You’ve got your look. You’ve got your agency. Now, it’s time to go out there and find some work! But do you know the differences between a Go-See and a Call Back? What’s a GWC, and why should you avoid them? Do you need to Book Out a family vacation?

x

Did we lose you? Don’t worry! Our newest cheat sheet will help you understand the terms and phrases used in the process of finding and securing work with your agency.

X

Getting Work

X

Audition: A casting in which the talent must demonstrate a skill, like acting or singing, that they will be required to use as part of the job.

x

Booking (Noun): Any kind of modeling work.

x

Booking (Verb): Securing work for a model or other talent. Also means that a job has been confirmed for a model.

x

Booking Out: If a talent cannot work during certain days or times, they must inform their agency. The agency then blocks out those times in the talent’s schedule to avoid creating scheduling conflicts. That talent is then “booked out” for those dates and times, and the agency cannot accept work on the talent’s behalf during those times.

x

Call Back: An indicator that a talent is being considered for a job. Call backs are secondary auditions where the talent is considered against a smaller pool of other talent. A call back can also be referred to as a Recall.

x

Casting: General term for an event where a client looks for a model or an actor to fill a specific role in a project. See also: Audition and Go-See.

x

Casting Director: The person in charge of choosing which model or actor gets offered the job.

x

Cattle Call: A casting where an agency sends all of its talent fitting the job description at once. Cattle Call can also be used to refer to castings where anyone can attend.

x

Chart: A talent’s schedule.

x

Cold Reading: A common casting practice where the talent is given dialogue that they must perform without any preparation. While talent never gets the same piece to read twice, cold reading is a skill that can be learned.

x

Direct Booking: A job assigned to a specific talent without the process of a Go-See, Casting, or Audition.

x

First Option: If a client wants to use a talent for a project, but that talent is already booked for some or all of the project’s time, the client can request the talent’s First Option. If the talent’s schedule becomes free of the original booking, the agency will send the talent to whichever client holds the talent’s First Option for that time.

x

Hold: A freeze in a talent’s schedule. A hold is put on a talent’s schedule when a client has expressed interest in using that talent for a period of time, but has not yet signed an agreement with the talent’s agency.

x

Go-See: A meeting with a client or photographer where a model is sent by their agency to either tryout for a specific job, or to simply get their name and face out there. The model will typically bring their portfolio and copies of their comp card to a Go-See.

x

GWC: Guy With Camera. An individual with a fancy camera and no photography experience who solicits models online for personal photo shoots.

(Friendly Advice: Avoid these at all costs! While models do not necessarily have to work with experienced professionals to build their portfolios (though it is recommended,) they should only work with people who have studied photography. A good photo needs more than a fancy camera, and models should only ever have their best photos in their portfolios.)

x

Monologue: A piece of dialogue where the actor speaks for a prolonged period of time.

x

Non-Union Job: A job or an assignment that does not require whoever is cast to be a member of a union.

x

Pencil Booking/ “Being Penciled In”: See: Hold.

x

Reel: A video of clips or photos of a talent’s best work.

x

Resume: A three-column document summarizing a talent’s professional experience.

x

Second Option: If a client wants to use a talent for a project, but that talent is already booked for some or all of the project’s time AND that talent’s First
Option is already spoken for, the client can request the talent’s Second Option. If the talent’s schedule becomes free of the original booking and the First Option, the agency will send the talent to whichever client holds the talent’s Second Option for that time.

x

Sides: Parts of a script given to those who are auditioning to read aloud. Sides can be read either with the Casting Director, or with people who have been cast in (or who are trying out for) the other roles in the project.

x

TFP: Time For Print. An arrangement between a new model and newly graduated photographer or current photography student (never a GWC) in which the model gives the photographer their time for a shoot in exchange for the right to use photographs and prints from the shoot. The goal of a TFP arrangement is for both the model and photographer to build their portfolios without spending a lot of money.

