What is the norm for the layout of a headshot for college auditions? Border? No border? Name on photo? Name under photo on border? Basic contact info on photo? I assume no mini photo on the resume if you are attaching the headshot? Is it worth it for audition season to have photos/resumes printed together so there is no need to trim and staple?
Thanks!
My daughters is plain , color, no border and no name on photo. Her headshot has her resume on the back attached firmly. When she got it evaluated by her NYC camp last year they had no problems with it .
Ah yes, time for the annual headshot thread! My d used a white border with her name at the bottom right of her headshot. She had both stapled and back-printed versions, but she greatly preferred to turn in the stapled ones - no idea why, she just wanted to use the stapled ones (I think she did this because she saw most other kids were turning in stapled versions). As I recall, one or two schools wanted them stapled or wanted two copies if you didn’t have a separate headshot stapled - they separated them at some point into two piles (which is a good reason to have your name on your headshot). If you don’t have your name on your headshot, they will write it on if they separate them, which is a good reason to have a white border, although they can always scrawl your name on the back.
I feel like I spent most of last winter trimming and stapling resumes to headshots.
She did not have a mini-photo on her resume except for Moonifieds, where Mary Anna insisted on a specific format including the mini-photo.
I don’t think it really matters much how you do them. A nice smile (or whatever expression fits you) is much more important than the format.
You can purchase 8 x10 paper to print your resume on so you don’t have to trim. The actors lab has it as do other resources. It is under $10 for 100 sheets.
I agree it’s best to have resumes and photos separate. You will continually add to and change your resume. So you don’t want tons of photos with an outdated version of your resume printed on them. Because resumes and photos can be separated at times, do have your name on your photo. We used a border but I don’t think that matters.
We printed them on for college auditions - and took extra copies of resume only for schools that separated. Now d glues- she doesn’t like staples, but still takes extra paper copies
@vvnstar , we always print out the resume on the back of the headshot before each audition so it can be constantly updated at any time. We do keep a few already printed at any given time though.
You can also have paper cut to 8x10 at places like FedEx Office and Print Centers or Office Depots. They have a machine to do precise cuts. We bought a ream of paper and they only charge about $3 to cut it. We also bought card stock and had it cut in half to use for thank you notes. this was much less expensive than store bought ones.
We did audition master classes with faculty from several schools. Almost every one of them instructed my kid to staple the headshot to the resume, and many recommended having your name on the headshot. Several also commented that they like having the headshot thumbnail on the resume just to help jog their memory when looking at the resume.
Most importantly, your headshot should look like you. They need to be able to look at that picture and remember the kid in the audition. Their are so many kids that have such flattering headshots, but they don’t look like their headshots. Because of this, a few schools actually take kids’ pictures the day of auditions so that they can remember them.
Obviously there is no one set way to do this. You will be fine no matter how you decide to do this. But I agree with @Dusing2 – from our experience our recommendation would be:
. separate headshot and resume
. border and name on headshot
. mini headshot on resume
. staple headshot and resume together
I know of some people who used those photo stickers instead of staples or glue to adhere their resume to their photo as it was neater, less messy to do than glue, but our experience was that most schools preferred staples as they are the easiest to take apart if needed.
I will say I wouldn’t stress TOO much about this as I never saw a school completely discard an applicant simply based on the way their photo/resume was presented at the audition. However, IF they give specific instruction on how they wish to get these items, do it exactly as they say. Same goes for pre-screens, essays or anything else you are submitting to them. Just follow their directions.
Thanks for all of the input. Just one of the reasons I love this board!!
My D’s resume are printed with resume and small photo on one side and full size head shot on the other. They look amazing and my daughter gets good feedback on them. They are pricey at about $2.50 each, but we only order about 10 at a time. Went to Unifieds with about 25 extras.
@Walker1194 where do you get those done?
Actors photo lab can print them whichever way you decide. They are quick, easy to work with (the’ll give you a proof before printing) and econo,iCal. I’m sure there are other similar sites you could google.
Do you just send them your photo and resume and they print it out and send to you?
I have just used our local drugstore to print bc you can do border and add name on photo too. And you get the pic right there.
If you have a good color printer, you can print everything yourself. I used @Dusing2’s suggestion and had a ream of paper cut at Office Depot for less than $3.00 and ordered 8x10 photo paper or just by 8.5 x 11 and cut that down too. I use Photoshop to size the photos and add the name. I buy fresh ink and I’m in business! The D needed a lot of headshots and resumes for Moonifieds and Unifieds and various unified type professional auditions.
It’s great to print at home if you have the necessary equipment and are comfortable printing things out at home. But having them printed by a lab is not expensive either. Professional labs like Actors photo lab offer same day service, no rush charges and low costs so for those who prefer not to DIY it, some of these labs are a great choice. For example, they charge $30 for 25 head shots or $55 for 50 head shots. That works out to just $1.10 per headshot. Price goes down per piece even more if you order larger quantities. If you want to print your resume on the back just add another 25 cents per headshot. or you can have resumes printed separately. You can put a border and your name on them or not. Depending on your order size they have free shipping also. For people like me who stress about printing at home and worry about broken printers, smeared ink, funky borders, crooked printing etc… it’s a very low cost, easy to use option. Neither way is better. Just choose what you are most comfortable with. Having it set up to print at home is great though for last minute needs no matter what.
@theaterwork – yes. They do everything and send you a proof to approve before printing. I can’t put the URL here but you can google actors photo lab and find their website which is very easy to use and talks you through their process. And f you google, you may find other labs offering similar services. This is just one we used.
@theaterwork - I do them for her. Graphic designer 