Learn About Child Modeling

Wendy Turner: Beauty as they say is in the eye of the beholder and of course every parent believes their child is most beautiful baby that was ever born. But does your baby or toddler have what it takes to be a child model. Four and half year old Lola is a young model and Lisa Forsyth is her mother and Elisabeth Smith founded Britain's first child model agency back in 1960 I believe Elisabeth. Elisabeth Smith: Yes, on the go. Wendy Turner: Yes we will get on to the foundation of that in a minute. But Lola can I ask you ask a question first? How old were you when you first started modelling? Can you remember? Should mommy tell me? Lola: Five months. Wendy Turner: Five months old. So you have been doing this for a long time, haven't you? Do you enjoy it? Is it fun? Lola: yeah. Wendy Turner: It looks fun. I have got something to show the viewers that you have done, very special book, which is called the sparkly mermaid. You see in that camera is Lola on the front. She is a little mermaid all the way through it, isn't she? We are very proud of that and you have got some very -- magazines there, that she is also been modelling in as well. So you have been very hard at work. And let's just go on to the agency that Lola is with Elisabeth Smith, what made you found it? You see a big gap in the market Elisabeth Smith: it was just by accident. I was doing promotion work and I was in a studio. I have to have a six month old baby at that time and they said bring it into the studio. And she is not --. Wendy Turner: oh god. And do you specialize in babies and toddlers? Elisabeth Smith: Well we have got up to 17 years. Wendy Turner: Right, babies, toddlers children Elisabeth Smith: Depending on height, I mean, they have not been average height. Should get more children instead of going on to -- Wendy Turner: I only assume that you're absolutely inundated with people wanting to be on your books. Is that right? Elisabeth Smith: That is right. Literally get hundreds and hundreds of -- calls and emails and.. Wendy Turner: What do people have to do. They will say we will think our children are beautiful. But what do they -- to you? Elisabeth Smith: With ourselves and need to be within the young 25 sort of era because things are of short notice and you go to auditions and castings and it just doesn't work -- so they send in reasons sort of three snapshots keeping all the details the stamp address all they do by email. But either way you know that's how it works. We do have our rejection rate of 95%. Wendy Turner: 95%? That must be all of them. That must be a terrible sight of -- having to write back and say no Elisabeth Smith: Fortunately its not face to face. Some of them by letter. But we still get some quite nasty letters. Wendy Turner: Really? Elisabeth Smith: Why you have rejected the child and. Wendy Turner: So the 5% who you do take on, what do they got? I mean like Lola, what do they got that is that magic ingredient that you that make you say right this is going to work? Elisabeth Smith: Well a good photograph to start with. Wendy Turner: Yes. Elisabeth Smith: A sparkle, big eyes, good skin, definitely a personality and of course whats also very important is discipline and perhaps most important a good reliable mother. Wendy Turner: You must see some pushy parents that -- I mean that's the classic image that people will have isn't it of parents who have sort of child. Elisabeth Smith: It's a very, very competitive market too. You can do a briefing and you can send like say blonde blonde hair blue eyes big eyes and everything else and then they pick somebody who is -- shouldn't been at the audition anyway. And totally different from the brief. Wendy Turner: Very frustrating business, okay. Elisabeth Smith: It can be very frustrating. Wendy Turner: Well, Lisa what prompted you to send in Lola's picture such a tender age of five months. Lisa Forsyth: Well, I did as a child and I did happen to know that most of the work comes when they are very little. And also I was off work. So I had the free time got the job I had. And also I thought at that age she would probably be I would know whether she was able to cope with that or not because of this I wouldn't really know how its going to be like a little bit older. So, I actually just looked through the yellow pages and found them Wendy Turner: Elisabeth. Lisa Forsyth: And then heard it was very reputable and I applied to a couple of others and I just liked that one best. Wendy Turner: You obviously had a degree of success, you and Lola. Lisa Forsyth: It's a risky type, but is you know Wendy Turner: Tell me about some of the things that she has done. Lisa Forsyth: She started off doing lot of work the babies -- which kind of chosen the votes for those and then she got some work for -- and she did some work for Trescos which was good and junior magazine. In a last couple of years she has done a couple of shots and then she got the Berk and -- Wendy Turner: Wow! That was special. Did you enjoy going home absolutely fabulous Lola? Lisa Forsyth: Did you do that? Wendy Turner: Did you enjoy that? Lisa Forsyth: It was fun, wasn't that? Elisabeth Smith: -- because you know modulations is quite different from the actual -- and they didn't want artificial children. They wanted what is natural. Wendy Turner: Yes, absolutely. That sounds like a good one. And presumably as a mother you would know she wasn't enjoying it? Lisa Forsyth: Yeah, I think you know when she stops enjoying it that will be the time when they will say stop. And I could remember when I was a young girl I kind of refused to do a job. And when I got seven or eight, I don't know why and I think that's when my mom decided to give it, call it a day. Wendy Turner: Presumably Elisabeth, the parents do have to know, when to call a halt to it, because if the child isn't enjoying it anymore and wants to stop. Elisabeth Smith: I think that's the first thing really that we tell them that they mind your children you come make them do something. So they are going to dry up if they are not good or if we don't like it. But as you said, the parent knows forehand and there is nothing worse in seeing the child being dragged to studio and they obviously don't want to do it. Wendy Turner: Do you feel that you have to that the parents as well as the child that they demand. Elisabeth Smith: Very much so. Wendy Turner: Just tell me a bit more about that. Elisabeth Smith: Well, first up the mother has got to be as you said not pushy. They have also got to be very lovable. Its quite hard work being a model's