Lessons

Lesson Info

1:30 pm - Casting

Let's talk about the casting and what it's like so I swung give you guys a glimpse of a day's casting we'll show you twenty two images have a casting west one hundred thirty seven girls in a day it's a lot so he is a casting from new york and girls coming over is coming through I'm casting for job and I'm looking at girls and in new york it's very different layout of the market's girls off the streets it could be wintertime very, very cold, whatever they're coming through essentially the summertime but coming through dress for the streets of new york show me their promo cards you have you to see through everything to find out what they looked like if he comes in and hairs up end up I had them open taking that hair down so I can see what it looks like they really see them same things back I have come down from that have you think of the hearings if I I think that's getting in the way now what I'm looking for the casting so every job is different one job might be looking for a girl for a...

jewelry campaign one girl, one job might be looking for a lipstick campaign so I'm looking for different things what you're casting um and what I'm looking for a girl for one jump I might find a girl doing this casting that's not right for this job is gorgeous but she's great for the job next week or two days later so I'm always making sure I'm looking for I'm aware of what the casting is for because you can't have all of these types of different things eyes, hips, makeup wherever it is bathing suits catalogs this is the process so you're seeing one hundred thirty seven girls in a day it's a lot it's intense and you as photographer need to make sure you remember something about each girl does she fit into the mold or the guy they fit into the mold of what your clients looking for? Do you have the talent as photographer to select the right girl or guy or whomever for this job and the more you do this the more you get better at picking the right model and these are all big new york models coming in on castings and you gotta evaluate the casting so a lot is expected from you as photographer during the casting process to be able to take pictures of each girl make sure you can ask the right questions from casting for a cosmetic campaign does she have any conflicting campaigns that out right now and how long I think if she does, how long is gonna be out for is it's coming off now? Is it another two years left? You are responsible knowing all the information and then selecting your top girls from that casting so I c one hundred thirty seven girls in a casting I want pick my top three to five models from that casting submit to my client I'm listen my client the entire casting so you see all the girls I could be casting in new york my clients in los angeles or chicago or wherever so sin that casting to the client now since my top girls and show them who I like they may like my top three they may not but they need to know that you have picked your top three to five girls and builders explain why you like them and they'll ask you when you first have these models that you like it's your job to put them on hold so after the casting is done so you cast one hundred odd girls in a day and by five o'clock you're exhausted but still you need to call the agency and put those three girls on hold at that point to make sure they're available because they use tell you your client that you like these top of the girls then they call they don't put them on hold and the not available makes you look bad so make sure first before to your client that you like these top pretty girls that they are available and don't have any conflicts with the job that you're casting for a good question are all these girls from the same agency know they're from every agency? So this is new york there from fifteen agencies and through that I'm trying to find the right girl for the job is never from one agency is always from it is a big job from every agency and sometimes you know is the model you might be going up with girls for the same job in your agency on and it's learning to let go of maybe oh the photographer liked her over me better now it's about understanding that it was the vision not only of the photographer but the client or the art director with the publisher so when I know I'm on hold for something I know it's not guaranteed, but at that time I think is a model of their models watching I'm going to make sure I'm taking care of myself I'm going to make sure in hopes that if I do get booked for that campaign or that job, I'm going to have my diet on point my fitness on point my hair is going to be taking care of my skin already it's a sense of knowing that that it could get it could happen and I'm ready if they need me where's thing I think a photographer and not knowing I'm on hold for something and I go away and I decided I just don't wanna work out for a couple weeks she gets booked for a job oh god he wanted me for that ok now I'm confirmed what I dio or I cut my hair I colored my hair whatever and that's heaven before yeah that's happened before where a photographer wanted to work with me a client and I decided to go high it really highlighted on my hair was summer was coming I thought great and we have a break they said all we wanted her to be dark what happened and he had to make a decision that day a pirate because they had to fly me out let's say in a day or two days and course I could've been a glaze over but at the time I rescind the polar writes and