show casting how you read on camera. Just get a buddy to help you record an audition-style scene or monologue you’ve prepared in advance. Keep it genuine, bring your best work, and people will respond to it. Place your eye line or reader just to the side of the camera so you aren’t looking directly into the lens. That will make you look more professional. You shouldn’t even have to worry much about editing with this. A straight forward audition on tape is an industry norm today. And having something to show casting, even if it can’t be your dream role on Breaking Bad yet, will put you head and shoulders above a lot of your competition. So get out there and show ’em what you’ve got! 

Break legs! 
Megan