FAQs

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SUBSCRIPTION

Everything you need to know about Talent Talks and our Subscription plans is here.  If you can't find the answer to your query, please email castings@talenttalks.co.uk

Most importantly, you MUST be eligible to work in the UK. Please note; The Immigration (Restrictions on Employment) Order 2007 and Section 21 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 requires that documentary evidence of eligibility to live and work in the UK be obtained from new starters PRIOR to commencement of Artiste's engagement hereunder. To comply with this, Artiste must attach a recognised Identification document to their profile i.e., Passport / Driving License / Birth Certificate / Immigration Documents. If you require a Visa to work in the UK, you must also upload supportive documents to your profile.

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How much does it cost to join?

You have 3 subscription plans to pick from. A monthly recurring membership at £11.50 per month, a 6-month membership at £54.00 and an annual 12-month membership at £85.00. Once you have paid for your Subscription plan, you have unrestricted access in what you can apply for.

Once payment is made via your profile using our chosen billing portal PayPal, your profile will become instantly active on our website and you will be able to apply for job posts immediately.

If you would rather pay by bank transfer you can do so. Please email us on castings@talenttalks.co.uk and we will send you our bank details.

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Recurring Payment Details

Monthly recurring payments occur on the same calendar date of each month. If Your payment date falls on a Public Holiday, the payment may be taken by Us on either the last working day before the payment date or on the first Working Day after the payment date. If your payment date falls on a date that isn’t on the following month, your payment may be taken early. For example, if your payment date is the 30th of each month, when it comes to February, your payment may be taken on the 28th February. The six-monthly and the annual Subscription payments recur on the six-month or annual anniversary from when the initial payment was set up.

Payment is automatically taken from the card that you set up on Paypal. This is a recurring payment, so you don’t need to do anything after it is set up. On the monthly option you are not tied to any contractual term and you can cancel the agreement whenever you wish. For details of how to do so, please go to "How do I cancel my payments to Talent Talks".

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What do I receive for my fee?

Once you have paid the fee for your chosen Subscription plan, you are part of the TT Family.

You can then apply for as many jobs as you want whilst your plan is active. Please only apply for those jobs that suit you and that you genuinely want to be considered for. For example, if you are a male, please don’t apply for female jobs. Or if you are 50 years of age, please don’t apply for jobs requiring 18-25 year olds. Even if you look young, please be realistic.

Also, please ensure you are happy with the shoot location, the pay details and any other details of the job before applying. We don’t want situations where Production select you, then you reject the job because you can’t get to the location which was on the job post when you applied. Just a bit of common sense here really helps the selection process.

We have an ever-changing online Publication where your profile will be viewable and searchable by Production individuals who have access to the gallery. These people are often Producers, Directors, 2nd AD’s and Casting Directors searching for the perfect people for their shoot. By being a full member, you are searchable on our internal gallery, giving you an increased chance of being contacted about shoots before you even know they existed.

Similarly, our own team at TT HQ are often compiling options to show clients based on Casting Briefs. These may be jobs already on the site, or they may be jobs that we can’t advertise for regulatory reasons. Either way, if you are a full member, your profile will, at times, be forwarded for consideration if we feel you fit the casting brief, and the client is looking for a quick turnaround in seeing options. For this reason it is vital that your application is kept fresh and up to date.

You may find that our Talent Talks team add additional information to your profile. This may be in changing the main profile picture or cropping or editing an image. Or even adding pictures from your Social Media to your profile. This will always be to your benefit.  When showing options to a client, it may be deemed necessary to change your main profile picture to be in-line with the shoot you applied for. If this is the case, don’t panic, there isn’t a gremlin causing havoc with your profile and you’re not going mad, it’s just someone at TT modifying things to give you every opportunity of being successful.

We frequently add jobs, shoots and castings to the job page, which includes all aspects of the entertainment industry, so we strongly recommend you regularly visit this page to see what you might want to apply for. You will also be contacted either by direct e-mail or our castings newsletter encouraging you to apply for shoots, however, don’t rely on just these. Jobs are added to the TT website on most days, so checking and applying for jobs daily should become a habit. Those who apply for the most tend to be the most successful.

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Is there any criteria for becoming a member?

You must be eligible to work in the UK, otherwise there are no restrictions on whether you can join the TTFamily. Almost all of our jobs are for those aged over 16, although whilst we don’t advocate ourselves as a child’s agency, we do occasionally have jobs for babies, toddlers and children as well as jobs for child and parent combinations and also families. When we do have jobs for children, they will be Open Posts meaning that if you wanted to apply for your child, they wouldn’t need to have a paid Subscription plan. Children’s jobs are all free to apply for. The job posts themselves will have instructions on how to create a profile for your child if they don’t already have one.

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How much commission is deducted from my payment?

We may take a commission from all payments made to us for Assignments undertaken by you.

Each job that you apply for will state the payment amount before commission is taken. There is also a permanent link to this section of the FAQ page below the payment section of each job. Unless otherwise stated the commission is set out as this:

i) If you a Subscribed Talent Talks Member our commission against the payment we receive is 15% inclusive of VAT.

ii) If you are Non-Subscribed Member our commission against the payment we receive is 20% inclusive of VAT.

Occasionally, the commission may deviate from this, however if it does, it will be clearly explained on the job post.

The commission is non-refundable and will be deducted from the payment when it is received in our bank account by the Production Company, Client or Agency whom we are working with.

When completing your annual tax return or self assessment, you should be able to deduct the commission that we take as well as the cost of your Subscription Plan with us including VAT as a business expenses, meaning affectively you are reclaiming it.

We will add a remittance advice to your profile which will show a breakdown of the payment you would have received for the shoot you’ve been on. This will show our  commission, the VAT on our commission, and the net payment to you. The remittance advice is added to your profile within fourteen (14) days of you being paid. We advise that you download, print and keep your pay remittances for your annual tax returns. It is also recommended that you discuss any Self Assessment paperwork with your accountant.

Under 25(6) of the Conduct Regulations, every time Talent Talks pays a work seeker, you are entitled to a statement setting out when the monies were received and from whom, work to which payment relates and commission, fees or any other deductions made.

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What is a Free Profile and what are the restrictions?

Anyone can have a FREE Profile with Talent Talks. To create one, simply click on the link below. Once your details are entered and your profile is complete, you can apply for all our OPEN POSTS without the need to pay. Please be aware that the commission we take is more for non-subscribed (free) members, but this will be made clear in the job description.

If you ever want to upgrade to a full subscription, simply log in, click on ‘My Account’ and then on the ‘Upgrade Now’ option.

To create a FREE profile, simply click HERE.

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Are there benefits of a Free Profile?

We often add OPEN POSTS to the job boards.  This is because we believe we may need non-subscribed members to fulfil the job post.  If we find that we have an adequate response from our members, we will initially submit members only. If not, we’ll use non-members who have applied. Quite often, we’ll search our database for that 'perfect person' for a shoot, so by having a FREE membership and a complete profile, you are then eligible to be found and we might contact you about shoots. This is especially the case if we have a very specific brief to fill.

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I have a Free Profile. How can I become a fully Subscribed Member?

If you have had enough of only being able to apply for OPEN POSTS, why not become a FULL Member? This will allow you to apply for anything and everything. To do so you can do one of the two actions below:

1. Log in to your profile and go to either 'My Account' or 'Edit Account'. Once on this page, you will see an 'Upgrade Now' option. Click there and select that plan that works for you.

