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modeling opportunities in virginia
hi well im 16 female and ever since i was little ive wanted to model. my grandmother was a model, my mom was, and now.. well its only natural for me to do it - its my passion, and i used to do alot of pageants and stuff. but im not just one of those girls who thinks its all posing and glam. i know the dark side of it, how hard it is, etc. i have the face & body for it, but my question is.. does anyone know of any place in virginia where i could get my start? im not talking about virginia beach, because i know there are numerous schools and agencies there, but thats pretty far from where i live, and i dont get my liscense for a loong time.. (next year) but i live up in the country, about 2 hours away from D.C. (harrisonburg) but right now my family doesnt really have alot of money, (dad got laid off) so the cheaper the better :) and i cant go to modelscouts.com because i dont have internet, just mobile, & it wont let me. so if anyone could tell me of anyplace around where i live, id be soo grateful :) thanks!
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Forget the dot com place you just told us. It's likely a scam as real agents, casting directors, directors, photographers don't go searching the net looking for the next big thing for movies, TV, modeling gigs, photo shoots etc. That's just not how this industry is run.
Professionals will NEVER cast a model/actor in any kind of gig using the Internet. It's A HUGE scam also with these modeling schools, lessons, courses etc. to get your money and you'll never see a legit gig from it.
This goes double with so-called agents wanting you to spend a ton of money on lessons, their school and putting your picture on the Internet. These people prey off of what you don't know about how the industry really works to rip you off. Same goes for those talent shows advertised in local community papers.
So, how does an attractive gal like yourself become a model or get into the acting business? The safest and best way if in Canada is to log onto ACTRAs web site (their the actor/director's union) and hit their link for reputable agents. In the U.S. you need to go to SAG (Screen Actor's Guild) or phone them to send you a list for your area of reputable agents (a.k.a professionals that operate under the union's guidelines.)
Select a Background Talent Agency from the list of those near you in Virginia. Meet with the agent with your parents present. This agent will be able to find work for you in TV and film being shot near you or in the largest city nearest you. This will help you see whether you like the 18-20 hour film shoots or not as an extra in crowd sequences.
Also check out the agents on the list for Kids/Teens as their the ones until you are 18 at least who can get you the print ads, commercials and modeling gigs. DO NOT hire anyone that SAG or ACTRA hasn't recommended to you directly or on that list. It's bad news otherwise.
Agents NEVER charge you to find you work. Well, not quite true. There's only TWO KINDS that can ever charge you. One is the Background Talent Agent and the other is the Kids/Teen Agencies.
They're allowed under the guidelines of ACTRA and SAG to charge a $60-80 fee PER YEAR because kids, teens and extras just starting easily walk away from everything when they see this is often 18 hour shoots on movies. They flake out.
The other thing you'll need is someone with a car willing to get you to the set and back at all hours of the night in the case of being an extra in film and TV. There's no set hours a shoot can start or end.
Not to brag but rather to illustrate I've been an extra in Hairspray, Man Of The Year (Robin Williams), Dresden Files, Long Kiss Goodnight, Blues Brothers 2000 and more. So yes, you do get a lot of opportunity if you live in a major area or near a major city to work.
Piece of advice once you get an agent check periodically with the Clerk's Office in your town's government and ask if they know of any productions that will be shooting in town and if they've filed permits recently to begin shooting.
If there's a production happening take that info and then ask your agent if they can get you work on it or not. Never approach a production on your own with regards to that. There's a lot of stuff being filmed darn near everywhere these days.
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