I do all that it's important that the models communicate with the photographers if they're look has changed if they're on hold stay the way that the photographer sees you that way don't go start doing things to yourself for is that right you told me so has show up where they bleached their hair or whatever I mean and this is a process I couldn't do this castle have c one hundred thirty seven girls in a day and then their coal backs and a callback is say I had my top three sendups of client new clients picks ten more girls that they like so they have a call back where they call those thirteen girls to come back and I had to call back and say a week or three days and the girls cut her hair or change the hair from the first casting or they did a job within distilling totally different so these things happen everybody's working and things can change so the client gets more than just your top three they actually get basil entire test and you just showed which one but I showed them I give them like a light box of the entire casting in digital form sometimes they did uniform, sometimes they'll get polaroids and they'll get a video defending lived on the job the bigger job, the more they want to see I got one more you outline what you're looking for before the casting I guess do I have you shall the agency's I'm looking for this type of girl? Yes, yes, yes so when you get hired by the client as photographer, your client's going to tell you what they're looking for an age range over hero needs you need to know the rial age of the model, but she will be age range. So it's like looking for girls between eighteen and twenty five or girls that look like they're between eighteen twenty five she could be thirteen she looks like she's twenty I care about what she looks like, so I'm casting girls that look like between the age of eighteen and twenty five for my job. Um, I need, you know, an african american model of asian model occasion model, so I'm looking to fill those categories for my client. They'll tell you everything they need, um and that's up to you to make sure that there's no conflicts. So we're advertising. I'm asking about conflicts from other clients if if I asked the model, do you have any competing jobs out right now? Say, I'm shooting a cosmetic ad or fashion ad, and especially cosmetic they want know that if I'm shooting for for revlon, they want what she does not have a pantene ad out right now, so I will ask the girl on camera, do you have any conflicts with other clients? They may not be the truth, but as always, you asked your safe if you don't ask, you find out later on they come to you, so you need to find and girls don't always tell the truth, and it's happened over and over and over again. They don't they don't know when it's not running or whatever, but you must ask the question because it comes back where you didn't ask later on, but looking at you like, okay, we have high the wrong photographer, so here's the job. And there's the girl that was chosen for the job from that casting so one hundred thirty seven girls to pick this one girl so you must I pick my top three in the client chose one of my selects which does not always happen. I could choose my tops, elects the client wants to go in different directions all together and the reason why I picked three or for several reasons they might not like my choice is well, maybe like all three my choices, but, uh, my top girl could be booked that dave something else or have flown next, they going to europe for two weeks or or anything would be too expensive for the job between anything. So you need options and she's like airport? Yeah, here's one thing is that photographer sometimes, you know, when you start getting with really high end agencies, they start setting the bar for rates. As a photographer, you might really love a girl. I've lost so many jobs because my agent has pitched me and I would have probably coming from my point would have gone lower. So the test is a photographer talked to the agency hey, you know, they just don't have the budget for her, we want to work with her, what can you what's the lowest you'll go or you know we'll throw in make sure that she's taken care of that day that she's fed and is of course or we'll get a car service whatever you can totally get an agency to work with you if you are because agent also wants this girl to be booked yeah it's like it's like a real estate sort of deal it's like peace you know you're going back and forth with bids and offers but agency wants you to book your select girl because they need that you know they need their commission they want they're going to be seen so you know, be vocal about how much the budget is and what the clients can afford and and you know they'll work with you because the agent is doing the same thing as as a photo agent trying to get the most they can for their client and how great for use of photography had got her her rate was fifteen hundred for a day I got it for six fifty or twelve hundred or whatever. So here here's off my good friend from the casting and I shot this carol many times down lover to death but I think my first remember mitt it was on this casting and here she was from the casting you've got to see her without makeup and figure out how she's going to look and also tell from the book and her energy and she was perfect and this model speaks very little english, italian. So I could. It was hard to communicate with her by her tell from her energy that she was perfect for the job. And she wass.