Breaking the industry Safety Tips Model Personality

Breaking the Industry

There is no one right way of breaking into the modelling industry, but there are some safety tips you can follow to ensure that you avoid the pitfalls.

We have all heard the fairytale stories of world famous supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell who were plucked from obscurity and scouted. There are those who were rejected over and over again before getting their big break, whilst others have accomplished work by marketing themselves completely without the help of an agency. Some enjoy a successful part time career in modelling and generate a healthy secondary income. With so many different ways of breaking into the industry, we have outlined some of the most common and effective ways of pursuing your dreams.

These can be simplified into two main avenues: as an agency model and a freelance model.  There are advantages and disadvantages concerning both.  Before attempting either, it is important to establish two things:  whether you have the potential to model and where your potential lies.  If you are considering a career in modelling and do not know the answers to either of these questions, Model Advice can provide a Model Assessment  to assess your strengths and weaknesses and help you make an informed decision on whether modeling is right for you.

Once you decided to pursue modelling on a professional level, it is important that you approach reputable companies within the area of modeling you are best suited to so as to avoid wasting time and money and putting yourself at risk of approaching cowboy companies.

Portfolio

One of the most important things you will do as a model is put together your portfolio.  A portfolio is an essential tool for any model. It is your CV and is designed to market you to potential clients by showing off your scope and versatility.

Before putting together a portfolio, it is crucial to know what types of modelling you are best suited to.  Although made of a collection of images, a portfolio is much more than this.  Your portfolio must show your ability as a model through different looks and should be specifically catered to a type of modelling.  For example, as a high fashion model you will need high fashion images, as a commercial model, you will need commercial images.

Know the type of images you want to include in your portfolio depending on your area of modeling. This can determine your overall look, style of images, personality, pose and facial expressions in the images.  Look at magazines or other professional modelling portfolios to see examples of the type of images other professional models have.

It is not necessary to have a portfolio to get signed to an agency.  Some agencies will take you on to their books with nothing more than a snapshot photo.  However a portfolio can empower you and give you more flexibility to market yourself to a larger pool of agencies as well as become a freelance model.

There are ways of building up a portfolio at no cost to yourself which include TFP (time for prints) TFCD (time for cd).  This is when the model will work free of charge in exchange for images.  In these instances beware about signing model release forms and signing away all your rights to your images.  It is also normally the case that the cheapest photographer is not the best option.

Model Advice provides a high quality portfolio with Portfolio Plus service individually catered to each model. To find out more about our portfolio service please contact us.

Freelance Model

With the internet and social networking sites at your fingertips, marketing yourself has never been easier. Many models have taken it upon themselves to get work independently of agencies, giving them full control of their earnings and career.  A freelance model can source their own work through modeling communities, networking events and contacting companies and clients directly.

There are no constraints for a freelance model. The work tends to vary, depending on what the photographer or employer has in mind, so freelance models come in all shapes and sizes, have different types of looks, and vary in age.

To market yourself, you can place adverts in photography magazines aimed at amateur photographers, you can also send out composite cards and photos to professional photographers. Alternatively, you can use the Internet to post your portfolio or to find work. However, you should always be cautious. If you want help in verifying websites then contact us.

Sign Up To An Agency

There are hundreds of agencies in the UK. MA explains that agencies can be separated into three tiers. The most elite are the agencies that belong to the Association of Model Agents (AMA). The AMA are a self-governing group of agents that have set their own standard of requirements for those belonging to it. These are the most stringent and competitive agencies to get signed to.

The AMA has scouts all around the UK on the lookout for new faces.  However, the likelihood of getting scouted by a top agency is slim.  These agencies are the highest profile agencies and often demand exclusivity from their models.

If you are invited for an interview by an AMA agency, be sure to ask about the full amount that will be deducted from your earnings in commission, and also the amount you will have to repay the agency for extras, for example photographs, training and, if necessary, accommodation.  Although these agencies do not charge up-front fees, any money invested in you will be deducted from your earnings.

AMA agents have stringent requirements that you ought to meet.  Generally, you have to be at least 5ft 9” (female) and 5ft 11” (male), of an unusual beauty and slender build.  Only 2-5% of all models break into the industry through getting scouted, thus it represents a very small minority.

The second tier includes the hundreds of agencies that are credible and find models well-paid work. Aspiring models will usually send in their photos or visit these agencies in person. Should the agency be interested they will sign the model. However, in sending their photos to different companies, models will unknowingly contact cowboy agencies in the process and put themselves in a vulnerable position.

The cowboy agencies make up the third and final tier. These scam agencies will accept the model immediately and promote a promise of paid work. They generally ask for an upfront fee to join the agency, or condition a place within the agency and the promise of paid work on an expensive, and often useless, modelling portfolio.  So be wary and always check out the agency before you sign with them. Read through our safety tips.