2. Try to apply for any job that isn't an OPEN POST.

Either of the above will direct you to the Subscription page. On here you can select your preferred plan, the options being monthly, six (6) monthly or annual (12 monthly). Once you have selected your preference, you can then make payment. Once payment has gone through, you will be able to apply for all job posts.

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Will I definitely get work?

This is a popular question and an impossible one to answer definitively.

If you never apply for anything, then no.  If you live in the middle of nowhere and can’t travel anywhere, also no.  If you don’t complete your profile properly, probably not. If you refuse to get out of bed for anything less than £400 per day, you are also limiting your chances. A lot depends on how available you are and how accessible you are.

If you are readily available, if you apply for things on a regular basis, if you can travel relatively easily and your profile follows all the guidelines we provide, then there is no reason why you shouldn’t be booked. The singularly most important thing is applying for jobs. This section can give you loads of tips and advice on how to be successful.

Remember, you won’t be booked for everything, so the more you log on and apply for, the more jobs you will be successful in.

Only you know what you're looking for out of Talent Talks. Only you know how much you are prepared to work for in certain locations or on certain shoots, and only you know when you’re available. These are all factors that determine ‘whether you will definitely get work’.

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Can I claim a refund?

You have the right for a full refund of your first subscription payment if cancelled within the first 30 days of your online Talent Talks profile being created. Please note, this is not neccessarily 30 days following your first payment. Please read the below examples below which help to explain.

What's important here is the date that you FIRST enter in to an agreement with Talent Talks and this is the date that you FIRST created your profile as it is 30 days from this date that you are entitlted to claim a refund. This date is displayed on your profile under 'Edit Account Details'.

If you create a profile with us and pay for a subscription on the same day, then you have 30 days to claim a refund.

If you create a profile with us but pay for a subscription for the first time 10 days later, you'll have 20 days to claim a refund.

If you create a profile with us but pay for a subscription anything after 30 days, unfortunately you are not able to claim a refund.

Refunds are not given after the first 30 days have passed from creating your profile or for any subsequent payments.

Please email castings@talenttalks.co.uk to claim your refund. We will then check to see if you have requested to cancel within 30 days of creating your profile and if this is the case, we will refund your first paid subscription fee.

Please allow 4-5 days for your refund to be visible in your bank. The payment will go back to the card details that you originally paid with.

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MANAGING MY PROFILE

Everything you need to know about managing your profile is in this section

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How do I create a profile?

It is important to fill out your profile as best and as much as you can.  This also includes all the information in ‘My Account’ and ‘My Profile’.

Needless to say, it is hugely important that your contact number and email are correct on your profile as without these we can’t contact you.

By not completing all fields, you may be missing out on jobs that are suited to you. For example, if you’re Spanish but leave your ‘countries of heritage’ blank on your profile, when we require someone who is Hispanic, you’ll be missed off the search when we are looking for options. Completing all fields on your profile will only benefit you. These fields range from your sizes and measurements, to hair and eye colour, to your location to pictures of your hand, car and even your partner. For all fields, if you don’t complete them, you will be missing out on being informed about shoots.

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Deciding which pictures to put on your profile

The pictures and information you add to your profile are hugely important. Afterall, unless you attend a casting, your profile will determine whether or not you are successful in being booked for a job so this is where you need to promote yourself as best you can.

On your main gallery you can add up to 24 pictures, and we recommend that you use these 24 pictures if possible. These pictures should be a mix of headshots and full-length pictures. You don’t need to have professional pictures, just make sure they are in focus and just of you. Your gallery gives you the opportunity to show the range of looks you can. For example, businessman in a suit; pulling a ‘hard man’ pose; in your gym gear; hair up; hair down; dressed down casual clothing; dressed up for a night out clothing and even a non-filtered selfie.

Whilst we encourage a range of pictures, remember this Instagram, so please don’t add pictures of you with a dog’s tongue or devil horns, please don’t filter your pictures so that they aren’t an accurate reflection of you. Think passport photo with a little more pizzazz!

Your pictures certainly don’t need to be professional.  Smartphones take good pictures so get a nice plain background and someone with a non-shaky hand and take a few snaps, easy!

You’ll see on your profile there are few specific boxes asking for particular pictures. One requires a picture of your hands and one requires a picture of your car or bike if you have one.  If you have both or multiple cars, there are plenty of apps you can use to create a collage of multi pictures so you can show them all. There is also a box to show a picture of you and your partner, please make sure this picture is of both of you. We are often looking for real couples so please upload a lovely picture of the both of you here. Just remember to change it if you ever get rid of them! Finally, there is also a specific box to upload a picture of your family.

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Which picture should be my main profile picture?

Whilst it is tempting to put yourself jumping out of a plane as your main picture, and impressive as it may be, save that kind of thing for your Social Media pages.

Your main profile picture is THE most important picture on your profile?  Why?  Because this main image is the one that we put on our submission document which is submitted to clients. Everyone who applies for a shoot is added to a presentation PDF, and each person is represented by their main profile picture. If your main profile picture is upside down or blurry or one where you are standing 50 yards away next to the Great Pyramid of Giza; we aren’t going to be able to tell what you look like, and therefore unlikely that the client will select you. Even if the rest of your pictures are good, your main profile picture will be the one that encourages Producers and Directors to view your full profile - first impressions and all that!

Please see below 2 x PDFs – this is the kind of document we send to clients, so you can see how options are organised.  These documents show a set of GOOD examples of main profile pictures that we recommend and also a BAD set of main profile pictures that we certainly wouldn’t recommend. You’ll see what we mean when you look at them. Spot the difference?

Recommended Examples.pdf

Not Recommended Examples.pdf

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How do I upload a Show Reel or a YouTube video to my profile?

You have the option of adding up to 3 You Tube videos to your profile.

Firstly, your video must be on You Tube. Our website can only add your videos if they are hosted on You Tube. Simply copy the url of the video and paste it in the field on your profile.  If it doesn’t work immediately, on YouTube you will see a ‘share option’, click on there and the text you need will be highlighted ready for you to copy and paste into the correct field on your TT profile.

Sometimes however the website won't add your clip - but there is a knack to it to help you add it. For example, if your You Tube url link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuaC3dXayAs rather than add this entire link just add the text that is after the = sign, so in this case you would only need to add the XuaC3dXayAs part. This will then load properly on your profile.

If you find that your link is a lot longer than the above example, again, look for the = sign and use all of the characters until the & sign (don't include the & sign) and again, this should work.

If you are still struggling to do it, email the link to admin@talenttalks.co.uk, or if you only have the original file of your Show Reel, again send it to us and we can add it to YouTube for you and add the link to your profile. If you’d prefer your Show Reel to be non-searchable on YouTube, just let us know.

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Why not create an introductory video to add to your profile?

This is a really good personal way for Directors and Producers to get to know you, how you speak, a bit about you and how comfortable you are on camera. 

All it takes is you, your phone and a decent background.  Again, like the Show Reel, send us the original file and we can convert it to YouTube and add to your profile.  Don’t worry, we can set it so that no one can search for it on YouTube, it will only be viewable via your profile. This is definitely worth spending 30 minutes doing. Productions love to see what you look like on camera and how natural you are in front of it and a short video like this is perfect for them to see how you look and to see your personality.

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What is a 'playing age range'?

A playing age is an age, or range of ages, that you can add to your profile.

It is not a claim to an actual chronological age, but a suggestion as to what age or ages you feel you can be considered for and are capable of credibly portraying.  Please remember to update these as your age increases and your look changes.  

