In the previous section we discussed three of the four components to PZR development: 1. Self-assessment, 2. Skill, 3. Friendship

We will now discuss the fourth component: Accomplishment

Casting people want to know what you can do and how well you can do it. Your self-assessment will help you clearly define, and put on paper, your past performance related accomplishments and other skills you possess. This information will be useful when you compose a résumé (a summary of your performances, training and skills) to send to casting people. However, simply submitting a résumé listing your professional credits, although usually necessary, is not enough.

Believe it or not, no matter how many wonderful credits you list on the résumé you send to a casting person, there will be other résumés sitting in that casting person's pile of submissions that come from actors who have more credits, went to better schools, or have had better instructors than you have had. Does this mean they will get the part? No. Not at all. Not - at - all. Why? Because not only do casting people want to know what you can do, they also want to know how well you can do it.

Along with past performance, training and skill information, you need to develop resources that will help casting people determine how well you perform your job as an actor. You need resources that say,

"Hey, casting people, not only have I attended numerous classes and workshops with excellent instructors, but they were really excited about the high quality of work I achieved. And not only did I performed some excellent leading roles in local and regional theatres, but man-o-man did my directors love working with me. And the reviewers? And the audiences? Holy moly, standing ovations! Every night standing ovations!"

You need to develop PZR enhancing resources to help get casting people excited about you; to want to see you; to want to represent you; to want to audition you; to want to cast you.

What are these resources? They are actual performances, letters, photos, résumés, tapes, videos, articles, reviews, programs and program notes, performance notices, publications, personal recommendations, complimentary tickets, word-of-mouth and personal associations.

How can they help? Here's an example:

Let's say you are 16, live in a good-sized midwest city that has enough commercial, industrial and film work to support two agencies. You will graduate high school in a few years. You have been taking acting classes at school and have taken a few workshops outside of school including classes in improvisation. You belong to the acting club and the forensics club. You have been in local community theatre productions for three years, and got a small role (non-union) in a production with the local regional repertory company. You are 20 or so pounds overweight, your hair is quite unruly and although you are attractive, you are not leading lady material. You have never gotten the lead. However, you get good supporting roles and have managed to receive a favorable mention in a review in your daily newspaper when they reviewed the repertory production you were in.

You decided to seek representation with one of the two local agencies in your city. You are interested in commercials and films. The instructor of your improvisation workshop (Joe Schmo) is represented by an agent (Jane Doe) at one of the agencies, although Jane Doe only handles voice-over talent.

What do you do? You compose your résumé, get a good photo of yourself, a copy of your review, a glowing letter from your improvisation teacher (and a promise that she will mention you to her agent), and you get a letter from your drama teacher that indicates how great you are and what a reliable, hard-working, enjoyable, energetic, enthusiastic, determined actress you have been.

You compose a brief cover letter that states your intention to seek representation and that you would like to arrange an interview. You make sure to mention your working relationship with "Joe Schmo" (your improvisation instructor), who is represented by "Jane Doe" (the agency's VO agent).

You mail your stuff.

The next morning, a stack of 25 actor submissions is delivered to the agency. They all contain a photo and a résumé and a cover letter. Two of them are from young women who seem to fit character actress types. One from you and one from another young woman similar to you who also has numerous school and community theatre credits. However - your submission also contains your PZR enhancement resources (the review, the letters and a good word from Joe Schmo).

The agent who receives your information is not in any need for another young character actress at this time. However, there is this one actress who has a couple of nice letters, an interesting photo and résumé, has a good recommendation from an actor Jane Doe represents and "Hey, isn't this girl the same one I saw at the rep last year? She was pretty good. Maybe I'll have her come in for an interview after all."

Accomplishment. Now, aren't you glad you had the foresight and where-with-all to build up those PZR enhancement resources? Aren't you glad you took the time to not only tell the agents what you can do but also how well you can do it? Yep, you sure are glad.

The above scenario is a bit of a fantasy. Most of the time, your first submission to an agency will not result in an agent calling you in to be interviewed. You might get a call with your first submission, but it really is not too likely.

That first submission is actually another step in developing your PZR. Let's review:

Casting roles for a professional production is a process that essentially requires casting people to:

1. read and analyze the script.
2. breakdown each speaking role into concise, descriptive profiles.
3. notify agents of the roles that need to be cast.
4. comb through files of actor pictures and résumés to find those actors who meet the breakdown descriptions and who have the training, talent, skills and appearance needed to fill each role.
5. contact available actors who meet the breakdown descriptions and arrange for auditions.
6. hold auditions, possibly taping each actor's performance for later review by the casting director, producer, director, and, as for a commercial, advertising agency people and their client representatives, or for a feature film, studio representatives.
7. review auditions.
8. notify actors who make it through the first round of auditions and arrange for "callback" auditions.
9. hold callback auditions, probably taping each actor's performance for later review by the casting director, producer, director, and, as for a commercial, advertising agency people and their client representatives, or for a feature film, studio representatives.
10. notify actors who make it through the first round of callbacks and arrange for another callback audition.
11. repeat the above process until all the speaking roles are cast to everyone's satisfaction.

As you see, this is a rather time consuming process. Agents, casting directors, directors and producers are busy people. Depending upon the project, the entire casting process for a commercial, film, play, video, etc. takes from a week up to a few months. With only a few days to a few weeks to complete the casting process for all the roles, it is no great surprise that casting people first turn to the actors whose work they already know and trust. It is faster and easier to call upon familiar actors, those who are tried and true, instead of spending many days and many long hours contacting and auditioning new actors whose work is unknown, who might turn out to be difficult to work with, or who might do or say something that creates problems for the casting people.

