Almost all parents, even before the birth of a child, think about what life path he will choose, what he wants to do, choose his own path or follow in their footsteps. And some professional attitudes are trying to give practically from the very birth. But all parents are united by one desire - the desire for their children a better life. But everyone has a different idea of this life.
When I was given an editorial task to make my child a movie or show business star, I was surprised and was skeptical about this experiment. Firstly, this area was not at all interesting to me and I would not want to see my child there. Secondly, I really approached the capabilities of my son - at that time it seemed to me that this was not really his topic. But the task is the task.
Yes, from a theoretical point of view, Artyom is a potential artist candidate - photogenic, handsome, relaxed and sociable. Is it just enough data for a successful career. And most importantly, age - he was only five years old. What television success can you boast of at that age? Of course, there are small children acting in films, but there are very few of them. Stage - for this we need at least some musical data, and we could not boast of that. Modeling business … after looking closely at my son, I decided to start with him.
Everybody on the podium
It would seem that it is easier - to defile on the catwalk or grimace in front of the camera, all children can do that. But the modeling business has its own laws, and first, children need to learn many wise things. And for this you need to contact a children's modeling agency.
When I started looking for a suitable one, I was horrified - there are more than thirty of them in Moscow alone, and there are also so-called Fashion Theaters. How to choose the best and the most popular, because such agencies do not have official ratings. Only the most to go and look at the place. Having compiled a list of what seemed to me the most interesting, I set about assault. I went alone, without a child. My goal was to look at the material base of the agency, personnel and teaching staff, to learn about the well-known successes of their wards.
So, almost all modeling agencies are not just intermediaries between fashion houses and advertising agencies, they are training schools. In them, the child undergoes full choreographic training in all dance styles. He studies the elements of acrobatics and fitness, learns to properly hold his back and, naturally, a lot of time is devoted to the art of fashion shows. Children learn the basics of acting, which is so necessary when working on photo shoots. And not to be afraid of the camera itself, many children also have to teach.
Classes are held 3 times a week for 2-3 hours, usually in the afternoon or on weekends. At the initial stage, almost everyone is selected from the age of 3 years - but not everyone who came to the agency wants to link their lives with the podium in the future. For some parents, such education of a child is just an opportunity to give additional classical education, especially for girls, because they are taught to be real ladies.
After a certain number of classes, the so-called "natural selection" takes place - really talented children or the above girls remain. And during this period, your child is made the first portfolio. Famous photographers are invited and, in the life of a child, the first photo session takes place. Her future career will often depend on her results. It is on these photographs that potential customers will choose a model for shows and shooting. If all goes well, the portfolio will grow with new working materials that will only add points to the child in the eyes of the employer.
Models are often invited to auditions - qualifying viewing. This process is very difficult for both children and adults. It takes several hours, sometimes all children are invited, regardless of the desired age. And in the end 5-6 people will be selected. And this is not the only fly in the ointment. Training at the agency is paid and ranges from 4 to 30 thousand rubles per month. And no one will guarantee you the final result. It may happen that the child is not destined to become a model and return the costs. By the way, child models earn for going out and shooting an order of magnitude less than adults. So you shouldn't expect stellar royalties from the crumbs. Here, rather, work is going on for possible future successes, the foundations of which are not too late to lay precisely in childhood. Parents also have to pay for filming for a portfolio out of their own pocket. True, the pictures remain with you, you can use them for other purposes, and for independent job search.
What you should pay close attention to when choosing a modeling agency:
How many years the agency has been working in the modeling business. The longer, the more it is known, in demand and has more contracts.
Material base. Does he have his own premises, is he renting, is there a good repair, is there a security guard. All this can speak of the well-being of the agency.
Teaching staff. What qualifications do the teachers have? It is desirable that these would be people with education and experience in this area. For example, a Latin teacher is a prize-winner of international competitions.
Training program: what subjects, courses and master classes are expecting a child. What famous models came out of the walls of this agency. Who got contracts to work abroad. Usually, agencies are happy to talk about their famous students.
What famous fashion houses and advertising agencies do they cooperate with. How many events per month are held with the participation of models from this particular agency.
Only after you have analyzed the agencies (and you need to go and see several), you can choose the best option for you and, first of all, for the child. Yes, and by the way, before making Napoleonic plans to conquer Paris and Milan, ask your child if he wants it himself.
Boys and girls …
The next item on the list of conquering the hearts of the audience was filming a movie. Now there are many TV series with children in the lead roles. So, you need to have time to light up at this peak of popularity. The catch was that no one knew how to get there. Naturally, auditions are held, but where, when and how remained a mystery to me.
Thoughts began to appear that child actors did not come to the cinema from the “street” at all, but had parents-actors. I had to use my official connections and find a production agency ready to reveal the secrets behind the scenes. Everything turned out to be simpler - auditions are held, and everyone can get to them. You need to follow the information on the websites of acting and production agencies and when the long-awaited announcement of role casting appears, call and sign up.
If you fit the desired age, gender and type, you will definitely be invited. And the further fate depends on the talent of your child and happy circumstances. Or you can act more far-sightedly and enroll the child in a children's acting agency.
