Life as I find it

I think I’m on a roll for modelling tips. Anyway, here goes. You have a brand new portfolio ready and want to begin modelling. You are aware that modelling is like any other profession and requires a lot of hard work and sincere efforts to do well. Great - its time to begin circulating your picture.

What to do?

• Short list your best pictures and select the ones you’d give if you were to give 1, 2, 4, 6 or 10 pictures. Be sure to have ample copies of these pictures to hand out once you begin promoting yourself.
• Make sure you have your name and contact numbers behind every picture. This is important. The world provides no guarantee that all 6 pictures you submit will remain together. You don’t want to lose work because no one knew who you were or how to contact you. A good way of doing this is getting tiny stickers printed that you can simply paste onto the back of your picture. Comp cards are good for distributing, but rarely fit into standard model albums, so they will get stored and viewed separately. Since they are a minority of picture submissions, they may get misplaced or forgotten by a harried production assistant trying to create a list of people to call. That’s unprofessional, but hte only person it will harm is you, so you might as well avoid it.
• Keep scanned copies of these pictures handy to email as well. This is a very good option, as many places prefer to file and distribute their pictures like this. They can be sent to clients instantly, magnified to see clearly, etc. They will also be cheaper to send to many people for you in the beginning, as it can get expensive to mass print photos, particularly initially when there is no guarantee of work in return.
• Create a list of contacts. Modelling agencies, advertising agencies, production houses all have their own databases of models they use for audition calls. Send your picture out to as many as you can. Our of these, Modelling agencies are the MOST IMPORTANT as they cater to requirements by production houses and ad agencies too. Even if you skip the other two, they will still bring audition calls for you. This contact list should have the names of production houses/agencies and phone numbers.
• Contact everyone on your list and speak with the people to confirm addresses, and inform them that you’d like to send in your picture. Be sure to ask them if they would prefer an email with attachments (this is what your wallet prefers, so your default option) or hard copies couriered to them and to whom they should be addressed to.
• Send out the pictures as discussed promptly
• Forget about them, except for modelling agencies who fail to inform you about any audition even after a month or two - in that case, call them to remind them and offer to send a fresh set of pictures or find out why there have been no audition calls. Building a rapport with modelling agencies is good. The others - LEAVE ALONE. Models are not their only concerns, and they will be irritated by calls asking about requirements - they also will have fewer requirements than modelling agencies, so it is very likely that they simply have not needed you till then.
• When you get invited for auditions, the person calling to tell you will be working through a list and will be very likely to be in a hurry to tell you to land up at a certain place and time and move on to the next person on their list. Take a moment to ask them what character is expected, and if it will help for you to dress up in a certain way to better look the part in the audition. Pay attention to any information about the character they tell you.
• Land up at the audition as appropriately dressed as possible. If you think the best dress would be something you wouldn’t like to wear on the street, feel free to carry it and change there. Avoid this for normal clothing.
• Understand the character you are to play carefully. Where possible, watch other auditions happening and see what the expectations of the person conducting them are and try to deliver as closely as possible. If you’re nervous, rehearse as much as possible and sincerely enough for your audition simply seem like another rehearsal and not make you nervous. Stay as calm as possible, and know that there can be more takes if you goof up - its normal - not a sign of any incompetency on your part. Feel free to ask for another take with a variation, if you think the character can be played differently better, but first, do it how they want it. Its always your best take that will count, unless you end up asking for endless takes in a crowded audition.
• ALWAYS carry a set of your pictures when you come for an audition. If you have been sent by a modelling agency, the production house may not have pictures of you. They will want them, and anyway, its one of the best ways of getting your pictures on their files.
• Have patience. Out of a hundred people who come for an audition, a couple get work. Its not about beauty, or looking the character or even acting ability sometimes - its about how the director has visualized the character and who comes closest to bringing it into reality. It may take many auditions before you get work, or it might happen in your first audition. Either way, remember each audition is a fresh slate, and keep doing your best each time. Every good audition is a step nearer to be included in the next audition call as well, whether you get the role this time or not.

That’s all I can think off. Good luck!

For most modelling, acting related work, a portfolio need not always be professionally shot, as long as the pictures are good. It helps to get it done by a professional photographer, mostly because they have a better idea than you on what would be a good portfolio. I am making suggestions based on what I like to see in a portfolio.

• 6 pictures is a good number to short list for circulation to modelling agencies. Production houses and ad agencies are likely to be happy with 2
• Be sure to include 2 close ups in two different looks, out of which one uses no or minimum make up. This picture gives a good idea of what you really look like and is important. One smile and one serious is also good.
• 2 pictures can be mid-length. These are often requested and son’t really serve any major purpose beyond showing what you look like in them. I recommend using these to showcase different looks that suit you. Please remember that expression is part of a look - there’s nothing more hopeless than a guy showing off his muscles with a vacant expression on his face. If your get up is that of an innocent, look actively innocent, etc. Avoid exaggerated expressions that distort your face so much that they give no idea of what you look like without them.
• 2 full length pictures again should show two looks. Ideally, these should be a good indication of your figure. While it is not necessary to pose in swimwear for these unless you want to model skimpy clothes, it is important that the structure of your body and the way you carry yourself be visible in these. I remember being impressed by one par where one is a total corporate look in a sleek fitting suit with crisp and erect body language, and the other is a total hippie, complete with slouch.
• Sun glasses are a no-no. We have seen them all, and if we require you to wear one on a shoot, we are capable of providing you with one. From your portfolio, we need to see what YOU look like, and your eyes are a big part of that. However, this is not a rule. There can be certain looks that require glasses. If you look superb that way, include one picture like that, but no more.
• Flash is out. The pictures should be well lit, particularly your face and every part of you shown. But this well lit doesn’t include a flash. Soft, ambient light is better. Even a shady area in daylight (not direct sunlight) is good. We want even lighting. Let’s leave the dramatic lighting for the camera man when you get a job - unless your portfolio is for lighting rather than modelling. Even then, flash is out
• Avoid cluttered back grounds.plain or textured backgrounds are good. Again, it is not necessary to have a studio type background sheet and all that, even the side of a building or a wall in a room will do well, if it is clean and doesn’t have stuff lying around you.
• You should be distinct from the background. As a rule of thumb, go for a light background if your are wearing dark clothes and vice versa. Other contrasts like colour and texture work well too, if you have the eye to judge them well. As long as you don’t merge with the background, things should be fine.
• Sharp focus is essential. Really, I don’t need to explain this.
• Avoid clutter on yourself too. Keep yourself visible and clean of all distractions. This goes for excessive hair trailing on face, hand covering part of face, disproportionately large amounts of jewellery, props (unless you’re a kid)…… be certain you are showing yourself and do just that and remove absolutely anything that will share the show.

I’ll probably think of more things and add to this list - this is what I want to share right off the bat on this subject. Feel free to mark this page to check for updates or to comment and add suggestions, etc.