Casting Tips And Tricks

Welcome, welcome!

This blog is specific to those who are new models, those wanting to get into modelling and those who could do with a little bit of friendly advice in the industry. In this blog, I will be sharing my casting tips and tricks based on my own experiences.

What is a casting? 

You may be sitting there wondering what a ‘casting’ is. A casting is a model version of an interview. This is where the client (brand) would like to meet you and see what you look like. Also to judge whether you have the right personality for the job. Castings are essential! If you don’t cast, you miss out on many opportunities. These are usually set up by your agent unless you are a freelance model and have your own contacts. You must think of castings like an investment; your travel and time are not covered but in the grand scheme of things it gets your foot in the door to those clients. Each casting varies with what they want you to do. Some clients may just want to see you, others may ask you to do certain exercises that’ll reflect the upcoming job.

My GHD casting: 

A personal experience of mine I’ll share is the GHD Christmas Commercial Casting. This was a ‘casting day’ for the brand so they had lots of models in. I travelled down to London from Leicester early in the morning, got on the tubes and made my way to Soho for the casting. As soon as I walked in, I was handed a form to fill out with my details and a quick headshot was taken of me. I was taken into the casting room where the client and the production team were sitting. There were approximately 10 of them. I handed my portfolio book to the production manager who passed it around. The brief was to put our sassy hats on and strut towards them and pretend to fluff up our hair in a mirror. They wanted high energy so that’s what I gave them.

Thankfully, however I performed worked out as I ended up getting a call from my agent 2 days later to tell me I had booked the job!

What to wear to a casting: 

What you wear to a casting is very important. A key casting tip and trick for sure! I meet many models who haven’t been told what to wear to a casting… this is why I’m here to enlighten those.

For women:

• Plain fitted top (often a tank top, vest or scoop neck bodysuit)
• Tight-fitting jeans/ trousers that show off your body shape
• Heels. Ones you can walk in! 

For men:

• Plain fitted T-shirt
• Slim fitted jeans
• Trainers

Hair and makeup:

 Keep your hair looking tidy and done and make sure you wear minimal makeup. 

Do’s:

• Very Light or no makeup 
• Clean nails (Nude or clear polish)
• Tidy and Neat hair
• Nude lipstick

Don’t:

• False nails
• False lashes
• Heavy base 

Remember who you are casting for, i.e if it’s a skincare brand, avoid putting any makeup on if possible so they can see your skin.

 

What to bring in your model bag:

• Portfolio – your actual book, iPad or Tablet. (Check out my portfolio)
• Model cards (usually given to you by your agency. Think of them like your very own business cards)
• Makeup (last-minute touch-ups)
• Lotion 
• Hairbrush 
• Black bikini (usually worn under your clothes)

Be you:

Finally, the most important casting tip is to show off your personality!!! Show the client or director who YOU are. Don’t try and be somebody you think they’ll like. Be your authentic self. That’s what clients like to see more than anything. They look at who will be perfect in terms of looks for the job but also who has the right attitude and is easy to work with. Be that model that everyone has plenty of good things to say about. 

Try these casting tips and tricks and let me know how you get on in the comment section.

Love,