There are two approaches:
1) You work with an individual or organization that finds you work
2) You put together your own marketing plan and go out and find the work yourself.
With the first approach, you work with a modeling agent or agency. There is more information about Modeling Agencies under the Modeling Agency section (Chapter six). With the second approach you work as an independent or 'freelance' model. As a freelance model you track down your own jobs and may sign non-exclusive contracts with several agencies. In both cases you must put together your marketing tools - a composite card, a portfolio, and a web presence (more info on this follows). All of these marketing tools require photographs and you get these photos by tracking down test shoots.
2) You put together your own marketing plan and go out and find the work yourself.
With the first approach, you work with a modeling agent or agency. There is more information about Modeling Agencies under the Modeling Agency section (Chapter six). With the second approach you work as an independent or 'freelance' model. As a freelance model you track down your own jobs and may sign non-exclusive contracts with several agencies. In both cases you must put together your marketing tools - a composite card, a portfolio, and a web presence (more info on this follows). All of these marketing tools require photographs and you get these photos by tracking down test shoots.
Composite
After
you have some photographs in hand you can begin to put together
your marketing tools. The first of these tools is a composite.
This is a single sheet of paper that has a head shot printed on
one side and more photos and your vital statistics on the back.
Many years ago the basic marketing tool was an 8x10 inch Black
& White glossy photo of your head and shoulders and stats
typed up and pasted on the back. This later evolved into a
printed front and back '8X11' B&W sheet, then to 5X7 printed
or photocopied card, to today where, with computers and on-demand
printing, you can produce your own sales brochure. At any rate,
this is your basic marketing tool. You give it to photographers,
art directors, casting agents and others. This gives them
something they can put in their files and refer to when looking
for talent. It is your sales brochure and business card all in
one and it is hard to get far without it. It cost some to put
together but that's the cost of being in business for yourself.
Portfolio
Your
second marketing tool is the portfolio. After someone shows
interest in you, they are going to want to see more photos of
you. This is where your portfolio or book comes in. Your portfolio
contains an assortment of photos and tear sheets showing what
you have done and your "look". They all, of course, must be of
excellent quality. When you're starting out you won't have any
tear sheets as you haven't done any jobs yet. As you do get work,
you will add tear sheets to show you have done actual jobs.
How many photos and tear sheets do you need? Enough to show what you are about, but not so many as to Portfoliooverwhelm
and bore someone. It is a tricky balance and takes a lot of
scrutiny and evaluation to get a balanced book. What size and
format? I think that is open. You need to be able to leave it
behind, messenger it over, mail it out, and carry it in. It
doesn't hurt to be distinctive, but it needs to be easy to look
through rugged but fashionable - sounds like a Professional
Model. [Moreinformation on portfolio cases Chapter Seven]
So what types of photos should be in your book? First, you need
a good clean head shot. This goes for your composite card as
well. This head shot needs to show you - both your physical
appearance and personalty. This gives a photographer clear idea
of your "look". In addition have a couple of full length shots
that show your body shape. The head shot and body shots might
be more technical kind of shots. The rest of the portfolio should
be filled with WOW! shots. Just as in any kind of advertising
(which is what a portfolio is), you need to sell the client. That
is what the bulk of the photos in your portfolio should do.
Photos
for a portfolio should usually not be done by just one
photographer this is because many photographers develop their own
style. If your portfolio were to be shot by just one photographer,
it would only show that one style, that one way of looking at
you. Although one photographer can shoot your initial composite, a
portfolio needs variety. It needs to show how several different
photographers see you and how they capture your look. Remember,
for print models the portfolio is your major marketing tool and
can often close the deal. Also, having said all that, there are
exceptions and exceptional photographers who can produce enough
variety images to fill your portfolio, but it's rare to find one.