Also make sure that you are realistic. If you are aged 40, all the Oil of Olay in the world can’t pass you off as a 20 year old.  You don’t want to be booked based on the fact that you have said you can portray a certain age and then when on set be asked to leave as you clearly can’t.  It won’t look good on us and rather embarrassing for you.

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Who can see my profile?

The only people who can access and change your profile are you and us, the staff at Talent Talks. 

You can of course send your profile to anyone you want or add the link it to your email signature. Your profile link can be found on your Talent Talks profile. 

The other people who see your profile are our clients.  When you apply for a job, your profile link is either sent to the client for them to view or it is attached to your main profile picture in the presentation PDF that we show clients.  Our clients and the general public cannot access the Talent Talks database and no one except Talent Talks staff has open access to our base.

All of our clients have agreed a Data Processing Agreement with us which allows us to share any details of your profile with them. In turn, they can share any details of your profile with anyone they deem to be working on the same project. The Data Processing agreement prevents any use of the date outside of the immediate job being worked on.

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Are my contact details displayed?

Your email and contact number are always hidden when your profile is sent to anyone (except Talent Talks staff). Your contact details may be shared with Production as part of the previously mentioned Data Processing Agreement and your contact details will be added to booking sheets which we send to Production when telling them who is booked on their shoot. They need these details in case they need to contact you. Such reasons may include styling, call time or location change or even needing to contact you if you are late to see where you are. Please ensure your contact details are up to date on your profile.

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I've forgotten my user email or password or wish to change my email address.

Your user email will be the email that you originally used to set up.  If you have a Google Mail account the domain might be @gmail.co.uk or @googlemail.co.uk so try both.  

If you have the correct email but don’t know your password, use the password retrieval option where indicated on the Sign-In Page of the website. Failing this, contact us on admin@talenttalks.co.uk and someone here can help you.  

If you have created a profile and realised that you have entered the wrong email, or wish to change the email address, again email us and we can assist you.

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How do people contact me?

If you are shortlisted, pencilled or confirmed, we will contact you by email with the information you need for the shoot or as much information that we know at the time. Sometimes we’ll then send you a text to prompt you to read your emails as well - another reason to make sure your contact details are up to date. Please make sure you reply to the emails ASAP to let us know of your availability, even if you can’t make it. This industry is very fast paced, so quick communication is key and if we don’t hear from you and we can’t reach you, your space might be given to someone else. You certainly don’t want to be known as someone who takes forever to reply!

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APPLYING FOR CASTINGS, AUDITIONS, SHOOTS AND JOB POSTS

This section is all about the application process, so what happens when you apply for a shoot and how and why you might or might not be selected.

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How do I apply for a job post?

In order to apply for anything on Talent Talks you MUST apply for it via your Talent Talks profile. If you don't have a Talent Talks profile, you can create one using the link below.  Once logged into your account, you can view the jobs on the ‘Current Jobs’ page. If you like the look of one and wish to apply, you need to click on it and then on the ‘Apply For This Job’ button. This will allow you to submit your application.

Non-members, can only apply for OPEN POSTS. Members have full access and can apply for anything and everything!

If you are a non-member and wish to apply for an OPEN POST, simply create a profile HERE.

In your profile, you can un-apply for a job if you have made a mistake or have since become unavailable.

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What do I write in the ‘Additional Information’ box?

When applying for posts, there is an 'Additional Information' box for you to write anything which could strengthen your application.  A lot of people ask us what to write in here, but there isn't a definitive answer and you can just write ‘available’.

The only time you really need to enter information to this box is if we ask for something in the job post or the job is specifically asking for a talent or skill that you need. Often when we need particular info, there will be a prompt so you don’t miss it. Please see a few examples below when additional information may be required:

a) We need someone in Holborn NOW. When you apply please tell us how quickly you can get to Holborn.

b) This shoot is in Cadwell. When you apply please tell us if you are local to Cadwell or how long it will take you to get there and if you drive or rely on public transport. c) Please tell us which grade of Piano you are.

d) We are looking for people who are fluent in German. Let us know if German is your native tongue and if not how fluent are you in speaking / understanding.

As you can imagine, if we need to know the above and you don’t tell us, your application is likely to be ignored.

Once you have written any info and then applied, you can go back and edit it via the ‘My Applications’ tab on your profile.

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Will I be contacted about every application?

You won't be contacted about every shoot you apply for. Unfortunately, it’s a huge administrative task for us to do this so if you aren't contacted, sadly you can assume that on this occasion you haven't been selected.

If you have been shortlisted, pencilled or confirmed we will contact you initially by email. You will then be asked to clarify your situation, which will mean you confirming the job or confirming that you are still available. Afterall, you may have taken another job since applying.

You can see your applications via a tab on your profile and it is here you can un-apply for jobs or edit the text written on your applications.

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How are people selected for a shoot?

Knowing and understanding the selection process is recommended. Understanding the route from application to booking will help you recognise how Talent Talks works and will help you to realise what is needed from you along the way.

Please remember that we are the agency and as much as we’d like it to be, unfortunately it’s not us, Talent Talks, who decides who is or isn’t selected for shoots. This decision is made by our clients, so the Producers, Directors and Assistant Directors that we work with. We provide our clients with a selection of options based on who has applied for the shoots, and they tell us who they want to be confirmed for their shoot. Below is a typical example of how the selection process materialises.

When we add a job to the website, all subscribed members can apply for it via their profile. Upon request, we then send the client all applicants who fit the brief. The only time we remove applicants is if they clearly don't fit the brief, so a quick vetting process does happen internally. All applicants who fit the brief will be sent to the client for consideration. Examples of when we remove applicants are:

If a man applies for a woman's job.

If someone who is aged 50 applies for a ‘cool, urban teenage’

If someone applies for a ‘skateboarder’ role but there is no mention that they can ride a skateboard on their profile or on their application.

People who can’t pass for your typical ‘bouncer’ when applying for the role of a ‘bouncer’.

We have a duty to supply adequate options to the client, so we must vet applicants before sending them over. Production don’t want us to send them options of people who don’t fit the brief, so this pre-check must be done. Below is an example PDF of how applicants are presented to a client. This demonstrates how important your main profile picture and profile is so we have added a useful FAQ here that advises which images to select as your main Profile Picture.

On the presentation PDF we send to the client, your name will be linked to your profile, so if a client wants to view your full profile they can.

The Production Company will then tell us who they want to shortlist / pencil / confirm and we will email those people. We will ask you to confirm if your interest and availability still stands and if so will regularly be in contact until we confirm you. If we do confirm you for a shoot, you will be requested to 'accept' the job over email of which you’ll need to reply. If you are wanted, don't worry we will email / text / call you until we get hold of you.

Those who are not successful in their application will not be contacted to be informed. It’s an administrative nightmare to do so, so we’ve taken the decision that we can't let everyone know if they are unsuccessful. There is another question on this FAQ page that explains why we can’t in more detail.

This procedure highlights the necessity to have the best profile possible, as it is your profile which determines how successful you will be in being booked for shoots.  There is plenty of information on the FAQ Page to give you enough pointers to ensure your profile is the best it can be.

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Why am I unsuccessful in my applications?

The hardest question of all to answer is when people ask why they aren’t being successful or ‘why we aren’t selecting them for any shoots’.  Firstly, we need to make it clear that it isn’t us (Talent Talks) who select people for shoots, it is the Directors, Producers and relevant people on the Production. If Talent Talks does choose who is selected, we’ll select those who best suit the casting brief.  More often than not, all applicants are presented to the client who decide who to book. Their decision is based on your profiles, which is why it is essential to keep them up-to-date, fresh and varied.  Whilst we cannot guarantee you’ll be selected for shoots, we can give advice, and if you read and abide by the following, you’ll be giving yourself every chance of being selected.