mother, because you are on the set and you have got to be there when you're needed. You've got to be in the background when you are not needed. And that's where lots of things go wrong. The photographer is just going to take a shot and then the mother comes in -- and he goes mom. They have just got to be very lovable and good time keepers and I mean that is essential and very difficult these days. Wendy Turner: So Lisa, just take me through sort of an average say you were doing sort of a fashion shoot or you know for one of the magazines. What's the day like, just try and describe to us, what the day is like for you and Lola? Lisa Forsyth: When the day begins the -- may be full. You know whether it is happening or not. And you don't actually find out until the day before where it is and what time. So initially you got to be very organized and at least have a way of finding out how you could get there. And trying some things you got to need. In the morning I think really is down to sort of being organized and having food for her and making sure she is comfortable and trying to give her a degree of choice about what she is wearing. When they get they will be see if they are going to wear what they are told. It's just trying to stay calm, leaving enough time to get to the job seat and arrive in a panic. Wendy Turner: I was going to say if you are getting tense at that point. Lisa Forsyth: Yeah that's when it becomes stressful. Wendy Turner: Yes. Lisa Forsyth: And particularly you know you may well have to wait there for two hours before something happens or you will be sort of; and if she is in a good mood, its great. If she is not an in good mood, you got to be prepared to have things for them to do. Wendy Turner: So you have to go prepared with Lisa Forsyth: Yeah. Because you got to trust trying to and sometimes its just the case of just playing along with them and just saying game and then when they are to be shot, sometimes its better to stand away, because sometimes she plays up far worse if I am there. And other times I am kind of there jumping around trying to make her laugh. Wendy Turner: Can it be a whole day excursion. Lisa Forsyth: The shoots are normally only a couple of hours. But obviously you got to allow a couple of hours to go there and get back. So I do tend to -- at least three quarters of a day or whole day. Wendy Turner: Elisabeth, tell -- regarding hours and time of school and suck like? Elisabeth Smith: Children have to have licenses which make it all very difficult. It comes from their local council from whether each model from where their council is. And makes life difficult. That's up to 16 years. Wendy Turner: I see. Elisabeth Smith: one day or baby. Wendy Turner: But you can actually that authorizes a mother to take a child out of school for half a day to do that work. Elisabeth Smith: Yes. Or a day or whatever it is. Wendy Turner: Or a day, yes. Of course one of the questions that will be on most people's lips is the lucrative. Imaging making lots of money. Elisabeth Smith: Its not the thing to go into if you are going to or you think you are going to make a lot of money. Wendy Turner: Yes, which I imagine some people might think that it is going to pay a lots and lots of money. Elisabeth Smith: you can get some very good things. Commercials or but so various things. They are not the normal. And the rest of the time is quite hard work. Its really got to be for fun and Wendy Turner: And the experience. Elisabeth Smith: piggy bank. Wendy Turner: Yes, piggy bank and the experience of doing it. What are the good ones then. What are the, from a business point of view, what are the ones really good chance? Elisabeth Smith: It could be stills or it could be the commercials. And it has a buyer. I suppose the best thing is money goes into the states to America, then you know you can -- but it's very much one off and it makes us very; in the newspapers when people say so and so is earning 5000 a day or 5000 a week or something. Its just let nonsense. Yes they have probably, its not a lie. They have earned $5,000. But it's a one off thing that's not going to happen second time. Not with that. Lisa Forsyth: and not everytime you always have to go to a casting or audition that's -- something that just compensates your expenses. So if you don't go to those, you don't get the jobs. Wendy Turner: So people would never book somebody on the strength of what they see in your client list .. Elisabeth Smith: They will if they have got a child that's screaming its head off in the studio they wants Wendy Turner: Quick and now. Elisabeth Smith: But not very often they will always as you say they wont book anybody without looking at a picture. They may book them without actually basically seeing them in person, if there is an time. But usually it is auditions and auditions. It is also the personality of the child as well. I mean they may look beautiful, but they may be just no animation. Wendy Turner: presumably its like adults and some people just photograph really well. Do you have boy? Elisabeth Smith: Yes. We have boys. Boys are got to be really boys. Wendy Turner: Yes. Elisabeth Smith: Tearaways. Wendy Turner: Do you have more mothers sending in pictures of little girls or boys as is it flicked down in the middle? Elisabeth Smith: I think its pretty even that we seem to take on more girls. Babies are also a very big part, because we are always taking. We don't take on a lot of children, because they grow with us. But babies of course are being born and we are always looking for new born babies. All the catalogs and things. And they are not babies very long. Wendy Turner: No, of course, they are not. They are not true babies for very long. Elisabeth Smith: Babies are much hard. Some people say all babies look alike. They really don't. And the ones with the big eyes and it are the eye contact and the reddish smile that gets them the work. Wendy Turner: Yes. And what do you think the future holds for Lola. Do you look any further than the next job? Lisa Forsyth: No. really no. Lola: No, Really no. Lisa Forsyth: I think you know when she gets a job, its a bonus. I know when I started school the word kind of just -- outside. Just see how long it goes on for really. Wendy Turner: Would you like to continue being a model when you grow up? Is that a yes. Lola: yes. Wendy Turner: Lola, you are very beautiful and thank you for coming in and good luck with all you work. Hope you have a lot of fun in the future doing this. Lola: Thank you very much. Wendy Turner: Thank you, thank you for coming in.