The Actor's Headshot
Alternate Advertising Uses For Your Picture
Show business is primarily a visual medium. When we think of a particular actor, a certain scene in a film or even a piece of dialogue our mind’s eye immediately recalls what we saw and how we felt about that actor/character or moment in the story. Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight – the opening scene in Apocalypse Now – “I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.” You see all these things in context and have a specific response to them. The same is true with how casting directors, agents and producers think and feel about an actor when they look at their headshot or see them in their mind’s eye.
You are a Penny
Yet actors make the mistake of thinking that the only appropriate place for their headshot is on the other side of their resume. They operate under the mistaken assumption that once they have been seen by the director, agent or producer, they will be readily and easily called to mind by that person at some later time. They fail to realize that by the end of the week, if not the end of the day, that person will have seen a hundred other actors and most likely will have no recollection of any specific one.
Think of it as being one penny in a bowl full of pennies. If the director were to take the time and carefully look at each one they would see their uniqueness, but after a long day, or week, it’s just a bowl full of pennies. So the question is, “How do you stand out in a bowl of pennies?”
The Five Touch Rule
What’s the answer? For you to stand out, you must repeatedly put your picture in front of that person. They will then begin to connect the experience and feelings they had when they met you with your photograph. The more times they see your picture, the stronger this response will become.
People in marketing call this “The Five-Touch Rule” – meaning that the consumer must be “touched” through advertising by the product/service at least five times before they begin to recall it. In your case, you “touch” the producer, director or agent every time they see your picture. Of course, you don’t want to just send them your headshot five times and hope for the best. But don’t worry – “touching” them is easier than you think.
Reach Out and Touch Someone
Here is a list of the various advertising materials that you should be putting your photograph on.
- Business Cards – The photo business card is an absolute must for the actor. Kinko’s, Staples or any print shop can create these for you. Actually, Avery offers very good software and templates if you want to do it yourself.
- Postcards and Thank You Notes – The director gets a “Thank You” note or postcard from an actor, but without a picture on it, she’ll be left wondering, “Who was this?”
- Letterhead – It’s as easy as “copy and paste”, folks. This also includes your email signature.
- Resumes – What about putting a small shot of you from your last project in the upper right-hand corner?
- Video/DVD Reel – The director may end up putting your reel on a shelf for months. When she takes it down, she knows just who it belongs to.
- All Flyers & Review Sheets – What good is it to tell them you’re in a show or that you’ve been nominated for an award, if they can’t remember what you look like?!
To read a related article on this concept go to: Actor Marketing 101 –Understanding The Basic Ideas of Self Promotion
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