Kids in commercials/modeling

[simon_marklar]

So i want my little 6 month old to pull her wieght or get outta my house. well not really :)

but every time we go out with her, people say "you have to put her into modeling/TV Commercials" and well, its an interesting thought. That way we can put all the money she'll earn into an account for her and she can have some $ when she's 18. I'll also have to get my paedophile spotting techniques up to scratch but thanks to maddox, i think i have that bit covered.

Has anyone had, or does anyone know of anyone who has had, experience in putting kids into commercials and stuff? Any agencies to stear clear of? things to look out for? we havnt deceided either way but we really should look into it.

but you do have to admit, She is cute (http://home.exetel.com.au/melted_brains/esha/) :)

[ms edeity]

my son was spotted when he was around 6 months old and we went to the agency in Brissy to check it out. (i'd always wondered how this stuff worked)
They told me he was a 12 shot child. apparently the kids were sized up and if they were marketable, they were given more face shots for the portfolio from 2 - 12.
it was all very professional and imo disturbing.
sure, it's a business so i'm not complaining - just not my cup of tea.
he would be expected to smile on cue even at 6 months. they immediately asked if there was any more progeny and wanted to know if she looked like me or my son. (i have darker skin).
they wanted my daughter to come in to test, but wanted her in pastel tones "so that she wouldn't look too ethnic".

i decided i wanted my kids to be kids and not have to worry about whether they were worth more portfolio shots or not, when they could feel tired or had to be "on", or whether they looked "too ethnic".

i couldn't do it

the money's pretty decent, the atmosphere is horrendous. it's kids - but it's a real job. ...not to mention the sample shots we saw that were of 10 yr old adults.

you have a real cutie. if you don't mind the casting calls,etc... look into it. the more professional the agency, the more that will be demanded. the less professional, possibly the more dodgy.

[Sinergy]

So i want my little 6 month old to pull her wieght or get outta my house. well not really :)

but every time we go out with her, people say "you have to put her into modeling/TV Commercials" and well, its an interesting thought. That way we can put all the money she'll earn into an account for her and she can have some $ when she's 18. I'll also have to get my paedophile spotting techniques up to scratch but thanks to maddox, i think i have that bit covered.

Has anyone had, or does anyone know of anyone who has had, experience in putting kids into commercials and stuff? Any agencies to stear clear of? things to look out for? we havnt deceided either way but we really should look into it.

but you do have to admit, She is cute (http://home.exetel.com.au/melted_brains/esha/) :)

what a wonderful way to ruin a child's life. is it our inadequacies that put clown make-up on unknowing, innocent children or is it just a morbid wish that they are "us" in our own failure to be famous?

[simon_marklar]

^ actually its just me looking into suggestions from practically everyone who's seen her.

I'm not convinced it would be good for her, hence me asking here for people who have had experience with this. But you know, assume that i have 'inadequacies' based on one completely misread post. I know people like to put others down, but the least you could do is read the goddam post before commenting like that. I am simply asking for people's experiences with such a thing. You obviously have none, and i would wager you also have no children. If you did, you would understand why im looking into ways to secure some $ for her future.

Thanks, ms edeity. I thought that would be the case and im not sure putting her in that kind of environment is what i want to do. But, i do want her to have a secure future, hopefully i'll have the means to provide that soon. But as you well know, all avenues must be explored, just in case. I wouldnt want to go to an unprofessional place, and it sounds like professional is quite regimented. Can you remember the agency? was it bambini? they ask for an arm and a leg in return, 20% commision my ass!

thanks,
%simon

[Blue Midget]

I used to be a child model.

You know when they shoot winter catalogues? Yup, in the middle of summer. Stick one kid in a tracksuit, put her in the middle of the sun, and you might be able to take a photo quickly. Stick a pair of 3 y.o. twins in the same shot and similar clothing as her and chaos will reign. In order to not bring the 6 y.o.'s career to a grinding halt, don't leave her in the sun for half an hour posing and baking while you're trying to calm down the twins.

Yeah, back then I had more backbone than I do now. Fuck.

EDIT: But, I was really unlucky by getting a shithouse agency that had inherited a good reputation by buying a good agency's name or some shit like that. Despite that, I actually had fun. I started modelling because it was something I wanted to do, and I quit because I didn't take to being steamed all that well. I understand a six month old kid doesn't have as much say in the matter, but I'd imagine the agency really has to take care of babies in case something happens. They're BABIES.

[Seeker]

I was a child model as well, except my parents kept the money.

[Blue Midget]

The money would have been mine, if there was any left over from all the driving Mum had to do to get me to the shoots.

My first one was for The Good Homemakers, and I was on the cover. I was supposed to lie in bed, pretend to have fallen asleep reading, and cuddle a bear. In a huge spotlight so the photo looked right. I hopped into bed, held the book the way they wanted, got my hair brushed into the fan on the pillow they wanted, closed my eyes and just did it. I even brought my own bear.

I have mentioned the bright light, haven't I? My eyes were burning from the red that got through my eyelids. I was five, FCOL.

The photographer couldn't believe I was that easy to work with, and it was my first job ever. Damn, my work ethic was top-notch.

[Seeker]

My best shoot was for Australian Playboy, I believe it was the Oct 1980 issue, I was part of a centre spread going on about Rules V's League V's Soccer.

Everything was fine until they sent us into the womens dressing rooms to get ready.

[Blue Midget]

Oh, you're bullshitting, aren't you? Sorry, I didn't spot it straight away as it wasn't on my agenda.

[Seeker]

No I'm not bullshitting, I didn't say I was nude did I.

It was for the sports section, they sent us into the womens dressing rooms to get our uniforms on and all the lingerie was out, 3 prepubescent kids in a room like that, things went down hill pretty quickly.

[Blue Midget]

ksry - Damn, that was silly of them.

There was another shoot I went to. I was part of this traditional family. I had a mum, a dad, and a brother. IIRC, I had featured in a poster with the kid playing my brother before, but we were on seperate locations that other time. Anyway, we were going to be posing a leisurely stroll or something for one of those home building companies. Turns out we're riding bikes down a bike trail. I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was nine.

Which was fine, the magic of photography is quite similar to the magic of movies. A lot can be faked, like That Winter Catalogue Shoot. I borrowed my (at the time) boyfriend's bike as I didn't have one, and we were under the impression we were going to be posing on these bikes and there wouldn't be actual riding involved.

The people doing the shoot wanted the family (kids riding, parents walking) to actually ride down this path and they'd take the shot. I guess it was to make it look authentic. A little girl face-planting from being on a BMX is authentic, but not what the guys were going for. I don't think they could believe they had a kid my age who couldn't ride a bike. These things were just unpossible.

The guy portraying my father had to hold the back of my bike as I 'rode'. I didn't see the photo until a few years later. In a TV commercial. I think I may have been ripped off moreso than usual that day.

[Whiskers]

I was in a 'Pixie Photo' commercial when I was 5 and it made me a self-absorbed princess.

[Dr_B]

i know the nutella kid - he's a cunt !

[Mr Bigglesworth]

I was in a chocolate ad as a kid. Now im a mildly overweight adult. Wonder if the two are connected.