Theater photography

Theater in Iran is composed of many different elements - contemporary and classical, indigenous and imported, experimental and traditional - with playwrights, actors, directors and producers of many backgrounds merging the foreign with the local and thereby gradually creating a distinctive Iran theater. The theater scene is very active, with many professional repertory and other theaters and dozens of regional and amateur companies performing throughout the country to large and devoted audiences. In recent years, a number of iran companies have toured Eastern and Western Europe and other,  and appeared in major theater events in Europe,and elsewhere.

Hollywood photography, according to [some scholars], was anticipated by   Clarence Sinclair Bull and Ruth Harriet Louise, perfected in 1929 by the genius   of George Hurrell, and polished by studio masters such as Ernest Bachrach, Ray   Jones, Frank Powolny, A.L. Whitey Schafer, and Max Munn Autrey. If more had been   known about the first movie portraitists and still photographers--Frank Bangs, James Abbe, Karl   Struss, Fred Hartsook, Albert Witzel, Hoover Art Studio, Melbourne Spurr, and   Jack Freulich--commentators would have been more careful about their claims.   Most of the inventors of the conventions of film portraiture came from   theatrical photography. Their histories suggest that the genres, functions,   visual conventions, and formats of Hollywood photography were derived from the   art of theatrical photography.

What are my deadlines? It comes as a surprise to many new producers that the most important photos are taken before the show opens, not after. That's because the "pre-production" photos that appear in the press prior to the opening are the ones that bring in the initial audience. For calendar sections in metropolitan Sunday newspapers, photo deadlines are as much as three to four weeks before your opening. Many magazines need them three months ahead. For seasonal calendars, the lead time may be even longer. The best strategy is to consult with your publicist, identify "targets" for pre-production photos in your media market, and then schedule photo sessions to provide artwork in time for the deadlines of the publications you have selected.

Do I need color or black and white? A trip to the corner newsstand will tell you that New York Magazine's "Cue" listings section is full color, as is Time Out, while the Sunday New York Times theater listings are still black-and-white. What's not obvious is that most theatrical photographs originate in color these days, since most publications are now full color and color photos can be converted into black and white. But "colorizing" black and white photos is a technology that is still restricted to the movies.

What about digital photos? Thanks to modern technology, it is now common practice to submit digital photos for theatrical publicity.

The Southern Theater is pleased to announce the 2008 round of the McKnight Artist Fellowships for Choreographers and Dancers. This program is made possible by the generous support of The McKnight Foundation. The McKnight Foundation also funds artist fellowship programs in ceramic arts, literature, music composition, music performance, photography, playwriting and theater arts, screenwriting and filmmaking, and visual arts, administered respectively by the Northern Clay Center, Southern Theater, The Loft, American Composers Forum, MacPhail Center for the Arts, Minnesota Center for Photography, Playwrights' Center, Independent Feature Project/North, and Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

OK, I GOT THAT. NOW, WHAT MAKES A "BANKABLE" SHOT?

Publicists search ruthlessly through many different styles of photos in search of a "magical" shot, always mindful that if it can't earn placement in the papers it won't make the phone ring in the box office. Some photos are attractive and artistic, but not suited to journalism because they do not fulfill the standards of news. I have found photo editors pretty open-minded when it comes to the content of photos, but they draw the line at certain obvious "sins." Do not ask a photo editor to run pictures of people who are not in the show, photos of an aging danceuse that were taken in her youth, or photos of settings that are not in the production.

When the production is a premiere, you have an advantage in publicity because an opening has implicitly more news value. But as you have not yet mounted the show, you are in the peculiar position of wanting to provide photos of a production that has not yet happened. The photo you will come up with is a sort of a preview--a reasonable facsimile--that is as truthful to the production as the time frame allows. Designing these pre-production photos casts the producer and publicist into the role of an art director. This a truly creative, enjoyable process that should be relished, not dreaded. In brainstorming ideas for your premiere, keep a few things in mind:

What are "high resolution photos?" These are digital photos of sufficient resolution that they will give a good result when printed. If you are scanning your own photos from prints, slides or negatives, save them in Photoshop in .JPG format (it is a method of compression) with the following settings: Resolution=300 dpi; size=5" x 7" or greater; quality=7; baseline=Optimized (never Progressive). This will result in a file size of over 250 KB, which will reproduces well enough for most publication uses, although photos for magazine covers may need to be larger.

What size should printed photos be? If you use "hard copy" photos, remember that the professional standard size for submitting photos is 8" x 10." I don't know how that size got adopted (since most photos are sized smaller than that in publication), but I do know that 8" x 10" photos aren't as easy to lose in a file as small prints are. That is enough reason alone to stick to the standard size.

What kind of photos are they running? A little first-hand research will tell you a lot. Look at about three weeks of theater coverage in the New York newspapers and note the kinds of photos you see. There will be production shots that run with reviews and smaller illustrations on calendar pages that range from stock photos of actors in costume to "art" photos of performance artists. It is interesting to note that dancers' feet are usually, but not always, visible in production shots. On the calendar pages, you will notice that photos are cropped tightly, with the lower body usually not shown. This is a function of space: when space is tight, shots will be cropped down to the faces. Depending on the nature of the coverage, different kinds of photographs are required.

