To be a true professional actor, headshots are going to be the key item you keep in your toolkit in Richmond, Virginia. It may seem harsh but it doesn’t matter how talented you are, without headshots it makes it much harder for directors and casting directors to notice you for any upcoming parts in any production. They show casting directors what you look like so they can decide whether to bring you (or someone else) in for the audition. Fair or unfair, most actors get hired not just for their acting ability, but because of what they look like. If a production needs an Asian person, they will never consider you if you are white, this is probably the only industry where they can legitimately discriminate against people based on what they look like without getting into trouble.
When a production company hires a casting director in Richmond, Virginia, it then becomes the casting directors job to find the right actor for the parts that are being cast for. They will normally sift through thousands of headshots every day to find that actor that will fit the roles being cast for and then they will bring that person to the audition room to see if that person is a good fit in person and fits the vision the director had in mind for the character and film. With that being said, the first impression you make on the casting directors in Richmond, Virginia is extremely important.
Casting directors have learned how to look at an actor's headshot and get a sense of how experienced that person is and whether they seem the type to take their acting seriously, while being professional. They can also figure out if you can act, yes seriously they can get a sense of this by just noting your expression. They can see if you are well trained or not, while also knowing your brand and what type you fit into. In order to get yourself booked in Richmond, Virginia you will need a great headshot, footage showing your acting ability (demo reel) and a resume with your training and or credits. Without those three basic marketing materials, it is almost impossible to get booked, even for non-speaking background roles in Richmond, Virginia.
So the question now is what should an actor's headshot look like in Richmond, Virginia? To put it simply, an actor’s headshot needs to show you clearly, have a good expression and look like you spent some money on it. Low budget, unprofessional headshots tend to perform poorly because casting directors (who look at thousands of these a day) can tell right away if you spent money on it and shot it with a dedicated headshot photographer. Their thinking goes, “If an actor has a low-budget headshot (one that doesn’t look expensive”, they probably won't take their career seriously and won’t be worth bringing in.”
Headshots should be stapled to the back of your acting resume in Richmond, Virginia. Resumes should be cut down to size or printed on matching 8 x 10 inch paper. You should staple your headshot to your resume on all four corners, with the staples positioned a quarter of an inch away from the photo’s edges. Staple them together with the headshot facing up, so that the staple’s pincers are visible only on the resume side.
Alternatively, you can opt to have your resume printed directly on the back of your headshot. Some casting directors discourage this, however, as they prefer to separate your headshot and resume for filing. Printing your acting resume directly on the back of your headshot can also make it more complicated to update your resume. It is important to keep your resume up to date in Richmond, Virginia. Having an up to date resume can ensure that you are noticed and will get more auditions in Richmond, Virginia because casting directors will be able to clearly understand what experience you already have and the skills that you have as well without having to ask too many questions before setting up the audition.
