The Importance of Being Natural at Castings

So far, at castings this week, I showed my bootie for a jeans project and touched my boob for a breast cancer awareness ad casting.

As a body part model and print model, castings involve holding, using, modeling many different things. Being comfortable with yourself, and knowing quickly what the job involves and how to use the product, how to hold it, or whatever,- is important at a casting. Before a casting your agency should give you the breakdown of what the casting involves and if it seems confusing, ask. If you are unsure, practice putting on shoes, smiling, modeling jewelry, or whatever the casting might involve before the casting.

For this casting, it was about touching my boob.
I was reminded of the importance of being comfortable with yourself and knowing what the casting is for ahead of time. Here is what I observed.

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She looks the part, but she has no clue what she is doing.

In the room is the casting director, the photographer (male) and another woman, maybe the art director. I am standing against the wall, waiting for my turn, another girl is aside me also waiting. A handful of others are outside the door.

The girl on set is obviously nervous, I can tell when she unbuttons her shirt ALL the way down when the photographer just asks her to unbutton a few.

She is told to put her hand in her shirt and cover her boob/aka, put her hand on her breast.

She is having trouble with this.

The casting director says to her, “touch your breast." "No. Like this!"
The casting director touches her own boob and then says, "Not like you are cupping it or grabbing it."
"Like this."

"Across"

"No lower."

"Not grabbing."

"Touch it. OK. Now relax your arm, your elbow."

The casting director is obviously annoyed at her. The girl waiting next to me is giggling a little. I feel kinda bad for the girl on set. She is basically getting ripped to shreds. I unbutton my shirt while I wait and practice touching my boob. The casting director notices I am practicing and gives me a nod.

A few things come to mind about the girl on set.
She really COULD USE this campaign as awareness for herself. She is acting like she never gave herself a breast exam in her life. She has no idea what she is doing, what the casting is for, or why she has to touch her boob. She isn't going to get this job.

Casting directors like it when "You know what you are doing." Like agents in print modeling, casting directors don't like to "teach the models," or "repeat themselves 1000's or times."

When the casting director says, "Ok Jade!" "Let's do this." I do.
I am comfortable with my body, have done many "body part modeling jobs" and as a model I am used to being in situations where you have to do things that would be un-normal for most people. Like show my legs, my hands, my feet, my butt, my torso, everything basically for castings and on the job for magazine editorial and campaigns.
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The reason I am sharing this is because it is important for a model to "know what the casting involves." For this casting above my agency sent me a VERY detailed email about what it involved ahead of time. Maybe the girl on set hadn't fully read it or understood? However, whatever you are holding, touching, using, wearing, or modeling, you need t know how to relax, how to become natural, and especially when it comes to your hands...never be stiff.

Who knows if I will get the job, but I know that if I don't it won't be because I was tense.

~ isobella