Actors · Background Actors · Casting · Los Angeles

Central Casting Photos vs. Acting Headshots: What’s the Difference?

If you're searching for Central Casting headshot requirements, it's easy to assume a headshot is a headshot. It isn't. The photos Central Casting wants for your profile and the professional headshots you might use for acting, representation or commercial casting have two very different jobs.

One is designed to show exactly what you look like right now, without much interpretation. The other is designed to show what you bring to the camera. Understanding that difference can save you from using the wrong photograph in the wrong place.

What Does Central Casting Want in a Photo?

Central Casting has very specific guidelines for the photographs used on its profiles. Their required headshot isn't what most actors would normally think of as a professional acting headshot. For the headshot, Central Casting currently asks for a forward-facing color photograph taken in portrait orientation. You should be photographed straight on, with your head straight, your shoulders toward the edges of the frame and your arms at your sides. The framing should run roughly from your head to your mid-torso. The background should be white or another solid light color, and the photograph should be well lit, sharp and free of distracting shadows or background elements. They also require a full-body photograph, again facing directly toward the camera rather than turned or posed to the side. See Central Casting's Current Profile Photo Guidelines

The Side-by-Side Difference

This is probably the easiest way to understand it. On one side: a Central Casting-style profile photograph. White background. Straight to camera. Arms down. Neutral body position. Clean lighting. No retouching or interpretation. On the other: an acting headshot of the same person, photographed with expression, direction, body language, lighting and background all working together. Same actor. Same face. Completely different photograph.  

A Central Casting Photo Isn't Really an Acting Headshot

This is where the terminology gets confusing. Central Casting calls one of its required profile photographs a headshot, but its purpose is closer to identification than promotion. Casting needs to be able to look at the photograph and get a clear, current idea of the person who would actually arrive on set. That's also why Central Casting says professional headshots should not be used when considering someone for background work. Professional acting photographs are frequently retouched, color corrected or otherwise finished in ways that aren't appropriate for this particular use. For Central Casting, accuracy is the point.

Why the White Background Matters

The white or light background isn't really a creative decision. It's there to get everything else out of the way. No interesting location. No dramatic environment. No background competing with the person. The photograph becomes very easy to evaluate quickly. I photograph on seamless and controlled studio backgrounds all the time, and this is a good example of how the same basic equipment can be used for completely different purposes. Sometimes the background is part of the photograph. Here, its job is essentially to disappear.  

What Should You Wear for Central Casting Photos?

Central Casting currently recommends neutral, form-fitting clothing and minimal makeup so casting can get an accurate idea of your appearance. They specifically recommend avoiding white clothing when photographing against the light background, along with hats, sunglasses, props or other items that obscure your appearance. Your hair should also be worn in a way that clearly shows its current length. That's more important than it may sound, particularly for period work and when casting doubles. The recurring theme is simple: show them what you actually look like.

Acting Headshots Have a Completely Different Job

A professional acting headshot has room to do considerably more. Now we're thinking about expression, personality, wardrobe, lighting, background, body language and what kind of roles you might realistically portray. A commercial acting headshot may feel open and approachable. A theatrical headshot might have a completely different energy. This is also where direction becomes important. Most people don't walk into my studio knowing exactly what to do with their face, shoulders or hands, and I don't expect them to. We talk. We move. We change things. I direct throughout the session, but I'm also watching for the expressions that happen between the ones we planned. LINK: See Our Acting Headshot Portfolio

Do You Need Both?

Not necessarily. If your goal is specifically background work through Central Casting, follow their current photo requirements. You do not need to spend money on professional acting headshots simply because you're creating a Central Casting profile. If you're also pursuing acting roles, looking for representation, submitting through other casting services or building an acting portfolio, that's where professional acting headshots become a different conversation. You may eventually have both kinds of photographs on your computer, and they may look nothing alike. That's exactly as it should be. They're doing different jobs.

What About Additional Central Casting Photos?

Once you're building out your Central Casting profile, there can be value in showing more than one current look. Central Casting recommends keeping the selection useful rather than filling the profile with similar photographs. Current casual, business and formal looks can be helpful, along with one or two distinctive looks that show wardrobe or a type you can realistically portray. Those photographs still need to accurately represent your current appearance and follow Central Casting's rules about editing and filters. If you change your hair, facial hair, weight or anything else that substantially changes your appearance, your current photographs should reflect that too.

What If You're Just Getting Started?

This is where I see people make the process more complicated than it needs to be. If Central Casting is your first step, start there and follow their instructions. Don't try to make the photograph more dramatic or more "professional" than they're asking for. If you're beginning to pursue acting beyond background work, then start thinking about what your actual acting headshots need to communicate. Those are photographs where personality matters. You want someone looking at the image to get some sense of you before you've ever walked into the room.

Kids, Teens and Central Casting

The same basic distinction applies to younger actors. A simple current casting photograph and an acting or modeling headshot aren't interchangeable. With kids especially, I want a professional acting headshot to still feel like the child standing in front of me. It shouldn't turn an eight-year-old into someone's idea of what an eight-year-old actor is supposed to look like. Read Our Guide to Kids Acting & Modeling Headshots

More About Headshots in the South Bay

This article is part of our South Bay headshot guide, where I've put together answers to many of the questions I hear from actors, business professionals, parents and people who simply haven't had a professional headshot taken before. [LINK: Visit the South Bay Headshot Guide]