Is every field on your profile full and complete?

Are all your stats and measurements up-to-date and accurate?

Does your main profile picture follow the recommended criteria?

Is your playing age realistic?

Does your profile display a variety of pictures showing the different looks and styles you have?

Are your pictures up-to-date?  If not, keep an eye out for our Photograph Sessions. Ladies this particularly concerns you if you change your style / hair regularly.

Do you only apply for job posts that you genuinely want to do and can attend, bearing in mind location, hours and payment amount. You don’t want to be known as someone who literally applies for everything, and then when asked to do it, turns the job down (we have some of those people and we know who they are!)

Similar to point 6, please only apply for jobs that are for your gender, age and type. For example, if you are a 20 year old Caucasian female, please don’t apply for a job asking for a 40 year old Chinese speaking male. Again, it happens a lot and by doing so just shows that you aren’t reading the job posts correctly.

Are you supplying the correct information in the additional information box? Copying and pasting the same information on every application is ok, however as described on point 3.2 if you are asked to detail something specific you must ensure you do.

Are you readily available? The people who are the most successful in this industry are those who are willing to travel (within reason), are available at short notice and who prove themselves to be reliable.

If you follow these guidelines, you won't go too far wrong!

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What happens if I need to cancel my booking?

You don’t have to accept any jobs when offered to you, it is completely up to you to apply and then accept them. However, once you are confirmed you are expected to turn up. We are aware that from time to time, emergencies occur and that you need to cancel. All that we ask is that you tell us as soon as possible so we can look at replacing you.

We’ll be able to tell the genuine reasons to the made up ones and you wouldn’t want to be known as someone who has a ‘family emergency’ every other week or whose grandparent has died, but then are out the next morning at the gym and out drinking the following evening! (This is a real example – remember Facebook tells people what you are really doing!)

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What if I don’t turn up to the shoot?

Not turning up to a booking really is shooting yourself in the foot. If you cancel, at least we can try and replace you. If you simply don’t turn up, there are a number of issues here. Firstly, you are dropping us in it with one of our clients, meaning they aren’t going to be very happy with us, so we won’t be very happy with you.  Secondly, the client is likely to request that we never book you for one of their Productions again. We already have a list of people who can’t be booked for certain Production Companies - you don’t want to be added to it. Thirdly, your no show has taken the place of someone else having that opportunity.

Basically, not showing up is going to put you so far in the bad books that you probably won’t be booked again. It’s common courtesy to let us know if you need to cancel. You wouldn’t not turn up to a full time job on a Monday morning and expect to be allowed to come back on the Tuesday, and it’s the same here. We take no shows seriously, afterall it’s our reputation that is damaged with clients, so in such circumstances you can expect to be removed, without refund, from our books and your profile deleted.

In January 2022, we introduced a Suspension Policy to help combat no shows and people cancelling so late that we can't replace them.

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ADVICE ON HOW TO BE SELECTED ON A MORE REGULAR BASIS

People often make the following statements to us….

“I apply for shoots and aren’t selected regularly enough”

 “Why do you have ‘favourite’ people who seem to always be selected” (We don’t, but read this to see why)

“My friends seem to be booked more than me even though we have the same look”

“Why does it seem to be the same people saying on Social Media saying they are booked all the time”

“I fit this shoot perfectly. Why aren’t I selected?”

“I live round the corner from the location”

 

We have decided to dedicate a whole section on here to giving you as much advise as we can about how to increase your chances of being selected as well as busting the myths around selection and Talent Talks’ role in it.

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The Selection Process.....

Firstly, it is important that you understand that 99% of the time, it is not Talent Talks staff who select people for shoots – this can’t be stressed enough. We simply present the applicants to our client and it is usually the Director of the shoot who tells us the names of the people they would like to confirm. Please don’t hate on us if you aren’t selected, almost all the time this decision is out of our control. The only time we might have any influence is when someone cancels on us last minute and we need to urgently replace them. In this instance you might read us looking for a like for like replacement on Facebook for example and yes only then, we might confirm someone who we know is reliable and can get to the location at short notice.

Only you will know if any of the below truly relate to you and your Talent Talks activity. Only you can make the call on whether you are doing everything you can to help yourself. Answer them honestly and if there is anything you can change after taking it all on board, you should start to see the benefits by doing so.

 

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How many shoots are you applying for?

All too often, people ask us why they aren’t being selected for shoots, but when we look at their applications, they’ve applied for 10 shoots in 4 months for example or may have applied for 20 shoots all in one day but haven’t applied for anything else on any other day of the month. Remember, the only shoots you will be considered for are the ones that you apply for. This is the single most common answer we give when people ask us not being booked enough. The most successful people apply for jobs either every day or every other day. Whilst we do send our casting emails and email prompts to get people to apply, it is always recommended to have a look at the job page on the website as often as you can. A lot of people do apply for a lot of things but might only log in and apply twice a month and blitz loads of applications in one go. Whilst this does show you have applied for a lot, some of the jobs may have been on the Job Page a while which means you may already have missed being included in options being sent to the client. Applying for jobs on a regular basis and nearer to the time of them being added to the site is always recommended. Little and often rather than a lot and infrequent.

 

There isn’t a ratio of how many shoots you need to apply for before you get one, but the more you apply for, the more times you are being put in front of the people that matter. You could easily be booked for 4 shoots in a week, then not be selected for anything in a couple of months. It really is pot luck, which is why all these pointers are important to follow.

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How regularly are you applying for shoots?

We do send emails to encourage you to apply for jobs that you might be suited for. When you receive these emails, or when you see jobs that suit you, don’t delay in applying or think to do it later, please apply ASAP. The reason we need a quick application is because Productions often want options sent to them the same day or if not, the following day, even if the shoot is a week or so away. Therefore, you need to get applications in ASAP. If you are a slow replier or tend to ‘bulk apply’ once every week for example, you may miss the boat in sending options to the client. Whilst you might apply for shoots, you might be applying for them after we have cast booked in so applying for shoots relatively quickly after they have been added to the site is important.

 

You may well ask “why do we still have jobs on the site right up until the shoot date or still displayed even jobs have been filled.” Here’s the reason, well two reasons. If someone drops out or cancels immediately before the shoot, we will need to find a replacement and whilst it’s annoying, it happens. One option for us is to look at all the applicants and look at who has most recently applied as these people are more likely to still be available. When cancellations are so last minute, it’s less likely that someone who applied a week ago will be as available as someone who applied the same day or day before. The other reason, is that it’s common for Production to increase numbers nearer the time, so by keeping the job open, we will continue to get applicants if the client requires more options. Remember it’s not only you guys that we need a smooth, slick operation for, we also need one that works in order to satisfy the needs of our clients.

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Are you applying for only shoots that suit you?

Applying for things that suit you is crucial. All too often we look at someone’s applications who have applied for ‘loads’ only to realise they apply for literally everything, even things that they don’t suit. If you’re a man, don’t apply for women’s jobs. If you are 40 years old, don’t apply for jobs aimed at those aged 16-25. If you are not a Basketball Player don’t apply for Basketball jobs regardless of whether you watch it on TV. If you are a black guy, don’t apply for jobs where we need Caucasian people. If you can’t play the drums, don’t apply for drummer roles, and so on. This may sound ridiculous, but we see examples of this every day. Yes, you can stretch your playing age out, but you must be realistic.

