There is a famous picture in the book A Day in the Life of Hollywood of an enormous trash bin of discarded headshots at Propaganda Films. Right there on the top of the pile sits the headshot of one of my closest friends, Maili. The first time I saw the 11”x14” image, all I could think was that poor Maili’s reputation as a model/actress was diminishing with each book sale.

On a dull day, when I should be talking to someone about getting more work, I sometimes find myself browsing through stacks of headshots and zed cards. I confess that I have a soft spot for anyone trying to work as a model or actress. On their side of the camera, the casting process is anxiety-ridden because there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to why a particular model gets chosen. On my side of the camera, the casting process is a political minefield because there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to why a particular model gets chosen. It is without a doubt my favorite part of the process, next to actually shooting the job.

It stands to reason that as your photo budget increases, so does the pressure to choose the perfect model. Choose wisely, and you’re a hero. Choose poorly, and you could end up financing a re-shoot. Nervous? Good. Let’s get started.

“Double-0 seven on an island populated exclusively by women? We won’t see him till dawn.”

At some point in your career, you’re going to participate in an agency casting. Model agencies are crazy places. Someone, usually an agent, is always having a tantrum. Everywhere you look there are stunning faces and provocative bodies. If you’re not used to it, it can be intimidating. A word of advice: Don’t compensate for your relatively mediocre looks by trying to dress better than everyone else. These people can wear a garbage bag and make it look breathtaking.

“I’m seeing a demure, confident girl with untamed overtones…”

The first stage in a successful casting is to discern the “look” that the client wants to convey. This conversation will give birth to a string of adjectives that you never knew existed. Then, suddenly, in the spirit of keeping the client happy, you’ll find that your response is equally bizarre. This mindless destruction of the English language will continue until someone finds a phrase that everyone in the meeting can get their head around. One of my all-time favorites was “androgynous, with a unique femininity.”

Armed with this description, you or your producer will contact the model agencies to request a “package.” When you call an agency, have the following details ready: the client’s contact information, the usage location, the type of media, and the length of time the ad will run. The agency will ask you about money. Tell them the budget hasn’t been determined yet. They’re really trying to figure out if your shoot is a low-budget gig. If they think it is, you’ll get a stack of color copies exhibiting 14- and 15-year-old girls who have been modeling for five minutes. This is the “new faces” division of the agency.

The second stage of casting involves fewer words and more sounds. Feel free to use the following highly effective phrases:

“Hmmmm.” When you really like a model, but are waiting for validation from your client.

“Oooohhh, fantastic.” When you’ve previously worked with or slept with the model in question.

“Uh huh, I do kind of like her.” When you find the model repulsive, but you noticed the client’s eyes light up when they saw the card.

Eventually you will have a small pile of selects. Now you can contact the agencies to set up a casting call. If you plan to see models from several agencies, book a hotel room or studio space and have the models come to you. Yes, it’s perfectly legit to hold a casting at a hotel—as long as it’s a nice one. These are young girls and guys. Do not have them traipsing off to a Motel 6 by the side of the highway. My personal preference is to use a studio; it’s just groovier. If you don’t have your own studio, most rental studios will give you a decent rate to use the space for casting. Another option is to conduct your casting at the agency offices. This works well if you’re only seeing models from one or two agencies; otherwise, getting the client, art director, and staff to convene at multiple locations can be tricky.

The exercise of meeting the models and looking at their portfolios is fabulous. Their personalities almost never match what you would think. And as a bonus, you get to see how many other photographers in town are better than you.

It’s really not in the cards

Sometimes you’ll have to cast solely from a model’s zed card and portfolio. It is then you will discover the universal truth of fashion: The cards lie. The reason you arrange for a live casting is so you can see for yourself how short, tall, skinny, or not so skinny the models are. When I shot my first big fashion job in Los Angeles, I only vaguely knew one of the model agencies. I was too nervous to call the other ones, so I did what any professional would do—I freaked out and called a San Francisco agency I knew well. We booked a girl named Sam who was the perfect brunette to our Los Angeles–based 5’ 11” blonde. Sam’s card said she was 5’ 9’’, which was just on the edge of workable in terms of height difference. We booked her off the strength of her zed card and fantastic portfolio. On the day of the shoot, I picked her up at the airport to discover she was actually 5’ 7”. I just about lost it in my shorts. In the end, her extensive experience saved the day. She worked that camera like nobody’s business, and I scored points with the client for booking her.

