HEADSHOTOLOGY

HEADSHOTOLOGY
In Issue 35 & 36 of ACTORS Ink, I wrote about Michael Chekhov’s Psychological Gesture. Now I want to share tips on how to use the PG to get great head shots that increase your castability. First, I’ll share some fundamental ideas that form the basis of Lisa Dalton’s newly coined term “headshotology”.
Since your head shot is often the first and only exposure you have to get an audition, the care you take in creating it should be no less than the care any art director would take for a print ad. This means every element- font, border, background, lighting, hair, makeup, body posture, framing, and wardrobe can all be crafted to “sell” the product.
As an advertiser, we must first be very clear on what the product is and who will buy it. What will make the consumer(CASTING DIRECTOR) put us in their shopping cart (invite us to meet them)? COMMON CHOICE: My commercial and theatrical pictures are of the nicest, prettiest or handsomest “ME” with and without a smile, respectively.

UNIQUE CHOICE: My pictures reveal varying degrees of intelligence, emotional expression and authority with and without smiles and are used interchangeably for commercial or theatrical.

When you make the common choice, you are offering what the average actor offers. Do you consider yourself average? Will average get your pic put in the Audition Cart?

Most CD’s will say that the key to the photo is your eyes. Why is that? What is it that the eyes communicate? Look at a group of head shots. Ask yourself “What are the eyes doing to me?” This is a distinctly different question than “What are they saying?” In most cases the eyes are doing little and saying “Hey, Look at me!” Is this what a CD is buying?

Try another approach- look at a photo and ask: How would I cast them? If you can’t identify three different ways to cast in about 30 seconds, you can bet that pic will rarely garner an appointment.

Let’s jump back to our Ad Agency POV. What is my consumer(CD) looking to buy?
Easy! Read some Casting notices. Rarely do they request the nicest you with/out a smile. They do often describe the age, ethnicity, gender, the profession or essential actions of the character, and qualities that indicate the emotions, intelligence and authority level that the actor must be capable of acting.

One can say that most characters fall into one of four categories-Hero, Villain, Victim, Bystander. Each type tends to have lesser or greater degrees of Intelligence, Emotional expression and Authority.(Let’s abbreviate this as IEA.)Study a complete breakdown or watch a film or TV show and see if you can categorize the characters according to IEA. Notice the professions that tend to have similar degrees of intelligence, emotional expression and authority. For example Doctors, Lawyers, Business Executives, School Principal, etc. all tend to have strong intelligence and authority and are generally less emotional. If you have a photo that communicates this, a CD can easily see the potential for you to play any of these professions. If I am casting Care Givers such as Parents, Nurses, School teachers, Best Friends, I might be seeking actors offering more emotional support, with authority and intelligence being less important to me. A photo that reveals your ability to care, nurture, support would encourage a CD to bring you in for those roles.

How do I know what categories are best for me?

In upcoming issues, Lisa Dalton continues this article with info on how this relates to PG, how to select photographers, how to prep your shoot and select your pictures. Lisa is available for private headshotology consultation at 818 761 5404. www.chekhov.net

Lisa Dalton on Headshotology- continued from Part 1.

How do I know what categories are best for me? Hero, Villain, Victim, Bystander?

#1. Start with your BODY.
As an actor, I am very honest with myself and look at my body to determine what IEA(Intelligence, Emotional expression, Authority level) it “sells” on first impression. My primary photo might reflect this even though it might be different from my “real” self. As an actor, I want to be able to “act” what my body looks like. This is not always as easy as it seems. For example, a big, tall person might often look intimidating on first impression and in order to survive, may develop a very gentle personality, avoiding authority to gain friendship. Yet the CD is looking for that big person to play the bully. An actor who has not used their authority in this way in life, may not book the jobs until they can comfortably shift from pleasant interview into intimidating the heck out of another character with their acting technique. They do not need to become bullies in real life- just ACT IT on command.

Warning: Be sure whatever you sell in the photo, you can deliver in the meeting!

#2. Consider your ACTING SKILLS.

Next, not allowing your ego to deceive you, consider how well you can act other variations of IEA. For example, you may not be emotionally expressive in life, but when you act, you can turn the floodgates on. Knowing that you can easily deliver that, have a photo that reveals your victim! Have extensive comedy background? Look at a stack of head shots and pick out who you think is funny. You’ll notice that rarely is a person able to reveal their sense of humor with out pushing the edge of good taste into idiocy. So mostly folks submit their smiling commercial shot. This tells the CD that you’re nice--not necessarily funny.
Get a tasteful shot that reveals your sense of humor-if you’re truly funny.
For additional shots, I change the ratio of IEA. For Leading Woman or Man, I want a strong balance of IEA.

How do I put this info into the Head shot?

