behind the scenes of modeling castings and how to take it upon yourself to be not an airhead model.

Hey Girls,

Some thing they don't tell you about working as a model is that you really are your own manager ( even when you work with agencies), and when it comes to castings it can involve going with your gut, being perceptive and prepared, remember often modeling castings involve walking into a room full of strangers (editors, marketing professionals) to present yourself professionally.

So here is some insight from the behind the scenes of modeling castings and how to take it upon yourself to be not an airhead model.

Sometimes your agency gives you all the details of the casting, the who, the what, the when, when the shoot date is, the rate, the usage, the whole deal....but sometimes they don't fill you in with all the details.

Not that I like it, but simply the agency might not know, the client hasn't told them, but make sure you always ask the agency if possible before the casting the details, know what you are walking into, confirm the location of the casting (I have been emailed at the last minute with a different location from my agency or a typo), always research the brand the casting is for, the photographer, casting studio if possible before the casting.

(And if you are booked for the job make sure you know about about the usage of the images, the rate, confirm the time and day of the shoot.

Casting are often last minute and being available is often how you book work as a model, and you have that day to prepare or a day or so. 

But try not to walk into the casting acting like an airhead. So many times I have been at castings or go-sees and the other models there have no idea what the casting is for, it's like they are  just showing up and have no clue to what they are showing up for???

I don't know until I show up at the casting what the casting will involve, how long it will take can depend on how many girls have shown up or how many that are being seen...it could be you and just a few others or you and many others. Sometimes it could be fast 5 minutes or 30 mins or more of waiting.

If the casting is somewhere I am not familar with, example: Long Island City. I had a casting there for leg modeling and ended up in some warehouse area, I called my agency making sure this was the right place, and it was the right spot, it was the right studio, and I did book the job and it did pay well. But I was nervous for a minute there in the street beforehand like: Where the F am I? And you do always have to be careful, let people know where you are going, boyfriend, husband, family, friends and call your agency right away if it seems weird.

Always-if it isn't clear ASK!

And also there is the basic know-how of being a model and understanding what certain castings involve.
Ex: if the casting is for shoes...make sure your pedicure is fresh. Overtime it becomes common sense.
However, if the details of what to wear, how to do your make up, what to bring are not clear, ask!

I hope this is helpful.

In my book Short Stuff I included modeling tips for short chicks, which I think you'll like as well. :)

~Isobella