Why Should you be a Model? A List of the Perks of Modeling.

Becoming a model is a dream many girls out there, and for good reason.

Imagine wearing clothes from the hottest designers, walking down the runways of Paris, Milan, and New York, and starring on the cover of Vogue or Elle. Sounds like a dream right?

However, if you really want to become a model, it should be pointed out that behind all the glitz and glamour associated with the industry is a world where only the strong survive, where those that fail to persevere fail, and those with frail hearts go home crying. Becoming a model is by no means easy—just the task of signing up with modeling agencies in New York can be frustrating.

But the point of this article is not to dissuade you from being model—in fact, it’s quite the opposite.

Below are some perks that come with being a model.

Free Stuff

Models get a lot of free stuff on top of their take home pay. Many clients, comprised of businesses and other organizations, not only pay you for modeling, but also give some of their products for free. Many of these businesses offer makeup and clothes, so it’s a great way to build your closet. Besides these items, you can also get free professional photographs, which you can include in your portfolio, and invites to the hottest events in town, just to name a few.

Incredible Experiences 

Modeling isn’t just about money and fame, it’s also about molding yourself into a better person through your once-in-a-lifetime experiences. The opportunity to travel, to work with people, and to step out of your comfort zone allows you to discover things about yourself that you didn’t even know.

Travel

This definitely deserves a special mention. Models who manage to find success get the opportunity to travel not just outside of their town, city, or state, but also outside of the country. Imagine trooping down to the Caribbean for a photo shoot, going to Paris for Fashion week, or staying in a hotel in New York, free of charge for work.

Salary

Models, even those who haven’t hit the big time quite yet, can make decent money. Even if you just work part-time as a model or work freelance, you can make enough money to pay your rent and utilities. Heck, you can even work your way through college. Models can make anywhere between $200 to $1,000 for every job—higher if you manage to sign yourself up with one of the high-profile modeling agencies in New York.

The Basics of Being an Actor: What to Do to Get Started

Imagine becoming a famous movie star.

How does being a world-renowned movie start sound to you? Imagine the screaming fans waiting for you at premiers, the people lining up to watch your movies, the money you get from your blockbusters.
Sounds great right?

However, the reality is that very few actors manage to work their way into B-movie territory, much less A movies. Those that do manage to find success have usually spent years paying their dues in theater and small budget flicks and TV shows.

Indeed, working your way from the bottom up is a part of the acting industry that’s here to stay. However, it’s not all bad. Paying your dues allows you to gain more experience and insight into how acting works. If gives you time to learn and hone your craft, becoming a better actor who’s ready for complex roles. It also allows you to forge connections with key people in the industry, which pays off when it’s time to find jobs.

Here’s what you can do to get the ball rolling.

Join Casting Calls

Numerous televisions studios in the country hold casting calls for new shows, movies, commercials and all sorts of productions set for shooting. Oftentimes, many acting agencies in Pennsylvania, New York and LA hold casting calls to sign new talents. Go ahead and attend these casting calls to get your name out there. If you don’t get the part, don’t despair. At least you got your name in the talent pool.

Join the Indie Scene 

Audition for an independent movie. Sure the sets will be Spartan, and the pay will likely be small, but indie films are a great vehicle for you to hone your craft while potentially getting the attention of critics, agents and film studios. Many of today’s most prolific names in acting and filmmaking first got their start in the indie scene, so don’t shy away from it.

Indie films also usually play around with more complex roles, allowing you to learn things you wouldn’t normally pickup in mainstream productions.

Find an Agent

You’ll often hear many people say that you know you’ve hit the big time when you’re getting an agent to help your career. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get an agent if you’re still a novice. Quite the contrary in fact, as agents, who secure jobs for talents, can help jumpstart your career quickly. Of course, it all boils down to whether or not you can sign up with acting agencies in Pennsylvania.

What are the Differences Between Acting on Stage and on Film?

For many actors, 

Most actors have had the thought of wanting to do both live acting and camera acting. Understanding the differences between stage acting and on-camera acting is important, especially if you want to concentrate on one of these fields in acting. Acting agencies in New York City commonly take in people who have talent in both stage and film acting.

But what to choose? It can be difficult to determine what field you want develop your acting skills in. Here are three things to consider when choosing.

