This is also true for photos taken during a rehearsal or performance. But if you take shots of actors in movement, invest in a good camera. For action shotsĪction and motion shots (like the one at the top of this post, which was taken for Newsies at Pioneer Theatre Company in 2017) are great. If nothing else is available, use a generic background. The best photos are taken on the set of the play or at a location that is evocative of the play’s setting. If a photo is taken in front of a green screen and the background replaced by an image, it looks very phony. When taking publicity images, ask yourself, “Will this photo look good on a cell phone?” Avoid the green screen On a cell phone, the people in that wide shot look like they are about half an inch tall. At UTBA, over 60% of visitors view the site on a mobile device. But wide shots rarely work well for publicity purposes in theatre. This is especially true for a big musical, where a large dance number can be a vivid stage picture. In person, a view of the entire stage may look great. Copyright Utah Shakespeare Festival 2017.) The lighting looks great, but everyone in this production of Guys and Dolls looks tiny on a cell phone. If this must occur, then the words or logo should be small and unobtrusive. Occasionally, a photographer will insist on printing their photo credit on the image, or a theatre company will have a rule to include a logo on each image. Additionally, media outlets may have rules against using images that have been noticeably modified. These are distracting (especially when the words are large) and can cause problems when these images are used on social media. When possible, there should be no words or images added to the photo. Showing the actors in a photo may sound like a no-brainer, but I have seen publicity photos submitted to UTBA that show just a prop or the set. If it is a famous play, then people should be able to correctly guess the show just by looking at the image. If possible, take a photo depicting an iconic moment from the play. Usually, it is best to show no more than approximately 5 actors in a photo to prevent it from looking crowded. Avoid early rehearsal photos, head shots, and backstage photos. The best publicity photos depict actors dressed in costume, posing as their characters. The 2022 production of As You Like It at Brigham Young University.
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