Success for Spotlight Members at British Independent Film Awards

Congratulations to Spotlight members Tom Hardy, Carey Mulligan, Anne-Marie Duff and John Henshaw, who swept the board at the British Independent Film Awards ceremony, held last night in London.

Tom Hardy won Best Actor for his role in Bronson, Carey Mulligan took home the Best Actress award for An Education, Anne-Marie Duff received Best Supporting Actress for Nowhere Boy and John Henshaw’s performance in Looking for Eric earned him the Best Supporting Actor award. Duncan Jones’ critically-acclaimed Moon, cast on the Spotlight Link, won Best British Independent Film and Best Debut Director, and In The Loop – also cast on Spotlight – received the award for Best Screenplay. Veteran British actor and long-time Spotlight member Sir Michael Caine, seen most recently playing the title role in Harry Brown, received the Variety Award for lifetime achievement.

The British Independent Film Awards were created in 1998 by Raindance founder Elliot Grove, to celebrate merit and achievement in independently funded British filmmaking, to honour new talent, and to promote British films and filmmaking to a wider public.

posted on 7th December 2009

Welcome to the new spotlight.com

We’ve given the site a fresh, clean design and we hope you’ll find it easier to use and to navigate.

Many improvements have been made in response to your feedback, so please continue to tell us your views and report any problems you encounter when using spotlight.com. You’ll see a “found a bug?” link on every page, which can be used to report problems with particular pages or links. And a short form is available to record your feedback and suggestions – it can be found here.

We’re looking forward to hearing your comments and criticisms. We hope you’ll agree that the new spotlight.com is a great improvement.

posted on 1st December 2009

Top ten tips for Spotlight portfolio photos

We’ve asked casting professionals what they look for in portfolio photos, and here are our top ten tips:

1. Always make sure the photo looks like you.  Don’t include overly airbrushed shots as they can be misleading. Update your photos every 3-5 years, so they are current. You don’t look the same as you did in 1997 so why does your photo? One casting director put it very eloquently when they said: ‘All I want is someone who looks like their photo to walk through the door. Anything else is a waste of my time.’

2. Get professional photos taken. You are a professional actor and your photos should reflect this.

3. Include the whole of your face clearly. There’s no point having a photo where your face is concealed or you’re too small in the frame to see.

4. If including production stills, make sure you are clearly the main subject. Casting professionals won’t spend time searching for you in a crowd.

5. Your showreel can show much more about your acting ability, so why include bad quality stills in your portfolio if the same clip is on your showreel?

6. Don’t include 15 very similar shots from the same shoot. Choose just 1-3 in total, be selective!

7. Avoid photos where you are naked, partially naked, or implying you are naked. Remember your audience. You don’t want to offend the same people who could employ you.

8. If you can’t decide which image to use, don’t use it! Ask your agent, or a trusted friend. 

9. Just because you can have 15 photos, it doesn’t mean you necessarily should! A portfolio of 3-5 good quality, well selected photos can be more help than a portfolio of 15 poor quality ones.

10. Remember what your portfolio is for, and add photos accordingly. Your Spotlight portfolio is part of your professional CV. It is there to show potential employers an accurate indication of who you are. It is not facebook and should not be treated as such.

posted on 1st December 2009

Spotlight Studios special offer

Spotlight’s winter studios promotion is to be extended. Its state-of-the-art casting facilities are now available at the special hourly rate of £95 for any bookings made by the end of the year.

Spotlight Studios are ideal for casting commercial, film and television projects. Highly skilled studio operators are on hand to film auditions, post DVD-quality clips online and assist with any other casting needs that might arise on the day.

What's included in the price?

• Upload to casting website
• DVD copy upon request
• High quality digi prints upon request
• Casting reception service
• Extensive waiting area and reception space
• Green-room for studio users with tea, coffee and mineral water
• Flexible task seating and furniture
• Wi-Fi throughout

To pencil/book a studio contact Thom Hammond on 020 7440 5044 or Frances Mordue on 020 7440 5061.

posted on 1st December 2009