Modeling Agency Go-See: What Happens and How to Prepare

Agency visit.

For the perfect application, you now have all the information. Let's continue. Congratulations, you've been invited for an interview at the modeling agency. Great. Now it's time to make a good first impression.

Preparation and photos.

In this chapter, we will look at how you can best prepare for your first meeting. As an experienced model, it's clear that you should compile a diverse selection of your photos and bring your digital portfolio with you to the interview. As a new face, you don't need photos. The right outfit and punctuality are enough. The first impression counts. An agency staff with trained eyes won't miss anything.

Do yourself a favor and get enough sleep the night before your interview. Sufficient sleep will help you present yourself in top form. Additionally, you should appear well-groomed and natural with light makeup and a simple form-fitting outfit similar to the Polaroids. Be excited, not tense.

Another criterion for a successful appearance, be in a good mood. Be happy that you have the opportunity to present yourself at an agency. You're already one step ahead. A good, positive attitude goes a long way because the booker sees you through the same eyes as a potential client. If you have poor manners or come across as unfriendly or unmotivated, it reflects poorly on the agency. A booker will only include you in the agency's portfolio if they can confidently send you to a client.

Your motivation is a crucial factor for a modeling agency. Prior to the meeting, ask yourself the following: Do you want to model professionally, or is modeling more of a hobby or side job for you? Do you have the time? Large agencies will only work with you if you are flexible with your time and prioritize modeling. There is nothing more frustrating for an agency than a model who doesn't have time to attend castings or take on jobs. When models are unavailable, it disrupts the agency's planning, resulting in fewer job offers for you.

Additionally, you should consider your exact motivation for modeling. Consider, why do you want to model? Can you dedicate the time? As a model agent and agency owner, this point is doubly important to me. There are only a few people whom you should always respond to promptly: your parents, your friends, and as a model, your booker. They manage many models and clients simultaneously. They are like many individual gears in a machine. If you don't perform, fail to respond promptly, or reject jobs without reason, you will quickly be replaced as a new model. Specifically, when bookers recommend a new model to their clients and receive no response or a no without explanation, you will be quickly eliminated.

Casting duration.

The process of an interview at a modeling agency varies depending on the agency or casting events outside the agency. How long is a go-see? Typically, it's short to very short. In most cases, you will have a brief meeting lasting a maximum of fifteen minutes. Since many models come in on the same day, the procedures during a go-see are highly structured. At open castings and agencies, you may have only one or two minutes. If you have an individual invitation, the entire appointment, including arrival, photos, and brief introduction videos, will take about twenty minutes. Therefore, you should also prepare yourself accordingly for the appointment. Go-sees can take place either directly at the agency or at locations in other cities. Let's take a closer look at the process.

Here's a tip for a good mood.

If you have important appointments and feel nervous, I have two ultimate kickstarters for you. It may sound a bit strange, but it's designed to help you generate spontaneous adrenaline, which will make you smile and feel super spontaneous and relaxed. Are you on your way to a casting? Instead of walking slowly, jog the last twenty or thirty meters. This will immediately get your circulation going. At the door, you will be much more active and approach people with a more positive feeling.

If you have to wait, whether it's in front of a door or in an elevator, spin around yourself on one leg like a dancer. Give it a try. Your body will immediately get energized, and you will feel relaxed. Even as a model agent, I often do this, especially when it's early in the morning and the first meeting is already on the agenda. Small life hacks with great success.

Arrival time.

Punctuality is essential. In the media industry, on point is the standard. If your appointment is at one PM, you should be there exactly at one PM. If it's earlier, then at most two minutes before. Many people tend to arrive early, which is not advantageous. Model agents have their daily business, tightly scheduled routines, and precise appointments. If you arrive fifteen minutes early for a casting, it may disrupt the internal workflow. Depending on the size of the agency, there may not be a dedicated receptionist, which means the bookers will be interrupted from their work.

We often encounter situations during castings where models ring the doorbell or walk in thirty or forty minutes before the start. In some locations, it's not possible to block off all entrances during castings. For example, in large castings held at hotels, many guests are present. Models can enter the casting room at any time. However, if the team is still in the briefing stage and you, as a model, are already in the room saying hello, it will leave a negative impression. In short, just be on time.

What if you're running late? Models often travel long distances for agency castings, such as in Paris or London, which may require planning for a whole day or two of travel. If your train is delayed on such long journeys, everyone will understand. It's best to call the agency and let them know. You will still be greeted kindly. If you can't call anyone directly at large castings, stay calm and avoid getting flustered. In Paris, they say, "C'est la vie," that's life. Don't lose your smile.

Whether it's your first agency visit, castings, showrooms, or photo shoots, be punctual. Depending on the distance, always plan to arrive early. You can always grab a tea nearby and do a little something for Instagram and other platforms. Then you'll be close by, ready to leave on time and be on point.

Casting process.

You enter the agency, someone greets you and asks you to wait briefly until Person X Y comes to fetch you. And then it begins, either in an individual interview or together with multiple models in a separate room with a model agent or several agents. Generally, after the greeting, you briefly introduce yourself, talk about your experiences, your motivation for modeling, and your strengths, whether they are related to sports, music, or other talents that could be relevant for modeling.