The last thing you want is for us to know you as someone who applies for everything and anything without any regard to the skills / age range required. To us, this demonstrates that you’ve not really read the job post in full. It is time consuming to remove people who don’t fit the brief when sending options to the client so in this case any publicity you are getting isn’t necessarily good publicity.

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Is your profile as strong as it can be?

Your profile sells you and is what Directors and Producers look at when deciding who they want to confirm. Your profile really does need to be good. If you haven’t already, make sure it is ALL filled out. This includes your sizes, your ‘About Me’, your nationality, ethnicity, age, hair colour – everything. Have you got a showreel on your profile? If you haven’t or don’t have one, no problem, but have you recorded an introductory video of yourself speaking causally to the camera? Show the viewers how you are relaxed and confident on camera. A simple 60 second introductory video filmed on your phone, can mean our clients can see how you on camera just by looking at your profile. Remember, what you don’t fill out, other people may have done, which may give them an advantage over you. Have you got an appropriate hand picture uploaded? Or a car picture uploaded (in the relevant upload slots). Do you have the correct style headshot as your main picture? Have you maximised the image count and added 22 pictures? Do you have a mix of looks on your profile? For example, if you are a middle-aged guy, do you have a picture of you looking suave where you could be booked for a high class royal wedding shoot for example? On the flip side, do you also have a picture of you looking tough and nasty where you might get booked as a football hooligan? Make yourself adaptable to the various types of shoots we have. Similarly, if you are an older lady, have a picture of you looking ultra-glamorous, but also have picture on of you with no make-up on, where you look as old as you can. We regularly change people’s pictures depending on the job that have applied for, so we change the main profile picture to reflect the job. If you only have one style of picture, obviously we can’t help you by switching pictures to fit in the shoot that you are applying for. Without that choice, we might be putting you forward as a hooligan role for example, but the only pictures you have are of you in a suit and tie. It’s obvious to see where the problem is here.

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I strongly believe I do all of these…..

If you can read all the above and think ‘none of this applies to me’, then you’re doing everything you can to be selected and it might just be down to pure bad luck. Stop running over black cats and running under ladders! If not, and you can make some changes, it will only help you be more successful. If you are a quick applier and do so on a regular basis, if your profile is full, your pictures are up to date and varied, if your videos, show reel are on your profile and you have an introductory video, if you have all of these, then you are on the right path. Continue to apply, apply, apply and we’re sure you’ll find yourself being pencilled, shortlisted or confirmed on a more regular basis.

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Myth Buster – 'Favourites'. Why we don't have them?

Occasionally people ask us if we have ‘favourites’ as they believe it’s the same people are being booked. This is categorically untrue. Understanding the selection process as outlined previously tells you that it isn’t Talent Talks who selects people, so even if we did have favoured people, it’s not Talent Talks that makes the selects anyway. Secondly, think of it from a business perspective. People pay to become a subscribed member of Talent Talks. If we had favourites (we don’t) and we picked the same people time and time again, anyone else wouldn’t bother staying a member and paying their subscription. Also, it would make more sense to share the work evenly between every subscribed member so more people pay for our services. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that and this is all because we don’t have a say in who is selected and who isn’t.

 

As previously mentioned on this topic, we might be able to select the odd person here or there to replace someone who has dropped out, but who is selected will be a like for like replacement in terms of age / gender / look to the person who dropped out.

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Is it always the same people being booked?

If you are part of the Facebook Group, you may have the opinion that the same people are saying they are being booked all the time. Firstly, usually it’s a handful of people that are most active in Facebook Groups like ours and it won’t be long before you become familiar with these names just because they are active. This doesn’t necessarily mean they are being booked on a regular basis. It is worth pointing out though, that if people are saying they are booked on a regular basis – these are the people that follow the above pointers the most closely. These people will have good, varied profiles, they apply quickly for things, they reply quickly to emails, they are reliable and probably have built a good name for themselves amongst those who do select people. These are the people that not only apply for the most things, but they apply quickly and regularly. Name of the game is good profile and apply, apply and apply.

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Have I been blacklisted?

We do get asked if people have been blacklisted or have they done something to upset us. Firstly, we don’t even have a blacklisting system so impossible for anyone to be on it. Perish the thought, but if you have done something a bit naughty (tut tut) or there is an issue somewhere, we will address it directly with you and appropriate steps taken if required, but you will be aware if this is the case. If your behaviour is deemed so unacceptable that Talent Talks won’t be booking you for future shoots, your Talent Talks profile will be removed from the website and you will cease to be contacted. If your profile is on our website and you can log in, you can be assured that there isn’t an issue anywhere and you probably just need to follow the pointers in this section to increase your chances of being selected.

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I fit this shoot perfectly, why aren’t I being selected for this shoot?

This very well might be the case, however it is the Directors and Producers of the shoots that decide whether they think this is the case. Your profile needs to show this. For example, if there is a job looking for a guy with a big bushy beard and you currently have a big bushy beard, it is only worth applying if there is a picture of you on your profile with your impressive beard. Even if you write in your application “I have a mega cool beard, the kind a bird would live in” it’s pointless unless you back it up with a picture on your profile. You very well might be the most perfect applicant for the job, but you need the ideal pictures on your profile to prove to those that select people that you are.

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I live near the location, why aren’t I selected for the shoot?

Whilst this is great if you are selected, or a huge benefit if we need to replace someone last minute, generally unless the shoot is in a remote location and we are looking for local people, living near to the shoot usually isn’t something that Director’s consider when selecting people. If it is, a key factor we will state this on the job post. The look or skill of the persons being considered for selection will normally all be favoured instead of where someone lives. If you do live near the location, make sure you write it in the application text box, but it’s not something you should assume as a reason to get you confirmed.

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THE 'NEXT DAY AVAILABILITY' TICK BOX

With the nature of our industry and for whatever reason, we will always have people cancelling bookings late in the day, as well as people not showing up. Similarly, we often get last minute requests from clients, or even when other castings agent's people don’t show up, we are often asked to replace them. The ‘Next Day Availability Tick Box’ facility, helps all of these cases.

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How Does The 'Next Day Availability' Tick Box Work?

Every day at 4pm, your ‘Next Day Availability Tick Box’ will be available for you to tick. To do so, just log in to your profile, click Edit My Profile and at the top you will see it reads ‘Are You Available For Thursday 25^th September’ (or whatever the next day’s date is) and you will be able to tick the box and save your profile. By you doing this, we know that as of 4pm, you are available to shoot the following day (assuming conditions are ok with you for the job we offer you). If/when someone cancels or we receive a replacement request, our team can quickly export all members who have ticked their ‘Next Day Availability Check Box’ and can find and book new cast quickly and easily. Remember though, the people who are confirmed will be like for like replacements for those that drop out or who fit the brief the client provides.

Once you have ticked the ‘Next Day Availability Check Box’ this will stay ticked until 2pm midday on the following day, this is so that if the call is in the afternoon and people drop out in the morning, we will still be able to contact people who were available as of the night before. From 2pm until 4pm, you won’t be able to tick the box, but come 4pm on every day, everyone’s ‘Next Day Availability Check Box’ will be reset and able to be ticked again.

We will often email all members, to suggest ticking the box, however to give yourself the maximum opportunity of being a successful replacement, it might also be worth setting a daily reminder on your phone at 4pm, to log in and check your box if you are free for the next day.

Please ONLY tick the box if you are available for date mentioned on your profile next to the Tick Box.

