Today i set about organising some pictures on Flickr, and it turned out to be easier than i thought!
It’s a really simple way of creating a visual album of your work. You can set up your own Flickr Web Address which links people straight to a slide show of your pictures. This is a great tool to have in a industry where how you look plays a big part in getting the job.
Sometimes jobs come up where an audition is just not possible and so employers have to rely on what you send to them, usually in the form of your CV and Head shot. If you can stand out from the crowd and include a link to your past work credits and show a little bit more of yourself then just the basics then in my opinion this would give you an edge on other candidates.
I bought this up as i am currently experiencing what it is like to be on the 'other side'. I am soon to be choreographing for a touring Christmas show and last week one of the dancers dropped out so i had to find a replacement asap.
I went about doing this in two ways, and both of them involved using web based technologies!
1. I put an advert in Dancers Pro. I did this all online on their website and was surprised to find that it is a free service to advertise with them.
After only a couple of hours I was already getting applicants for the job…and they didn’t stop coming! Every time I checked my inbox I had more and more people applying. Even though I use dancers pro myself as a dancer/teacher looking for work I was still surprised at the volume of girls applying and at how quickly it all happened after posting the advert.
When looking through the applicants I found the more information they provided the more interested I was in them and pictures along with any video material played a big part in that.
I realised there is always going to be a huge number of people applying for what will be one or very few jobs offered and so the elimination process has to be quite harsh. I believe the more information you can provide the better chance you stand in succeeding. Obviously there are never any guarantees but at least you can say you gave it your best shot.
2. Before placing the advert on the web I was quite hesitant about how well it would world so I also set about looking for a replacement dancer through my social network. I sent messages out on facebook to any dancer friends who I thought would be suitable or would know of someone they could recommend.
This again prompted more replies than expected and in the end I was left spoilt for choice with the amount of people applying for the job.
It's really interesting to hear the perspective of someone who has had the chance to work on the 'other side of the table.' I really appreciate you giving us your insight on how you went about finding someone. It's good to know that you think these extra resources people use (like photo and video links) and that we are cultivating actually have a positive impact. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteAs a newly graduated dancer I really appriciate the advice about providing more imformation. I always try to keep my information to a minimum as i think the employer will get bored and move on to the next person. Obviously i dont want to go over bored and provide pages and pages but i think ill re think my cv and add alittle more to it. Thanks very much this has been really helpful. :)
ReplyDeleteYes great advice on the casting front! Makes me think that sometimes I dont always give enough- better to do more than less. Also I really like your pictures and noticed you worked with Rebecca Wayman on the QE2- small world but I trained with her at Elmhurst. I also worked for Belinda King this year. Great contract! How did you get such good pictures from the shows there?
ReplyDeleteHi Laura.
ReplyDeleteIt is a small world...Rebecca Wayman is a very good friend of mine! Its encouraging to find people through BAPP that have had simular experiences as myself, what ship did you work on with Belinda King? I thouroughly enjoyed my time on board the QE2, was a great experience.
When i worked for Belinda King we didnt have to sign any release forms about pictures in costume...that just goes to show how things have changed in a short space of time already, and that companies are concious of keeping their privacy on the Web.
I have had experiences where as a cast we have been asked not to film the shows due to copy right, but this has never been put down in writing for us to sign. Personally the only reason i would want to keep a copy of such shows is to show friends and family members what ive done, and maybe use as part of a showreel.
A friend of the cast who was working on board and enjoyed photography took the pictures...its nice to have some 'in action' in the shows.