LA Actor Headshots
Shooting LA Headshots has always been about capturing the personality of the actor. Lisa made that very very easy to do 🙂 Commercial headshots are all about color & energy. Since commercials are sorta like mini-movies these days, all types are seen in commercial casting. The problem is, people have Tivo or DVR & can fast forward if their attention isn’t caught. So, if your type is energetic, colorful, bubbly, etc., you gotta really really deliver those traits…. Same thing if your main character type is dead-pan or sarcastic – it’s got to be extreeeeeemely dead-pan, or it just won’t work. I try to keep these things in mind when shooting LA commercial headshots – – – if my actor is shooting “Mom” I want her to be the quintessential mom….as well as getting some of those ever-popular “Mom with Attitude” shots where the actor has an expression that lets the casting director know immediately “this actor knows how to deliver a snappy, dry & hilarious line”. When I’m shooting “Quirky” I really have to push myself to get the actor to think outside the box. Most likely their agent will choose to use one of the quirky shots that feel a little more general…but, sometimes, when I push hard, the actor can get one of those magical quirky smirks that just jump off the page – very much like the Progressive Auto Insurance spokeswoman. She’s larger than life, but so magically authentic. Lastly, characters like “Scruffy Beer Guy” are some of the most fun, but most difficult to nail. Those require a subtle smirk that says “Really?”, or a little shrug that says, “I dunno….ask the other guy”. It’s so easy to get something that falls flat – so, the best route is to go really over the top & then pull back a little to get that perfect “Whatevs” expression. Such a fun one to direct because I can just call out characters on TV, like “Jim Halpern” on The Office, or I can call out lines to inspire the actor, like “Sweet ride, bro” – – – sometimes I end up making my guys laugh, and that’s ok too – it’s never good to zero in too tightly on what your end result should be. Just run the gamut on every expression you can squeeze out of your actor!!