As we all struggle to remember to write 2016 instead of 2015, it seems like the ideal time to talk about change. Ever feel like the minute you get used to a social media app or website, there’s a new one you have to learn? You finally cave in and join Twitter just in time for Instagram to be the latest thing. Not that I would know anything about this. I’m cool. I poke.
Change is good.
Younger actors seem more resilient when it comes to change. They expect there to be a new phone next year. They can’t wait for the latest craze in social media. They’re certainly quicker to dedicate a Facebook page to their acting career. It’s often hard to get them to stop tweeting the latest news from the set.
Many actors have struggled against changes in the status quo. It’s new. It’s different. Some avoid it over the “cool factor.” None of these are good reasons to skip a free PR machine. And now there are multiple submission sites that actors should belong to, but many of you are holding out. The only way to guarantee that you are considered for all available opportunities is to submit to as many as possible. We can’t bring you in if you aren’t in our submissions.
I didn’t like color headshots when they first popped up. Still don’t if I am being totally honest. But, if this is the industry standard, I can live with it because I want to work in the industry. I’m not a huge fan of taped auditions, but when a producer tells me it is the way we have to cast, that’s what I do. This means you have to avoid being the last person capable of self-taping. You’ll go broke if you rely on those places that offer to put your auditions on tape. Working actors get three to five auditions per week. It’s well past time to set up your own simple taping station somewhere at your house or apartment.
I remember a couple of years ago when IMDbPro raised its prices significantly. So many people fought this change by threatening to cancel their subscriptions. They didn’t consider that there was no alternative to get the vast array of information on the site. They just didn’t like the change. Meanwhile, many of us in the industry said nothing and paid whatever it cost because we knew we needed the site.
It is, however, advisable to wait a little while to see if some new trend is going to stick. I could take you way back to when actors shot sepia tone headshots. It was not a pretty period of Hollywood history. So, if someone tells you headshots are now being delivered by drones, wait until there is some official confirmation across the industry before going out and buying one.
I would also caution actors to get professional confirmation about changes that may or may not show up in casting offices. I had an actor come into my office last year without a headshot proclaiming, “It’s 2015! You can look me up online!” He was obviously in a rush to stop handing out headshots. Careful what you wish for.
The most important thing to remember is that change is inevitable. The industry is going to change in every way. Maybe tomorrow, maybe in five years. Little by little, it all changes. Accept this and you are ready for these changes as they come. No matter how much you personally prefer a black and white headshot, the industry wants color, so color it will be.
Actors who cannot embrace change are holding back their careers. As everyone switches to hologram headshots, don’t be the last person to follow suit. Things are guaranteed to keep changing. Don’t fight it. Embrace it.
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and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Backstage or its staff.
