Aaron Marcus explains why bad headshots kill an actor's chances at auditions and bookings. Turn your shoulders slightly, dress in plain colors that don't distract from your face, use a blurred background, and know what roles you actually fit. Your eyes are what sell you.
Look, I can tell you that not having an effective headshot can prevent you from getting the kinds of auditions, bookings, and a career— an acting career that you really want. So watch this video, and I'm going to be sharing with you 4 essential tips that you absolutely want to follow in order to create an effective and eye-catching headshot. And if you watch it till the end, I'm going to give you a special bonus, a, a great present that's going to help you tremendously. Okay, let's get going. Hi, I'm Aaron Marcus, and welcome to my Acting and Modeling Quick Tip channel and the Actor Career Center, uh, where I've got over 280 incredibly helpful, uh, quick tip videos that help people either get started, break into the industry, or will help you take your career to the next level. Look, if you haven't done this yet, don't forget Click this subscribe button and make sure you click the little bell, the notification button, so that way you always know whenever I upload a new video. I try to do them every Tuesday, depends on my schedule. So this way, if you click on the bell, that way you'll know exactly when they are uploaded. And if you like the video, please give it a thumbs up and share the link with other people to help other actors. Tip number 1, how do you stand in front of the camera? You know, a lot of times I've seen actors' headshots, and what they do is they have their shoulders straight to the camera and they are looking into the camera. Sounds great, but you know what? When you're standing straight into the camera, your photo will look more like a yearbook picture or, I don't know, a mug shot. So here's what you want to do. It's subtle, But it's really helpful when you're standing in front of the camera. What you want to do, instead of having your shoulders square into the camera, slightly turn so that one shoulder is slightly closer to the camera. And then you want to tilt your head to your back shoulder just slightly. And what you'll find is it opens you up more. It makes you look more interesting. It's not this static, Look. So that was tip number 1. Tip number 2, and this is crucial, and this is where actors make a huge mistake. And it's not because, you know, they just don't care or anything. A lot of times actors just don't have this information, and it is so important. And I find that quite often, unless you are working with a really, really experienced headshot photographer, they're not able to offer this. So what you need to do is make sure you understand who you are. And what I mean by this, I'm not talking about who you are as a human being. How are you going to get booked? How are you going to be submitted? What kinds of roles are right for you? You've got to let your ego Completely go out of the world here and just concentrate and be honest with yourself. So for me, look, I'd love to fantasize that I'm this great-looking guy, I'm this Brad Pitt, you know, leading man kind of actor, and the reality is I'm not. So I had a choice when I've done and will continue to do lots of headshots and Look, either I can try to let my ego enter my thinking and try to look good-looking and sophisticated. That's just not my look. So I understand that I am everybody's next-door neighbor. I'm the guy you like. I am successful. I am a professional. And that doesn't mean that I can't take on other kinds of roles. Every once in a while I do. Sometimes I do play against type and I do get cast for those. But that's not the norm. Normally, I'm the doctor, I'm the lawyer, I'm the banker, I'm the teacher, I'm the professor, I'm the therapist. I'm the guy that you like. I'm the guy that you trust. I'm someone that you feel comfortable sharing information with. I have this disarming kind of feel about me. And once again, this doesn't mean that that's who you are or necessarily who I am, although I do think I am a pretty good guy. But It doesn't have to be that way, but this is how people perceive me. You need to have that information so that you know what kind of look, what kind of emotions you are going to bring into that headshot. So what I do is I make sure that for all of my headshots, I have this approachability, this friendliness, likability. And what I do for my sessions, I'm thinking about people that I care about, people who are meaningful to my life. I will slightly look away from the camera. I will say a keyword, make a sound, and then look into the camera. And when you are feeling it, your brain tells your body what to do. That energy shoots out of your eyes, and that is how you create. Now, Not a good, not a pretty, an effective headshot. Because what happens most of the time, people are told, well, just give me a nice smile, and they do a nice smile, but their eyes look dead. There's no brain activity happening. Those aren't interesting headshots. Okay, number 3, make sure that your wardrobe is Like nice wallpaper. It enhances your image, but nobody stares at it. If somebody looks at your headshot and says, I love that blouse, I love that top, I love that sweater, love your earrings, love the necklace, love your hat, whatever it is, that means that those articles are taking people away from looking at your face. So for all of my headshots, I always have just a plain— and I use blue Oxford shirts most of the time because it helps bring out my blue eyes. I might wear a dark V-neck sweater. Sometimes I wear a sports coat because it helps fit that image that I'm going after— the professional, the highly educated. Well, I'm not, but that is the look that I have, and I get it. And there's nothing distracting So make sure that your wardrobe fits the character that you're trying to present to the world. Number 4, here's the 4th tip. Your background is also crucial. And I have— I do a lot of private mentoring, and I've given over 800 workshops, and I've looked at hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of headshots from people. And sometimes I look at someone's headshot and I see this beautiful background. I've seen volcanoes, I've seen oceans, I've seen interesting stores and downtown areas, I've seen trees, I've seen the woods. And the problem is, that's what grabs my attention. So what you need to do is have a plain background. If you're shooting inside, certainly you can just have a backdrop. That's not going to be difficult. If you are shooting outside, and sometimes people like to shoot outside, I get it, make sure that the photographer blurs things out so much in the background that nothing is recognizable. So that way everybody focuses in on your eyes, because I'm telling you, your eyes is what's going to sell it. It's that energy. Are your eyes talking to somebody? Does it grab somebody's attention? That's what you need. So just to kind of summarize everything here, make sure you know your positioning, how to stand in front of the camera. Make sure you understand who you are. You know, what kind of character are you going to be submitted for realistically? Number 3, make sure your wardrobe helps enhance the image but doesn't grab people's attention. And have a plain background so there's nothing distracting to people. I hope that is helpful to you. And look, if there are some specific things that you do, you know, for your headshot that you've prepared, please leave a comment below so you can help other people. Oh, and by the way, I did promise a gift for you. You can see it up in the corner here. And here's a link. These are 8 questions that you absolutely need to ask a headshot photographer before you hire one. So watch that video. And, and look, the whole purpose of this channel is to build a community of people helping each other. So please help your fellow actors, share the links through your social media platforms. through emails. Let people know about it so we can all spend time here helping each other. And if you haven't done this yet, just as a quick reminder, don't forget to subscribe, click the bell, the notification button. If you like the video, give it a thumbs up. I'm Aaron Marcus, and I can't wait to talk with you again soon. See ya.
