THAT IMTA BLOG is very pleased to present a guest article by actor and commercial model Aaron Marcus!
Aaron Marcus is America’s Premier Acting and Commercial Modeling Career Coach. He is also the founder of HowtoModel.com, one of Google’s top ranked acting/commercial modeling career sites, offers his Becoming a Successful Actor and Commercial Model workshop throughout the U.S., Canada and Australia, and is the author of How to Become a Successful Commercial Model.
USE YOUR ACTING SKILLS TO BOOK COMMERCIAL MODELING JOBS
By Aaron Marcus
Excerpts from this article are taken from Aaron Marcus’ book How to Become a Successful Commercial Model (5th edition).
What is Commercial Modeling?
Every day you see commercial models in many different types of ads. They appear in newspapers, catalogs, magazines, editorials, brochures, on posters, billboards, on the side of a bus, packages of food items, household products, games, etc.
To even be considered as a fashion model you must have very specific physical requirements. Normally women have to be between 5'9 - 6'0 tall and be 34/24/34 . Male fashion models are normally 6'0 to 6'2 and wear a size 40 regular jacket.
Commercial models, on the other hand, need only to have the ability to look like a real person. In commercial modeling people of all heights, weights, sizes, ages, and races are hired. Fashion models normally promote high-end designer clothes; commercial models advertise everything else.
How much do commercial models earn?
The fees are different from city to city and job to job. Adult commercial models can expect to make anywhere from $50 to $250 an hour depending on the market. Children are paid less than adults, but can earn up to $75 an hour.
What are the advantages to working as a commercial model?
Most people do commercial modeling to supplement their income on a part-time basis. The hours are extremely flexible, and the hourly fees paid to commercial models are wonderful. And, of course, it is a thrill to see yourself in a magazine, newspaper, brochure, or on a poster or billboard.
How you can create great photos for your comp card
Deciding on the image or images that fit you best might be the hardest part of the whole process of putting together a composite sheet. Ask agents, casting directors, photographers, art directors and friends how they see you being cast. Consider their input, but you need to make the final decision. You must figure out how you want to present yourself to the world. Are you best cast as the grandparent type, student, athlete, teacher, plumber, lawyer, mom? Do you look right roasting marshmallows around a campfire, sitting behind an office desk - or both?
Think about the types of photos that would best display those images. To help with ideas, look through:
● Magazines (non-fashion)
● Agents' web sites (ask the agents which models get the most work and study those shots)
● Newspaper ads
● Junk mail
● Photographers' showcase books (photographers pay to have their work shown in the books to generate business for themselves) One directory is called The Creative Black Book (www.blackbook.com). The Workbook is also a wonderful publication (www.worksbook.com). These books can be found in camera stores, art schools, some public libraries, at advertising agencies and on-line.
After the photo session
Before printing any composite sheets, you want to have agents view the photos and get suggestions from them. Contact some agents and see if they have open calls. Open calls are when agents see new people. Once you are sure that your photos will represent you well, then create a composite sheet. When asked about IMTA, Aaron said, "Attending IMTA is an incredible opportunity to not only learn from but also be seen by many wonderful industry professionals."
Special thanks to Aaron for a wonderful informative article. You can receive incredible acting/modeling information, job and audition listings, see workshop schedules and read more about Aaron’s book at his site, www.howtomodel.com
