So yesterday I went and had a photographer take my headshots. I took the chance and splurged for a makeup artist, as I have no experience with photography makeup. I have mixed feelings about the results, but then I did go bargain-hunting and answered an online classified ad from a photographer that was "creating a headshot portfolio" so he could expand his business. The ad was for $40 headshots (the makeup artist was $100). I suppose I deserve what I get because you know the old saying... ya get whatcha pay for.
The makeup artist apparently thought I was auditioning for "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" because she rimmed my eyes with heavy black eyeliner. Even the photographer said it needed to be toned down, but by the time she rubbed the excess off with a makeup sponge, my eyes had turned into a bloodshot mess. And I still looked like Norma Desmond waiting for her close-up.
I brought a few changes of clothing to try different necklines and textures (all dark colors, at the photographer's instruction), but he ended up picking one grey turtleneck and only shooting me in that. He said it would cover any neck wrinkles from turning my head this way and that. I was disappointed. I have a nice neckline and cleavage, and I would have like to have gotten at least a couple of shots that showed that off a little bit.
The session itself was underwhelming. He had me tilt my head to one side then the other side, then back, and every single shot he would say "fresh smile... give me a fresh smile." That meant I should relax my face from the last smile and then plaster a new one in its place. So he took about 40 shots of me looking sideways, my black-rimmed bloodshot eyes crinkled at the corners and slid ALL the way to one side or the other and smiling like I was selling dental floss.
I peeked over his shoulder as he uploaded the shots from the media card into his computer (PC with Windows XP... I should have run screaming right then and there). From what I could see of the thumbnails, what I just described above is exactly what I'll be getting. I can only hope that the photos turn out better when they're full sized. I suppose I should consider this a $140 lesson.
This morning I was chatting with a friend, and she told me that her boyfriend took the headshots of another working actor we know. NOW she tells me. Here I could have saved myself $140 and half a bottle of Visene.
Next week I have booked a studio to do my voiceover demo. The engineer emailed me some pieces of commercial copy to work on. It's really boring. My husband has a friend that does stand-up comedy, and I am hoping that he will be able to write some funnier copy to record. I don't want to have a demo that has the same six commercials that everybody else has. Maybe if I have something that gets a laugh from a casting agent, that will help my demo stand out.
The point of all of this is to simply get some work. I know... I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday... I know how hard it is to break into anything even resembling acting. But after spending fifteen long, hard years sitting behind a desk and killing myself for some corporate committee that doesn't care beans about me, I have to at least try and do something that I enjoy. Life is too short to work at a job you have to psyche yourself up for every morning. I'm still looking for a "real" job and submitting my resume to anything that has the word "manager" in it.
Although bartending is sounding better and better.