Web Presence
This
is a rapidly changing topic. The following material I wrote
several years ago and it may be out of date. I still believe in
much of this material so I will leave it for you read. The two
trends I am seeing that bring this material into question is
modeling agencies' web sites and if anyone will ever find you on
the web. I am currently seeing, to my dismay, modeling agencies
dropping their web sites. It appears the idea of an agency
putting all of their talent on line for clients to see has not
worked out for agencies. Two things agencies have going for them
is personal contact with clients and filtering which models a
client sees. Both of these are loss on the web. So far no one has
come up with a dominant model web listing site. Instead I am
finding hundreds of listing sites all of which are hard to
navigate or with password protection that make them a bother to
deal with. It maybe the case that you either put up a professional
web site and promote it or don't bother with the web. All of
this is still changing as the web changes so we will see where it
goes. (Note: As Kat Models we are trying all we can to see that all our models get listed on our site http://www.behance.net/katmodels for equal opportunities)
Since
you are reading this you already know how important the Internet
has become. Like other small businesses it has become important
for a model to have a web presence. Almost all photographers and
art directors have computers now and most are either on line. This gives
you a large potential web audience. For photographers and art
directors searching for talent, on line offers speed, greater
selection, 24 hour a day search possibilities, and ultimately
cost savings. This certainly is not perfected yet.
Most
modeling agencies have web sites and most are password
protected. Since they deal with a select local clientele, they do
not need every nosy web surfer checking out their models and
eating up their download bandwidth. This password protection,
like other activities a modeling agency does, helps to screen out
problem clients. If you sign with an agency, they will have some
means to get your portfolio on line at the agency's web site.
Though this system has some good points, it does block the
photographer who may just occasionally need a model - especially if
it is a last minute idea.
If you are with an
agency you still may want to have a web presence that is
accessible to everyone. This gives you a place to which you can
direct friends, reach clients who don't work with modeling
agencies, and for that one-in-a-million chance that a major
modeling agency scout or that big-time Hollywood casting director
might just come surfing by and spot you. For a freelance model,
setting up an independent web presence is the only option and
essential.
Currently I see three possible options for setting up a web presence:
1) A free model listing site,
2) Your own web site, and
3) An online virtual modeling agency or model listing site. Be aware that with any independent web posting you have to exercise caution. You are putting material out there for everyone to see, both the good and the bad.
Free Model Listing Site
There
are a few free model-listing sites that allow you to post either
information about yourself and a link to your web site or a few
photos and some information. There is no cost except for some
time and getting images ready for the web. Generally you do need
to know a little about posting things on the web but most of
these sites have instructions on how to do this. Since it is free
you may wantto take advantage of this service and see what happens.
A Web Site of Your Own
There
are a few free web-hosting sites left. With these hosts you can
put up your own complete web site (covered with ads). This does
take some level of web skills, either by you or a friend, to
accomplish so this may not be an option for everyone. Also, it is
unlikely anyone will find your site unless you promote it. You
do have full control of what you put up and how you represent
yourself to potential clients. There are also a lot of low price
($10 per month or less) web hosting service. The free part of the
internet is almost gone.
A Paid Virtual Modeling Agency or Paid Model Listing Site
There
are now hundreds of these sites. They vary on just what they
offer and how many photos you can post. Their costs vary from
initially free to several hundred dollars a year. They also vary
on how many other services they offer (their own traveling
photographer, virtual modeling classes, and signing fee - starting
to sound familiar?) They all do seem to make the same wild claim,
that every modeling scout, modeling executive, casting director,
art director, and photographer on the planet will possibly see
you; all of them, of course, have nothing better to do than search
through millions of web sites so they can happen on this one
and see your picture - and you might also win the lottery tomorrow.
As you can guess from my tone I think most of these sites are
rip-offs. However, I also believe at some point a couple of these
sites will, after a major shake out, be key and useful sites.
This is an evolving area of model promotion. We have already seen major players like Iam.com
go under and the rise of the on line "modeling scouts." So far,
as a photographer, I have yet to find a modeling listing site
that is useful. So I am still uncertain how useful any of these
services are.
What to Look For
If
you are looking for a paid model listing site and you actual
want to have some hope of getting work from it, consider these
factors before signing up:
1) The site should
be easy for someone who wants to find a model to use starting
with the home page with clear directions for the model
seeker(photographer, art director, and such) to follow. Most
sites clutter their opening page with model mania news, how a
model should sign up, and stories of not so famous models. If a
potential client can't find how to search the site and feel welcome,
they are not going to stay.
