Is there a current standard? i know that Black/white photos used to be the norm but i understand the business is moving toward color? does it matter? what are your thoughts? thanks.

Color is the industry standard and has been for several years.

thanks, i did not know that. i have been away from the business for several years.

Welcome back!

I have some great b&w pics that I got taken when I lived in Chicago, and I can still "get away" with using them for theater submissions and student/indie films. But I'm getting color headshots soon so I will have them for commercial/tv stuff.

It's not that the business moving toward color, it has moved. Maybe it's different in theater, but in film/TV, color is most definitely the standard.

I have great moody BW shots I use depending on the role. But I mostly use my color headshots

As an indie filmmaker, I almost always overlook submissions in B&W. They give me the feeling that either the picture is old, or the actor doesn't care enough to update them.

Good luck!

quote:

Originally posted by RonBrown:
As an indie filmmaker, I almost always overlook submissions in B&W. They give me the feeling that either the picture is old, or the actor doesn't care enough to update them.

Good luck!

I agree. Color is the way to go. They have more vibrants and personality.
But I have both just in case.

What about 3/4 shots? I heard that there's a trend now of showing more of your body in the shot. Does anyone know about that?

As others have said, it is all about color anymore. However, RAW conversion tools like Lightroom permit some fantastic color-to-B&W conversions, so ask your photographer what their rates are for this work and see if you can work something out.

quote:

Originally posted by lostsouthasian:
What about 3/4 shots? I heard that there's a trend now of showing more of your body in the shot. Does anyone know about that?

For legit submissions, I think its a great idea for 3/4 shots. For commercial work, I would go with standard headshots.

It depends on your agent and the situation. As a photographer I have been asked to do both. If your not sure which you want make sure your photographer is shooting digital and ask for monochrome of each of the pics you select. Shouldn't be a problem.

Avidactor-
Why would it be different for commercial work?

There is a spotlight on photography and marketing tools in this week's Back Stage. Great read!

As far as which size/format to use, I've always been told that whatever best conveys the role you are sumbitting for, is the key. The size, whether a 3/4 shot (which is not a new trend) or a headshot, shouldn't matter. If the photo is the essence of the role, then use that one. Our family, and others I work with, have used both formats for theatrical and commercial.

As far as size for online submitting, be sure to always use a close headshot so that your photo is easily seen, due to the thumbnail size.

Here's the first in a series of articles on Showfax written by Bonnie Gillespie that is also excellent reading.
http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/2006_05_15.html