(Friendly Advice: The quality of the photographs in a TFP arrangement is never guaranteed, and it is always a safer bet to use a professional photographer or studio.)

x

Union Job: A project only open to members of a specific union. The biggest union for performers like models and actors is SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists).

X

What’s Next?

X

It’s finally the day of the booking! Do you know if it is in a Cyc Studio or a Daylight Studio? Do you need to be Clean-Clean or Camera Ready? Find out in our next Modeling Cheat Sheet: Working and Networking.

X

© Aislinn O’Leary and wmarochester.com, 2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this post’s author or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Aislinn O’Leary and wmarochester.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Now that you know what specific kind of model you are, thanks to our Model Types Cheat Sheet, it’s time to find an agency and impress them with you industry knowledge!

x

We’ve filled this sheet with terms and phrases that will help you interact with your agency like an experienced model, (with some friendly advice added in!)

X

Agency Terms

X

Agency: Modeling Agencies, like WMA Rochester, find work for the models they represent and negotiate the best possible rates for them. In exchange, the agency takes a commission from the model’s fee.

x

Booker: An agency member who looks for work for the models the agency represents.

(Friendly Advice: Always be nice to your booker, or it could negatively impact your career.)

x

Breakdown Service: One of the many advantages of being represented by an agency, a breakdown service provides modeling job descriptions exclusively to agencies. The agencies then send the models they represent who fit the description to those jobs.

x

Client: The organization who pays the agency for finding the models.

x

Commission: Percentage of money taken from a model’s total fee by the agency in exchange for finding that model work. For the Modeling industry, the agency commission is typically 20%.

x

Comp Card/Composite Card: Sometimes referred to as simply a “Card.” A comp card is a quick visual summary of a model that agencies show prospective clients. These cards have the model’s headshot, stats, and a few of the model’s best portfolio pictures.

x

Exclusive Contract: A written agreement between the model and the agency that the model will not be represented by any other agency, or find any work other than what the agency sends them to, for the duration of a specific period of time.

x

Fee: This is the amount the client pays the agency in exchange for the model’s time. The agency deducts its commission from the fee before the model receives payment.

x

Head Sheet: Term for a document showing the collective headshots of the agency’s models. The modern-day equivalent of a model being on an agency’s head sheet is being on the agency’s website.

x

New Face: Industry term for models with incomplete portfolios.

x

Non-Exclusive Contract: An agreement that allows the model to find work on their own or to sign with other agencies on a non-exclusive basis.

x

Rates: The costs of a model’s time. Rates depend on the popularity of the model and specific elements of the job in question.

x

Rounds: Term for calls made by a booker to prospective clients in order to find work for their Talent.

x

Scalping: The act of an agency actively trying to convince a model to leave their current agency in order to work for them.

(Friendly Advice: While it may be flattering to be approached by someone trying to do this, models should never agree to changing modeling agencies without speaking with their current agency, or it will hurt their reputation and career.)

x

Scout: A member of a modeling agency who actively searches for people with modeling potential.

x

Stats: A model’s physical characteristics, sizes, and measurements. Agencies need stats for every model they represent in order to best match a model for what the client is looking for.

For women, stats are typically:

• Eye/hair color

• Shoe/dress/pant/bra sizes

• Bust/waist/hip/height measurements

For men, stats are typically:

• Eye/hair color

• Sleeve length Collar/shirt/suit/shoe sizes

• Chest/waist/inseam measurements

Talent: Term for the models, actors, or other performers an agency represents.

X

What’s Next?

X

You know your type, and you know how to impress your agency. Now, it’s time to attend a few Go-Sees, avoid working for GWCs, and get Booked in our next Modeling Cheat Sheet: Getting Work.

x

© Aislinn O’Leary and wmarochester.com, 2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this post’s author or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Aislinn O’Leary and wmarochester.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content

“What kind of model are you?” is a question most new or aspiring models often get asked by friends, family, and, most importantly, industry professionals. While people outside the modeling industry would be happy with you answering “Male,” “Female,” or “Plus-Sized” to that question, people within the industry are more likely to ask questions like:

x

• “Editorial, Illustration, Print, Runway, Specialty, or Trade?”