2) Does the site
have a good search system? Many of the model listing sites let
you search by size, gender, hair color, ethnic background, and
planets in the solar system, but most fail to let you search by
city. Since 90% of the work for models outside of cities does not
include travel money, only local models will be used. If I, as a
photographer, can't find what talent this site is listing for my
area, the site is useless. Again, most of these sites want you
to think top casting directors from around the world are going to
find you so they don't include city search and in reality these
sites are useless.
3) Does the site use
thumbnail (small pictures) of the models and do they load
quickly? I am amazed at how many of these listing sites think an
art director or photographer is going to sit there while 5 or 6
high K files down load, and do this time and again trying to get
an idea of the talent the site is offering. Or worse yet, where
their thumbnails are 80K files rather than a quick-load 3k.
Believe me as a photographer you go through a couple of these and
you are out of there. You quickly don't care what talent is
there - you have a life to live.
4) Does the
model get to include other information? Many of these sites let
you post just a couple of photos and vital statistics. After a
photographer, or other potential client, has narrowed the choices
down, extra info, like resume or interview questions can help
show a model's personality and experience. Not only do you like a
model to have that "look", but you also want to know she or he
is someone you can work with. This extra information can help
with that.
5) How easy does the site make it to
contact and book the model? This part does not seem to be a
problem with most sites. Many sites just let potential clients
email you. Other sites try to be more like an agency and screen
clients and set up bookings. The key point is that if someone
does respond to the web listing, you must have a plan on how to
proceed. Remember most of these sites are open to the whole
world, so you do not know for sure who or what might contact you.
You need to work out a system to qualify clients and make sure
they are legitimate.
6) What does the site do
to attract potential clients? The bulk of these sites just try to
get listed on search engines and hope someone finds them. A few
actually have a plan for attracting clients and a very few of
those actually have budgets with which to do so. If potential
clients can't find the site or are not driven to it, it does not
matter what else the site does right, it will eventual fail, and
along with the site's failure goes any hope of the models finding
work.
Personal Appearance
The
final marketing tool is the personal appearance. In its
different forms it can be the "go see", the "cattle call", or
"doing the rounds". If a photographer or art director has worked
his or her way from your composite to your portfolio, then they
will probably want to take a look at you. They may meet with you
individually or they may look and interview several models at one
time (the cattle call). This is the moment when a photographer
has a chance to see you and evaluate you in person. You will be
evaluated on your physical features, your professional
appearance, and your working relationship. From here you get the
job - or not!
Doing the rounds is at the
beginning rather than the end of the marketing cycle. After
identifying businesses that might employ models you get to do
cold calls; that is, you drop in and see if the business uses
models and you drop off your composite. This cold call can be
done by phone, also. What is most effective will vary among
photographers, art directors, and casting agents. This is why you sign with an agency as this is what they are supposed to do - market you.
So,
how do you find who is using models and who to cold call or to
whom to send your composite? The first place to start is with the
professionals who traditionally work with models. This would
include photographers, advertising agencies, graphic design
firms, some public relation firms, and casting companies. Most of
these can be found in the yellow pages for your city or a local
business directory (available in some libraries). Then you must
call, mail, e-mail or walk in the front door to see if they use
models. Be prepared for a lot of rejection!
You
should evaluate your city or region to see if there are
businesses that are major users of models. A business directory
can help locate these businesses. In Kampala we have two major
department store chains with their own studios, as well as cloth-line
branches such as Silvia Owuori, Woolworth, Select Garments ,
Bambeera couture, and several catalog mail order companies. All
are heavy users of models and at times have hired freelance
models to fill their needs. You will have to research your own
community to see what your local opportunities are. I knew of a
small town in Kenya that had a photo studio that specialized in
photographing furniture and kept models busy just sitting on
sofas to add a human touch. You may have to turn over some stones
to see if there are any hidden opportunities in your town.
Naam
Kat Model School of Fashion
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