2. GET AN 8 X 10 PHOTO AND RESUME
The first tools that you will need are an 8 x 10 photo and résumé. (It is also helpful if you have a "demo reel," which is a short video of clips of your work, but don't worry about this if you are just getting started.) Your photo (a.k.a. headshot) and résumé have specific professional guidelines. The photo is definitely the actor's most important marketing tool, so let's discuss this first.
Get a great photo
Know your type. This is the first step in getting great photos. People need to know what they're getting when they call you in to audition. So, if you are not a model-type, please do not get glamorous headshots. But if you are gorgeous, let the viewer know. Likewise, if you are nerdy, don't try to be slick and all put together in your photo. There are plenty of roles for nerdy types, so just be yourself. To get an idea of your type, watch TV and movies for roles that you think you could have played. Ask your friends, family, fellow actors, and your acting coach how they see you being cast. (The most effective way to get straight answers on this, and the scariest, is to ask complete strangers. One Los Angeles area acting coach has his students pair up and go to the airport and to shopping centers with surveys on how people perceive them.) Ask yourself things like: Are you upscale or downscale in terms of how classy you look? What is the five year age range of roles you could play? Do you have a regional or ethnic flavor to your style? How cool and attractive are you? How innocent or worldly are you? Are you a good guy or a bad guy? A great photo will answer all of these questions!
Get photographer referrals from fellow actors whose photos you like. Compare prices and packages (some will let you keep the negatives, some won't). Look at their book of sample photos before hiring them. Yes, it is their best stuff, but it can be revealing if it is not what you want. Look at lighting in his their shots—make sure the eyes are lit, preferably with a single point of light. And look for personality and relaxation in the sample photos. If you don't know any other actors, then try purchasing The Working Actors' Guide. This is available in LA and NYC editions at Samuel French theatrical bookstores. It is updated every year and lists everything that an actor needs to know, including photographers in your area.
Get your photos taken in the market you want to work. LA photos are different from NY photos are different from San Francisco and Chicago photos. Each city goes through different trends in photos at different times. Currently, natural light and unconventional layouts are popular in LA, but that may not be the case in other markets. So if you're sitting in Denver with a bus ticket to Hollywood or Broadway, wait until you get there to get your photos taken.
Get a commercial shot and a theatrical shot. This just means that one shot will be used for casting commercials, and the other for film, theater and TV. Conventional wisdom has held that the commercial shot should be smiley, and the theatrical shot more serious, but this is an oversimplification. For both types of shots, think about how you will be cast and tailor the photo to that image. It is a good idea to have more than two shots, just for variety. In the meantime, get one great photo reproduced for your agency search.
Write your résumé
Attach you photo back-to-back with an 8 x 10 résumé with staples neatly in each corner, or get résumés professionally printed on the back of your photos. Your résumé will have your name at the top, then the names of any actors' unions to which you belong. A voice mail or message service phone number should be prominent so that the agents will know how to contact you (this will eventually be replaced with an agency logo, if we've done our job). Your height, weight, eye and hair colors come next. Below that, begin listing your credits, or the things that you've acted in (extra work doesn't count). If you have any film experience, that comes first under the heading "Film." Television credits are next on the page, followed by Theater, Training and Education, and finally Special Skills (e.g., trick rollerblading, world champion bobsledder, certified lifeguard). Look at sample résumés online at http://www.lacasting.com/la_home.asp, or ask other actors or your acting coach for tips on layout. Once you have an agent, he or she will probably have specific layout preferences. Don't stress too much about the résumé if you are just getting started. Agencies are much more concerned with your look and your personality than your experience or your talent.
