Wrinkles don't look good anywhere....

            I have a guest writer for this blog post! Super Fashionista and intern extraordinaire Sydney Wright! I was thrilled to have her work with us for a few months in the office and she took the lead on this article on Model Appearance.

The way a model presents him/herself is a reflection of not only the talent but the agency they represent. A model should look neat and professional whenever they are representing themselves.

It is extremely important that their clothing is clean, pressed, and free of pilling, stains, rips and tears. This means to both auditions and shoots. DO NOT wear any clothing is inappropriate (too short, too revealing etc) outdated or too flashy. The client is looking to advertise a product, not you! Your clothing should not be making the statement- that is your job OR the products job. If you are booked for the job- make sure your clothes aren’t too flamboyant so the viewers are going to become distracted by you.

            An important pointer to remember before leaving for a job is to always iron or steam your clothing beforehand. Wrinkly clothes are never going to help you get hired or rehired for another job. Your clothing is a reflection on YOU. Never wear any pants, dresses, or tops that could possibly wrinkle while in the car on your way to a job. (ie linen, cotton, and khaki) These fabrics should be slipped on at the shoot, not worn to the booking. It may be even wiser to choose to wear a wrinkle-free fabric such as rayon, polyester, or other synthetic materials.

            Never wear an outfit that is outdated unless properly specified by the client! Knit ties, parachute pants, belly shirts, and your Van Halan fan club tee-shirts are not appropriate for 2013. Keep these clothes in the eighties and nineties where they belong! To auditions, dress as if you were going to an interview. Your first impression could score you the job.

            Always remember that as well as dressing appropriate, it is also important to act appropriate. Refer to our last blog post for suitable behavior at auditions as well as on the job. Keep in mind that you are representing your agent as well as yourself. Do your best to make a POSITIVE, lasting impression on the client.  First impressions are lasting impressions- just like your mom always said.

Thank you Sydney for your input on this topic! You have a very bright future!

Somebody's watching you....

I wanted to share an excerpt from an email I sent to all of my talent. It was an email that pertained to proper conduct for an audition...It is something that a lot of people who attend auditions don't think about...

 Whenever you go to an audition you are to behave like a professional from the moment you walk in the door because it is possible that you are being WATCHED. This means even waiting in the outer room before you are in front of the client. Here is an example of why:
This week we were invited to a large audition and one of the clients was paying attention to the talent at an audition...all day...from the MOMENT talent arrived. Yes, that includes those who were complaining and grumbling and then were all smiles for audition- they were busted...and it was noted next to their name.

Complaining and grumbling about having to wait at an audition is not being professional. (and there is a reason that these are called cattle calls :) Some of the talent actually jeopardized their place in the production before they even auditioned. The client had the opportunity to see the talent as they really are. Some may thing this is unfair but hey: If they book you, they have to spend a day with you and both of your personalities. Doesn't sound that unfair to me.

I do teach this to new models when they join but it bears repeating.

Here's another tidbit- when it comes to behavior in the casting room waiting room: Low key is the way to go. The waiting room is no place for peacocking. If someone asks your advice give it privately and quietly. No boasting or bragging. It is a great place to run lines, make the polite and casual acquaintance of other talent, read, listen to music etc...it is no place to hold court and try to be the BMOC.
Here are a few more things we have heard from clients here and there that I would like to pass along:

• Make sure your clothes are clean , CURRENT, pressed and nice looking. Make a great impression as if you are going to a job interview.

Your mom was right- you never get a second chance to make a first impression...

New Model photos!

I am going to start posting some great model pics on this blog from now on (at least I will give it the old college try!) I see so many bad photos its a good thing exposure to them doesn't cause blindness or I would have a seeing eye dog by now.
A good model photo is well lit and shows the models face well looking nice and natural. The rest of the photos should show different poses and expressions. They ALL should be nicely lit (even natural light is nice as below) and they should be appropriate to the market place. In upstate NY we want a variety of shots that show first a great smiling head shot then (for adults) a business shot, a casual shot (ie upscale consumer) and then possibly athletic etc. Those are the basics. In no case to we want overly photo shopped, all sun glassed, hooded, ANGRY, overly accessorized shots that hide YOU. The client needs to see you to hire you. You can't fool an art director with photoshopped/overly accessorized shenanigans.

o that I can show people what good photos look like. I have been getting
Cute Dominic!

How to apply to an agency- we aren't splitting the atom here.

So how do you apply to an agency? It is really quite simple but it is surprising how many people mess it up. Often the most obvious things trip people up.
First remember that there is a professional business person on the other end of your transmission. If you can't spell or create a capital letter then by all means find someone to assist you. Your letter should start with a "Dear someone". Not Hey, or Hi. (Yes, I have gotten emails with no punctuation, no capitalization and HEY as a salutation.)
Most agencies including ours have a detailed list of what we require for our submissions and even have an on line application so that potential models can easily enter their data. It also lists what we are not looking for ie nude photos and out of state talent- which doesn't mean we don't get those submission. I can't stress enough how important it is to READ all of this information because not all agencies are kind enough to respond to you if you do this incorrectly. We respond to all applicants but some agencies simply lose your application.
When applying to agencies who do not have an application like this make sure you send them exactly what they requested and be considerate of their in box. Size matters so don't muck up an agency's email with 20mb photos. That will earn you no brownie points. Make sure you reduce your photos to a size that is reasonable as it will ensure that not only do they get them but you won't crash their email account.
We also want to know if you look good. If we can't SEE you, how are we know? DO NOT send photos of yourself that obscure your body or face. This seems so simple again, but  if I had a nickel for every sunglassed, ball-capped, mumu wearing model I could have a closet full of Christian Louboutins. To take that further, would you mind showing us your teeth? Most models have pretty nice teeth, not perfect but nice- so show us your pearly whites.
Don't forget contact infomation. This seems truly obvious but one of the reasons we created the form was that probably half of our submissions had photos and no contact information. Another half had no personal stats. Please tell us your height, weight, dress, pant, shoe sizes etc. You aren't applying for a telemarketing job here- you want to model so this info is germane. (and we will eventually know if you weren't being truthful so you might as well be honest here)
Most agencies are looking for new talent and don't want to waste time opening incomplete emails or applications- time is money.  The bottom line is if you want be considered as a professional model then send something akin to a professional submission. So SIMPLE!(and for the record save your duck face for your friends on FB; they may garner OMG's from your BFF's but they just get LOL's and deletes from profession talent agents) Good luck!