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Do I Need To Tick The Box Every Day?

Please ONLY tick the box if you are available for the date that is shown next to the tick box. Your tick box resets every day at 4pm, so you can only announce your availability for the following day then. The reason for this is so that we have a constant and accurate database of available people for the next day. The last thing we want is to try and replace people and for them not to be available, so only having the opportunity to let us know you are available from 4pm enables us to do this.

Please ONLY tick the box if you are available for date mentioned on your profile next to the Tick Box.

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ON SET INFORMATION AND CONDUCT

If you are going on a shoot, have a read of this. It will give you an idea of what to expect and how to conduct yourself.

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Getting to your shoot and finding the location

It is your responsibility to get yourself to the shoot on time.  This means checking your journey to make sure you can make the call time BEFORE you confirm. 

If you can't make the call time, please do not confirm the job. Find out what time you can arrive and let us know; we might be able to make the odd exception.

Working out how to get to the location should be made days in advance, then if there are any issues, they can be thrashed out earlier.

What we can't have is people checking their route on the morning of the shoot, realising they won't make it, then cancelling. Yes, some delays and traffic can't be helped, but knowing in advance means that some problems can be avoided.

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Where can I park? Information on off street parking

If you are driving to a shoot, you'll want to check out where to park.  We will give parking information on the Confirmation email. If your shoot is in Central London, it's probably best to use the Tubes and Trains, unless otherwise suggested, as parking in Central London can be expensive, not to mention the congestion charge and traffic.

If you are intent on driving to the location, you may want to use the following website: https://www.justpark.com/ . This is a website which allows you to pay to park on people's private drives and garages.  You can input your postcode of the shoot, and the nearest available drives, garages and parking spaces are displayed, along with the price and how far it is from the location. You can then book one via the website. 

If you live outside London and need to drive to your shoot in Central London, we suggest either driving to a Tube or Train Station en route from your house, parking there and coming the rest of the way on the Tube/Train.

You can park at Talent Talks HQ which is at 3 Mills Studios in East London in the Bow/Stratford area.  You can park free for as long as necessary and is a few minutes walk from Bromley By Bow Tube Station on the District Tube line.  This gets you into Central London (Liverpool Street) in about 10 minutes.  If you are going to do this, you WILL need to clear it with us first so that we can let security know. The full address and how to get here can be found on our Contact Us page.

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What do I wear to the shoot?

Costume will be supplied for you or we will tell you what to wear and how to style yourself.  There are fields on your profile to add your sizes, so please ensure these are complete and kept up-to-date in case we need to forward them on to costume.

If you are being asked to style yourself, we will always put the styling brief on the confirmation of booking email to you.  Please stick as closely to this as possible. If you are unsure, there are a few general rules.  Unless you are asked specifically, try to avoid the following:

1. Fluorescent or bright colours.
2. Large Brand Names or Logos, so no big lettering on your clothes or recognisable logos, ie the Nike Swoosh Tick.
3. Try to avoid stripey items of clothing.

It's always recommended to take a few options to the shoot and the stylist can advise.  Also handy to take a few options if you are unsure.

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Cancelling jobs and no shows

Before the day of the shoot, we will send you all the information you'll need to know, including the call time, location and styling brief.  Once you confirm, you are booked on the shoot and you are expected to be punctual and attend.

Not turning up to a shoot and not telling us is unacceptable and inconsiderate.  This will certainly give you a 'strike' under the 3 Strike Rule.  However a 'no show' will more than likely end in your profile and account being terminated.  You are booked for a reason and by doing a no show and not telling us doesn't give us a chance to replace you.

If you need to cancel your place on the shoot, please immediately contact whoever booked you.  If you give us enough notice, hopefully we can replace you.  Please don't leave it to the last minute, or the early hours of the morning, as this doesn't help us. If we can't replace you, you can expect to receive a  'strike' under the 3 Strike Rule.

Cancelling jobs or not turning up is unprofessional and leaves us in a very difficult position, with the client having booked you in good faith.  We aren't interested in booking people who let us down, and we're sure the last thing you want is to be 'known for it'.

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Drugs and Alcohol

REMEMBER you are representing Talent Talks.

Under NO circumstances should you be under the influence of drugs or alcohol when on set.  Anyone believed to have taken drugs or consumed alcohol will immediately be removed from the shoot.  They will also be removed from Talent Talks' books.  Any pending payments will be held, the account suspended and the profile deleted.

Further, if for example you are taking part in a 3-day shoot, and have already worked days 1 and 2, you WILL NOT be paid for any completed days as it will be considered that you have not fulfilled the booking.

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Behaviour, Punctuality and our Suspension Policy

Hopefully we don't need to tell you how to behave, but for those are questioning their conduct, probably best to read this section!

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Punctuality and Call Times

When booked on a shoot you will be given a call time.  It is hugely important that you are on set for your call time.  If you are late, you may find that your payment is reduced accordingly or you may even be sent home without pay.

Call times can often be early, so please check travel and public transport before confirming your place.  If public transport can't get you on set for the call time, inform us and we'll see what we can arrange.

It is unacceptable to turn up late without informing us beforehand.  As a matter of principle it is common for Production Companies to turn people away who are considerably late without telling anyone.  Again, it's just about doing the right thing.  If a Production Company has selected and booked you and is ultimately paying you, you need to be on time.

Failure to be on time will result in a strike against your name and, in some cases, may amount to you being removed from Talent Talks books.

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Behaviour

Although we shouldn't need to have a FAQ for 'behaviour', as it should be quite obvious what you should / shouldn't do on set, by stating it, there can be absolutely no confusion.

When you attend a shoot, you represent Talent Talks, so therefore you need to act in a professional manner.  This means you are punctual, so you turn up on time, you leave when you are told and you take direction when you are there. This also means you don't bring or consume alcohol or drugs. You don't pester the crew, in particular the artists, actors, Directors or Producers.

If you are on set and there is an issue, plesae contact Talent Talks and we will deal with it. You can do this anonymously if you would prefer.

Failure to adhere to these basic rules will result in a strike against your name and, in some cases, may amount to you being removed from Talent Talks books.

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Our Suspension Policy

As of January 2022, we have decided to introduce a Suspension Policy which will restrict you being able to apply for shoots. The reason being is that we have a duty to provide our clients with the best service possible. Until now, people have been able to cancel shoots for any reason without any retribution, with the only people suffering being the client and us as the agent.

In the 12 months prior to the introduction of this policy, we noticed an increased number of cancellations, with a high percentage of these happening the day before the shoot, many even being so late that it was too late to replace them. Therefore, for us to deliver the best service possible to our client, we need to initiate this policy which will hopefully stop some of the cancellations.

If your profile becomes temporarily suspended, you will be unable to apply for any shoots and there is no monetary refund whilst you are suspended. If your profile is suspended, when you try and apply for a shoot, your suspension start and end dates will be displayed. Standard restrictions and lengths to be expected are below, however are not restricted to only these reasons below.

• Not turning up to a confirmed Assignment. Permanent removal from our books.

• Cancelling After 6pm the day before a confirmed Assignment. Minimum of 5 Days Restriction.

• Cancelling After 10pm the day before a confirmed Assignment. Minimum of 10 Days Restriction.

• Unacceptable lateness and behaviour - Decided on case by case.

• Return of a positive Covid test or Covid symptoms. 7 Days Restriction due to latest isolation requirements.