Casting people like to work with actors whose work they already know. However, sometimes new actors do get a chance to audition for professional roles when:

• there are many roles to be cast
• known actors are unavailable
• known actors cost more than the part is budgeted for
• known actors aren't right for a role
• a casting person feels a new face is needed for a role
• a casting person is impressed with a new actor's work, professionalism and personality and wants to give her/him an opportunity
• a new actor is recommended by someone whose judgment the casting person trusts

It is the above situations that give new actors a chance to get into the business. These opportunities happen quite often. How many actors do you see on TV or in films or commercials that you did not see a year or two ago? If you kept a list, you would find quite a few new faces popping up every year; in both starring and supporting roles.

It is your job as an actor to be ready when one of the above opportunities presents itself. This preparation involves the following:

1. Find out who the important casting people are
2. Establish relationships with these casting people
3. Establish relationships with other people in the industry
4. Develop those relationships
5. Study and develop performance skills
6. Develop a professional attitude
7. Learn about the entertainment industry
8. Don't give up

Making first contact with a casting person is part of the process that leads to getting roles. Although it would be nice if you received a response to your initial contact, you now realize it is not too likely to happen. So you will not be too disappointed when you do not get a response. That's just the way things usually work.

When making first contact with casting people, your primary intention is to establish a relationship with them. As one-sided as that initial relationship is, your first submission lets them know you exist and are interested and available to meet with them to discuss acting possibilities.

After you have made your first contact with casting people, you need to develop those contacts into on-going relationships. You do this by using numerous PZR resources: actual performances, letters, photos, résumés, tapes, videos, articles, reviews, programs and program notes, performance notices, publications, personal recommendations, complimentary tickets, word-of-mouth and personal associations.

Becoming a professional actor isn't something that just happens. It is the result of a process. It is the result of intelligent planning, preparation and persistence.

PZR Resource: Your Résumé

When sending a résumé you should include a brief cover letter. A cover letter should be only a few short paragraphs in length. Don't write a lot of philosophical babble, explanations, apologies or other such stuff. Your cover letter should include a short introduction. Maybe a brief statement about how you came to contact the person you are hoping to audition for. (Did a mutual acquaintance suggest the contact? Use their name). Perhaps a line or two about why you are eager to have them see your work. A simple sentence or two flattering the recipient's own performance, directorial skills or well deserved reputation won't hurt - but don't get all stupid about it.

At the end of your cover letter, state that you will call the agent in a week and hope to arrange an interview. It is important that you actually call in a week. If you do not call, the agent is likely to believe you are not too dependable. That would not be good. You may or may not be given a time for an interview. If the agent does not want to set an interview time, do not take the disappointment personally. There can be many reasons the agent will not see you right away. Few actors secure an interview the first time they contact an agent. Thank the agent and ask if it is OK if you contact them again in a few months or so. Chances are that will be acceptable. Remember, your primary intention is to establish a relationship with them. That first contact is the first step to establishing that relationship. You have your foot in the door. The agent just doesn't know it yet.

The résumé you send with your cover letter is a brief summary of your performances, training and skills. It is an important document that:

• gives casting people some notion of what you have done as an actor and as a student of acting
• shows your experience and training
• reminds the casting people who you are after you leave the audition
• is your first opportunity to sell your performance skills and talents to a casting person who is hoping you are the actor they are looking for
• is the instrument that can motivate an agent, casting director or director to call you in for an audition

When seeking agent representation you must provide a résumé to prospective agents. When you attain representation, the agent will probably change the format to match their agency format. That is OK. They should not charge you for this. Your agent will provide copies of your résumé to the casting agents as needed. You should not pay for this either.

There isn't really any "correct" résumé format. Of course slopping any old thing together will not do. The person looking at your résumé won't spend a lot of time trying to find the important information. So your job is to make your résumé neat, easy to read and contain only relevant information.

Generally speaking, a résumé should fit on one side of an 8 X 10 piece of paper. It should be neat, free of spelling errors, printed in a clear, easy-to-read type face, no smaller than 10 pt type size. It should be single spaced except for paragraph and heading breaks. It should be printed on a good quality paper in black ink. You can use colored paper stock if you like, but avoid bright or fluorescent colors, heavy textures, fancy papers with embedded chunks of flowers and weeds, glued on glitter, stars, stickers and other amateurish embellishments. In other words, keep it simple and professional looking - unless you intend your résumé to go immediately into the trash bin.

Staple your résumé to the back of your photo facing outward. One staple in each top corner will suffice. It is important to staple your résumé to your photo so they do not become separated as they are handled. You can, if you choose, print your résumé on the back of your photo (home inkjet and laser printers make this easy) however, this means that every time you update your résumé (which might be often) any supply of photos you have imprinted with the old résumé will have to be discarded.

At auditions, don't ask to borrow the casting agent's stapler. For some reason this offends them. Must be a shortage of staples or something.

The following is a basic format that will get you started and work in most situations.

Starting from the top:

• Name, Union Affiliations And Contact Info
• Personal Info
• Performance Info
• Training
• Special Skills

Name, Union and Contact Info

You should put your name at the top of the page. Boldfaced type 16-18 pt size, centered. Below that, in a smaller type face, you should put any performer unions of which you are a member (AEA, AFTRA, SAG, AGVA).

If you are not a member of one or more performer unions do not fret. Eventually, if you persist, you will have the opportunity to join. When that happens include it on your résumé.

Do not lie about union membership by listing unions to which you do not belong. Your deceit will be discovered and it might result in you being barred from joining the unions.

Next you include contact information. If you have an agent you should put your agent's name and phone number. Your agency probably has a specific format for this.

