The Model Scouts
I don’t often blog about things not directly related to my work, but I think this is worth sharing and might be helpful to some people.
There’s a great series that aired last year called The Model Scouts, featuring vice-presidents of IMG Models travelling Ireland to find their new face. It is NOT a commercially motivated modelling competition. IMG doesn’t mess around, and this show is serious business. For a photographer who is involved in model testing, it proved to be really interesting and inspiring. Unlike America’s Next Top Model (or any of the Top Model shows), they send the girls on actual assignments, and to actual, realistic test shoots, with some amazing results. The tone of the show is very professional, and they treat the contestants with respect and care.
The fact that this show appears to be low-budget actually does it justice. It’s easier to take it seriously when there aren’t giant graphics flashing across the screen and big, dramatic elimination ceremonies. Like I said, they respect the girls’ intelligence, and they treat them as they would any other potential models they scouted.
Even though it appears comparably low-budget, when sat beside Top Model, the producers of the show are clearly very immersed in the industry. They do not yank random, no-name photographers with big cameras out of the ether to impress viewers with the false-glamour of a shoot. They use talented, low-key, working photographers, the type that any model would naturally encounter when starting her career. That said, they did manage to wrangle some fantastic guests to mentor the girls. Steven Meisel, for one. Oh, and Gisele Bundchen, Monika “Jac” Jagaciak, Carolyn Murphy, and super-star casting director Maida Gregori Boina. I wasn’t familiar with Maida, so it was great to learn about that facet of the industry, which may well be relevant to me one day.
It’s definitely worth a watch, the entire series is on YouTube, and there are only 8 episodes. A great way to spend a rainy day inside.
A similar series saw the same scouts travel through what I think was Serbia (?), but as far as I know, it’s not online. If anyone knows where I can watch it, drop a link in the comments.
Here’s one video that shows some great test shoots they did while in London.
The Model Scouts, Episode 3, Part 2
Thank you for sharing this !
Being on my way to start in the industry, I am preparing myself physically as much as culturally/professionally. This will be very helpful.