When Talent Talks takes on a job we are expected to provide ALL the cast that is asked from by the client and it is important that we fill the job to the high standards that we have set and the client expects. If we don't, potentially the client may not use us again, meaning less work for you guys and your fellow Talent Talks members - something no one wants. Therefore, if you don't turn up for a shoot; if you are late for a shoot; if you pull out of a shoot late in the day or your behaviour on set is deemed unacceptable, you are likely to find your profile suspended. Also, cancellations and unprofessionalism means we at Talent Talks have to work at the last minute / nights / weekends to find replacements for you. Obviously we don't want to do that, so it’s never appreciated when we have to.

Just to reiterate, we don't want to suspend anyone’s account - but above all, doing a professional job for the client is of the highest importance and this involves our cast being on time, acting professionally and in their full numbers. Impressing the client brings more work, but on the flip side, letting our clients down results in less work.

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PAYMENT AND POST SHOOT INFORMATION

Welcome to the comprehensive section that contains all your payment-related information (hooray!). Here, you'll find everything you need to know about your payments, as well as valuable post-shoot details to keep you informed and organised.

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When and how do I get paid?

At Talent Talks, we strive to ensure swift and efficient payment processes for our cast who have participated in . Here's a breakdown of how it works:

 

Once your shoot has concluded, you can sit back and relax as we take care of the invoicing process on your behalf. In most cases, we may need to wait a few days for Production to send us an AD Report which includes your arrival and wrap times which are necessary for calculating any potential overtime. Occasionally, there might be a minor delay in sending the invoice to the production team due to the time required for the AD reports to reach us, however, rest assured that we prioritise delivering the invoice to the client as soon as possible.

 

If this is your first shoot with us, we kindly request your bank details (sort code and account number). Please add this information to your profile under 'My Account.' Once you've entered and saved your bank details, you won't need to repeat the process unless you change the bank account that you want to be paid in to.

 

Once we receive payment from the client, we will initiate a bank transfer to transfer the owed amount directly to you. The payment will include a reference to the specific shoot you've participated in. Additionally, we will provide a payment remittance in the form of a PDF, which will be added to your profile. This remittance will detail the shoot you've been paid for, along with a breakdown of the payment. It can be useful for your personal tax return. Please note that it may take up to 24 hours for the payment to clear into your bank account, and the payment remittance might take up to 7 days to be added to your profile. If you don't see your remittance within 7 days of receiving payment, please contact us.

 

As a legal requirement, we are required to pay cast within ten days of receiving the funds. However, in most cases, we strive to pay you on the same day we receive payment from the client. For this process to work smoothly, it is crucial that you have provided accurate bank details in your profile. If you happen to change your bank details after we've made a payment to you at least once, please refer to this FAQ for instructions.

 

Regarding the timing of payments, we adhere to industry practice, which involves paying you once we receive payment from the production company. This rule ensures transparency and clarity for everyone involved. If you haven't received payment, it's likely because we haven't been paid yet. In most cases, payment occurs approximately 45 days after the shoot. Occasionally, we may receive payment sooner, and in such cases, we will expedite your payment accordingly. Conversely, if the production company takes longer than 45 days, rest assured that we will pay you as soon as we receive the funds. We maintain regular communication with them regarding outstanding payments, so you don't need to remind us. Occasionally, payments can take longer if production companies choose to pay us at their convenience, rather than at our request. Nonetheless, we prioritise ensuring you receive your payment as quickly as possible.

 

In the event that payments exceed the anticipated timeline, we ask for your understanding and patience. We are aware of payment due dates and will already be in contact with the production company regarding the matter. If there is any significant information you need to know about payments, we will reach out to you directly.

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How do I provide my bank details? Can I change my bank details?

To ensure smooth payment processing, please navigate to the specific area designated for entering your bank details on your profile. You can find this under the "My Account" section. Please be sure to input your account number (8 digits) and sort code (6 digits) accurately. Please avoid including your lengthy 16 digit card number.

 

For your first payment, we will utilise the bank details provided on your profile, howver if you forget to add them don’t worry, if we are ready to make a payment and your bank details are missing from your profile, we will contact you to remind you to add them.

 

If you ever change your bank details, it is essential to contact us via email at castings@talenttalks.co.uk to inform us. Otherwise, we will continue to use the existing details we have on record. Even if you update your details on your profile, please remember to alert us.

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Is National Insurance and Tax taken from my payments?

When you join Talent Talks or are placed on a shoot through Talent Talks, you are not considered an "Employee" of the company. Therefore, Talent Talks is not responsible for making tax or National Insurance (NI) deductions on your behalf.

 

It is your personal responsibility to manage and pay your taxes and National Insurance. Talent Talks is not accountable for ensuring you complete your tax returns accurately and on time. Consequently, Talent Talks cannot be held liable for any financial penalties imposed by HMRC.

 

Please note that there are exceptions when production companies place artists on long-term or high-value contracts, treating them as PAYE employees of the production. In such cases, subscribed Talent Talks members are required to pay 13.5% commission on earnings (plus 20% VAT) to Talent Talks. Non-subscribed Talent Talks members, on the other hand, are required to pay 17.5% commission on earnings (plus 20% VAT) to Talent Talks.

 

Prior to April 2014, it was the case that self-employed entertainers were automatically treated as employees for NICS purposes, and therefore the employer was liable to deduct employee’s NICS at source and also to pay employer’s NICS.

 

However, since the The Social Security Categorisation of Earners Amendment Regulations 2014 came into force in April 2014, such entertainers are always treated as self-employed. Therefore neither Talent Talks nor the Production Company will be obliged to pay employer’s NICS at source, and the work seekers will be responsible to pay NICS, at the self-employed rates, directly to HMRC.

 

Please consult with a tax professional or HMRC directly to ensure you comply with your tax and NI obligations.

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Can I put pictures on Social Media?

You need to be extremely careful about what you put on Social Media.  If you are in any doubt please contact us, or to stay completely safe, simply DO NOT post it.

You may be asked to sign an NDA or Release Form on set.  However, even if you aren't asked, we suggest you always follow these guidelines:

As a general rule, you CANNOT put on any Social Media any information that may compromise the shoot.  This includes what is being filmed, where you are shooting, or anything that suggests this information, or gives away what you are doing.  This could include 'checking in' on Facebook, 'mentioning actors/artists etc' on Twitter.  

Basically, you don't want to be the individual who gives away the secret location of a TV Series that you are attending, or the person who reveals your costume in a high Profile Artist's Music Video.  Production Companies, Record Labels and TV Companies have many lawyers and you don't want to be on the end of their letters having compromised your agreement.

Once the shoot is released into the Public Domain (for example if the Music Video is released or the Ad is on TV), then feel free to post wherever you want. Check our Credits list for the Production details and add the shoot to your Experience on your Talent Talks profile and to your C.V.

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SUSPENDED AND CANCELLED ACCOUNTS

Everything you need to know about your account is here.  Your account may automatically be suspended or perhaps you want to cancel your Talent Talks account.  Whatever you need, you should be able to find it here.

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Why is my account suspended?

If you find your account is suspended you will only be able to apply for OPEN POSTS.  Every time you try to apply for a job, you'll be taken to the payment screen.  If your account is suspended, PayPal should send you an email and you'll also get an email from us to tell you.

So why could your account be suspended? Usually it's one of 4 things.

1. There are no available funds in your account.  If you are a monthly subscriber, PayPal will take the money on the same day each month.  If there are insufficient available funds on the account that you have registered with PayPal, PayPal will try again in 5 days.  If again, there are not enough available funds, PayPal will try again 5 days later.  If on the third attempt of trying and there are still not enough available funds, your account will be suspended.