If you don't have an agent, then you need to put personal contact information so you can be reached. For security reasons do not use your home phone number. It is best to get a cell phone number or voice mail number which you can check regularly throughout the day. You should not put a mailing address on your résumé. However, if for some reason you feel you need to list an address at which you can receive written correspondence, then get a PO Box or a business mailbox address instead of your home address. Never put your social security number on your résumé.

Assume that scam artists and other undesirable people will get copies of your photo and personal contact info. People up to no good go through agents' garbage cans in search of discarded photos and résumés. Unscrupulous casting people will sell photos and résumés to people who sell over-priced services to unsuspecting actors. If your photo and résumé is obtained by unscrupulous people, you will at the least get pestering phone calls and solicitations that will inevitably pressure you to spend spend lots of money. Worse yet, you could become the target of sexual deviates and other criminals. Yes, this really does happen and you could easily be duped into placing yourself into a dangerous situation. When you get an agent, replace your personal contact information with your your agent's contact information.

Personal info

The next section of your résumé is for your personal statistics. Put the heading PERSONAL, in boldface type, capital letters and underlined. Beneath that if you are female list your height, weight, hair color, eye color and vocal range (if you are a singer). If modeling is involved include your dress, pant and shoe sizes, bust, waist and hip measurements. If you are a male, list your height, weight, hair color, eye color and vocal range (if you are a singer). If modeling is involved include your collar, sleeve, coat and shoe size, waist and inseam measurements.

Performance info

The next section of your résumé lists your performance experience. This experience should include performances that were broadcast on TV or radio, films that were intended to be shown to the general public, CDs or videos for distribution to the general public or for business groups, and live performances before a general audience.

Try to organize your experience section (acting, singing, dancing, whatever) in some sort of logical order that will highlight your strong points. If you are trying out for a part that needs a strong singing voice, and if you have a strong singing voice, then you will want to place your singing experience at the beginning of your experience section. Try to make your experience reflect the kind of part for which you are auditioning. For instance, if you are auditioning for a heavy drama, don't put your light comedy roles first. Put your heavy drama roles first.

What if you don't have any heavy drama roles? Only musical comedy roles? Do your best on the résumé and then try like the dickens to build up some heavy drama experience (assuming that's what you want to do).

If the part you want requires a strong singing voice, but you have a weak singing voice - try out for a different part. Same for acting, dancing or whatever.

Don't include "extra" work on your résumé. A lot of actors use extra work to pay the bills, but it doesn't belong on your résumé. Do not include scene studies and monologs you performed in classes.

If the résumé is not for any specific role or person (like one you might send to an agency), then it should be geared to reflect the kind of work you hope to get (and are trained and skilled enough to do well).

You should develop different types of résumés that focuses on the different types of acting work you do. For instance, you may want to have both a theatre and a film résumé if you have done extensive work in both areas.

List your experience using a three-column format.

The first line of the first column should be the heading for the category of your experience (TELEVISION, FILM, THEATRE..). This heading, as with all headings, should be boldfaced, capital letters and underlined. Leave the second and third columns blank.

The next line begins your list of performance experience. You list your experience starting with your most recent.

In the first column you list the titles of the various productions in which you performed.

In the second column you list the type of role you played in each production. Types for roles are:

For television: Starring, Co-Star, Recurring, Series Regular, Guest Star, Co-host, Host.

For film: Starring, Co-Star, Supporting, Featured

For theatre: Lead, Co-Lead, Supporting

In the third column you list the name of the production company for each production. There are some variations to what you can list in the third column. For theatre productions you should include the city (if a touring company, put "Tour" instead of the city name) and include the director's name if the director is noteworthy. For film productions you can include the type of film (Feature, Student Film, Short Film, MOW [Movie-Of-the-Week plus the broadcast company ABC, UPN, CBS, etc]). You should include the director's name if the director is someone noteworthy. For television productions include the broadcast network.

It is important to tell the truth about your performance experience. Do not list a production you were not in. Do not indicate a role greater than you actually performed.

Other performance experience (voice-overs, promos, music videos, etc). can be handled in a two or three column format. Usually the name of each production is listed in the first column with the name of the production company in the second column. You can use a third column if you feel other information is advantageous to list, like the director's name or the name of the character whose voice you performed or the name of the sponsoring client.

The last part of your performance section is for commercials. For this part, you simply put the heading, COMMERCIALS, in boldface type, capital letters and underlined. Beneath that you put "Conflicts upon request". that's all. Do not list any commercials you have done. Just put "Conflicts upon request". If you have not been in any commercials, omit this section.

Training

The next section of your résumé is for acting-related training. Put the heading TRAINING in boldface type, capital letters and underlined. Beneath that list any skill development classes you have taken. These should be performance related classes like acting, improvisation, voice, dance, singing, musical theatre, voice-over, cold reading, auditioning, on camera, monologue, etc.

There is no particular order for listing your training. Arrange each item in whatever way seems appropriate. List your training with a three column format. The first column is for the type of training you received. The second column is for the name of your instructor and the third column is for the place where you received the training.

Special skills

The next section of your résumé is for any special skills you have that might be useful to help you get acting work. Put the heading SPECIAL SKILLS in boldface type, capital letters and underlined. Beneath that list your skills. These should be listed as one continuous line with commas separating each skill.

What special skills might be useful? Could be anything. A casting person might be casting a film where the actors must ride horses dressage style. An actor who is accomplished at riding dressage style is likely to be considered for the role over a comparable actor who does not ride dressage style. So if you know how to ride dressage style, you would list that as a special skill.

A special skill is anything you know how to do well. Are you good at playing an instrument? List the instrument(s). Are you a good skater? skateboarder? skier? dancer? List them. Can you fluently speak a foreign language? List it. Can you weld? bowl? cook gourmet food? List it. List any skill you have that you think might be useful for securing a role. Try not to make the list too long.