When you have identified the basic types that you look right for and know you can act, then you want to communicate that to the shutter of the camera, with a photographer who is sympathetic to this approach to Head shots. Now is where we can use the PG. I will offer tips on Photographer selection and Picking from your proofs later.

Select the basic type of character and determine the IEA levels. Let’s use the doctor/lawyer type as an example.
Describe the objectives of the type-to organize, to control, to seduce, to lure, to assess might be some objectives of high intelligence, high authority, moderate emotional expression. While you are describing these objectives, it is possible that your hands may begin doing mini-gestures that express these objectives as physical actions-compress, pull, penetrate. Take those mini gestures and make them a big as possible, following guidelines set out in the PG ARTICLE. Then, do them only in your imagination as you practice in a mirror, video camera or still camera- while changing your face angle and degree of smiles. Start with penetrate and add a quality of concern and you may begin to radiate a warmer Doctor who’s trying to understand how to help you. Change concern to steel and your penetrate can feel more like a tough business person. Gradually change you penetrate to a pull in your mind and see how the smile changes subtly. Add seduction to the pull and see a new quality emerge.
A Smile with intelligent seductive pulling is very different than concerned penetration. As you practice, you start to see angles and images that create different impacts. Note what you like and practice it.

As Lisa Dalton continues, she offers tips on how to strengthen the effect, interview a photographer, wardrobe, final selection and more. Lisa is available for private headshotology consultation at 818 761 5404. www.chekhov.net

PART #3
In Part 1& 2, Lisa Dalton outlined the idea of using marketing skills to identify your product , to assess by using IEA- Intelligence, Emotional Expression and Authority Level, and how to use the Psychological Gesture (PG) to help bring power and uniqueness to your shots. What if it isn’t working?

If, in the beginning, after doing and then just imagining the gesture and quality doesn’t produce a noticeable difference in your smile, in your eyes, then go back to practicing the whole PG. Train your whole body to express the gesture and quality, even though only the head maybe in the frame. When you go back to imagining the PG, if it still doesn’t show, allow the lower part of your body to do some of the gesture off camera. Notice how the eyes change when you pull with your thigh. JUST AS IN A FILM CLOSE UP, ACTORS MUST BE FILLED TO THEIR TOES AND BEYOND WITH THE ENERGY OF THE MOMENT while taking the photo. NO ACTING FROM THE HEAD UP!

I try to have 3 gestures that are different and three qualities that are different and mix and match them for each “outfit”. This way, when I look at my proofs, all of my shots have eyes that are doing something to the viewer. I can then select the one that communicates, with the most versatile clarity, how to cast me. The photo will be specific in its IEA quality and potential yet not so narrow as to be caricature.

Additional tips on other types:
In comedy-I truly want to reveal a sense of humor. Imagine a tickle from your tummy. This is distinctly different from a big smile. In soap opera, I may want deep slow penetration from my eyes and groin. For Care Giver/Boy/Girl next door-to lift, to hug, to protect can work.

GETTING READY FOR THE SHOOT:
When I prepare for the shoot, I select wardrobe that has colors, textures and design to support the IEA that I am revealing. Here, understanding the psychology of color, line, form becomes important. Bright red squares, for example, evoke a different feeling than
soft green curves. Pink Silk evokes a different IEA than gray wool. Black tailored jacket is different than black leather. This essential concept can influence your hair, makeup, wardrobe, background, layout, font, glossy/matte, cropping, trim lines, full body vs head, indoors vs outdoors, etc.

I try to have 3 outfits for each type and know how the makeup and hair might change to harmonize with the image. Straighter lines, hairstyles with more forehead, upright head- indicate more intelligence. Clean angles, darker colors,strong jaws increase authority. Curved collars, softer colors, slightly tilted head, smiling cheeks and nubby textures increase emotional capacity. A soft sweet smile in a business suit doesn’t help me trust that you can manage the business. A seductive look in a plaid shirt sends mixed messages.

As Lisa Dalton continues, In Part 4 of Headshotology, she offers tips on how to interview a photographer, make final selections, and duplication processes. Lisa is available for private headshotology consultation at 818 761 5404. www.chekhov.net

Part 4.

Finding the right photographer:
First - I encourage actors to understand that you are hiring someone to do a job for you. You are the boss. They are not doing a favor for you. They are not the master and you the servant. You are hiring them because of their expertise and so I am not suggesting you ignore their suggestions. Regardless of how much experience they have, you must know yourself and your goals very clearly so that you can assess whether they are willing to think like you and work to bring forth not just the nicest you with and without a smile. You can learn a lot by looking at their book of sample work.

