How To: Working With A Model

For all the photographers out there or any of you art directors/designers that are on shoot here are a couple tips from Expert Photography on how to work with models. How to find a model, discussing location, payment, and rules are mentioned. I disagree on them with signing the model release form after the shoot. I like to have the models sign the model release before the shoot in. I feel it locks them up and can prevent them from changing their mind, although it's rare if they do, but it's a precaution. Rules and boundaries are definitely necessary when working with a model, because if they're uncomfortable the photo won't come out and it can damage your business reputation. They mention collaboration create great photos and from my experience that does work.

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Sucker Punch review

Sucker Punch was a movie that I was excited in seeing. I posted earlier that Alex Pardee was the art director for this film. At first glance it looked like it was going to be great visual effects, action, music, and attractive women, which questioned you about the story. I was hoping that the movie would have been successful in telling a story about these fantasy worlds, but no there was no substance.

Zack Snyder, director of 300 and The Watchmen, had this idea of creating movie where a girl is forced to dance and she escapes into this fantasy world. Ok, so the main character does that after dealing with dramatic experiences in her life like the death of her mother and sister and being forced to go to an insane asylum. The action sequences and visual effects are on point. The backbone for that is the music, which I feel did add to the atmosphere. I think the landscape, the wardrobe and everything else made it eye candy. When "Babydoll" enters this surreal world, it grabs your attention. Although at times it may seem too chaotic, but if you played video games like Call of Duty then you will not have a problem.

Unfortunately this movie lacks a storyline with substance. The story just jumps into the second world immediately throwing you off and questioning what happened to the beginning. You can assume what the ending will be like, but hope there's some sort of clear explanation. The acting is fine, nothing groundbreaking and it doesn't need to be for this film, since that is clearly what it is not about. The story is supposed to be about how this girl deals with these rough situations by escaping into her imagination. You see that, but it just was not well done.

This is a movie is pretty much a sequence of music videos that display action and good looking girls that are ideal for the teenage boy, but it lacks the substance of a good story. I knew I was going to see action, but that tiny hope of an actual story didn't come into play. If you want to see graphics, scenery, action, and girls go for it and you'll probably enjoy that for the 2 hours that you're in the movie theater, but don't expect anything more.

How to Approach Art Directors WITHOUT being annoying by Mike Byers

Mike Byers, a Canadian illustrator, writes a couple points for approaching Art Directors without being annoying. Some people may call persistence annoying, but here's 5 bullet points that may help to not be thought of as "annoying."

1. Target Your Audience

The absolute first step you should take is to narrow your contact list to the Art Directors who are actually looking for the type of work that you do. You’ll only be wasting their time, and yours, if you are soliciting clients who have no interest in hiring you.

Examine the work that they’ve done in the past and consider whether your work or approach fits within that scope.

Having some knowledge of an Art Director’s work is obviously a good practice anyways when building your mailing list, but it’s also the best way to make a good first impression.

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