As you perform in more and better productions, you will start to build an extensive list of experience. At some point you will want to update your résumé. Start dropping the weaker items from your list. Begin cutting those school shows, small or ensemble parts, non-speaking roles, etc. You will also need to regularly make changes to your training, special skills and personal sections.

Finally, keep improving your résumé by working on improving your skills. Develop more skills. Take workshops, classes, private lessons and perform in whatever you can.

PZR Resource: Your Photos

A good photo will greatly enhance your PZR. A bad photo will quickly find its way to the trash bin.

Photos are an essential tool for actors. Every audition you attend, every letter or résumé you send to an agent or casting person should include your photo. When you are represented by an agent, your agent will send your photo and résumé to casting directors. If you have a good agent, and if you are talented, skilled, dependable, and eager to work, this will happen frequently. You need to provide your agent with a lot of photos. They should not charge you for photos, or for keeping photos on file, or any other fees.

Sometimes, an agent will ask that you get a different photo taken. (This should not be handled or done directly by the agency). Good photos are expensive. You do not have to run right out and get another photo taken, assuming you have a good photo to begin with. However, this is a judgement call. You should discuss this with your agent. It might be the case that the photos you had taken were good for getting you an agent's attention, but they might not be right for selling you to casting people. If your agent suggests that you get new photos, discuss the reasons why. The agent might have some good reasons why your current photo wouldn't be right.

If the agent suggests a specific photographer, then the agent should suggest two or three others too. The agent should not make the photo shoot appointment for you, or set up the shoot in the agent's office, or tell you that you have to use a specific photographer if you want representation or charge you a fee of any kind. All these things indicate you are being scammed and you should get another agent.

Photos for Children

For toddlers and young children, a good quality, close-up photo is acceptable. If an agent or "manager" tries to tell you that you need to get expensive professional photos done of your toddler or young child - especially if they provide the photo services or tell you someone you need to go to - they are scamming you and you should go elsewhere for representation.

Toddlers and young children change their appearance so much over a year, there is no need to get expensive professional photos taken. Don't let ANYONE try to convince you that an expensive, professionally shot, studio photo will give your child an advantage. It won't. No legitimate agent or casting person requires it. In fact, what they really want to see is that wonderfully candid photo of your kid. You know, that great close-up you took in the park a few weeks ago. The one where she smiles so big and broad, with her first little tooth gleeming in the sun, and her eyes are all lit up and her smile makes you feel all warm and cuddly inside - that one. That's the one that will sell you child to the agent and director

BUT, make sure the photo you use of your toddler or youngster is fairly recent. Get new photos at least every four to six months. Make sure you send the new ones to all the agents you sent the old ones to.

The picture should be clear, in focus and in good physical condition. It should show well defined facial features and not cast in dark shadows.

A close-up head or head and shoulder shot is desireable. A shot that depicts your happy, smiling child, and which shows off your child's wonderful, energetic personality is best.

Your child should not wear clothing with distracting patterns nor wear clothing that obscures your child's face.

Your child should not be sharing the photo with an animal, other children or props or scenery that distract from your child. Include you child's date of birth.

Photos for Everyone Else

These should be done by a professional photographer who specializes in taking photos for actors and who has a reputation for being good at it. They look easy. They are not.

What type of photo should NOT be used?

• Photos from a picture taking machine at the mall, train station or amusement park.
• Photos taken at a mall or department store photo studio.
• Glamour photos
• School photos
• Candid snap shots taken by a friend or family member unless the family member or friend is a professional photographer who specializes in taking photos for actors and has a reputation for being good at it.

The only exception to the above is snap shot taken for submission for extra work. This snap shot should show most of your body and you should be standing in front of a neutral background. It should show you as you really look without gimmicky poses, props or costumes.

A bad photo adds nothing to your PZR. It could even diminish it by making you appear less than you really are. A good photo can greatly enhance your PZR and prompt the casting person or agent to give you a call.

What makes a good photo

There is no magic formula. What works well for one actor could be absolutely the wrong thing for another actor. You are usually safe with the traditional headshot. This is a close-up of your head with some shoulder included. However, you and your photographer might also try half or three quarter body shots with some simple, comfortable poses that convey your overall figure and/or a sense of your personality. You can even get a composit made. A composit is a grouping of two or more "looks" on a single 8X10 sheet. A composite is usually only done if you are aspiring to be a character actor and want to depict several character looks you are good at.

First and foremost, a good photo for submission to an agent or casting person should look like you. It should look like the way you look every day. Not a dramatic, stylized image of you. If you had long hair the day your photo was taken, then several months later you get your hair cut and styled, get new pictures. Your picture should look like you. Prominent imperfections like tooth gaps, crooked noses and the like should NOT be retouched. A good photographer can minimize such things by lighting and posing methods. A bad photographer can maximize them too, so watch out.

This is no time to deny your imperfections. Everyone has them. Look at your imperfections with as much objectivity as possible. Deal with them in an objective, practical way. If your nose is big, then your nose is big. People with big noses can make a decent living in the acting business. They don't, however, make it a prominent feature on their photo - unless that's what they're selling.

Most photos are done in black and white, although there is a current trend toward color. For black and white photos, lighting should be even with a full range of grey tones from white to black. Color photos are trickier than black and white. Color can create odd looking shadows and make clothing and makeup selection more difficult. Poor lighting, poor filter or film selection can create an overall effect that is too warm or too cool.

High contrast, dramatic lighting usually doesn't work well with head shots. Such photos may be appropriate PR photos, but they are not sent to casting people when seeking representation or auditions.

