|| LoLa's Tid Bits || "How To- Page 2"

       This is a good practice, so that you don�t have to worry about stiffing your agent� not that you would right? You only get paid when you are booked for work, so how much you make is really based on whether or not you are what a client is looking for. Don�t take it personal if you're not. I mean could you imagine anyone else playing the �Terminator,� besides Arnold Schwartzenegger? I didn�t think so.

Style
       If you have no sense of style, you can go to an upscale department store like, Lord and Taylor, Neiman Marcus, or Scorpio and get some advice from a stylist. If you don�t want to ask a stylist, maybe you want to emulate the style of someone who you admire in the industry. You can go online and look at pictures of that person, make a color print out and go shopping. You want to find clothes and a haircut that is similar to the person, but make sure you add a dash of your personality to it. But the best thing for you to do is ask your agent for help in developing a style. I�m sure they will help you.

Photos
       Once you have your style down pat, you can ask your agent for a list of reputable photographers. You will need this list to find a photographer who can shoot pictures for your headshot and composition card. A head shot is a card that has photos of the actor, model, or dancer on it, whichever field you are in. The photos generally come from pictures a professional photographer has taken and your agency has decided which shots are best for the card. Sometimes they are a replica of ads the actor, model, or dancer, was shot in.
On the other hand, a composition card, commonly referred to as a comp card, also has pictures of the same nature as a headshot. The difference between the two is that a comp card includes a resume of the work the individual has done as an actor or dancer. In other words, if you are just a dancer, or just a model, it is not necessary to have a composition card. But if you are an actor and a model or a model and a dancer, you may want to have both composition card and headshot. The reason why you may have both, is so that you can send your headshots to agencies (when first start out�you pay for your headshots up front) or you can send out your cards independently to an advertising company (not recommended, because many of them to not accept unsolicited mail).
Your headshot or composition card is your calling card to clients. Your agent will send your comp card or headshot to a client, if you fit the criterion for what the client is looking for. Once you get to the go-see or audition, it�s up to you and the camera to get the callback.

Who pays for the photo shoot for the headshot or composition card?
       Sometimes the agency will pay for the photographer and the cost to produce your headshot (not typical). Once you get work, you can build a resume for a comp card and usually you have to pay for the production of that. Until then your agency will deduct the cost of producing your headshot from your first paycheck (this is not in all cases).

Caution
       If an agency asks for money to train you as a model or as an actor, you may want to rethink their services. Any agency that asks for money up-front is usually out to swindle you. So be cautious.

Skills
       As far as skills are concerned, you can take some classes that can teach you how to walk as a model, but you have to be very cautious, so that you get your monies worth. There are plenty of reputable places you can go to get formal acting lessons, these classes are very important and will help develop your sense of awareness and hone your skills as an actor. Again, searching for a legitimate acting school can be tricky. If you are uncertain about a particular business and want to see if they�ve had any complaints about their business practices, you can contact the Better Business Bureau at www.BBB.com. For more help in this matter, you can send me an email, and I�ll do some research for you. Good luck to all of those who inquire about these fields!

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