• “Can you also be a Spokesmodel?”

• “What’s your mood range?”

x

If little-to-none of those questions made any sense to you, don’t worry! When first starting out, few aspiring models know the industry terms professionals casually throw around. However, if you’re serious about your career, and if you want to impress the people giving you work, you need to do your homework on them.

x

Since no one actually likes homework, we’ve put together a few cheat sheets for you instead!

x

While our sister studio does offer a class on the Business of Modeling, WMA Rochester wants to make life a little easier by giving aspiring models like you some cheat sheets of terms and phrases that you’ll need to navigate the industry like a pro!

x

To start, we’ve put together a list of model types that go beyond the typical “Male, Female, Plus-sized, etc,” and into more industry-specific types below:

X

Types of Models

X

Child Model: A model under the age of 13, sometimes called a Junior Model.

x

Editorial Model: This, along with Runway Model, is what most people think of when they think “model.” Editorial Models pose for high-fashion magazines or for haute-couture designers and labels. These models, whether male or female, typically have tall and willowy body types.

x

Fit Model: A model designers use to check the fit of their designs. Sometimes called Showroom or House Models, these models also display the garment to a potential buyer. These models have similar body types to that of Editorial and Runway Models.

x

Fitness Model: A model who specializes in fitness-related product or service advertising. These types of models typically have a greater muscle definition and muscle mass than other types of models.

x

Illustration Model: Commonly called an Art Model. These models are paid to pose for artists, either in an art class or for a specific art piece. Since artists don’t just draw a specific body type, the only requirement for being an Illustration model is the ability to hold a pose for a long period of time.

x

Mood: The atmosphere or emotion a model brings to an assignment. A model’s portfolio should demonstrate the range of moods they can convincingly portray.

x

Print Model: The people you see every day in advertisements are models too! Print models appear in anything from online catalogs to billboards to flyers to basically anything that gets published. This is by far and away the most common type of model there is. Print models can be any age, weight, height, or body type.

x

Runway Model: A model that displays clothes or accessories at live events (which may or may not have physical runways present) by walking around a designated space in front of an audience. Like Editorial Models, they typically have tall, willowy body types, but this can vary depending on the type of clothing or accessories being displayed. Female Runway Models must be very comfortable walking in heels, and all Runway Models must know how to walk gracefully while best displaying their clothing or accessories (commonly referred to as a Runway Walk.)

x

Senior Model: A model above the age of 50, though some agencies define Senior Models as any model above the age of 40, and some set their minimum age at 60. These models are also sometimes referred to as Classic Models.

x

Specialty Model: Sometimes called a Parts Model, this type of model is hired for jobs that only require specific body parts to be photographed. For example, a shoe company would hire a Foot and Leg Specialty Model because they only want to photograph the model’s feet and legs in their shoes.

x

Spokesmodel: Closer to a type of actor than a type of model, a Spokesmodel, sometimes called a Character Model or Spokesperson, is hired more for their look than their acting experience. These models appear in commercials or promotional videos representing a specific brand or product, and need to know how to audition and perform appropriately.

x

Trade Model: A model hired to appear at trade shows to represent a certain brand or product, sometimes called a Promotional Model. Occasionally, these models are also Demonstrators: models that demonstrate the product or service being displayed.

X

What’s Next?

X

Now that you know which type (or types) of model you are, whose Head Sheets do you want to be on? If we lost you again, don’t worry! We’ll go more in-depth on industry terms in our next Modeling Cheat Sheet: Agencies.

x

© Aislinn O’Leary and wmarochester.com, 2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this post’s author or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Aislinn O’Leary and wmarochester.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.