Portfolio– What is it?
Modeling is like any business; you need to INVEST in a good Portfolio. A portfolio is a collection of your modeling pictures – a kind of scrapbook and photo album. Every Model must have a portfolio. It is the most important marketing tool.
Your portfolio should contain an assortment of photos and tear sheets showing what you have done and your “look”. [Note: TEARSHEET - copy of a print ad that the model keeps in the portfolio as proof of work.] They all, of course, must be of excellent quality. When you’re starting out you won’t have any tear sheets as you haven’t done any jobs yet. As you do get work, you will add tear sheets to show you have done actual jobs.
How many photos and tear sheets do you need? It should be enough to show what you are about, but not so many as to overwhelm and bore someone. It is a tricky balance and takes a lot of scrutiny and evaluation to get a balanced book. It should be not too big – You need to be able to leave it behind, messenger it over, mail it out, and carry it in.
Type of photos
What types of photos should be in your portfolio? First, you need a good clean headshot. This headshot needs to show YOU – both your physical appearance and personality. This gives a clear idea of your “look”. In addition have a couple of full body shots that show your body shape. The headshot and body shots should be more technical kind of shots.
The rest of the portfolio should be filled with ‘WOW!’ shots. Just as in any kind of business, you need to sell yourself! That is what the bulk of the photos in your portfolio should do. A portfolio needs variety. It needs to show how several different photographers see you and how they capture your look. Remember, for print models the portfolio is your major marketing tool and can often close the deal.
Web Portfolio – Webfolio
It is quite expensive to get photo prints, and even more costly when you have to give your Portfolio to various prospective clients. The internet provides you an inexpensive means of distributing your Portfolio, by merely printing your web address in your business card, e.g. idealactor.com/yourname. The added advantage of a webfolio is that you can at anytime add or change the pictures without having to spend more money.
When popular sites such as IdealActor host your Webfolio, you also have chances of being spotted by professionals from the Advertising and Entertainment Industry.
Glossary – Professional Modeling Terms
ART DIRECTOR -
artiste who creates layout for ads, illustrates model’s poses.
BACKDROP -
background used in a photographer’s studio.
BLOCKING -
the actual physical movements by actors in any scene.
BLOW-UP -
enlargement photo from a negative or slide.
BOOK -
see PORTFOLIO; BOOK (verb) – to secure a job.
BOOKER -
person at agency who sets appointments for models.
BOOKING -
specific job assignment.
BOOK OUT -
when you tell your agency that you are unavailable to work for certain day(s), for example, a vacation or another job.
BREAKDOWN SERVICE -
a professional listing available only to agencies that lists movies, film, TV, and stage projects with what types of actors are being cast.
BUYER -
retail store employee who purchases clothing from the manufacturer; models show the line of clothing to store buyers.
BUYOUT -
advance payment for future use of a print ad or a commercial for a specific period of time
CALL -
appointment.
CALL-BACK -
second interview after go-see/audition which means they are narrowing down the selection and they are considering you.
CALL TIME -
actual time you are due on set.
CASTING -
choosing models/actors for a specific job.
CASTING DIRECTOR -
selects suitable models to represent the comp or storyboard.
CANCELLATION -
24 hour notice before booking is to begin or money is due agency and talent.
CATALOG MODELING -
posing for mail order items for major retailers.
CATTLE CALL -
several agencies send many models of the same general type to a casting session.
CLIENT -
company who hires the ad agency, pays the model’s fee.
COLD READING -
a script that you are reading for the first time in front of the client, without time to memorize the lines.
COLLECTION -
group of coordinated clothes being shown by a designer.
COMMENTARY -
script used to describe clothes for a fashion show.
COMMERCIAL -
promotional advertisement on TV, radio or other media.
COMMISSION – a percentage of model’s fee required as payment to agency.
COMPOSITE CARD, COMP CARD, CARD -
card with 3-5 photos of model and their height, eye and hair color and size information to promote and distribute to prospective clients.
CONTACT SHEET -
proofs of black and white film used to determine best shots.
COPY -
written words to be spoken on a commercial.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR -
ad agency employee who determines the model type.
DEMONSTRATOR -
model who shows use of product at a trade show or store.
DESIGNER -
creator of the fashion collections.
DRESSER -
helps models dress backstage for fashion shows.
EXTRA -
acting job where the actor has no speaking lines, but stands in the background and adds to the atmosphere of a scene.
FASHION COORDINATOR -
puts fashion show outfits together in retail stores.
FASHION TRENDS -
gradual changes in fashion styles.
FIT MODELING -
modeling the original sample garment to test for sizing ? Clients chose a model whose measurements match the sample size exactly.
FITTING -
trying on clothes to determine fit and style, usually before a fashion show.
FLIPPER -
false teeth used for young children to temporarily fill in for lost teeth.
FORMAL FASHION SHOW, RUNWAY SHOW -
invited audience, stage, music; models walk down runway to show designer clothing.
FREELANCE -
modeling for clients without agency representation.
