Is it worth signing up for Barbizon?
Im 14 & My dream is to become a Famous Musician,Actress & Fashion Designer.
My friend bought her self an agent on the internet,& they help her look for show auditions.
She gave me info. to try out for a new Disney Channel Show.
So i thought hey,Disney Channel can help me start my acting career.
It might not be that bad besides other kids around my age usually diss Disney Channel.
I haven’t filled them out yet,but im planning to.
People have told me im not a pretty bad actress,but of course i need improvement.
I didn’t get to get in my school’s Drama Class,because my schedule was full.
& waiting til next year is a long time for me,since i wanted to be an actress/musician in an earlier age.
I went to subway once & they had a magazine that Advertised Barbizon
& also when i went to the mall.
My mom wants me to Take Modeling classes to help me with the way i walk & sit
& she also says it can help me with my acting career.& i think it can
improve my self esteem.
My mom always wanted to be a model & she took some classes & she graduated but it was a scam
because the certificate of whatever was fake.
She also told me about things they taught her & they gave her fashion tips & stuff like that.
My Pops is a professional photographer & he can help me with modeling, but my mom
suggested "Barbizon" because it can help me with Acting & Modeling…
Can Barbizon really help me or is it a scam?
It said Some Disney channel members graduated from the program,
can it really help me get into a show,commercial or movie?
Can you please but in any info. about it & experiences?
If you can answer if Do i have to pay for separate classes &
about how much do you pay….please do.
Thanks. (:
I know a lot about this. I work in this industry. Unfortunately, I don’t know a lot about Barbizon specifically. In the past, I have known them to be a big waste of money. However, it looks like they may have improved and do have some success stories. I know they are expensive. Most of the time, I would say this is a scam. However, you DO need acting classes and someone with experience to help you get further in this business. Depending on where you live, Barbizon may be the only place within miles. If you live in a major city or close to one like LA, New York, Miami or Atlanta, you should NOT go to Barbizon. If you live in the middle of nowhere, maybe it would be good for you.
So, this is long, but here is some info on what you need to do to get started in this business.
An agent - An agent works to get you work. They do NOT take any money up front for anything. An agent makes money when you make money. They will take a fee of 10%, maybe up to 20%, from the money you make when you book a job. Again, let me stress, NO legitimate agency will charge you an up front fee to take you on as a client. I don’t like that your friend had to "buy" an agent. That sounds bad.
A headshot - You are going to need a headshot, which is a picture of you close-up. You will need to pay a photographer to do this picture. Legitimate agencies will suggest photographers but they will NOT take the pictures themselves. You say your father is a photographer. Obviously, you should use him for your first one. Once you get an agent, if they don’t like the picture, they may suggest you retake it and they may suggest names of photographers but they won’t take the pictures themselves or money for pics.
Classes - You definitely need classes for acting. If you are serious about acting, you need to get serious about taking classes. The trick is finding a GOOD acting class. Acting classes can even help you get an agent through showcases, connections, etc. I don’t think you really need modeling classes, though. I have modeled but I didn’t need classes to do it. If you live in one of the major cities, you have great options. If you live in Atlanta, the BEST teacher is Nick Conti at the Professional Actors Studio. He is outstanding and has very good priced classes. He will make you a great actor and then he will showcase you to agents. Many, many people have gotten agents and work through him. If you’re not in a big city, Barbizon may be your best option for training.
Getting an agent - There is no one way to get into an agency. First, you want to submit your headshot to them. Simply send them your picture. If they like you, they will call you in for a meeting. You can also go to OPEN CALLS. Call the agency and ask if they have open calls. That means you just go in and see if they like you.
Your first steps:
What I think you should do before going to Barbizon
1. Start with a headshot. Get your dad to take your picture.
2. Find local agencies in your area. You’ll have to do some digging around. They are not always listed in the phone book. Do your research to find legitimate ones. One hint is to look for "union" agencies. You can even call the Screen Actors Guild to ask them how to find union agencies in your area.
