Every year, there will inevitably be a period in which the film industry experiences a lull. It changes slightly each year, but historically it falls between the months of April-May. This happens because most network series wrap in April and resume filming in July. We should say, there will still be some work during these slower months it just won’t be AS busy. If you’ve ever wondered how you can be productive during this time, we’ve made a handy list for performers! 1) Take New Photos Fresh photos are imperative to getting yourself more work. These do not necessarily have to be professional headshots, and you don’t need to spend a fortune on getting photos done. Performers can purchase themselves a tripod with a ring light, that also has a phone holder, and a bluetooth connected remote to take well-lit and professional-looking photos of themselves. We recommend this set-up: https://amzn.to/3rXSYO9 When taking photos, your background should be plain (a painted wall is a good option/or in front of a curtain), you should have neat and tidy hair, if you wear make-up it should be relatively natural, and for those with facial hair, it’s recommended you take photos of it trimmed and tidy. To those who are willing to shave their facial hair, the photos you take should be you fully shaved. Please do not touch up or put filters on these photos, they need to represent your natural looks!
2) Update Your Wardrobe
This would be a great time for performers to look through their wardrobe, and figure out what they no longer need and what they could use more of.
Take a look at your wardrobe and create different outfits and looks (ex. business/rocker/punk/ wedding guest/students/workout clothes) and take some full-body photos in the looks that you have for your AgencyClick profile.
If you feel like any area of your closet is lacking, and go out to buy new clothing remember: no logos, avoid black/white/bold patterns. Colours production usually go for are: neutrals, jewel tones, earth tones, and pastels.
3) Payment Tracking System
While your PICO team works diligently behind the scenes to keep track of payments, and cheques it is also the responsibility of performers to ensure they are keeping track of their: hours, if they have been paid for days of work, and if there’s any missing pay from their cheques for things like travel time, wardrobe, fittings, covid tests, car rentals, etc.
We highly recommend that performers use an app like the HoursTracker app (available for both apple and android devices) to keep a record of their hours work as well as which days they did, which shows, and whether it was a covid test or a workday. Here is the link to the app we recommend:
Apple Users: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/hourstracker-hours-pay/id336456412
Android Users: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details? id=com.cribasoft.HoursTrackerFree.Android&hl=en_CA&gl=US
Desktop Link: http://www.hourstrackerapp.com/
4) Make Sure Your AgencyClick Sizes Are Up To Date
Your sizes on your AgencyClick profile are actually a very important piece of information when it comes to casting booking you. Often times casting will be looking for performers that fit a specific size range, so if you aren’t updating your sizes or leaving them entirely blank - you risk being left off of shortlists casting will make.
We recommend buying a soft measuring tape to have on hand at home, so you can quickly update your sizing whenever necessary.
Always having one of these blank electronic sizing charts saved to your device would be very helpful to continuously be able to update your sizes.
These are just a few things performers can do when it’s slower in the industry to ensure they are set up and ready to go for when it gets busier! Let us know in the comments if you have any recommendations for tasks to do during the slow times.
PICO team