Acting Environment

In theater productions, scenes and locations are designed by set designers and artists, who are tasked to put up grand backdrops that are changed or used alternately for appropriate scenes. This usually happens when the curtains go down.

When it comes to theater, the location and scenes are designed by artists and set designers who create elaborate backdrops that are rotated and changed when the curtains go down as the show goes on. Since the performances are confined within the stage, the complexity and number of sets are limited, which can place a heavier burden on the actors to portray the story.

With film acting, the sets are shot in real locations or green screens. Everything from music to special effects can be added after filming. Actors can get more comfortable with their environment and can even afford to make a mistake or two.

Cut!

With onstage acting, you’re only given one shot to deliver your performance. You have to say your lines perfectly and give out all your emotions on that scene. Any mistakes can be seen by the live audience and the show must go on no matter what. Your next chance for redemption will be on the next show.

In film, these mistakes can be altered and fixed by retaking the scene. Some directors would even ask the actors to create multiple takes to choose a better shot.

Delivery

Cameras can easily zoom in to capture the slightest gestures in movies. You don’t have to exaggerate your expressions, voice and actions to get the scene right. Stage acting, however, is a different story. Even if you have a lapel microphone to help the audience hear you, your actions are not as clear to the people sitting on the very back of the audience. You will have to project your acting skills in a dramatic and animated way.

When you sign up for acting agencies in New York, they’ll first ask you if you have experience in film or stage acting. It’s worth pointing out that the best actors we see today first started out on stage, so it’s always a good idea to develop stage acting skills.

Tips for Teen Models and Parents: How to Make Sure your Kid Find Success and Fun

Most models generally start out at a young age, which explains why each year, many teenagers try their luck and get into the modeling industry. Fortunately, more parents are now more open minded about helping their teens get an early start in the modeling industry. This is important, because parents should play an active role in what could very well be their teens’ future career. And with today’s crop of teen models possessing more talents than ever, modeling agencies in New York City are no longer looking at looks and skills as the only deciding factors when signing up a talent. They’re also looking at how professional and mature a teenage talent is—this is where you as a parent can come in.

Below are tips on helping your teen model deal with the pressure of being in the modeling industry. With these tips, you can help them find success, while ensuring that they have fun.

Let Them Decide

Although being a parent to a teenage model requires you to be hands on in supporting your child, don’t forget that your primary duty is provide support, not make decisions for your teen. Don’t decide if your teen should be a model or not; you can however, help your teen build self-esteem, become independent, become creative and stand out from the crowd.

Treat Your Teen as a Young Adult 

The modeling industry wasn’t designed for children. Teenage models, although young, can expect to see themselves in high pressure situations where they need to carry themselves with professionalism,
maturity and poise.

Remind your teen that if she really wants to make it as a model, she will have to behave as a young adult. However, don’t’ be too hard on your teen, despite the need for them to be mature. It’s natural for teens to have a hard time with the pressures of the industry and all, so be sure to provide support and see to it that your teen has fun.

Remind Her She’s Special

Your child will face rejection in the modeling industry, particularly when it comes to auditioning for modeling agencies in New York City. Throughout everything, never let your child forget that she is special and that rejection is a normal part not just of the modeling industry, but life itself. Nurture your child’s talent in any way you can and teach her the value of hard work. Don’t forget her education, so she can fall back on something in case she changes her mind about becoming a model.

Modeling Tips from the Photographers: What You Should Be Doing

Out of all the people working with models, photographers are perhaps the ones closest to models. That said, it’s important to know the value of listening to a photographer, especially during a shoot. In fact, you may find that the photographers you work with are also talent agents from modeling agencies in Pennsylvania, New York or Los Angeles.

The following are tips many photographers have shared for the benefit of models.

Do your homework about the shoot location and have travel plans ready.

Preparation is what makes or breaks the success of a shoot or any other modeling gig for that matter. For many models, this involves planning what clothes to wear and what makeup to use (assuming you’re being left to your own devices). However, it’s also important to plot your itinerary and travel plans well in advance, helping you get an idea of the length of time it will take for you to reach your shoot destination; this also allows you to know how you can fit the shoot into your schedule.

Find out the details of your shoot.

Again, do your homework. Learn all the details of the shoot or modeling gig; find out everything from the job site’s full address, contact numbers and email addresses of the photographer, your agent and director, and other miscellaneous information. Your goal here is to be aware of everything about the shoot and how it relates to you. Be a girl scout in this matter.

