HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUSTON
Houston has become a great location for filmmaking, no matter what the production size. With a friendly atmosphere, diverse locations, and talented cast and crews, it’s no wonder Houston is quickly becoming the indie horror film capitol. Check out this feature in the Houston Chronicle’s 29-95 that I helped contribute to.
…Don’t let skeletons drive.
This shot is a composite of two stills taken on the iPhone 4. Photoshop’s magic selection tool was used to mask out the widows, and the background layer was composited in. Motion blur and a levels adjustment put the finishing touches on the image.
*NOTE: No skeletons actually drove during the making of this image. Skeletons don’t hold their liquor very well, either.
Iron Man, The Avengers, Spiderman, Thor, the Hulk, Captain America, Green Lantern… summer blockbusters are dominated now by PG-13 super-hero spectacles. Visual feasts of epic CGI wizardry.
In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, Andy Wachowski (Cloud Atas, Matrix) says “There is a supply and demand thing working there in Hollywood. The studios are making these big spectacles, but the audiences are going to see them.”
That is not going to last forever, he says… But how can he be so sure?
Andy bases his prophecy of doom on the former collapse of the comic book industry, when everything became based on sequels.
Eventually, the market place will become over-saturated, and audience tastes will change, and as Andy says, ” the whole system will re-invent itself as something else.”
Is the era of the super-hero in decline, or is it just getting started?
I’m astounded by how often an actor doesn’t have a website or social media presence… Has no publicity strategy… and no long term career plan. These actors bounce from audition to audition, leaving the fate of their career to chance, like a game of roulette – only the stakes are much higher.
Successful people make their own luck. They stack the odds in their favor. They do everything possible to ensure victory. Now, I’m not talking about cheating… I’m talking about preparation. “The battle is won before it is fought” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War.
Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.
An actor friend of mine recently contacted me, and told me he was among 3 people that were in consideration for a major recurring role on network television. He had recently been voted one of the 10 best actors in the region on a popular website, and he asked me how he could get this info in front of the casting director and studio execs.
I hated to tell him, but he’s already missed the boat. He can’t just email them the link… that reeks of desperation, and bragging can come off a little needy. Had an effective publicity strategy already been in place, it’s likely the producers and casting directors would have been aware of his accomplishments during their initial research.
Trust me, no matter what the industry, prospective employers are Googling you. You had better put some time and effort into managing your brand and reputation.
The point is that last minute publicity rarely works. It’s an ongoing effort, from which results will take months to manifest.
First and foremost, you must have a branded website, that is SEO optimized, that will serve as a hub for your demo reel, resume, and press articles. It should be a clean and simple way for a potential employer to get all the necessary details to confirm their casting decision.
I’ll let you in on a little secret…. producers like to cast actors that have a following, and that will generate additional press.
Why?
Because that directly equates to sales.
Imagine you are a producer… you have the choice (for the same price) to hire actor A, or actor B. Actor A has 100,000 twitter followers, blogs regularly and has 5000 Facebook friends, a fan page with 100,000 followers and a Klout score of 75. Actor B doesn’t have a twitter, or a website and only has a Facebook page with 200 friends that gets updated once a month, with a Klout score of 20.
Who do you think will sell more DVDs of your movie?
If you said the better actor, you’re wrong. It’s actor A. Even if they suck.
Don’t be complacent about your publicity and marketing strategy. Develop a plan, make adjustments as necessary, and stick with it.
Talent is not enough. Talent must meet opportunity. You must create both!
Watch how Nixon spent the evening before his resignation, live at the Unity Theater in Brenham. For 2 weeks only, Nixon will be brought back to life by the incomparable John Lansch! The Show opens Friday, October 25th… tickets on sale now! Don’t miss this thrilling recreation of history.