FULL-LENGTH SHOT -
head to toe photograph.
GO&SEE -
job interview, model meets a client and shows portfolio.
HAIR STYLIST -
works on hair changes.
HEADSHOT -
photo of head and shoulders.
HEADSHEET -
agency sheet, poster, or book of models they represent that goes to prospective clients.
HIGH FASHION -
extreme, chic, sophisticated model type.
HOLD -
when the agency puts you “on hold” for a job, it means the client is seriously considering you and wants you to keep the time available for them first.
ILLUSTRATION MODEL -
poses for artistes.
INDUSTRIAL -
non-broadcast production, often educational or sales films & tapes.
INFORMAL FASHION SHOW -
in stores or restaurants, walk around, no runway.
JUNIOR MODEL -
youthful type.
LINES -
script, words.
LINE-UP -
position of model and garment in a fashion show.
LOCATION -
assignment site outside the studio.
LOUPE -
small magnifying glass to see slides and contact sheet images eight times larger.
MAKEUP ARTISTE -
applies and changes makeup for photo sessions.
MARKET, JOB MARKET -
any location where there is a lot of work.
MARKET WEEK -
4-6 times per year when seasonal collections are shown to buyers.
MODEL BAG -
a large tote in which you carry all your makeup and working essentials. MODEL RELEASE -
contract in which the model gives permission to use the photo as the client specifies.
MODEL AGENCY -
represents model for employment and receives a percentage of the bookings.
MONOLOGUE -
a scene performed by one person for a client, that reflects a particular mood and demonstrates your acting talent.
MOOD -
the feeling a model projects to suit the specific assignment.
OPEN CALL -
casting when the client sees all models suitable for the type requested.
PORTFOLIO -
main promotional tool for models – select photos in a vinyl or leather casebook which show the model at his/her photogenic best and samples of their work (tearsheets).
PRINCIPAL -
main performer in the foreground.
PRINT -
a photograph printed in newspaper or magazine form.
PRINTWORK -
photography taken for catalog and mail order, books, brochures, ads for magazines or newspapers, magazine covers, commercial photography for household products, business products and services, glamour products.
PRODUCER -
person responsible for the day-to-day decision-making on a production
PROMOTION -
publicity to advance a product, service or person.
PROOF -
intermediate stage of photo development from which you can chose best pictures.
PUBLIC RELATIONS -
creating an image of a product or service in the eyes of the public, mainly through newspaper articles.
RATES -
fees charged by the model.
RESIDUALS -
additional money paid when a piece runs in repeat, rates dictated by the unions.
ROUNDS -
calling on prospective clients for photography and television.
RUNWAY -
a narrow raised platform on which the model shows the clothing.
SAMPLE -
piece of clothing from a line, one-of-a-kind.
SCALE WAGE -
minimum wage set by the unions.
SCOUT -
person looking for prospective models.
SET -
arrangement of props and furniture in a TV or photo studio.
SHOOT -
photo session.
SHOWROOM WORK -
manufacturer’s showcase of a clothing line to buyers using live models ? when the seasonal clothing designs are being shown.
SIGN-IN SHEET -
on cattle calls, lists the order in which each model arrived to audition.
SLATE -
to state your name on camera before your commercial audition.
SPEC SHOT -
photographer’s idea of a comp which he/she hopes to sell to the client.
SPOKESPERSON -
person/model chosen to explain the features of a product/service.
STAGE PARENT -
an adult who pushes and watches too closely over a child performer, gets in the way of the shoot.
STATS -
statistical information of a model, including measurements, size, height, etc.
STORYBOARD -
artwork that shows each scene of a commercial.
STROBE -
light unit used by a photographer.
STYLIST -
coordinates the fashions and accessories, checks fit of clothing, visual scene.
TEARSHEET -
copy of a print ad that the model keeps in the portfolio as proof of work.
TELEPROMPTER -
TV-like screen that displays the cue card words.
TESTIMONIAL -
celebrity declaration to the value of a product/service; improvisational endorsement of a product or service that the actor has officially tested, used and approved.
TEST SHOTS, TEST PHOTOGRAPHY -
photos used to build a beginning portfolio
3/4 SHOTS -
photo from head to mid thigh.
TRADES, TRADE PAPERS -
trade publications such as Variety, Backstage, NY Casting, Actor’s Resource Network, Ross Reports, Drama-Logue, Billboard, Hollywood Reporter.
TRADE SHOWS -
industry promotional display of products/services usually in a hotel or convention center TRANSPARENCIES ? the slide forms of a photograph.
TRUNK SHOW -
informal modeling of one specific designer line, usually in a store or small boutique.
USAGE -
additional fees for higher exposure, like a billboard or national use.
VOICEOVER -
background voices for radio or video recorded separately in a recording studio and dubbed onto visual.
VOUCHER -
three-piece form with a model release on which client acknowledges hours worked by the model, agency copy used to bill and get paid.
WEATHER PERMIT -
a location job that is dependent on fair weather, may be canceled the day before or that morning.