Unless you have a really good reason for doing otherwise, you should be neat and clean. You should wear street make-up, not model or glamour make-up. You should wear nice, attractive clothes in which you feel comfortable. Everyday clothes. Not dirty or torn or wrinkled. They should be in good condition, and low key. Your clothes should enhance your body, not be the focus of the photo. Do not wear hats or hold props.

The person who views your photo should be drawn first to your eyes, then the rest of your face then whatever parts of your body are within the frame of the photo. If there is an element of the photo that first attracts attention other than your eyes and face, then it better be for a well-planned, specific reason or you have lost the value of your photo.

What is an example of a well-planned reason? Well, say you are a muscular, bald male with deep pock marks, a long facial scar and a great big handlebar mustache and you only want to be considered for character parts that require a menacing, out-of-the-ordinary-looking male. A photo that emphasizes your muscles, scar, pock marks and mustache instead of your eyes would likely be a good choice.

What should you wear to your photo shoot? Well that depends upon what "look" you are trying to convey. Your look should be consistent with your "type". Are you trying to convey that clean-cut, cheerful, schoolgirl look you see in many commercials? Then wear a simple, nice looking, uncomplicated blouse and skirt or dress with medium to light colors. No jewelry or heavy make-up. Don't let your hair style dominate your photo image.

Are you a muscular, rugged, outdoor girl who is looking to do muscular, rugged, outdoor, action roles in film or commercials? Then wear clothes that reflect that kind of image.

Take a variety of clothes that will reflect different looks that work for you. Then discuss the possibilities with your photographer. You will want to get a number of different poses and looks photographed so you can be a bit more flexible in deciding on one or possibly even put together a composit of different looks appropriate to your type.

Just keep in mind that the image(s) you convey with your photo will steer casting agents to consider you for the kind of roles your look suggests you are capable of doing. You won't be hired to do commercials to sell household goods or banking services if your "look" is pink hair and lip rings.

You will need to update your photo whenever you make some significant change to your appearance. If you significantly change your hair length, if you get significant cosmetic surgery, get your braces removed, that sort of thing. Other than that you should update your photo periodically to keep it fresh. Once or twice a year. Which takes us to cost.

Cost

You should not spend many hundreds or thousands of dollars on photos. Your photo session should not cost any more than $500.00 or so. For your money, you should get a role of film shot, a contact proof sheet or machine proof prints of the various pictures taken. You use the proof sheets to select the pose or poses you want enlarged and made into the final original prints. Usually one pose on an 8X10 is sufficient, but you might feel that two or three poses arranged within the 8X10 format is better for you. Usually it is not, but you might feel it is. It is your choice.

You will need a lot of copies of your selected photo; perhaps 100 to start. You can get photographic reproductions done (expensive but usually the best quality). You can get printed reproductions done by a printer using the offset printing method (less expensive, but make sure you use a good printer). You can get digitally printed copies but unless you use a high quality scanner and a high quality inkjet or laser printer, the quality will not be as good as the other two options.

In all cases, keep in mind you should do as little touchup as possible. Temporary facial blemishes can be removed, but do not remove other facial features like wrinkles or a gap between your teeth. If your nose is big, you might work with the photographer so as not to accentuate it. But don't digitally reduce it's size so you look "better". Gosh, your big nose might be the facial feature that lands you work.

Finding a Photographer

Where do you find a photographer? If you live in a large metro area where there is lots of professional acting work, there are apt to be several or even dozens of photographers. If you live in a small town - good luck! You might want to search in a larger town near by.

Personal referrals are usually better than blindly calling numbers in the phone book. Ask other actors you know. If you do not know any other actors, then get to know some. Do you have any professional repertory companies or other professional theatre groups in your area? Call them and ask about area photographers who are experienced with theatrical and commercial head shots. Attend a professional show with local actors in the cast. After the show, go backstage (or wait until they come out the stage door exit) and talk to some of the actors. Be brave. The worst that can happen is that someone asks you to leave and you won't be able to talk to any actors - which is exactly the same position you were in before you went backstage - so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

If you live near a college that has a professional theatre training program, or an acting training conservatory, call some of the acting instructors and ask them about local photographers. If you have an AFTRA, SAG or Actors' Equity Association (AEA or Equity) office near you, call them and see if they have a list of local photographers.

Call agencies and ask whose work they like. Look at ads in the actor trade papers (if you have any in your area) or on-line at actor organizations that list local resources. Check out your state's film commission to see who is listed in their production guide. And check on-line via the search engines and via the AWOL Search Machine: http://www.redbirdstudio.com/AWOL/AWOLSearchForm.html

If all else fails, then open the phone book and start calling. However keep in mind that an acting photo is NOT a modeling photo. It is NOT a glamour photo. It is not a high school yearbook picture. It is NOT a Polaroid picture. It is NOT a picture your friend or relative took because they have a nicer camera than yours.

Make appointments with 3 or 4 photographers. See each photographer's studio. View samples of their work. If each sample looks pretty much like all the other samples (same pose, same light angles, same forced smile, etc). then look for a different photographer.

Select a photographer whose work seems to fit what you are seeking and with whom you feel comfortable. You will be spending several hundreds of dollars to get your head shot. Take your time looking at each photographer's portfolio.

Talk with them. Discuss the looks(s) you want; discuss what your photo package will include and what the cost will be for the session, contact sheets, proofs and high quality copies. Purchase the negatives if possible, otherwise they remain the property of the photographer and you will be forced to return to that photographer and noone else for future photographic copies.

Get all terms and conditions in writing! If you do not and things do not go well you will have no legal recourse to settle the dispute. Remember - getting photos taken means you are entering the BUSINESS side of acting. Business agreements need to be spelled out in writing or you are apt to be sorry and out of luck later on. Trust and a handshake works great until something goes wrong. Then a detailed, signed and dated agreement sure does come in handy.