If you already have a modeling portfolio, the booker will look at your images and often provide direct, albeit brief, feedback. In most cases, the model agent will also ask you to demonstrate your skills briefly. This means they want to see a short catwalk from you with some posing and eye contact. Depending on the situation, you may have the conversation with one or two model agents from the agency. They work directly with clients and know exactly what faces and types their regular clients are looking for in new advertising campaigns. The respective agent will likely be your main contact in the agency going forward. Therefore, strive to be honest and natural.

Mini catwalk.

In almost every model casting and during the interview, you will be asked to do a small walk for the agents or the jury. Each model develops or has their own style. One model may naturally exude sexiness and include hip movement in their walk, while others exhibit absolute elegance with straight posture and a neutral expression. Despite the different styles, there are a few basics that you should take into consideration as a new face for presentations and castings. Your walk consists of five elements.

Walk.

Listen to the music. Songs are always composed of beats. Each beat can be divided into two or four counts. Count one, two, three, four, go. This way, you walk directly to the beat of the music. While walking towards the model agent or the jury, focus on a point on the wall about two meters high behind him or her. Maintain your gaze on that point until the last moment.

Now, during the walk, stay straight, cool, and walk slowly. Often, young models are excited and rush towards the camera, immediately turn around, and walk back. That's incorrect. Remain relaxed, walk slowly towards the camera. Stay in front for two or three seconds, then turn around and walk back.

Last meter.

In the last step or two, depending on the length of the room, shift your gaze towards the model agent or the jury, and later towards the photographers. Use the last two steps to focus on something specific. Are there many photographers in one corner? Is someone in the jury particularly interested in you while the others are looking at their phones? This way, you can concentrate more during the posing.

Posing.

This is something we always teach models, stand still and enjoy the moment. Count slowly, "twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three." Only then do you return. During this time, give strong looks to the right, left, straight ahead, and again to the right or left. At a fashion show, this is the highlight for designers and the media. Photographers can take pictures of the garments for social media or magazines. To ensure they can take enough pictures and get a few shots, you need to stand still, pose, and exchange looks.

Turn.

Here's something to keep in mind. First, turn your body, then your head, and finally your gaze. Turn over your right side, then move your head and gaze accordingly. For a little catch, you can wink just before the turn.

Return path.

Focus on a point in the room and walk directly towards it. Keep your gaze at about two meters high to maintain a nice elongated head and body posture. After that, you can walk back comfortably in front of the agents.

Depending on the booker's interest in you as a model, your measurements may be taken again, followed by short Polaroid photos or introduction videos. The introduction video, like the catwalk, follows a fairly fixed sequence. You may need to introduce yourself briefly in English so that the booker can see if they could propose you to international clients. Usually, the booker stands in front of you with a small camera or a tablet. The video should capture you as naturally as possible and is recorded in one take. Women take Polaroids and videos in a bikini to showcase their figure for designers and agencies.

Introduction video.

Introduction.

Your text is very short and goes something like this in German: "Hi, my name is Elena, I'm seventeen years old, and I'm one hundred seventy-nine centimeters tall."

Portrait.

As described in the subchapter on Polaroids, a portrait is recorded first. You look straight into the camera with your hair down, then you pull your hair back into a ponytail. You turn to the left profile with hair down, then again with hair up. Then you turn to the right profile with hair down, then again with hair up. In short, left profile, left profile, right profile.

Full body.

The same sequence as in the portrait, but between the left and right profile, you also show your back. For each step, remember to have your hair down first, then pull it back. The sequence, frontal view, turn to the side, back view, turn to the side, frontal view.

Walk.

The booker will step back a bit, and then you do a short walk. The walk is done exactly as described before, but without walking back. That means you walk towards the camera, but don't return. Instead, you pose in front of the camera, showcasing facial expressions. Here, you can really pose as you would during a photo shoot. Be sweet, sexy, arrogant, tough. Show how versatile you are. After about five seconds of posing, say, "Thank you. Bye."

Agency acceptance.

The long-awaited call and acceptance into the modeling agency. Now it's time to wait. The process is never the same. Some models impress the booker so much that they are offered a contract during the conversation. Other models may still be discussed based on their Polaroids and the competition within the team. Experienced models may have their portfolio looked at more closely.

Generally, the booker team will bid you farewell with the words, "Thank you for your visit. We will get in touch if we're interested." It may take some time. If you haven't received any feedback after two weeks, it's likely that you haven't been accepted. Of course, you can inquire to be sure. If there is interest, the agency will contact you. Usually, the acceptance process is quick when the agency is interested in you. You'll usually find out if it works out on the spot or within two to three days.

Go-see checklist.

Go-see: brief introduction, Polaroids, walk, farewell.

Women: jeans, top, simple shoes. From seventeen, eighteen years old: simple underwear, bikini, high heels.

Men: jeans, shirt, simple shoes. From seventeen, eighteen years old: simple underwear.

If you have photos, bring them on a tablet or smartphone.

Punctuality. That means exact timing. Not five minutes early. Definitely not fifteen minutes early.

Presentation, restraint, smile, patience.

Duration: five to fifteen minutes.