Two weeks ago I wrote a blog entry about Moving Headshots. In the entry I basically questioned if it’s worth the money. Well since then, I have been contacted by Joan Lauren at Moving Headshots and invited to try it out for myself.
My Moving Headshot session was last Monday. Their office is conveniently located near the 3rd street Promenade in Santa Monica and I was able to park in the Santa Monica Mall parking structure. When I arrived at the office I met Joan who was very friendly and eager to tell me what Moving Headshot is all about. I was also introduced to David Knell who does the editing of the video for the final product. After initial introductions we got down to business. Joan asked me how I am currently being marketed as an actor - what roles am I being sent out for, what roles have I played in the past and what my goals are for my acting career. I always find this to be a somewhat difficult question to answer. In the past I have gone out for a lot of gangster/bad boy roles because of an old headshot I had where I am wearing a leather jacket, head cocked to the side and a bad-boy smile. Now I’m getting older and my agent has told me I’m not 23 anymore and I need to start marketing myself as a young-dad, young-professional type. To add to that, in my two-year acting program the acting studio was always casting me in leading men roles. So ultimately, I don’t know.
Joan agreed with me. She said that usually she can see a person and place them in a certain type of role. With me she said that I have this “hunky” thing going for me, but yet my personality shows a lot more. Then she said she had an idea and “let’s walk”.
She picked up her camera and tripod and we headed outside eventually walking into a parking structure. There she started to setup her camera. I told her that I wasn’t really sure what I should do. Joan said to treat it like acting - move around and experiment with different characters and emotional transitions. So that’s what I did. The whole experience was very enjoyable and Joan was a joy to work with.
A week later Joan sent me a link to the online “proofs”. Here it is:
http://www.movingheadshots.com/proofs/David/
So the question remains - is it worth it?
In my personal opinion I would now say yes, but I would not use this as your only headshot. The reality is that 80% of all casting is now being done online through search engines on actor databases. The casting director is returned a group of thumbnails of actor headshots. The headshots now come in three flavors - black and white, color and color with a “play” icon in the corner indicating that it’s a Moving Headshot. The advantage is that the casting director can now see an example of how you look on film, how you move, a little bit of personality and how you sound. This is a BIG advantage.
The negative part of Moving Headshots is that LA Casting is the only service that currently supports it. And, as most actors are finding out, LA Casting is not the only online casting service in town. The major ones that are definitely being used by casting directors are LA Casting, Actors Access, Players Directory, and Now Casting. What’s interesting is that all the other services are starting to offer video options as well. But for now, you would only be able to use your Moving Headshot on one service.
BUT… if your Moving Headshot on LA Casting gets you an audition, or even a paying gig that you otherwise would not have been considered for, then it is totally worth it.
Eventually, in this ever evolving high-tech world, a “moving headshot” will be the only way to go. Right now it’s still on the cutting edge with Joan Lauren and David Knell blazing the trail.
[8/30 4.30 Update:]
I just spoke with my theatrical agent who looked at the proofs. She said it looks good, but she’s not sure if placing my Moving Headshot on LA Casting will make much of a difference. She said that the majority of commercial casting goes through LA Casting, but the majority of theatrical casting is still done through hardcopy submissions. So at this point she’s not sure I just spend the money to place the Moving Headshot on LA Casting. I still might opt to do it anyway. We’ll see.
I think what would have been helpful is if I spent half the Moving Headshot session targeting theatrical and the other half commercial. My current Moving Headshot is more theatrical. For commercial I would have done a lot more smiling and had a lot more energy. Something to keep in mind for anyone else out there who is thinking of getting their own Moving Headshot.
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