The photographer will provide a contact sheet composed of all the shots taken. The contact sheet is used to select the look or looks you want for your finished photo. After you have made your selections, the photographer will make several high quality prints from which you will have copies made. The photographer retains ownership of the negatives unless you purchase them. they may or may not sell them to you.

You do not have to get copies made through the photographer. You can get copies made at any competent printer. You can even make your own copies if you have a computer, high quality scanner, good photo software, a high quality inkjet printer and experience at such things.

8"X10" is the standard size. The finish can be either matte or glossy. You can also get 5X7 or postcard size to use as follow-up mailings to agents you have already contacted. Put a "slug" (your name) on the front, in the lower corner or lower center.

I suggest you search the web and look at the photos other performers are posting at casting sites or their own home pages. (see the Actors and Actresses and the Casting and Services catagories of AWOL's Search Machine: http://www.redbirdstudio.com/AWOL/AWOLSearchForm.html.

I also suggest looking in the trade magazines. There are usually numerous head shots as part of articles and in the classified section. Most large newsstands or bookstores with large magazine and newspaper displays will have one or two popular trade magazines for sale.

If you are pressured to make a decision right away or if the photographer intimidates you, find someone else.

If the photographer is way too flattering for a first meeting and seems to be overly eager to book a session and get your money, find someone else.

If the photographer quotes you a price and when you arrive for your shoot the photographer starts pressuring you to add expensive options to your package, find someone else.

If a photographer asks if you have every done or considered modeling, or in earning income as an escort or asks you to remove any clothing, get out right away. Just get your things and leave immediately!

Some photographers can arrange for the services of a hairstylist and make-up artist. These are usually not necessary, but you will have to be the judge of that. Remember, when you walk into the office of an agent or casting person, they will expect to see the face of the person in the photo they received. Hairstylists and make-up artists should act as consultants who can advise you and help you improve your everyday appearance, not doll you up just for the photo shoot.

PZR Resource: Letters

Is it a good idea to submit information to casting people even though you do not have any experience, or have only had small, non-speaking roles?

YES!!!

But keep in mind, your PZR will be quite low, and therefore initial interest will be quite low. However, also remember, when making first contact with casting people, your primary intention is to establish a relationship with them. As one-sided as that initial relationship is, your first submission lets them know you exist and are interested and available to meet with them to discuss acting possibilities.

If you do not have any prior experience or a résumé, you should submit a cover letter along with photos for the casting people to review. A list of any performance training and skills is also helpful.

If you do have prior experience, you should submit a cover letter, along with a résumé and photos for the casting people to review.

DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR INFORMATION ELECTRONICALLY UNLESS TOLD TO DO SO!!! Most casting people still prefer hard copy they can touch and place in a file cabinet or the garbage receptacle.

Mail or personally drop off all materials to the casting person's office.

Any materials you send will not be returned, so do not send originals. Always send copies of the originals.

Cover Letters

What is a cover letter? It is brief (a paragraph or two) letter that tells the casting person why you are contacting them (e.g.: recommended by a mutual acquaintance, located via trade publications or internet search, suggested by industry professional); your professional aspirations (e.g.: attained local acclaim and am now seeking professional representation, would like to perform in TV commercials and do commercial modeling); a few words about why they might like to meet you (e.g.:my sunny smile, pig tails and freckles have always given me in that cute-kid-next-door look that I believe would be highly appealing to advertisers.) and what you would like to do as a follow-up (e.g.: I will contact you next Monday in hopes of arranging an interview.) Make sure you use specifics. Make sure you actually follow-up.

Brief means brief. If your letter is more than a short, focused paragraph or two, you run the risk that your information will be immediately discarded - really! Your letter should be neat, printed in an easily read type face, free of typographical and grammatical errors and centered neatly on the paper.

Address the letter to the casting person. You should call to verify that the name given in your resource is still the correct person. Also verify the correct spelling. You should NOT use "To Whom It May Concern," "Dear Sir," or "Dear Madam." Include you phone number. Make a copy for your file.

Other letters

You should include with your information letters from instructors, directors, and other industry professionals who know you and your work. Generally, these letters should say good things about your excellent talent, enthusiasm, dependability, career ambitions and other such things.

How do you get such letters? You ask. Of course this assumes you do in fact have excellent talent, enthusiasm, career ambitions and other such things and your relationship with the prospective letter writer is such that you can approach them with your request. Explain to a prospective letter writer what you want the letter for, then ask if they will help you by writing a letter to include with your information. Most people will be happy to help you.

Letters are important resources; especially those personally written letters by instructors, directors and acquaintances of the casting person. Work hard at composing succinct letters and acquiring letters from people who know your work.

PZR Resource: Articles, Reviews, Publications, Programs and Program Notes, Performance Notices

Anything wonderful that appears in print about you and your work is a good PZR builder that you should send to casting people. Casting people like to work with people they know and whose work they know. Although they might not have seen your work, sending them articles, reviews and publications that discuss you and your work helps them get to know you and your work better. These PZR resources help them feel as if they know you - and help them feel more inclined to pick up the phone and call you in for an audition or interview.

You might not have many or any of the above items when you send your first information package to casting people. Your job is to collect these PZR resources and regularly send them to your casting contacts. This stay abreast of your endeavors and tells them you are an actor who seriously works at acting, not one who just dreams about acting.

PZR Resource: Complimentary Tickets

If you are in an open-to-the-public stage performance, you should get several complimentary tickets from the producer. You make these tickets available to agents and other casting people whom you want to become more familiar with your work.

How do you do this? You send them a postcard or announcement requesting that they come to a performance to see you. Tell them you will reserve two tickets at the box office, one for the casting person and one for their guest. Make sure you include the performance dates, times and location, and any other pertinent instructions about getting to the right place at the right time.