Don't shoot "family photos." It is unimaginative and boring to shoot the whole cast, smiling at the camera. Why? My theory is, there is no dramatic context. Shots exploring relationship between characters (for example, seduction, subjugation, worship, etc.) would be more interesting than a photo of two actors frozen in an arbitrary, formal pose.

Don't try to get away with "rehearsal shots" if you are promoting a show. By this, I don't mean shots taken during the rehearsal period, but shots that make it look like you are rehearsing. Why should a photo editor run a photo of you rehearsing when he has a photo of somebody else putting on a show? Shots with a mirror in the background inevitably suggest the location is a rehearsal studio, not a theater. And when the the photographer is reflected in the mirror--oy vey!

Beware of outdoor shots. If the show is to be performed outdoors, I would definitely shoot some exteriors. This is because part of what you are selling is the pleasure of outdoor theater, and you want to suggest that in the photos. But if the show is to be performed on an indoor stage, you want it to look "theatrical." Think about it like this: if you were a classical music producer, you wouldn't promote a Pavarotti concert in Carnegie Hall with pictures of him in Central Park.

TRICKS OF PROFESSIONAL PUBLICISTS

Send them out on time. Believe it or not, people forget this necessary step. In the financial boom times of the 1980's, it was said people made money just by showing up. I have found that photographs get published just by showing up, particlularly when the competition's photos don't.

Supply informative caption info. When submitting photographic prints, I scotch-tape a typed notice onto the back of the print giving all the information the photo editor will need to properly identify the photo. I always include the following: the name of the presenting organization, the title of the show, names of the performers in the shots (left to right is customary), dates, time and ticket price of the production, address of the performance space, box office number, and last but not least, the photo credit (photographer's name). For slides, which have very little room for written information, I usually take a pen and write at least the name of show and photo credit on the slide mount, then tape the slide to a larger caption using a tab of masking tape. Obviously, much of the information in your caption will be repeated on the press release, which should be enclosed with your photo. But in case they are separated, an informative caption will ensure that these facts will not be lost.

With digital photos, a caption can be made part of the file. Open the image in Photoshop, drop down the File menu and choose "info." In Photoshop 5 and later, you will get a window in which to write the caption. Fill in the necessary information like this:

ART DIRECTORS' TRICKS

Sell with people. People perform for people. You are popularizing people. Your photo is answering the question, "Whom are we going to see?". So, show the faces.

Use costumes and props. The cooperation of your set designer and costumer is often required in creating photos that are distinctive to your production and also pleasing and interesting to look at. This is often a problem because you are often shoting before costumes are made and props built. So, improvise. Design the look of the people, don't just use "rehearsal clothes." For example, if your show is set in Dogpatch, don't dress the dancers in leotards--run out and get them bib overalls. Often a particular symbol, setting or object is emblematic of the production: find a way to simulate it or suggest it in your photo.

You don't need the whole cast in a publicity photo. Since the photo will probably be reproduced in a small size, it is often to your advantage to plan shots of one, two or three people. Single photos of the leading actors or title characters are also good choices.

Get your performers to interact. If you can get them to improvise, your photos will come out refreshing and "real," avoiding the frozen formality of many photos. Improvisation will also help your subjects to relax as you shoot.

Use masks and puppets. Such wonderfully theatrical touches have great appeal in photographs, and photo editors seem to relish them. Masks have an inherent mystery and theatricality that makes for successful, attention-getting photographs. Puppets, too, are innately theatrical and always make great shots

Most professional theatrical photographers I know who shoot publicity photos do it on a fee-plus-expenses basis, and the fee generally gives the producer the publicity rights to the photograph. (I say generally because there are as many types of deals made as there are stars in the sky. But this is a typical arrangement in New York theater.) "Publicity rights" means that the company may duplicate and submit the photographer's photos for newspaper and magazine coverage of the production without further payment to the photographer. When a producer of good repute (or an established publicist) submits such photos to a newspaper or magazine, it is with the understanding that publicity rights have been arranged, and that the publication will not be liable for further charges from the photographer. The producer must generally negotiate with the photographer separately for uses including album covers and posters.

A theatrical photographer is generally free to exert his ownership rights and make his best deal for use of his photos in published playscripts, books about the artists, textbooks and publishers' catalogues as well as for stock agency use. The photographer will not be sharing procedes from these sales with the producer, unless some contractual provision for this had been previously made.

It is always good business to present the photographer's name clearly on photos you distribute for any purpose. Beside passing on valuable copyright information, it enables photos to be published with the proper credit to the artist who made them.

PHOTOS AS A RESOURCE

Companies find that publicity photos, once created, become a wonderful asset. They are often well-suited to accompany reviews and are used in press kits that are given to reviewers attending the performance. Publications often retain interesting photos on file to illustrate articles which may come out long after the show, and this can give additional visibility to the company as well as recognition of its past work. Although originally intended to stimulate advance sales, publicity photos are sometimes faithful enough to the finished production to substitute for production photos, which saves money. They are also frequently adapted for use in newsletters, calendars, posters and newspaper ads. I would end with a word for small companies, who often feel "closed out" of the papers because larger companies seem to dominate the editorial coverage in their market: newspapers are always looking for photos that will dress up their pages with novelty and pizazz. With today's large selection of photo placement opportunities--"choices" sections, arts calendars and going-out guides--there are many outlets for small presenters to outshine larger ones by simply being more imaginative and creative in their publicity photos.