A little over one week after signing to a new modeling agency, I went to my first casting for Nike Vision Eyewear. If booked, I would be paid $1,000 + 20% (agency commission) for working a full day (10 hours) or $600 + 20% for working a half day (5 hours).
According to my agency's instructions, I was told to dress sporty or hip/street casual. The wardrobe description was a bit vague so my agent sent a few images of Nike Vision's previous ads so I could get a better idea of what to wear. I decided to go with hip/street casual: dark blue skinnies, Converse sneakers that were white, black and pink and a solid colored, maroon tanktop. I was a bit torn between wearing the tanktop and a t-shirt that was the same pink color as my shoes but ultimately I went for the tanktop because the pink t-shirt had a graphic on the front that I thought would be too distracting.
I wore my hair down and curled. Makeup-wise, I kept it natural: concealer, blush, powder, mascara and lip color (MAC tinted lipglass in "Liqueur"). Keep in mind the product being promoted was eyewear so I didn't want to do any fancy eye makeup that would be too overboard. My call-time was 2:10pm and I arrived at the casting studio in San Francisco around 1:45pm. When I got to the front desk I took a sign in sheet and filled it out (name, agency contact info, cell number, availability, etc.). I brought a hard copy of my headshot and resume, which the girl at the front desk stapled together with my sign in sheet. She kept the paperwork and told me I could wait in the room down the hall.
After about 15 minutes I was called in, along with one other female model and one male model. We were given our stapled paperwork, which was numbered (I was #35), and were told to wait in a hallway in front of the actual room where the casting was taking place (the door was closed of course). We were taken in one at a time. There was the photographer and two casting people. I was directed to a white backdrop, which had blue Xs on the floor to show where I was supposed to stand. The two casting people were seated on a couch facing me and were going through my sign in sheet, resume, etc.
The photographer was the only person to interact with me and he gave me instructions for how to pose. He gave me 5 different pairs of Nike Vision eyeglasses to wear. He took smiling headshots, one non-smiling headshot, 3/4 headshots, one frontal full body shot and one back shot. For the back shot, I was told to face away from the camera and on the photographer's cue, I was to turn around and look over my left shoulder candidly as if someone had just called out my name and I was turning to look at them. He didn't want anything that was too "posed." After checking the images in his camera, he said I was good to go. I shook his hand and thanked him for his time and I also thanked the two casting people on the couch, although they were not in a position to shake my hand so I simply waved and went about my merry way.
I feel good about the pictures I took and--to me--that's what's important (I wasn't allowed to see the pictures--never expect to be able to check your picture(s) at castings...it won't happen and definitely don't ask!). I don't know if I'll book the job but it would be super amazing to get that assignment. If not, hey, it's just another day at the office, lol. I've got my fingers crossed but am confident that if Nike Vision doesn't book me for their product shoot, there will be others!
According to my agency's instructions, I was told to dress sporty or hip/street casual. The wardrobe description was a bit vague so my agent sent a few images of Nike Vision's previous ads so I could get a better idea of what to wear. I decided to go with hip/street casual: dark blue skinnies, Converse sneakers that were white, black and pink and a solid colored, maroon tanktop. I was a bit torn between wearing the tanktop and a t-shirt that was the same pink color as my shoes but ultimately I went for the tanktop because the pink t-shirt had a graphic on the front that I thought would be too distracting.
I wore my hair down and curled. Makeup-wise, I kept it natural: concealer, blush, powder, mascara and lip color (MAC tinted lipglass in "Liqueur"). Keep in mind the product being promoted was eyewear so I didn't want to do any fancy eye makeup that would be too overboard. My call-time was 2:10pm and I arrived at the casting studio in San Francisco around 1:45pm. When I got to the front desk I took a sign in sheet and filled it out (name, agency contact info, cell number, availability, etc.). I brought a hard copy of my headshot and resume, which the girl at the front desk stapled together with my sign in sheet. She kept the paperwork and told me I could wait in the room down the hall.
After about 15 minutes I was called in, along with one other female model and one male model. We were given our stapled paperwork, which was numbered (I was #35), and were told to wait in a hallway in front of the actual room where the casting was taking place (the door was closed of course). We were taken in one at a time. There was the photographer and two casting people. I was directed to a white backdrop, which had blue Xs on the floor to show where I was supposed to stand. The two casting people were seated on a couch facing me and were going through my sign in sheet, resume, etc.
The photographer was the only person to interact with me and he gave me instructions for how to pose. He gave me 5 different pairs of Nike Vision eyeglasses to wear. He took smiling headshots, one non-smiling headshot, 3/4 headshots, one frontal full body shot and one back shot. For the back shot, I was told to face away from the camera and on the photographer's cue, I was to turn around and look over my left shoulder candidly as if someone had just called out my name and I was turning to look at them. He didn't want anything that was too "posed." After checking the images in his camera, he said I was good to go. I shook his hand and thanked him for his time and I also thanked the two casting people on the couch, although they were not in a position to shake my hand so I simply waved and went about my merry way.
I feel good about the pictures I took and--to me--that's what's important (I wasn't allowed to see the pictures--never expect to be able to check your picture(s) at castings...it won't happen and definitely don't ask!). I don't know if I'll book the job but it would be super amazing to get that assignment. If not, hey, it's just another day at the office, lol. I've got my fingers crossed but am confident that if Nike Vision doesn't book me for their product shoot, there will be others!
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