02/07/2021
Here is a post written by a casting director which might be useful to parents.
I'm casting a photo shoot right now for a 6-8-year-old girl. Why do you suppose I'm loathe to continue to look through the talent here? Someone please tell me what I'm supposed to imagine when an individual posts her age range as "8-30?"
Seriously? Is this person an alien? A shape-shifter? An inflatable humanoid?
Children -- the actual ones -- have a truly limited age range from one year to the next. So if you want me to pay attention to you and not remember you as annoying and a class-A deal breaker, please consider doing these:
(1) If an actress or model is under 15, please update photos every six months. And please don't leave the cute when-she-was-five image up, even if you love it to death. She's not five. She doesn't look like that anymore. What do you think I'm supposed to think about that image of her?
(2) Don't fudge the age range thinking it will get more looks. Yeah, it will. But when I see a 12-year-old listed as "5-14" I have to wonder if anyone (like a parent, for example) has looked at this actor or model recently. If I'm looking for a six year old and I get presented with someone who is clearly fourteen years old, I will immediately write off that person. Why? Because they come across as an amateur.
(3) Please take a little time to get good photos. You don't have to hire a professional. There must be a thousand hours of YouTube videos on how to take good photos with smart phones, dash cams, and even disposable cameras. And do take them against a non-annoying background. If you take them on the deck with the fire pit and plants in the background, I may offer to buy your fire pit but I'm probably not going to buy your young model's or actor's time. Why? If you don't care, why do you imagine I will?
This may seem harsh, but it's my money, my time, and my reputation. And if you want your young person to move forward, how 'bout pulling all those roadblocks aside. Hmmm...?