MochaBabyModels

Real Life Recap: Amy Coe for Babies R Us

 
 The finished product


Last week I got a call from our agency that Caleb was "on hold" for a Babies R Us (BRU) shoot for the following day. Being "on hold" means the client is interested in you but isn't sure if you are available for the shoot or if they will need you at all. Sometimes clients have the tendency to book more than one child or baby especially since kids can be sooo unpredictable. I confirmed that Caleb was available and went about my day. Although Caleb hadn't auditioned for this particular job, BRU has frequent open calls in which hundred of babies and kids attend for various projects. 

A casting call for Babies R Us

The studio shoots not only store signage, marketing materials, photos for the website and mailers, but also email blasts and newsletters. Because of the sales and promotions that occur on a weekly basis as well as the seaonal changes in clothes and toys there is a steady flow of work available which requires keeping a lot of babies on file at a moments notice.

Around 6pm I got an email and phone call confirming that Caleb had indeed booked the job and was to show up at the studio at 9:30 am the following morning. This was Caleb's 3rd photo shoot with Babies R Us and the first as a toddler.

We arrived 10 minutes early and Caleb got his make up done almost immediately - just a little powder, lip balm and color for his cheeks. Then they tell us he needs to change into a white t-shirt - without getting make up on the shirt....so we manage to get him dressed in the cutest little rocker outfit without ruining anything. Caleb gets his instructions for when he goes on set - the baby wrangler comes out and tells him to jump and then to turn around. Caleb was full of energy and ready to go. He practiced his jumps and even had me follow along!

 Caleb getting his makeup done!

A few minutes later another cute little boy arrived. He and Caleb quickly connected and started sharing toys and playing with one another. A few minutes later however one of the stylist came out and said Caleb had to take off his outfit and give it to the little boy. They said that Caleb was going to shoot after him. Sigh....here we go.

 Undressed for the 2nd time...trying to stay amused.

So we tried again to get the only white shirt off of Caleb's head without rubbing off the make up. And Caleb tried to hang on to his energy...but as we inched closer to his nap time I began to worry. We'd been at the studio for almost an hour before Caleb was asked to get dressed for the 3rd time and go on set for his photos. At first he was having a good time with the wrangler and it didn't bother him that me and my mother had disappeared into the shadows. I could see the pictures with each flash of the camera appear on the monitor and Caleb looked great!

On set finally!

Looking good Caleb!

But after about 15- 20 frames it hit him he was "alone". Although he never moved, or spoke or cried, he slowly began to start frowning. I could tell this was going downhill fast so I asked permission to step on set. As soon as he saw me his eyes lit up and screamed "Mommy!" he ran to me and gave me a big hug. I asked him if he could take a few more pictures. He went back on set and took a couple more, but his focus was frazzled. The photographer said he'd gotten enough good ones and we were wrapped.

I was a little disappointed - not at Caleb, the other family, or the photos but the way in which the shoot had been handled altogether. They work with babies all day and they know the window of opportunity is so small - especially with toddlers-that you literally have to seize the moment! 

At the end of the day - I realized that since Caleb had been called at the last minute that he was most likely the back up - just in case the other little boy didn't show, or was having an off day on set. And even though he'd arrived late, they decided to shoot him first anyway. But ultimately it was fine. Caleb got paid ($100) and he got two adorable pictures for his portfolio. Even if they don't use him for the email blast, (we will find out on 4/13/11) It was still a great opportunity.

One thing about the industry is that it is just as unpredictable as the kids and babies they photograph. You never know what is going to happen and you have to be prepared for anything. You have to manage your expectations and make sure you put your child first at all costs. That is truly the only thing that matters!

Happy to be done!

Can we go eat now mommy?

 

Real Life Recap: All State Car Insurance Webisode

Back in October, Caleb and I booked a webisode in a series of safety videos for All State Insurance. The main character is this awesomely quirky stunt guy named Johnny Nevada who has a little lap dog as a side kick. They show up in the craziest places to help drivers with car tips and ways to avoid accidents. 

He is like the alter ego of the Mayhem videos that run on network television. This series of videos is exclusively on You Tube.

The commercial was shot in Long Island on a quiet street that looked like Anytown, USA. Funny thing is for a car company - they didn't have a car that they wanted to use, and ended up using my Hyundai Santa Fe - after a quick spin through the car wash of course.

One of the things that I always warn parents about this industry is often when you are dealing with products and clients that are not market to kids, the people running the production have no concept of time. We arrived at the shoot at 9 am which requires us leaving the house by 7:00 to allow for rush hour traffic which means we were up by 6 to get dressed, fed and out of the door on time. Ask me what time we filmed our 5 second clip????/

At 4:30 pm. Yup. 4:30.....it was an entire day of waiting, and trying my best to entertain my energetic child. I have to give it to him though, he was extremely tolerant and never had a melt down even if I was beginning to loose my cool. Thank goodness my mom was there to help me keep him busy and distracted. It wasn't easy but we got through it!