Today in Russia it is the only one and is well known to all - "Yeralash". The biggest plus of "Yeralash" is that at the initial stage almost any child can get into it. To do this, you need to take good photos of the child, or maybe you even have a portfolio left over from a modeling agency. With these photos and documents, come to the film studio and conclude an agreement.
The face of your child is immediately placed in the general database of actors. It is this base of photographs that directors subsequently look through in search of actors for the initial casting. In about a month the child will be invited to "Yeralash" for an evaluation casting. During the assessment casting, the director will talk to the candidate, give a role-playing task, for example, repeat a short text or portray someone. Based on the results of the casting, the child will be given grades from 1 to 5.5, of course, the highest score. These points will be indicated in his questionnaire so that when choosing a director or his assistants could objectively assess the child's capabilities. After the appraisal casting, if everything went more or less successfully, you have a chance to wait for the role-playing casting. We have been waiting for this casting for six months.
And then the call rang, Artyom was invited to a role casting directly to "Yeralash". After canceling all the cases, and it happened on weekdays in the morning, remembering all kinds of poems and songs, setting the child up psychologically, explaining that this is such an exciting game, having dressed up, we went to the film studio.
About 15 people were already waiting in the corridor for young stars, everyone was given a text that needed to be read, learned and rehearsed. A small problem was that my child did not know how to read at that time. I had to learn it by heart, but the text was tricky. The most amazing thing is that he learned it with expression and he liked the process. Therefore, when he was called, I was no longer worried about him - he calmly and with pleasure went into the room. There was a video filming, Artyom was asked to tell the text, and I managed to spy (parents are not allowed there) that everything turned out well for him, he was given another text, deciding that the child reads on his own. But Artyom, shrugging his shoulders, calmly said that he could not read, which caused a laugh of emotion. They let him go, saying that they would call. They said this to everyone.
But the next call, we also received a few months later. I must say that all this time Artyom was interested in when he would again be called to "play a movie." Although at the very beginning I resisted terribly, and I lured him to the first casting by cunning, explaining that this is the only way to meet his adored Spider-Man.
The casting took place not at the Gorky film studio, but at the production agency N. We were greeted by empty corridors and a suspicious silence for children's casting. While we were the only ones, Tema was quickly invited to the office, where he was met by the director of the future film.
But as soon as he started asking Tema questions, I immediately realized that nothing would work out for us. The director has clearly never worked with young children. How else to explain that he asked a 5-year-old child to tell about himself. What he wanted to hear in response: the child did not understand at all what they wanted from him. As a result, he became isolated, the director did not know at all how to talk to him and what to ask about.
At the end, the Theme squeezed out two rhymes and this was the end of our viewing. The director hastened to the conclusion that he was still too small for this role. For myself, I concluded that a real professional who understands child psychology should work with children, who will quickly find an approach to any child and unobtrusively achieve the assigned task from him. Still, when communicating with children, you need to take into account the specifics of each age. Mutual communication can be achieved only through play, not opposing yourself to the child, to be on an equal footing with him. This is probably why we have so few films for children and with children - not everyone will undertake to work with such a complex and demanding audience.
According to the law of meanness, our next casting took place in this center. And this time everything went wrong. It turns out that they needed older boys, and assistants for safety net invited children and younger, and even girls. So the viewing took a minute from the question about age and ended on the same question.
The next invitations were auditions for filming commercials. The agency invites us to watch it regularly every 2 months. What they do not offer to advertise to children: from curds and ending with TVs. But it is shooting in advertising that is one of the most likely ways to light up on the screen. Because there are a lot of commercials with the participation of children now. Casting does not take much time, and the advertising filming itself lasts a maximum of two days.
So, how did the story of my "future star" end. During the year that we were in the Yeralash database, we were invited to castings of feature films only 3 times, and all were unsuccessful. It turns out that getting into a role in a movie, even a third plan, is an almost impossible dream. A child should really be talented, artistic, relaxed, have versatile hobbies and knowledge.
You can also start developing such talents from a theater studio or circle, which can be found in almost any House of Culture. Dancing and gymnastics will not be superfluous. By doing them, children begin to perform in front of a large audience at various holidays, their fear of public speaking disappears. If you really set yourself the goal of making your child famous, you need to start almost from birth. When the baby is very young, you can send his photos to various parenting magazines. Then the child will have a chance to get on the cover, and from there he may be noticed on another project.
Although not all modeling or production agencies take on well-known, somewhere "lit up" children. Some people need a “blank slate” - a child who has not participated anywhere before. And I would like to advise parents to evaluate their children as objectively as possible, no matter how difficult it is. Parental love is blind, and often we want to achieve something from the child in spite of his desires and capabilities. No violence - the child himself should really want to do this, he should like acting. If he perceives his status as a game, then things will go much better than he will consider it some kind of work or obligation in favor of his mother.
You can give him the opportunity to express himself, but it is up to the child to use it or not. Do not try to realize your ambitions or unfulfilled dreams through it. Our children have a completely different life and their own path. We can only show all the facets of this life, and they choose. I hope my experience will help someone in this difficult path of gaining fame.
