Episode 2 / Fran, Director at Apex Management
/by Roj Whitelock
London-based photographer and HSM Associate Member
Fran, Director at Apex Management, talks about the importance of actors headshots, how to choose the right photographer for you and how to approach the industry today.
Why Do Actors Need Professional Headshots?
Note: View on YouTube for captions.
"Remember you are the artist and every room that you walk into you're going to give something to somebody there. I think that's the kind of positive attitude you have to have, to allow yourself to go through it and know that amazing things are going to come your way."
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Why Do Actors Need Professional Headshots?
I mean it's a great question if you think about it the headshot is the first thing that anyone in the industry sees about you so surely you want that sort of like best foot forward for yourself. An actor is an actor, you know, a writer is a writer and a photographer is a photographer. There are just so many fantastic tools that you can you can get and that can be used in a studio to kind of help you achieve that maximum look so when a casting director or director are scrolling through, your headshot kind of jumps out and and not only visually looks fantastic but says something about you that differentiates yourself from other people. So I think it's so important to be able to work with a photographer and a headshot photographer that understands who you are and why you're in the industry
How To Choose The Right Headshot Photographer For You?
Absolutely I mean it depends you know what kind of actor and what kind of person that you want to be and I think at the end of the day it's realising that we're all just people and like yes you have to sell yourself but what makes you unique. You have to kind of find that partnership with you and a photographer and a headshot photographer, so looking through people's work and sort of thinking well what does that picture say about them and how does that make that different from other pieces of their own work that means that they understand their client and knows how to work with them and knows what their needs are and how to make them feel safe and make them feel comfortable with what they're doing. Because we're not all naturals in front of the camera, it's kind of like Ready Steady Cook where it's like you have that sort of like bag with all these ingredients in and every single person makes something different and you kind of got to see what's for you and what you like. Because everyone is so different so you have to make sure that a photographer understands like all your special ingredients and what can kind of bring it to light.
What Advice Would You Give To Actors In The Industry Today?
I think all of it is about identity and remembering why you're here in the first place. If you wanted to do a corporate job you could do that but you're here because you have a passion and a love for something and at one point in your life you believed in yourself so you have to continue to believe in yourself and know that if you work hard and surround yourself by the right people things will work out and you have to have that hope because if you don't have the hope what is there? So just remember you are the artist and every room that you walk into you're going to give something to somebody there and I think that's the kind of positive attitude you have to have to sort of allow yourself to go through it and know that amazing things are going to come your way.
