Nothing sells stuff like
a cute baby. And every one of those cherubic
faces in catalogs, magazine ads or TV
commercials or was hired... usually through
a baby modeling agency. We know, people
stop you all the time and tell you that
your infant or toddler is just "so adorable"
that they should be the next 'Ayesha Kapoor'
Before you start sending out the headshots,
here are some things to keep in mind about
baby modeling:
Baby Models: "Animated Props!"
Baby models are known as "animated props"
in the industry since they don't really
model... they just sit there and look
cute. Casting directors look for babies
with even dispositions and long attention
spans. Even better are babies who imitate
facial expressions and gestures. This
makes it easy for the "baby wrangler"
to capture an expression.
It All Starts with a Snapshot
Most agencies want home snapshots to review
your baby for modelling work. Baby's change
so fast that it doesn't make sense to
pay hundreds for headshots. Casting directors
may even be suspicious of baby headshots!
Don't work with anyone who wants to charge
you up-front for headshots. All legitimate
agencies are free.
Manage Your Expectations
Baby models typically earn $100 - $300(
INR 5000 to 15,000) a day... and there
are lots of unpaid hours for every hour
in front of the camera. Television commercials
can be more lucrative, but there are fewer
of them and the big payouts only come
for ads that play for years.
A Kid is a Kid Even "ordinary"
kids can get baby modeling work. Catalogs
and magazines often want a "kid next door"
look. And even supermodel-beautiful baby
models are still just kids. Make sure
you let them be a kid and have fun and
learn while they're modeling.
First and foremost - remember this is
a business and you are reading this because
you are considering sending your young
son or daughter to WORK.
There are some important things that you
need to understand about children and
the modeling business:
Infants and toddlers are very unpredictable
and of course don't take direction very
well, so generally advertisers will hire
several children for the same part, often
paying them as little as 3000-5000 for
a job. The advertiser will shoot the job
with each of the children. Whichever child
does the best - those images will be used
and that child will receive pay based
upon standard market rates.
In smaller markets, i.e. - ANY place outside
of Mumbai or India, the best agencies
will generally not deal with infants and
toddlers simply because there is little
work for them. As a result - more often
than not - the child that appears in an
ad or commercial is related to the client,
one of the talent or production people
involved in the shoot.
So how do you get your child into
the business?
Infants, toddlers, and young children
change in appearance much too quickly
and the legitimate agencies understand
that. Under the age of 4 - these agencies
will only require a few snapshots of your
child.
· Take a close-up shot of your child.
(Head and shoulders - Don't get so close
that the image is blurry)
· Take a full length shot of your child
· Take one character shot of your child
- something that shows the child's personality
- feel free to use props with this shot.
· Find a place that is bright and evenly
lit - DON'T use a flash
· Don't send 50 photos to the agencies
- just 6- 8.
· If an agency accepts your child - be
prepared to update these images every
6 months or so.
Children aged 4 through age 13 will generally
only need headshots. These images should
be professionally done. Even at these
ages, you will need to update these images
every year to a year and a half at the
most since children will change dramatically
from year-to-year.
A composite is only helpful if a child
has very different and distinctive looks
and should not be considered until an
agency has proven themselves to you by
getting your child work.
Mail these photos - along with a short
(3 -5 sentence) letter of introduction
to the agencies in your area. Do NOT call
them and try to tell them how adorable
your child is and do NOT email them.
The moral to the story:
Every good parent is willing to do "whatever
it takes" and spend "whatever it costs:
Just remember - this is your child, in
the case of infants and toddlers - THEY
are not making the decision to work -
YOU are putting them to work.
This business is filled with adults -
your children must be good with adults
if they are going to succeed.
Those kids that you see on TV commercials…
they are not just cute kids - most of
them have already had some training.
Be realistic about your ability to follow
through. If you live in New Delhi or other
cities and submit photos of your child
to an agency in Mumbai - they expect you
to be available to work in Mumbai. They
are not going to pay to fly you there,
they will call you on a Thursday and expect
you there on Friday, the business does
not revolve around you and your child.
So the next time someone is waiting in
line behind you at the grocery store and
tells you how incredibly adorable your
child is... remember that is what they
are supposed to say!
For any query please contact us at:
Benchmark Models,
( A division of Glamourhunt Communications
)
68 – D, Oshiwara Industrial Centre,
Link Road, Goregaon (West),
Mumbai – 400104. ( India),
Tel:, 91-22-42645577, 91-22-40165577
91-22-28785577
Landmark: Opp: Oshiwara Bus Depo.
Behind Mega Mall,
Email Id :
info@benchmark-models.com
