Modeling & Acting 101 - A Model/Actor's Diary

***This post was scheduled to be published several weeks in advance and not meant to be applied in real time among what's happening with the coronavirus pandemic. Everyone should be taking all precautions to be safe, including practicing social distancing and staying indoors. This post is not meant to encourage people to move forward with shoots, fashion shows, booked gigs, etc. Keep yourself and those around you safe!*** (This post will be especially beneficial for freelance models.) It can be a pain but to ensure each shoot goes according to plan but it helps to go the extra step of learning how to implement confirmation and check-in emails with the people you choose to work with. This isn't rocket science--just common sense. Life gets busy and oftentimes things come up at the last minute that could cause the cancellation of a scheduled shoot, meeting or related appointment. Sometimes the other person will actually forget they had a scheduled obligation. Oops. ...

There are many success stories when it comes to modeling. There are just as many--if not more--horror stories or at least stories that might make some hesitant to get into the modeling world. When it comes to establishing what you will and won't do as a model, you'd be surprised just how easy setting this up is. The concept of a new, fresh-faced female or male model eager to make it in the "Biz," only to find out they have to compromise their values to reach those goals is a tale as old as time. However, that doesn't mean it's one you have to follow. In life overall you should never compromise yourself in order to "make it." So let's put that out in the forefront right now. Models signed to an agency do not have to feel pressured to do things they don't want to do. What's cool is that when you first sign with an agent, they have you fill out paperwork. In addition to signing the contract, there are things they want to know about...

A big part of a model's life is attending castings and go-sees. For both freelance models and agency represented models, getting in front of clients is the best way to showcase the personality that goes with the photos they've seen and hopefully lead to a booking. However, there is an additional way of snagging work and that's through what's known as a "direct booking." This term is commonplace in the acting world but does apply to modeling projects, too. Direct bookings basically mean a client has seen your work (i.e. portfolio, comp/zed card, published work) and wants to hire you without the need for a casting or go-see. In case you're wondering if such an arrangement is too good to be true, I can assure you it isn't but there are some very important precautions to consider whenever you get a direct booking offer from a potential client. AGENCY REPRESENTED MODELS Agency websites host photo galleries of their models to make it easy for pot...