It doesn't hurt to send along a small version of your headshot to make sure they remember what you look like. Make sure you include your name and phone number. They might want to call you.

There are several catches to this complimentary ticket thing:

First: You should only do it when you have a good role (lead, supporting or a good character part) with a good performance group in a good show. This could be your high school show (I have seen many excellent high school productions), local community theatre production, one-person show, theme park show, college production, summer stock show, Shakespeare festival production, renaissance fair production, whatever. Just make sure the show is good and you are good. There is no point inviting someone to see you in a terrible production or to see you perform badly in a production. It will ruin your credibility and cause your PZR to plummet.

Second: Frequently, an assistant or friend of the casting person will show up, not the casting person. Most casting people do go to live performances looking for new talent. But they can't go to everything. Sending an assistant or a friend who can later brief them about your performance is far better than nothing.

Third: Frequently no one shows up. Too bad. That's just the way things go. Try again with your next great performance.

Complimentary tickets are a valuable PZR resource. If the production company does not provide complimentary tickets, purchase a few yourself and hold them at the box office for pick-up. Perhaps you can arrange a refund from the producer if the tickets are not used.

PZR Resource: Postcards

A postcard is a special mailer you send to your casting contacts. On a piece of 4X6 inch card stock, you should have printed your photo (scaled to fit), name and contact phone number and information about performances you will soon be in, or have been in and classes you have recently taken. Postcards are a good way to keep your casting and agent contacts informed about your performance and training accomplishments between résumé and photo updates. They remind casting people that you still exist and are actively involved developing your acting skills.

Remember, casting people like to work with people they know. Postcards help them get to know you better.

You can make postcards yourself if you are handy with a computer, scanner and inkjet or laser printer. You can also have postcards made by most commercial printers. Have several hundred printed with just your photo, name and contact phone number, then hand write other information as the occasions arise.

Remember, these are postcards not sealed envelopes. Anyone viewing your postcard can also view your contact information. So make sure you set up a special phone number with a voice mail service if you want to make things more difficult for scam artists and evil doers to find you.

PZR Resource: Tapes

A voice-over is the disembodied voice you hear behind cartoon characters, narrations, training tapes, corporate and educational videos, travelogues, infomercials, audio books, corporate telephone messages... Actors get hired to record their voice for such work. VO (voice-over) work can be an excellent source of extra income. If you are good and live in or near a large V0 market, you can earn a living as a full-time VO actor.

You do not have be an "actor" to do voice-over work. Stage or on-camera experience is not required; helpful, but not required. It is the voice actor's job to use their voice, imagination and acting skill to make the script come alive. What this means is that acting ability is crucial to success as a voice actor.

Audio tapes are necessary if you want to do voice-over work. It is a tool used to demonstrate to agents, producers and clients that you have the ability to convincingly perform different types of audio scripts, effectively use your voice and demonstrate your acting skill.

What kind of voice-over work might you expect to encounter? Commercials of course, but there are many other ways actors can earn income using their "voice acting" abilities: documentaries, news, character voices for cartoons, books on tape, telecommunication messages, corporate narration, dubbing, jingles, CDs and interactive media for example.

Your voice-over tape should be no more than two minutes long and be composed of ten or so audio clips of a variety of vocal material. Your tape should be professionally produced and should sound as much like real spots as possible - music, sound effects and all. This means you should not submit a tape that you put together yourself on your home cassette recorder. Such an effort will be a complete waste of time and money because it will be immediately tossed in the trash. It will also severely lower your PZR because it will signal to the casting person who received your tape that you are an amateur with no professional know-how.

If there are any voice-over classes offered in your area, take them. Although many classes offer an opportunity to produce a demo tape for you, be aware of the potential for scams. If a class provider seem overly complimentary, especially after only hearing you speak for a few seconds ("You are a natural...You have a perfect voice...You can really go far...all you really need is a great demo...), if they charge many hundreds of dollars for a class, if they seem more interested in getting into your checking account than in helping you learn about the voice-over business, it is wise to go elsewhere. If samples of tapes they produced all sound pretty much the same, even use the same scripted material, the same background music, etc, or if the quality sounds like something recorded on a cheap cassette recorder, it is wise to go elsewhere.

Your tape should be professionally produced in a professionally equipped studio. This will cost several hundred dollars. You need to be prepared, practised, focused, disciplined and ready to work.

It is a good idea to record yourself, for practise, on your home recording equipment. That way you will be prepared and ready to go when you walk into the studio. You should not waste expensive studio time muddling about trying to think of what to do or stumbling over copy you have barely looked at. The technical people operating the recording equipment can make suggestions and offer some advise, but the session time you pay for is yours. You should walk into the studio ready with your material and ready to record; ready to get the job done.

If you want to hear samples of professional voice-over artist demos, Try searching the internet. Many VO artists have web pages with demos of their work. Use any search engine and the key words, "voice-over actor". You can also start at this web site: http://www.clear-info.com/voiceover01.htm

It is a good idea to also focus your attention on all the different voice-over performances you hear in your local media. Get a feel for the kind of work that is available to voice-over actors in your area. Those are the kinds of voices you want to develop. You don't want to imitate the voices you hear. You do want to develop an ear for the pacing, energy level, articulation, volume and timing that is unique to different kinds of VO work.

Your tape can include "straight" material and "character" voices". Straight material is done in your normal voice. This kind of material makes up the bulk of voice-over work (eg.:promos, narrations, infomercials, telecommunication messages, jingles). If you hope to earn income as a voice-over actor, you need to train and develop your voice so you can effectively do a variety of straight voices.