Discuss shoot themes and styles before the shoot

Before the date of the shoot, be sure to talk to the photographer, stylist and director about what themes and styles you’ll be having in the shoot. Talk to your photographer to get an idea of his/her style when taking photographs. Talk to the stylist to know what to expect when it comes to clothes and makeup. If you have any comments and suggestions, let the concerned people know about them.

Stay in touch with the people in charge

On the days leading to the shoot and on the day itself, be sure to stay in touch with the photographer, director as well as your agent. You want to be able to notify the important people in the event of an emergency, or when something comes up that may cause you to be late or worse, unable to attend the shoot at all.

It’s the least and most professional action you can take during these cases.

Modeling 101 – Practice your Walk at the Grocery

As a model, you’re expected to always have to look good and know how to carry yourself when you’re in public. If you’re still starting out, one of the most difficult things to get used to is the “catwalk” walk. This is how you walk down the ramp during fashion shows that modeling agencies in New York City assign to you, wearing the newest line of designs for the season from top designers. It’s a stressful job since it’s going to be your task to present the clothes and make the audience imagine themselves wearing it.

Walking down a catwalk is like walking down the isle of a grocery or supermarket. You have a small where you can walk up and down, and believe it or not, you can practice your “catwalk” walk while you’re doing your weekly groceries.

Wear your shoes

It might sound silly to wear your killer heels to the grocery, but if you want to practice the walk, you have to wear the heels. Use your favorite heels or the most comfortable pair you have and bring an extra pair of flats just in case.

Imagine you’re at the ramp

All you really need when you’re practicing how to walk is just your imagination. Just imagine that you’re walking down the ramp of a fashion show in New York or Paris. Just remember what you learned in modeling school or from watching fashion TV. Slowly walk down the aisle and turn at the end to walk back.

Less crowded

The less people the aisle has, the more space you have to practice with. If you’re shy or have a hard time imagine yourself in a ramp, then an empty aisle is definitely going to help.

Basket or no basket? 

Should you or should you not bring a basket? Well that’s totally up to you. If you need to get a lot of things from the grocery, then don’t hesitate to get one. After all, the whole point of you going to the grocery is to pick up food, not to show off your walk. If you’re trying out a new pair of shoes, a grocery basket is a good support to help you walk.

Smile

People might look at you while you’re shopping, but who cares? Smile and have fun. Who knows, someone from one of the best modeling agencies in New York City could be shopping at the same grocery or super market and spot you walking.

How to go Mainstream is 3 ways

When a band goes into mainstream, most of their hard core fans would say that they’ve “sold out” or “given into the money”. If you look at it, if you go mainstream, you do make more money compared to staying indie or underground, however, there is a big possibility that you might have to do something to honor the corporate side of the deal, such as writing pop songs or becoming a spokesperson for a brand.

Whether you’re in it for the money, or you just want to take fame as far as it can go, here are a few tips to help get you and your band into the mainstream light.

 Play as many gigs as you can

First, you want to get as much exposure as possible. You want people to know your band and what you can do. Go to open mic nights, sign up for band competitions, ask productions and organizers to let you play during their next show, do what you need to do to get to play on stage. The more people know about you, the bigger your chance of getting into mainstream music.

Get a manager

If you want to go professional and mainstream, then get a manager. Someone who can help you get on top and stay on top. You’ll be lucky if a known manager would ask you if they can manage you, but if you already have a manager, then make sure he or she is competitive enough to handle all the competitions in the mainstream world.

Contact an agency

A manager is going to need a lot of money, so if you’re a bit short on funds, go for talent agents in New York City. The best thing about signing up for a talent agency is that they usually cost less than a manager plus, they can get you regular gigs, which means more money for you and the band. One thing you should know about talent agents in New York City is that some of them are fake, so be careful when you‘re signing up for one. Keep in mind that they should never ask you for a sign-up fee, after all, they’re going to get a cut form your talent fee.

These are just a few things that you can do to get the attention of big record producers and labels. You might think that going mainstream would kill your originally, but as your band grows, your music will also grow with it. It’s just a natural process and some of your old fans might not like it, but rest assured, you’ll get a lot of new fans if you go mainstream.