See below some well used phrases and words that you might hear when we call you to chat or talk about your child’s modelling. At My Kids we tend to use lots of the below, so wanted to make sure you had a mini modelling thesaurus to help!

We couldn’t fit them all in one blog so keep a look out for part 2!

Option OR Pencil –

This is when a client would like to ‘hold’ dates on a child for a potential booking. This is a way for a client to make sure they have first dibs on the child. This does not mean the job is confirmed.

Checking availability –

This term is used when a client has asked the agency if the model is available for dates that they plan to shoot on. This does not mean they are optioning or booking the model. Sometimes casting directors want to know this before they submit the child forwards for a job as the client is set on particular dates so the casting director needs to know if the child is even available before going any further.

Shoot –

A shoot is a job or assignment. It’s well prepared and organised and this is when the model will perform for either a photographic or acting based shoot. There can be many people involved in a shoot so everything needs to run as smoothly as possible to deliver the best outcome for the client.

Confirmed for the job OR booked for job –

This is when a model is 100% needed/booked for the job. It’s very serious to keep these dates free and saved just for the shoot.

Casting OR Audition –

This is where the child has been invited to appear in front of the people involved in the hiring and decision making for the job. It’s a chance for the model to demonstrate their skills for what is needed for the particular assignment. Castings and auditions can vary on how long they take. From 5 minutes to an hour. Some can be as straight forward as turning up and having a couple of pictures taken to having to act out a couple of scenes with other actors.

Updates –

The phase ‘updates’ is used often in an agency, this means the child’s ‘updates’ such as measurements or pictures need updating. If a model booker says to a parent ‘can you please make sure you do his updates tonight’ they are talking about measurements and images. They can be more specific if they only need certain things updating but normally when talking about measurements the agency will mean height, shoe size and clothes size.

BSF –

You will hear this a lot when a model is shooting for a tv commercial. ‘BSF’ means Basic Studio Fee. This is a basic all round fee that the model gets paid for the day of shooting. This normally does not include usage fee’s.

Day Rate –

A day rate is what the model will get paid for a full day of work. With children a day rate will tend to start after 4 hours of work but again this will all be confirmed by the agency and the client on exactly what the rates will be.

Hourly Rate –

This is when the child gets paid per the hour they are working for. Make sure you always let you agent know after the shoot how long the child was on set for so they can invoice correctly.

Booker OR Model Booker OR Agent –

This is a person working in a modelling agency who books and schedules jobs and castings for the children. They will also deal with the negotiations of the rates and arranging the child licenses. They will also look after the model’s profiles and making sure they are shown to the best of their ability.

Buyout –

This is when both client and agent agree on a fee that the client will pay the model as a one-time payment for use of their work.

Usage fee –

Models get paid for the work they do on set and also the right to use their work for the agreed ‘usage fee’. The usage fee will set out where and for how long the images or footage will be used for and what media platforms. If the client later on decides they would like to use the work from the model for a further amount of time or on a different platform then negotiations will be made for an additional usage fee.

For most photographic shoots fee’s will normally be a flat fee which means the usage and rights for the work is paid in the hourly/day rate.

Exclusivity –

This is used in child modelling when a client would like the child to only be able to work for them and not any other competing brands. There is normally a fee to cover this.

Call back OR Recall –

This is like having a second casting from the original one held. This tends to mean the client has shortlisted their favourite children for the role and would to see them all again before they make a final decision.