What to Know About Uploading Photos to Your Online Profile
As we kick off 2024, this is a good time to refamiliarize yourself with parts of the background casting process, like uploading photos to your online profile. These photos help our Casting Directors determine the types of roles you can portray, so it’s extremely important that they always reflect your current look. Here’s what you need to know about uploading photos to help you get booked and on set.
When to upload photos
We recommend uploading new photos to your profile any time your look changes. This helps give our Casting Directors confidence that the photos in your profile accurately reflect how you look right now. When you add new photos, don’t forget to review the other information in your profile, like sizes and appearance details, to make sure these reflect your current look.
In addition to a current headshot and full body shot, Casting Directors also recommend a casual, business, and formal look, then 1-2 unique looks, like a uniform you own or a period role you can portray. Remember, quality over quantity is key. A clear, well-framed, and well-lit photo in each look is a great way to help Casting Directors when considering you for roles. Multiple photos in the same look or similar wardrobe only clutters your online profile and makes it harder for them to find the photos they need when booking their shows.
You can upload photos in the “Photographs” section of your online profile. After uploading a photo, you must choose a slot (category) for your picture. You do not need a photo for every slot, these are just options for different ways to classify your profile photos.
When adding a photo of your car to your profile, please upload a photo of your actual car and not a photo from the dealership or the car company’s website. Casting Directors use these photos to confirm things like make, model, color, and condition. Remember, your car is expected to show up to set the way it looks in the photos, so you should always send photos that accurately reflect your car’s condition.
General rules for taking photos
When taking new photos for your profile, we recommend having a friend or family member take your pictures to help ensure they are clear, well-lit, and framed correctly. These shots don’t need to look professional, but they should be taken against a white or solid background with your features clearly visible. It’s difficult to determine things like skin tone and hair color when photos are dark or muted or if you’re wearing sunglasses, hats, or any other items that obscure your appearance. This is especially important when casting doubles, who often need to match a principal actor exactly.
Since these photos are used to determine if you can portray a role, any pictures that are edited, filtered (including Instagram, Snapchat, or other social media filters), or touched up cannot be used when considering you for background work. Similarly, Casting Directors ask that you upload photos you take and not professional headshots. Professional headshots are often altered and out of date, which doesn’t help when Casting Directors are trying to figure out if your current look works for the role.
As a reminder, you should never take photos on set. So while it may be tempting to snap a picture of yourself in the perfect 1940s look, not only are photos on set not allowed in general, but you could be taking photos of yourself in wardrobe you do not own, which doesn’t help Casting Directors when looking for Background Actors with that specific wardrobe.
Want to learn more about the casting process? Read our guides How to Read a Central Casting Job Post and What to Know About Responding to Casting Messages.
