On a mailed submission, put the name of the production (i.e.: "Samantha's Film") AND the specific character (Role: Samantha) on the outside front of the mailing. If the casting notice says "General Characters - Male/Female" or "Extras" put this instead of the character role.  Submissions without these will be set aside. 

In an email, put your name, the production name, and the character role in the subject heading of the email.  If the casting notice says "General Characters - Male/Female" or "Extras" put this instead of the character role.  Submissions without these will be set aside.  Since many people do not use their own name in their email address, putting your name first in the subject heading of the email makes it easy for casting and production people to find your email amongst hundred of others since it matches the name of your picture and/or resume.

Headshots should NOT be titled "headshots.jpg"  This makes it difficult to manage and many pictures and files are overwritten and lost.  Use your name in the file (i.e.: JaneDoeHeadshot.jpg or match it to your email name such as FutureStarHeadshot.jpg if you're using a cutesy email name).  If possible, have your name and contact information on the picture as well as in the file's title. 

We have a collection of anonymous actors with no name on their picture and only "headshot.jpg" as the filename.  Matching these pictures to their emails is impossible.

The best format for an email headshot is the compressed JPEG (.jpg)  Keep the resolution of your head shot under 150 DPI and the files size under 300Kb if possible.  Headshots should not be larger than a 700 pixels high to fit in a normal computer screen.  Only send one headshot.  Do not send your headshot in a Microsoft Word Document (.DOC) or as an executable file (.EXE).  .Doc files often can not be opened by earlier versions of Microsoft Word or other word processors common in the industry.  It is also wise to note that many companies and systems regard .doc and .exe files as possibly having viruses and dislike opening them.

Resume's should NOT be titled "resume.rtf." or "actors_resume.txt."  This makes it difficult to manage and many pictures and files are overwritten and lost.  Use your name in the file (i.e.: JohnDoeResume.rtf or match it to your email name such as  FutureStarrrResume.txt if you're using a cutesy email name). 

YCP works with WordPerfect word processing software * and with Eudora email.  Because different companies use different formats, it is advisable to send resumes typed within your email (you can usually "cut and paste" it into the email message area) or attached as a Rich Text Format file (.RTF) or ASCII text file (.TXT) so that any word processor can open them.  DO NOT include tables and pictures in resume documents.  Whatever writing system you use, you can use the "Save As" function to convert your resume to the RTF or TXT format.  This will assure your submission is properly looked at. 

* Corel's WordPerfect word processing software includes the "Left/Right Indent" key needed in screenwriting for dialog indentation, which Microsoft Word does not have.