I hate to bring it up, but we should talk about the money

As soon as the casting is decided, call the agency to check on the model’s availability. Now is when you start to talk about money. A phrase you’ll hear a lot is “plus agency.” For example, the fee for your favorite model will be quoted as $4,000 for the day and the usage, plus agency. The agency fee is an additional 20 percent of the model’s rate. So the total fee would be $4,000 + $800 = $4,800.

Negotiate! All fees are negotiable, and the agency would rather have the work than not. Just be mindful of fair market value. You don’t want to lose a great model by pushing too hard. But do push a little; it’s all a part of the process. Keep in mind that the model gets a fitting fee if she has to come in before the shoot day to try on clothes. She may also charge a travel fee if the shoot is a certain distance away from the agency. Finally, be sure to find out what the agency defines as a “workday.” Overtime fees apply per hour after the initial 8 to 10 hours.

Taking it to the street

If you’ve ever looked at one of your friends and thought, “she’s got an interesting look,” write down that person’s name in your casting files. Casting real-people talent is called “going to the street.” Inevitably—due to aesthetic choices, budget restrictions, or both—you’ll need to pull from your pool of friends and lovers to cast a job. This type of casting may not be as glamorous as dealing with the model agencies, but can be just as fun, especially if you get to book a friend. It is also a great test to see how good you are at matching a face to a job.

I had my first experience with this type of casting while shooting a campaign for Best Western hotels. A miscalculation on the account executive’s part left us with very little money to shoot the final ad. The art director was desperate. I found the answer in my girlfriend’s roommate, a slightly goofy-looking guy named Dennis. It was a little nerve-wracking because we didn’t know how he would act in front of the camera, but once he got on set, it became apparent that he was a natural. He was awesome. You just never know who is hiding a wealth of talent beneath a mild-mannered exterior.

The casting of real people has become a real business for agencies such as The Blackwell Files. When working with this type of model, keep your expectations low and your directing abilities sharp. If things aren’t going smoothly, hide your disappointment and dig deep to make something happen. Remember, the ability to pull a performance out of a pedestrian separates the true shooter from the belly-aching prima donna who happens to own a camera.

It just feels right

Good casting is a mix of experience and gut feeling. Remember, you’re getting hired for your execution of the concept. Be vocal about who you think is right for the job. Sell your client on your vision. You’ll find that the more solid your reputation as a photographer, the more freedom you’ll get in choosing the talent.

It just feels wrong

There are times when you’ll feel the client is going down the wrong path with a casting choice. That’s when things become delicate.

Some time ago I was booked to shoot a box cover for Microsoft. A box cover requires a model who is stunning and can move subtly in a confined space. The packaging was going to be used globally, so the talent budget was generous. I went to my personal “short list” of models. As it happened, one of my favorites was attending the University of Washington, about five miles from the location of the shoot. That left me with one more model to cast. I did not get approval to fly in anyone from where I was based in Los Angeles, so I had to find the second model from the local talent pool. I had already vetoed an entire package from one Seattle agency because the girls looked too inexperienced. I called for packages from some of the other local agencies, and had identified a few really strong candidates when disaster struck. One the folks at Microsoft “had cast a college play once.” He glommed onto one of the models I had previously vetoed. To be fair, I tried to find something in her that I could work with. But it was evident from her portfolio that her chief talent lay in filling out a bikini. What little movement I saw in her book was passive and uninspired. But wow, what a set of…

It became a real fight between me and the casting genius at Microsoft, and ultimately I got trumped. After all, they were paying for the gig. As anticipated, the girl gave us a thousand frames of nothing. Meanwhile, the model I had chosen was smoking the camera. During the shoot, the art director and the client decided to use my model for both box covers. Unfortunately for Microsoft, the client was still obligated to pay the model who didn’t work out so well.

It will be difficult to gauge when you’ve arrived at the point in your career when you can fight for what you want. A few years prior to the Microsoft job, I had tried a similar move on a commercial I was directing. I came extremely close to getting fired. Still, it pays to seek the talent that best suits your vision, because quality work will bring you more work in the future. When you know you’re right, be a confident leader. When it turns out you were wrong, be a confident diplomat.

Nepotism

When you work with people you know, the connection tends to produce fantastic work. I have a “short list” of models who have become good friends, and I book them as often as I can. I especially go the extra mile for them when they could use a little boost, like my friend Maili. Ultimately, though, she didn’t need my help. The image of this all-American girl tossed out like yesterday’s news incited an outpouring of sympathy. She received a huge amount of exposure, including TV interviews, as well as hundreds of compassionate letters. Turns out she was the perfect model for the shot.