Head Shot - Entertainment Industry

Entertainment Industry

Theater, film, and television actors, models, singers, and other entertainers often are required to include a head shot, along with their resume, when applying for a job. These head shots are usually more artistic, intended to portray the subject in the best possible light. They often have the subject facing off-centre. A performer will often have head shots expressing different poses and expressions to give a potential employer an idea of the for subject's range of appearances or expressions. Those types of head shots are called "looks". However, this practice is less common in the current market. It is still common for an actor to have different head shots for their sitcom audition as opposed to their film audition, but for the most part these would represent a change in attire. The headshots that include a person’s shoulders are called "three quarter" shots.

Actors' headshots, when printed and not simply uploaded online to an industry database, are done in an 8"×10" format. Other promotional images, e.g., press shots and lobby prints, may be in many different aspect ratios. Acting headshots are usually 8"×10" prints. Acting headshots are often not photographic prints but will be printed via a lithographic process or the laser process.

The main purpose of an actor's head shot is identification. Therefore the most important feature of an actor's headshot is that it looks like the subject. Actors' head shots should be clear; theatrical headshots are usually very "neutral" looking shots of the actor clearly showing his facial features.

Headshots are intended to show a person as they currently are (age, look, style, etc.) and reflect their best qualities. Therefore, if an actor's hair is recently cut or coloured, they might then need a new headshot to reflect the new image of themselves. Additionally, if an actor has a scar of the face or moles, it should be visible on the headshot and not digitally retouched out of the image. Pimples or spots are temporary and therefore these are usually retouched.