|
Forums >
General Industry >
Casting Call Responses
Hey just had a random question on something I've noticed on here very frequently. Why do people comment on the casting call instead of sending an actual message. Often when I go to see a call there are loads of comments and all they say is interested. I've found that odd and have just been wondering why Jan 08 17 12:36 pm Link Armesha00 wrote: Has the thought occurred to you that many with tenure on Mayhem realize that Casting are put up by hobbyist who are naive on industry protocols. To this end they will not invest an effort to directly contact the poster since it could be a waste of time... Most likely they assume that the individual posting the Casting will peruse their book and if interested initiate a dialog... Jan 08 17 01:14 pm Link Full disclosure -- I'm not a fan of Casting Calls. Theory: Leaving an "interested" comment is easy & safe. Just because a responder is interested is no guarantee that the casting call poster would be interested in the responder. It's a game of chicken -- see who blinks first. He who make the initial effort to engage is at a disadvantage during the following negotiations. Tangent Question: Why use a Casting Call, as opposed to a) using the "browse" function and/or b) checking out the "traveling model/photographer" list? Doesn't that avoid getting responses from people who are not appropriate for the job? Jan 08 17 01:17 pm Link First of all, I read your casting call before commenting here. You should be congratulated on taking the initiative of posting a casting call as a model with a good idea for a shoot. You even do what is known as "bundling" with looking for both another model and a photographer which sweetens the concept making it more attractive to those who participate. Your casting call is well written, to the point, and I like that. Your casting call is great ... nothing wrong there! As for those who browse casting calls and comment "Interested" ... this might be like they are skimming casting calls, making a short comment and hoping you'll take further initiative to contact them. That seems like they are little bit lazy, or not as motivated as you are. So it's up to you to decide if those models and photographers that comment "Interested" are worth pursuing. It's kinda like fishing ... many people (fish) just take a poke at the bait, but then you hope that you get the best ones to bite (go for it!) As slow as Modelmayhem has gotten, I think that you are fortunate just to get comments. This website has no tool for posting the casting call on other places like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn ... and the communication tools are weak on this site. I focus on finding or vetting models on here, while I do most of my communication using Facebook messenger. I'm impressed by you, and I would be more than "interested" IF you were closer to Central Coast California, especially since in the past I've had a great deal of experience in dance photography and would love to show that in my current portfolio. Use multiple websites, and methods of communication ... emailing, messaging and texting is cool, but talking on the phone or in person are best. You have great potential! So keep positive and driven towards success! You will go far! Jan 08 17 01:18 pm Link Thomas Van Dyke wrote: Offering pay does spark more interest, but not necessary. Most of the shoots I do are TFP, and I do pay models for certain sessions. I've actually found more models wanting to do TFP from posting on Craigslist ... the OP is 16, so I don't recommend she do that though. With her stats and age, she should be able to do TFP for dance images. Jan 08 17 01:25 pm Link Looknsee Photography wrote: You are correct that using casting calls has gotten slow and passive. It didn't used to be that way. So it is better to be more active by contacting others by direct messenger instead of waiting for them to contact you. Jan 08 17 01:30 pm Link Because that's how the system here is set up. I find many responses are not at all serious, so I always state in the casting call to have people message me directly, that I won't respond or make an offer based on comments like "interested!" left in the casting. While I've booked a few shoots in the distant past with the casting call system, overall I've found it to be of very limited use. Jan 08 17 04:24 pm Link Looknsee Photography wrote: Looknsee Photography wrote: Not necessarily--Trust me on this one, many times people who are technically and/or experientially "appropriate" for any given project are resoundingly uninterested and/or uninteresting Jan 08 17 04:40 pm Link Armesha00 wrote: Why would that be odd? The comments section is there for a reason. That I know of, there are no rules that states the responses have to be via message. As far as I'm concerned, there are 2 ways to respond: message or comments. Jan 08 17 08:50 pm Link I don't know if sending a direct reply to the MM private mail counts as a message or not. Most non-legacy members have a limited amount of private messages that can be sent per day, so maybe they've reached or are about to reach the limit. I usually state in bold typeface at the end of the casting call NOT to leave publicly viewable replies and have turned down a few people because they couldn't follow that simple instruction. Leaving a publicly viewable reply to any job offer or gig is EXTREMELY unprofessional for many reasons that are obvious and quite a few that aren't. Jan 08 17 08:51 pm Link Looknsee Photography wrote: Casting calls is like throwing out the net and reeling it in later. Jan 08 17 09:13 pm Link Armesha00 wrote: I too looked at your casting call, and if I were in the Atlanta area, I'd probably respond, definitely by message, because you said, "Message me if you are interested". (If you look at my profile page and scroll, you'll see a ballet photo from a Nutcracker performance, so yes, I really would be interested in your shoot!) Jan 08 17 09:35 pm Link Limits on messages per day is also an issue, commenting also doubles as advertising Jan 08 17 11:08 pm Link Casting calls are a good way of contacting people when you do not have relationships built up already. Casting calls allow you to advertise for specifics in race, height, weight, hair color & length, eye color and many other personal aspects. At least when looking for a model. I like to send out PMs to people in my friends list when I am doing a particular concept. These people have already expressed an interest in working with me by responding to a FR or PM or by contacting me. I may not want to give my concept away to other people in the casting calls an Pos permit some privacy. But PMS are