What is the Difference Between Theatrical and Commercial Headshots?
Commercial Headshots
A commercial headshot is a look you'll have that shows you smiling or mid laugh. The objective of this look is to capture your personality as natural and candidly as possible. Bright and saturated colors are often worn to enhance the allure of the image and flatter your smile, facial aesthetic, and energy.
What is a Commercial Headshot Used For?
Commercial and lifestyle work serve one purpose; to sell a product or a service. Actors who are booked for these types of gigs are often working for a company who is selling their latest something. You’re not embodying a character role per se, but your objective is to act out a lifestyle that represents the brand or service. Typically these kinds of headshots are submitted for projects that involve more lifestyle commercial productions, think a Gillette commercial, a beer commercial or Family on a Disney cruise commercial very relatable and usually selling a product or experience by some big company.
Above is a still from a Disneyland ad. The people in the image are lifestyle models that are hired to portray a family having fun at Disneyland. This is a perfect example of what a lifestyle shoot is. There are more brands that are hiring lifestyle models than there are fashion models.
Below are stills from a Coca-Cola commercial. These actors are likely dancers as well, but they are portraying the energy and vibe that appeals to the youth which is likely the demographic Coke is trying to target with this ad.
What To Wear For A Commercial Headshot
A casting director will look at these head shots to see if you have personality energy and the vibe they're looking for. I'll typically have my clients coming in wearing bright colors that make them stand out and pop in their shots, vibrant colors are great for giving more of a commercial feel.
With any outfit for headshots, you always want to stick to something that is timeless and avoid anything trendy, busy, or has graphic designs that are distracting.
Theatrical Headshots
A theatrical headshot is geared more towards character roles. You will need it when you’re trying to submit for more story based projects for shows and films like Grey's Anatomy, Stranger Things or any of the Marvel films or shows on Netflix. You'll often be serious in these shots, showing more depth and range to your look and appearance.
What To Wear For A Theatrical Headshot
I encourage my clients to wear more muted colors like royal purple, navy, green, brown, burgundy gray or dark blue. The focus should be in the emotion in your eyes that stand out in your shots. Headshots in general should be clear of any distractions and have an intention behind each look. It’s easier to go into your session when getting theatrical shots already having a character in mind that you will likely be sent out for in Hollywood. It is also great to show a range of character roles. A bad guy look, the girl next door, the friendly nerd, the young millennial, the prisoner, etc.
Below are stills from NBC’s, “This Is Us” and Netflix’s, “Inventing Anna.” These are examples of projects that you’ll be auditioning for that require theatrical headshots.
So if you're getting headshots taken for the first time, then these are the two basic looks you need to have.
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