3. Call them and ask about their submission process and if they have open calls. Go to the open calls where you can and send in your picture and see what happens.
4. If you don’t have any luck with agencies, you probably do need classes and maybe some grooming tips. Maybe then Barbizon would be a good option.
I have so much more but I had to edit it to fit. I hope this helps! May your dream come true!!
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Tags:Acting Career,Amp,Auditions,Bad Actress,Barbizon,Channel Members,Disney,Disney Channel,Drama Class,Experiences,Famous Musician,Fashion Designer,Fashion Tips,Long Time,Mom,Pops,Professional Photographer,self esteem,Subway,Waste Of Money
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I know a lot about this. I work in this industry. Unfortunately, I don’t know a lot about Barbizon specifically. In the past, I have known them to be a big waste of money. However, it looks like they may have improved and do have some success stories. I know they are expensive. Most of the time, I would say this is a scam. However, you DO need acting classes and someone with experience to help you get further in this business. Depending on where you live, Barbizon may be the only place within miles. If you live in a major city or close to one like LA, New York, Miami or Atlanta, you should NOT go to Barbizon. If you live in the middle of nowhere, maybe it would be good for you.
So, this is long, but here is some info on what you need to do to get started in this business.
An agent - An agent works to get you work. They do NOT take any money up front for anything. An agent makes money when you make money. They will take a fee of 10%, maybe up to 20%, from the money you make when you book a job. Again, let me stress, NO legitimate agency will charge you an up front fee to take you on as a client. I don’t like that your friend had to "buy" an agent. That sounds bad.
A headshot - You are going to need a headshot, which is a picture of you close-up. You will need to pay a photographer to do this picture. Legitimate agencies will suggest photographers but they will NOT take the pictures themselves. You say your father is a photographer. Obviously, you should use him for your first one. Once you get an agent, if they don’t like the picture, they may suggest you retake it and they may suggest names of photographers but they won’t take the pictures themselves or money for pics.
Classes - You definitely need classes for acting. If you are serious about acting, you need to get serious about taking classes. The trick is finding a GOOD acting class. Acting classes can even help you get an agent through showcases, connections, etc. I don’t think you really need modeling classes, though. I have modeled but I didn’t need classes to do it. If you live in one of the major cities, you have great options. If you live in Atlanta, the BEST teacher is Nick Conti at the Professional Actors Studio. He is outstanding and has very good priced classes. He will make you a great actor and then he will showcase you to agents. Many, many people have gotten agents and work through him. If you’re not in a big city, Barbizon may be your best option for training.
Getting an agent - There is no one way to get into an agency. First, you want to submit your headshot to them. Simply send them your picture. If they like you, they will call you in for a meeting. You can also go to OPEN CALLS. Call the agency and ask if they have open calls. That means you just go in and see if they like you.
Your first steps:
What I think you should do before going to Barbizon
1. Start with a headshot. Get your dad to take your picture.
2. Find local agencies in your area. You’ll have to do some digging around. They are not always listed in the phone book. Do your research to find legitimate ones. One hint is to look for "union" agencies. You can even call the Screen Actors Guild to ask them how to find union agencies in your area.
3. Call them and ask about their submission process and if they have open calls. Go to the open calls where you can and send in your picture and see what happens.
4. If you don’t have any luck with agencies, you probably do need classes and maybe some grooming tips. Maybe then Barbizon would be a good option.
I have so much more but I had to edit it to fit. I hope this helps! May your dream come true!!
References :
I remember watching a documentary on barbizon specifically, they are bad news and scam people into paying for headshots and crap they don’t need.
Real agencies don’t make you pay for that stuff if you actually have a shot.
References :
cbc awhile back when i saw the doc, google leads to literally thousands of people scammed by them
http://www.corporatenarc.com/barbizonscam.php