very limiting. I only have 6 per day. People do not respond promptly, if at all. And I may not have someone in my friends list that meets specific requirements. The other advantage to casting calls, is a browse search is limited to 100 miles. To go beyond that, I am searching entire states or countries. Casting calls also help if I am working outside of my home territory. Therefore, casting calls broaden my knowledge of the people available both in and outside of my local area. Also, I will not ask a model that has said "NO" for shooting nudes to do nudes. This complicates the search for people using the browse function. There are models in my friends list that have "no" indicated but will shoot nudes. I have to remember who they are. There are many reasons for "no" to be indicated when the answer is "yes," or "possibly." If I place a casting, a model that says "no" to nudes in her profile has the opportunity to let me know that she is interested. Concerning the response, "interested." To me, it means, "Not very interested, but you can waste your message and time to see if I will follow up." I can understand using the comment section to respond, but there is a burden placed upon the responder to show some enthusiasm, in my opinion. Saying "interested" doesn't convey much interest. Jan 09 17 05:00 am Link When I post a casting call, I ask that if you are interested please send me a message. I get responses from those that are interested enough and peruse my portfolio. However I also browse for people that are of interest to me and contact them. So far, I seem to get results. Jan 09 17 07:07 am Link I'd say it is due to a certain amount of laziness (efficiency in responding to many casting calls on their part) and the format of the MM site. Bear in mind, many people are looking at the castings on a phone and that reading and typing a long paragraph on a phone is a pain. So they write in "Textese". If they could they would post an emoji of a hand in the air. We're still making up this internet culture thing as we go along. Don't take it personally. Good luck with your casting. There are tons of skilled people in Atlanta. Keep organizing new projects until you meet up with good reliable people. Jan 09 17 07:31 am Link The casting call situation here has become appallingly bad. In autumn of 2015, I posted a casting call offering trade art nudes in the Boston suburbs. I had a location available, specific ideas, etc. I think maybe four people responded at all, and only one had work that wasn't totally atrocious. Lots of people looked at the casting, but almost no one responded. I used to rely on casting calls a lot, and had great success with posting travel notifications when planning a trip. I'd get both shoots and lodging-trade offers through the travel notices here. It's a complete joke now. In December of 2015, I posted a travel notice, plus a casting call, for an upcoming trip to Phoenix. I couldn't even find anyone interested in trading a day of outdoor nude shooting, for a desert hiking companion. Also no response to the travel notice, despite the fact I had access to a large home to shoot in, which included use of a fenced in yard and pool. I was offering those shoots (including the space) for CHEAP, as time got closer to leave. I think I offered a four hour shoot with use of the space, for $150 total, after things were looking desperate. That's $37.50/hr to shoot with an experienced traveling model - including having an attractive place to shoot in at no additional fees. I ended up getting two shoots the whole week I was there, both paid thankfully, and hiking alone in the desert (so no desert nude photo trade day; apparently, no one wanted to do it). I started looking for a full-time day job the minute I got back home to Boston. My travel years were clearly over and done with. I don't know wtf is wrong with people here these days. Jan 09 17 09:08 am Link I use casting calls sparingly. It's been hit-or-miss, although response seems to be improving for me. Although I usually contact models directly I find it interesting to hear from people whom I wouldn't have considered, or appeared to be difficult to book (e.g. from a different city). If posting a casting call I am not a stickler regarding appearance, the point is to also explore different looks. I like diversity in my portfolio. Messages always get a response. An "interested" comment may or may not (particularly the latter if the person has spammed every single other casting call). Jan 09 17 12:29 pm Link Lazy. Jan 09 17 02:36 pm Link Koryn wrote: Maybe it's this website. I offered a fantastic venue of a 60 acre ranch with plenty of access to great spots from an old barn, oak trees, vineyard, bonsai garden, farm equipment, and more at FOUR HOURS FREE to any photographer as an introductory offer. I live in a perfect location for shooting environmental nudes and many other possibilities with models or nature. All you need to do is get a model and bring your camera. I could even provide a camera and a model at a price. No one cared to even comment on here.... but I have received responses and "takers" from Facebook and my Instagram. Jan 09 17 03:29 pm Link Patrick Walberg wrote: OT: Holy Hell! Only if you weren't so damn far away! /OT Jan 09 17 05:57 pm Link Black Z Eddie wrote: You're a 6 hour drive to here. When the weather gets nice again, you can drive up, bring a tent and camp out. I'll provide you with a selection of local or traveling models. Jan 09 17 08:31 pm Link I always thought replying interested to a casting call with nothing else was lazy and seemed like the responder was to good to go to the poster with a private message about the job and why they should be considered without getting into a long winded message. Which is what I always do. Now I'm wondering if I just shouldn't reply interested and see what happens? I don't seem to be doing any better when it comes to getting hired. I will say it does open up dialogue with the poster. My thinking is it shows that I am professional and willing to take the time to put in some work to get the job. I feel it lets the other person know I am someone that will step up and put in more then a passing interested for the project. Do people that reply only interested fare any better on getting hired for a gig? R- Jan 10 17 04:41 am Link Toto Photo wrote: You summed up the entire issue with one word. Jan 11 17 06:46 am Link |
. It's easier to do it once instead of having to send messages to individuals who will most likely not respond. The fact they responded to the casting call is a good chance they are interested. Uninterested people are not going to spend their time looking through casting calls. 
