By Vanessa Williams
I
wanted to take this month to step away from talking about simple living
for a minute, and talk about something new we are pursuing in my
household - child modelling. Since much of this blog focuses on
photography I thought there may be more than a few of you out there who
are curious about it; if not, move along and we’ll connect again next
month.
Still
here? Good. Let me first begin by saying that although modelling can be
a lot of fun - it is work! Keep that in mind at all times.
The
modelling world is an interesting place. I have been somewhat involved
in it for years, as I work in advertising. I’ve set up and run photo
shoots, so I had some idea of what we were getting ourselves into.
However, we have never been on the “talent” side of the coin, so to
speak.
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| Photo: Holly Webster |
A
word of caution: modelling isn’t for everyone. You need a child who is
easygoing and isn’t afraid of strangers. They will be in a room full of
them, and you may or may not be in the room. Kids that are good at
parroting what you do, and can follow directions are great.
Missed
naps are almost guaranteed as you are working with a production crew’s
schedule - not your child’s. Much of your time at shoots is sitting
around. There is a lot of hurry up and wait to this industry. Schedules
get off track. Creative changes their mind. It’s just the nature of
things.
As
a parent you need to have flexible availability during the week. Shoots
can come together quickly (in a matter of days) and you need to be ok
dropping everything. This is not a good fit for parents who work full
time. And you need to show a level of professionalism and be on time.
Typical parenting excuses do not apply here.
If
you still think this is a good idea, your first step is to find an
agent. Child modelling in particular is a very tough industry to break
into as there just aren’t as many opportunities for kids versus adults,
and therefore not many agencies handle them. You want to get with a
reputable agency (no, the agencies at the mall are not reputable).
Agencies are groups of people who’s sole job is to find work for you.
They do this by taking a percentage of your payment as a fee - usually
15-20%. In other words, if you don’t get paid, they don’t get paid.
Finding
a good agency is really the hardest part. Ask around is the best advice
I can give as Google won’t help you here. More work, and thus agencies
are in major metros. Here in the United States, the modelling world
revolves around Los Angeles and New York. Once you find a few good
agencies submit three to four photos. For children, they do not have to
be professional. What each agency likes and doesn’t like varies but they
are all looking for a number of similar things:
1. Hair and eye color - Don’t send pictures with hats.
2. Clean, clear skin - Many agencies want pics of very small kids just in a diaper. No mealtime pics!
3.
A child that connects with the camera and has personality - Got a pic
where your child is looking directly at the camera? Great! Use that one.
4. Keep it simple. - Use plain backgrounds, with no toys or props.
You
have a better chance of breaking into the industry if your child has a
unique look - red hair, or minority children are a few that come to
mind. That’s not to say All-American kids can’t get jobs. My daughter is
blond-haired and blue-eyed and she has been successful.
Right
now is the “high” season for child modeling. Photo shoots for catalogs
are in full swing for back-to-school promotions, and then they roll
right into Christmas. This works well too for school-age children who
are off for the summer. Many parents specify their children will only
work in the summer when school is out - this is perfectly fine. But if
you have a school age child who is very serious about Hollywood, expect
to pull them out of school for work and deal with the consequences.
So
what can your child expect to earn? In general, jobs usually pay
$50-$200, and you are not compensated for travel time or expense. The
"real" money is in commercials and TV, but most jobs are in print. How
many jobs your child lands is up to your child, and the success of your
agent. You could have three jobs, and then none for a while. However,
it’s safe to say if you don’t secure work in a month or so, it’s time to
switch to a new agent.
If
you do get booked for a job, don’t expect to have a lot of information
about it except what you need to know to do your piece of the
puzzle.They will not know if they will use your child’s image or when -
so don’t ask. Often, with very small children two or three sets of kids
are used to get the same shot because kids are unpredictable. Only time
will tell if your child’s shots get left on the cutting room floor.
I
hope this has shed some light onto the mysterious world of child
modelling and helps you decide if it’s for you. We are only at the
beginning of our journey but my daughter loves people and likes to be
out. Since I am home most of the time, we have the flexibility. If
modelling ends up being too stressful or no longer fun, we will stop.
Until then, we are going to enjoy the ride.
Vanessa Williams is the author of A simply good life
where she explores how lower standard of living doesn’t mean lower
quality of life. After her decision to get off the beaten track and
forge new paths she has found that living with less actually means
living with more. Vanessa explores the luring and
dangerous grounds of the consumerism trap and offers a solemn and wise
account of her real life experiences on the quest to finding what truly
matters in life. Connect to Vanessa via twitter and facebook.