The filming was pretty classic because my son insisted on talking while the camera was rolling. He was fascinated by the dog who they had rubbed black powder makeup on him to look like he had been shot out of a canon! So he wouldn't ruin the scene, we stuck a pacifier in his mouth. Watch his eyes during the end of the commercial though - his expression and high five were classic!

 

Check out some behind the scene photos and let me know what you think of the video!

 Caleb meets another baby model on the set!

 Setting up the shot

  All Smiles...even after a loooong day!

 Playing with the make up artist!

 It's a Wrap! 

Update: Lightcatcher Curtains Photoshoot

In a Real Life Recap post from the summer I gave an account of what it is really like on the set of a photoshoot when you are dealing with little kids. Well another thing that often happens once you book and shoot a campaign is...you wait. And you wait and you wait - hoping that some day you will actually get to see your child in a magazine, or catalog, or commercial. But no one ever tells you when or where to look!

So I have become accustomed to doing random searches once or twice a month for the companies that my son has booked jobs with. Tonight, I visited the Facebook page for Lightcatcher Curtains and guess who was in the most recent post? My son! His photo is also featured on a blog written by a mom in Atlanta. 

And so there you have it. 7 months have past and finally I get to see the end result. It's the best part of being in the business. A little piece of stardom for my son who is tucked in his bed, fast asleep, not the least bit impressed with his 15 minutes of fame -  just as it should be.

Read the original recap.

 

Book a photo session and get your child featured on Mocha Baby Models!!

 
Want your baby featured in the upcoming Mocha Baby Models book? Then check out this amazing deal from my friend and photographer Tamara Fleming! 

You can get a private session of your kids and the chance to be featured in my new book - Mocha Baby Models - the insiders guide to getting your multi-culti kid a modeling career.

Tamara is the photographer for the insiders guide and will be selecting pics of babies, infants, toddlers and kids of all ages to be featured inside.

You can also get pictures of  your belly, your fiancee, or your entire family if you decide. Tamara took my son's first photos and we used them for our baby announcements which turned out beautiful. 

Not local to NY or New Jersey? Don't worry there will be other opportunities to submit your personal photos of your kids. I want to feature as many Mocha cuties as I can. Keep checking back for details!

See below for more information on the mini session and see samples of photos Tamara took of my family. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions!!

 

Real Life Recap: Lightcatcher Curtains

  Its a Wrap! Sleepy Caleb and his amazing baby wrangler finish a photoshoot for Lightcatcher curtains. 

August has been a busy month for my mocha baby! In addition to the Graco, NJ HealthPlus, and a family stockphoto shoot, my son recently worked a job for a curtain company called Lightcatcher!

The company sells blackout curtains which are great for babies who need absolute darkness to sleep soundly.  He booked the job via NY Castings where  I submitted his photo and linked to his profile. I was surprised when he was cast from the photos alone which was great because it eliminated the actual casting call. How exciting!

The shoot was held in the showroom where Lightcatcher curtains are sold on 5th avenue and 27th St. The original notes said that my son would be asleep for the photoshoot, so in order to ensure that he would be good and sleepy - I kept him from taking his morning nap. I bathed him, fed him, and played with him and then hopped on the train because my car broke down that morning) to the job. And what did he do when he saw the lights, the cameras, the wires, and the other kids? He was wired...and WIDE AWAKE!!

I had them clear off a bed away from distractions, and I took his blanket, stuffed giraffe and pacifier and read him his nap book. I laid down with him but he wiggled right off the bed after all of my hard work. I was nervous - because I knew they would want to shot Caleb soon...and he was no closer to taking a nap then when we'd arrived 30 mins earlier!

When the director came to check on us - he asked if he could put Caleb on the bed for lighting purposes. But once they saw him awake on the bed in his onesie playing around with the blankets and stuffed animal they decided they wanted to shoot him awake so they scrambled to get the shot and keep him on the bed. After every 45 seconds or so, he climbed off the bed and I had to try to get him back on the bed and make him laugh.

After about 20 mins of shooting Caleb was restless....and you guessed it - SLEEPY!  He was fed up with my antics and was no longer responding to my cues. Just in time, in walks the stylist/baby wrangler extraordinaire. I don't remember his name, but he was like a magician! In an instant he had Caleb laughing, giggling, playing peek-a-boo, and even laying down on the bed.

Before we knew it they had the shots they needed and our shoot was wrapped! Whew!

I quickly got Caleb dressed to leave, but not before he got his check! We strolled out of the building and before we turned the corner of the block...my little star was sound asleep.

What a day!