Character voices are not just silly sounding cartoon voices. A character voice is one that strongly conveys a sense of character through manipulation of vocal quality and various vocal techniques. Do not include any character voices unless you are really good at it.

There is no set rule for the type of straight material or character voices to include. A voice used to perform advertising copy for foaming bathroom cleaners is not the same voice used to record a book on tape. However, it is a good idea to include only the things you do well. It is also a good idea to NOT digitally or mechanically alter your voice.

Straight material and character voices can be included on the same tape, but you should not mingle them. Keep them as separate sections on your tape and make it obvious to the listener when you switch from straight material to character material.

So how do you make a voice-over tape? You learn how to act, you learn how to properly read different kinds of copy, you learn how to talk into a microphone, you learn your way around a recording studio, you save your money, you practise, practise, practise, practise, practise, practise, practise, practise, practise, practise, you write out scripts from recorded commercials or advertising copy, you listen to lots and lots of voice-overs, you analyze lots and lots of voiceovers, you research the various production studios in your area... In other words, there is a whole lot more to learn than can be include in this guide.

If voice-over acting is something that interests you, It would be a good idea if you start learning what you need to know by getting a current book or two on the subject.

The Art of Voice Acting: The Craft and Business of Performing for Voice-Over, Second Edition by James R. Alburger, Mel Hall

Voice-Overs: A Practical Guide with CD by Bernard Graham Shaw

Making Money in Voice-Overs: Winning Strategies to a Successful Career in Tv, Commercials, Radio and Animation by Terri Apple, Gary Owens.

PZR Resource: Videos

Videos (AKA demo reel, demo tape, tape) are frequently used by agents and casting people to prescreen actors for suitability for representation or for a role. They are an important PZR resource for experienced actors, not as necessary for beginners.

Many actors are using CD format instead of VHS video format. This is OK.

Unlike voice-over tapes which can include material you created for the tape but did not actually perform for broadcast, demo reels should be composed of clips from professionally produced productions. Do not use class work, parts you performed in amateur productions or scenes and monologs you did specifically for your demo reel. Demo reels are mostly used by TV and film people, so do not include theatre work on your reel (unless you plan on doing professional theatre; then do a special reel just of theatre roles).

Of course, the above is the ideal. What if you were not in any professional productions? What if you have no clips? Can you use material from amateur productions? From classes? From scenes and monologs you did specifically for your demo reel? Yes, HOWEVER, your non-professional clips better grab and keep the interest and attention of the viewer. This means whatever clips you use should have good sound and lighting quality, should have you as the principal character, have good close-ups of you and display superlative acting ability. Clips from most non-professional productions or self-produced clips will not likely yield an acceptable reel.

A reel that has bad sound, grainey footage and bad lighting will wind up in the trash and hurt your PZR. It will make you look amateurish and unprofessional. Casting people want to work with professionally-minded actors, not amateurs. A good quality demo reel will enhance your PZR. It will help casting people to get excited about you; to want to audition you; to want to represent you; to want to audition you; to want to cast you.

If you do not have suitable clips, it is best to wait until you have acquired some. If you are determined and consistently seek out professional acting opportunities, you will soon enough start getting clips of your professional work.

What kind of clips? At first, you will likely get involved in local commercials, student and independent films and business videos. Do what you can to get the director or editor to provide you with clips of your work. Do not depend on their promises. Follow-up, keep reminding them. Do what you can to get clips from them. It's a good idea to keep in the good graces of the director, camera people and anyone who will be involved in the post-production editing. These are the people who will ultimately provide you with clips since they are the ones working with the footage.

Your clips should show your acting ability. There is no point including a clip of you as an extra in a crowd scene. There is no point including a 5 second clip of you saying three words. Your clips should show a significant amount of you acting as the principle actor. If another actor is the primary focus of your clip, the actor who speaks the most, the actor whose face is in the close-up, don't use the clip - unless you are encouraging the casting person to contact the other actor.

When you do get clips, treat them like gold. Protect them from damage. Get a professional, high quality copy made of your clips so if something happens to your originals, you will have a backup. You only need four or so clips, each a minute or less in length. As you do more and more work, you will update your reel with your most current clips, and drop your early clips.

Eventually, you will have enough clips to get several reels made: a commercial reel, a film and TV reel, a theatre reel; whatever makes sense for the type of work you are pursuing.

Your reel should be uncomplicated. No fancy effects, titles or credits rolling across the screen, added background music or other distracting foolishness. The casting people want to see your work, not your editors special effects capabilities. Simple blackouts or fadeouts between clips will suffice.

As an introduction ask the video producer to shoot ten seconds of your headshot or of a card with your name and contact information. You should end the reel with the same ten second shot. Remember, if you radically change your appearance, you will also have to re-edit your reel with the newest headshot if you used a headshot on your reel.

Make sure you label your reel and the reel box with your name, contact information and your sized-to-fit photo. You might even want to include on the box your most recent and noteworthy credits.

Where do you go to get a reel made? You go to a professional post-production video studio. Ask around. As you develop contacts (remember to keep working on your contact file) ask them if they know a good studio or perhaps an independent professional who does demo reels for audition purposes. Interview several. See samples of their work. Choose one that feels right for you. Plan on spending a few hundred dollars worth of studio time and tape costs.

Do not try to make your own demo tapes unless you have professional quality equipment and know what you are doing. A poorly produced audition reel will wind up in the trash and hurt your PZR. When you have good clips and can afford the few hundred dollars, hire a professional to do your reel - it's what the pros do.

Generally, you don't send a demo reel to an agent or a casting person unless you know it is OK to do so. Some casting people do not want unsolicited tapes, some do. Your tape will not get returned to you. How do you find out if a casting person accepts audition tapes? Call them and ask.

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