What do I look for when I look at a photographers book?
Ask the castability question: In 30 seconds, can I find 3 ways to cast them?
If you look at ten different clients and they are all generic- this is a tip that the Photographer doesn’t apply the above concepts. It doesn’t mean they can’t or won’t- and if you want to use them, you’ll need to be sure to talk directly with them in advance, explain the ideas(give them a copy of this) and see if they are game. If they appear reluctant- seek another.

Standard assessment techniques:
Who have they shot? Stars don’t need a pic to get them in the door---you do. So shots of famous folks don’t mean you’ll become famous.
Clarity, focus, lighting, varying backgrounds- all of these should be present.
The style of shooting should not call attention to itself- so if a CD looks at a pic and thinks “Oh, Bob Jones shot that” then the photographer’s style has upstaged you.
Arty angles, backgrounds, lighting etc. often can upstage the subject. Shooting up on someone or down on someone alters the IEA(Intelligence, emotional expression, and authority level) impact. Keep that in mind as you study the shots.
Is the actor’s body language in harmony with the message or posed? A genuine smile should go through the toes. Ask how much posing the photographer does. If they control the body strongly, the actor must still be able to let the gesture affect each part of it. This is challenging and I prefer a photographer who is capable of lighting to give me more flexibility.

Framing- Body shot or Head shot? Vertical vs. Horizontal?
With the heavy majority of casting happening via on-line thumbnail sketches, you’ll want a tighter, vertical shot. If you have a unique selling point to your body, have one shot that is specifically designed to feature that selling point. Keep it in the additional pic category. Otherwise, waist , body, and horizontal shots don’t serve you in the digital age.
Discuss this with the photographer so that you don’t waste lots of time on horizontal or body shots that will not be selected.

Clarify all finances and timelines involved from shoot date through the selection process and how it will unfold. With so many new ways, you’ll want a clear idea of how to navigate the process.
Do they work with one lab, etc. digital vs. film- either way you must end up with an online version.
Color vs. black and white?
Let’s face it--color is the wave. Some folks think color upstages the actor. This means more than ever, you must operate like a print ad designer and understand the impact of color, texture, etc. on IEA.
As Lisa Dalton continues, In Part 5 of Headshotology, she offers tips on the day of the shoot, makeup artists and how to make final selections. Lisa is available for private headshotology consultation at 818 761 5404. www.chekhov.net
PART 5 Headshotology

Well, you’ve selected your photographer and they agree to work with you in this approach. Rest well, exercise and drink plenty of water for several days before. Bring all your clothing in the condition it needs to be for the shoot- wrinkles don’t work.

Do they have a makeup artist? Men can usually get away with a little base and powder but for women, get a professional. Be sure to let the artist only do to you what you can duplicate. Remember, it is about qualities and not youth and beauty. For example, types with more feelings have less makeup, more authority has more make up. The make up should not stand out when looking at the photo. Start with the outfit with the least makeup and build up to the one with the most.

If you’re shooting digitally, you may be lucky enough to look at the shots while there. This is the time to be very discerning about your work and the photographer’s work. If you have practiced as suggested, you will be able to adjust your head to meet the lighting needs without losing the gesture and quality. Be firm with yourself to see if you are radiating the qualities you hoped. Trash any questionable shots and adjust any make up, hair and wardrobe changes. Ask the photographer to change the background or lighting to more appropriately capture the quality. He/She should be excited to try to capture these qualities.

When you feel you have it, move on, change, do your new PG a couple of times and shoot away!

Now how do we pick?
Keep going back to your objective-to have pix that make it easy for you to be cast, that look like you and accurately represent what you can deliver. Review quickly all of them. Pick an outfit. Remind your self what you’re selling in this outfit. Start with the first two pix and compare them, select the one you like best, compare that to the third, pick one and compare that to the fourth, and so on. Keep the favorite one as the basis for comparison. If you get stuck, keep one and place the other one aside- or note it. With this process, you should be able to narrow down your favorites. Ask a few specific folks involved in your career- our agent, coach, manager to look at your favorites while giving them access to the whole group. Keep in mind all of those people are hired by you--they work for you- not the other way around. While you have hired them for their expertise and want to listen to that, you are the still the majority partner in your business. The final choice is yours.

Retouching
Keep retouching to an absolute minimum and go with the retoucher your photographer likes. The photographer has a vested interest in your great shots and will send you where they feel the best job will get done.


Photo reprint or litho?
Photos are top of the line- the classiest act of all. The amount one needs is diminished considerably due to online submissions. That’s nice. On the other hand, the quality of litho is so good now, that the financial difference makes this choice quite desirable. Litho also can have the resume printed directly on them, another advantage. It’s up to you, your representation and your wallet!

Good luck with your next set of shots! Lisa is available for private Headshotology consultation at 818 761 5404. www.chekhov.net

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