2. The debit or credit card which you used to set up payments has expired and you have been sent a new card.

3. You have lost or cancelled your card and ordered a new one.

4. Your 6 or 12 monthly subscription has expired.  Payments are not automatically taken on these accounts.

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How do I re-activate my account after being suspended?

If you find your account is suspended, it all boils down to us not being able to take the funds from your account for one reason or another.

Once you have worked out why (this will probably be one of the 4 reasons in Point 6.1) and you now have the funds available, or a new card, all you need to do is set up your payment again. There are two ways of achieving this.

1. Click on either 'My Account' or 'Edit Account'.  Once on this page, you will see an 'Upgrade Now' option.

2. Try to apply for any job that isn't an OPEN POST.

Either of the above will direct you to the Subscription page.  On here you can select your preferred term, the options being monthly, 6 monthly or 12 monthly.  Once you have selected your preference, you can then make payment.

Once payment has gone through you will be able to apply for all job posts.  Your existing account will be there waiting for you, so you won't need to create a new one.

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I have a new bank debit or credit card?

If you have a new bank debit or credit card you might find that your account is suspended.  See Point 6.1.  This is because PayPal will continue to try and take funds from the card registered with them.  If you haven't updated PayPal with your new card details, PayPal won't be able to take payment and therefore your account will be suspended.

If you do receive a new bank card, and have a PayPal account, simply register it on PayPal and your account won't suspend. If you don't have a PayPal account, see Point 6.2 about reactivating your account if your account is suspended.

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How do I cancel my payments to Talent Talks?

If you wish to end your membership with Talent Talks Limited, please write to us at the address on the ‘Contact Us’ page.  We would appreciate it if you could tell us why you want to cancel so that we can make improvements to our service for other members.  Your account will cease on the day your next payment is due providing you have given 7 days notice.

Your other option is to cancel your payment via PayPal.  You do not need to write to us if you have cancelled your Paypal payment yoyurself.

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How do I remove my profile from Talent Talks?

If you cease to be a member or have never joined, your profile still remains with us.  This means you can still log in, edit your profile and apply for OPEN POSTS.   Similarly, we can still contact you about shoots which we think may be of interest to you.  You can apply even as a non-member, so it's worth keeping your profile live even if you are not a full member.

If however, you don't want to be contacted at all about any shoots and you want your profile removed altogether, drop us an email to castings@talenttalks.co.uk requesting that your profile is completely deleted from our servers.

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WORKING WITH CHILDREN - DISCLOSURE CHECKS FOR SUPPORTING ARTISTS

This section is intended to explain how the pan-industry approach to background checks will affect Supporting Artists (SAs) working on productions involving children and young persons under the age of 18. This pan-industry approach has been adopted by BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV, Sky and Pact as of 1st January 2016.

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What will be expected of SAs?

We are advising all of the SAs on our books that they need to have a basic criminal record check in the form of a basic disclosure check for those artists wishing to work on any film or programme commissioned by the public service broadcasters or Sky and that involve children and young persons. More and more Productions are requesting all cast to have a DBS Certificate.

Please note: It is possible for young persons over the age of 16 to obtain basic disclosure checks and they will be expected to do so. Additional briefings and information will be required for certain productions.

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What do you mean by programmes or films that involve children and young persons?

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What is a basic disclosure certificate?

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Why do Supporting Artists need to obtain a basic disclosure certificate?

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How do I apply for a basic disclosure check? And how much is it?

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What information is needed to complete the application process?

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How often do I need to provide a certificate?

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Who do I show the basic disclosure certificate to?

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Is the Basic Disclosure Check the same as a CRB Check?

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Are other contributors or crew checked?

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What if a Supporting Artist doesn't obtain a basic disclosure certificate?

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What if a Supporting Artist already has a criminal background check?

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THE UK FILM AND TV REGISTRATION SCHEME - POLICE UNIFORM REGISTRATION

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What is the name of the scheme?

The scheme is the UK Film and TV Registration Scheme.

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Who has to register with the scheme?

Only SAs who own, travel with and use police uniform/ costume for filming.

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I specialise in police roles but don’t own / travel with police costume.

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I have other emergency services costume, but not police.

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How do I register as a Supporting Artist?

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What will the registration scheme ID card look like?

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Being stopped by the police with police costume in my possession?

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How much does the UK Film & TV Registration Scheme cost for an SA?

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Is the scheme compulsory?

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HELP FOR CASTING PROFESSIONALS

If you are looking for cast, it's best to contact the Talent Talks office who can help with all your requirements.  Our team will happily take the burden and responsibility off you.  The office number is 0844 887 0610.  Should your requirement be out-of-office hours, please email production@talenttalks.co.uk and someone will respond usually within a few hours.  Alternatively, you can use our contact form under the 'Production' Tab and you can submit your requirement.  Again, we'll respond as soon as we pick it up.  Our team is only ever an arm reach to our phones away - when that phone pings for an email, we're on the case to help you with your needs.  Although we like to sleep every now and again, we are a 24/7 365 days agency!

Most impressively is our vast range of individuals available at your disposal. Check out our Cast Categories page to see the full range from SA's to dancers, actors to models, all the way through to fire breathers, world class BMX riders, people covered head to toe in tattoos and everything in between. We pride ourselves on 'whatever you want, we'll have it'.

With regards to cost, we cater for your needs and whatever budget you are working with.  You tell us what you are working with and we'll tell you what's achievable.  To learn more about us, take a look at our Credit's List to see the shoots we've been involved with recently and the Production teams we work with.  Also, our Testimonials page to see what your fellow Production Professionals are saying about us.  We think we're great and luckily other people tend to think so too!

Furthermore, depending on the number of cast we are sending to the shoot, one of our team will come on set with the cast. They will perfom duties including signing-in people, ensuring release forms are completed and general crowd control duties.  An extra pair of useful hands for you.

Alternatively, if you'd rather simply add a job to the Talent Talks website you can do so by clicking here.

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Adding a Job to Talent Talks

If you have discussed your requirements with our team, we will add jobs to the Talent Talks website on your behalf and present options to you directly. Basically, if you've spoken to us, you can sit back, relax and have some chill time!

If you'd prefer to add a job yourself you can do so by clicking here.  By selecting this option you will receive all applicants directly to your inbox.  It is then completely down to you to contact prospective people as you see fit.

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Receive individual or group applications and the booking process

Once you have given us your requirements for the shoot, we will set about putting together options for you.  If you prefer, you can view applicants one-by-one as they apply.  With this option, you will be inboxed each time someone applies, with a link to the applicant's profile and infomation on why they have applied for your job post.  If you feel they are ideal for your Production, you can contact them via their email displayed on their profile.

If you prefer to receive group applications, as is often the case, we will put together options for you on a presentation document. You will then be able to view each person's profile to see information and pictures of them before discussing with us who is ideal for your shoot. We'll contact them all and confirm the booking directly.

We'll liaise closely with you from start to finish to ensure you have the exact people you want for your shoot, whilst making it completely hassle free for you.

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Can I find cast without posting a job?

You sure can. We understand things can be absolutely last minute, or NDA's don't allow for any information to go in the public domain.  If this is the case, discuss it with us and we can put together options in the normal way.  Usually these will be subject to availability, but we'll work with you to get options and book the ideal people for you.

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I CAN'T FIND AN ANSWER TO MY QUESTION

If you still can't find the answer or advice on this page, drop us an email on production@talenttalks.co.uk and we'll get back to you ASAP with an answer.