How to Prepare for Your First Model Casting

A casting (or “go-see”) is a brief, in-person look. The people in the room want to see how you photograph, how you move, how you carry yourself, and what you're like to be around. It usually lasts only a few minutes. They are not judging your worth as a person — they're matching faces to a specific job or to their board. A “no” almost always means “not right for this,” not “not good enough.”

Keep it simple and fitted, so the room can actually see you — not your outfit.

• Fitted jeans or trousers and a plain, fitted top. Plain colours.
• For fashion castings: clean simple heels you can genuinely walk in (practise first). For commercial or creators work, clean simple shoes are fine.
• Natural hair, minimal or no makeup — they want to see your real face and skin.
• Skip baggy clothes, loud prints, big logos and heavy jewellery. They hide the very things a casting is there to check.

Travel light, but bring:

• Your portfolio or comp card if you have one (new faces often don't — that's fine).
• Fresh digitals on your phone, in case they ask. If you haven't shot them yet, read our guide on how to take model digitals at home.
• Your measurements, memorised: height, bust / waist / hips, shoe size.
• Water, and your phone charged. If you're under 18, bring a parent or guardian.

Models who walk into castings glowing usually did very little the night before — but they did it deliberately. Make it a ritual you'll repeat throughout your career:

• Lay out your outfit and shoes so the morning is effortless.
• Drink water, skip anything salty late, and get a real night's sleep — rest photographs better than any highlighter.
• Check the address and plan to arrive ten minutes early; unhurried is a look.
• Charge your phone and refresh your digitals folder so everything is one tap away.
• Do one relaxed practice walk in your heels — then stop. Over-rehearsing the night before only wakes up nerves.

Then close the wardrobe, put on some music and let it be an ordinary evening. Calm is the whole trick, and it starts the night before.

Arrive a few minutes early. Be warm to everyone — the person at the door matters as much as the person with the camera. When it's your turn: stand tall, shoulders relaxed, look people in the eye, and say hello like a normal human. They are not looking for a performance. They're looking for someone easy, present and kind to work with. Nerves are normal; a breath and a real smile cover most of them.

If they ask you to walk, keep it simple: look straight ahead, walk in a natural straight line at a steady pace, turn at the end, and walk back. Don't over-style it. A calm, confident, natural walk beats an exaggerated one every time. If you've never walked in heels, practise at home in advance so it feels normal, not new.

Expect easy, getting-to-know-you questions: your age, your city, whether you're in school or working, your availability, whether you can travel. Answer honestly and briefly. It's completely fine to say you're new and still learning — every model in that building started exactly there. Have one or two questions ready too; curiosity reads as professionalism.

Casting directors remember the models who make the room feel easy. A few habits that instantly read as “pro,” even at your very first casting:

• Come as your natural self — fresh face, natural hair. The realer you look, the more they can imagine doing with you.
• Arrive with time to spare and greet everyone; warmth travels fast in a small industry.
• Keep your answers light and honest, and let your walk and photos do the talking.
• Own being new. “New faces” is the most exciting board in every agency — it's where the discoveries live.

Here is the part worth dreaming about. Once a model is developed and placed abroad, castings become one of the most cinematic parts of the job. A casting week in Milan or Seoul means mornings in sunlit studio lofts, racks of next season's samples, a casting director flipping through your book while an assistant snaps quick polaroids, and other models from all over the world in the queue beside you speaking five languages. You try a look, walk a few metres of white floor, smile, thank the room — and by evening your agent already knows which clients asked for options.

Every calm, friendly first casting at home is a rehearsal for those rooms. The skills are identical: simplicity, presence, an easy walk and a real smile. Master them once and they will carry you from your first go-see to fashion-week fittings — and into the earnings we described in how much models earn abroad.

Say thank you, and then let it go. Decisions can take days or weeks, and clients often see many people for one job. If you don't hear back, it isn't a verdict on you — keep applying and keep going. At Andrews, every applicant hears back within seven days, and representation is always free. Ready to start? Become a Model — apply free, or read the full guide to becoming a model in Ukraine.

How long does a model casting last?

Usually just a few minutes per model. The team looks at your book or digitals, may take a quick snapshot, watch you walk and ask a couple of easy questions. The brevity is normal — decisions are made from strong first impressions.

What should I wear to my first model casting?

Simple and fitted: plain fitted top, fitted jeans or trousers, clean simple shoes — heels you can genuinely walk in for fashion castings. Natural hair and minimal makeup, so the room sees the real you.

Do I need a portfolio for my first casting?

No. New faces are expected to come with little or nothing — fresh phone digitals are enough. If you are selected by an agency, your professional portfolio is built for you at test shoots.

Can a casting happen online?

Yes — and increasingly that is the modern way. At Andrews, scouting is fully online: you apply with simple phone photos from home, a real scout replies within 7 days, and selected models are flown abroad for their first professional test shoot.

What questions do they ask at a casting?

Easy, human ones: your age, your city, whether you study or work, your availability and whether you can travel. Honest, brief answers are perfect, and having a question or two of your own reads as professionalism.