Do Looks Change From Commercial to Theatrical?

[Headshots by Vanie]

Read Part II

If you don’t have an agent, a coach, or a casting director giving you advice, the best way to figure out your target market is to watch prime-time TV as well as popular shows on cable and streaming services. 📺

But wait– don’t skip the commercials!  Look for people WHO LOOK LIKE YOU, what they ‘re wearing and the roles they’re playing in TV shows as well as commercials.

Once you figure out your target market, you’ll realize that you’ll play the same character commercially as well as theatrically. 🎭

For example— once you categorize the roles, you’ll come up with specific language, like Girl Next Door, or Business Professional, etc.

YOU CAN EVEN GET MORE SPECIFIC, such as the Best Friend who goes shopping with her girlfriends (commercially), or One of the Girls on a girl’s night out (theatrically).

Another example would be the FBI agent (theatrically) vs. Enterprise worker (commercially), both under the category of Business Professional and both shot with the same outfit.

The Young Dad having a beer 🍺 while watching football (commercially) vs. the Young Dad having a BBQ with friends and neighbors on a TV drama. Same category, same outfit.

When you break down the roles you fit into, whether it be the Blue Collar Worker or the Silverlake Hipster, you’ll realize that most roles cross over to both commercial and theatrical worlds— what changes is the context.

In other words, if you play a Mom commercially, there’s no reason you can’t play a Mom theatrically right?

Realizing that the same look can work for both commercial and theatrical is the secret to a smarter, more efficient headshot session.

It means you don’t need 10 different outfits and you certainly don’t need two different sessions, one for commercial and one for theatrical; you need a few strategic looks that can do double-duty, giving each of your agents the tools they need for any kind of submission.

But here’s the million-dollar question:

How do you capture the optimistic, smiling “Enterprise Worker” and the intense, serious “FBI Agent” in the same business suit?

The difference isn’t just about changing outfits, it’s about embodying the character. It’s the story in your eyes.

That’s the subtle, specific performance that a “sit, tilt, and smile” photographer simply can’t get.

It takes a director who knows how to pull the essence out of you. It takes a process built specifically for actors, playing improv games instead of posing.

You’ve done the hard part—the research. Now, let’s create the art and capture the range that proves you can work in any world!

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I love helping you by putting out this free information (often written on weekends and evenings) so please help me spread the word by commenting and or sharing this post on your social feed! 🙏