Showing posts with label Modeling. Show all posts

Very few things compare to the madness associated with booking a last minute modeling job. I got off the plane from an overnight flight, dropped off my bags, and headed straight for Premier, my London Agency. After checking in with Leesa, the director of the men’s board, I found out that the next morning I would be going to meet with Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott (world class photographers who shot me for DSquared2) on the set of the Brian Atwood F/W 2012-13 campaign…WELCOME TO LONDON! I had no idea what to expect, was I shooting or was I just there to say hello?

Upon arrival Savas, an old friend, and Mert and Marcus’s manager greeted me… It’s always a pleasure to work with familiar faces. With an enormous smile, I proceeded to help myself to some breakfast as I waited to find out how I would be spending my day. I quickly finished eating and made my way around, catching up with everyone I knew and introducing myself to the people I had not yet met. The next thing I knew I was trying on clothing and going through hair and makeup, what a pleasant surprise. A few hours later my friend Chad White walked in asking if he was in the right place… another familiar face I thought sitting in the make up chair. “Chad! What’s up man!? It’s been forever!” It had literally been six months since I had seen him in New York City at Soul Artist Management’s year anniversary party. Chad sat down in the chair next to me while the lovely hair and makeup team finished their work. Neither one of us knew exactly what the day had in store for us, or that we would be working with a Victoria’s Secret Angel.

Candice Swanepoel is as sweet in person as she is stunningly beautiful. It can be awkward shooting with someone whom you’ve just met, especially when you’re both practically naked. She handled everything with confidence and professionalism that one could only expect from a seasoned veteran of the fashion industry. If you don’t know by now I’m no stranger to shooting nude… The way I look at it is – you have one life, and you only get one shot at making the most of it, you either go big or stay home.

What none of us knew when we started the day was that the shoot would last from 10AM, and not wrap until 3 o’clock the next morning. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for the production team to build the set and to place all the cameras and video equipment. Mr. Brian Atwood was present to oversee the shoot. He had a twinkle in his eye and displayed a surreal excitement, walking around set with a big grin on his face. To my knowledge, this shoot marked Brian’s first global fashion campaign, and I feel like it exemplified the “go big or stay home” motto. He clearly has every reason to be excited, the campaign speaks for itself, “The Sex is in the Heel.” At the end of the day it was an amazing start to my summer in London, even though I left so exhausted that I fell asleep in the cab on my way home.

- Kyle Ledeboer

Campaign Video

Behind the Scenes

I'm writing this from 38,000 feet above France on a British Airways flight. I've got a splitting headache from one to many Stellas last night and I only got a few hours of sleep in before my return to London.



Why my job is AWSOME:
Shooting on location has always been my favorite thing to do. There's nothing better than receiving an email detailing all of your travel arrangements, and knowing that all you have to do is show up. My job is to fly to a location, make some new friends, and get my picture taken, be wined and dined, and then fly out again. I woke up in France the morning after the passport fiasco, and headed downstairs an amazing continental breakfast (minus the part where I was served lunch meat)! After breakfast we crammed the eleven-person crew, and all their gear into a van and sped off to an unknown location.

Imagine rolling up to the gates of a sprawling £25 million ($40 million) home, perched atop the French Alps, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. A five-story mansion built into a mountain, expansive terraces and a rooftop deck looking out towards the water, tons of exposed rock throughout, a wine cellar built into the foundation, a cave entrance that leads to an elevator (straight out of a Batman movie) and an infinity edge pool that spills into the sky. This massive house was worthy of a king, and I was told royalty has rented it on numerous occasions. The crews mentioned the owner only stays here a few times a year because he has an even larger home in Monaco... MUST BE NICE!













My new “mate” Dylan and I proceeded to get lost in the house, so much to explore. Dylan and I were the two male models in the shoot – we also worked with three other girls. The shoot ended up lasting 12-hours, which is pretty standard for on location jobs. All of the gear (clothing, photo equipment, food, tables, chairs, etc.) has to be hauled in, then packed up again immediately after. The client was incredible to work with. We spent the day lounging by the pool getting to know one another while the photographer, Tom, and his assistants set everything up. After the final shot, we all packed up and headed upstairs to one of the many decks and were treated to wine and sushi on the terrace. I was munching on salmon sashimi, sipping pinot noir and gazing out over the ocean watching a cruise ship depart.



















After we finished eating we crammed back in the van and headed to the hotel for a quick wardrobe change before heading out to meet the crew for drinks. Not knowing if or when I would return to Nice, I chose to make a night of it! Many of the bars in Nice close at 2AM, but Dylan and I weren’t finished yet, we grabbed a few insomniac crewmembers (luckily one of them spoke French) and the four of us walked for about 20 minutes. After interrogating some of the locals, we found a skanky little nightclub spinning old outdated music. What a nightmare! For some deranged reason a pint of Stella cost €10, but we didn’t care, we were just happy to be served. Two or three rounds later everyone stumbled back to the hotel.















Back to London for thirty-six more hours of gloomy weather before Megan and I jet off to Tenerife. I know… it’s a rough life, that’s why I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone!

Coming to you live from Seat B, Row 15,
Kyle

My addiction to espresso began in New York, and of course has continued to follow me everywhere I've traveled. I'm just not the same person without it. When you have time to kill between castings, you usually end up finding a coffee shop, or pub, pullout your laptop and get down on some free WiFi. Today the pub seemed a bit too extreme, I didn't want to be walking in to meet a client a few pints deep by noon, so I did what any self respecting model would do, I found a crepe place around the corner and ordered a macchiato, the problem now is that I've already had a latte this morning, with an extra shot I might add.
The little cafe I'm sitting in, "Crepe Affaire" is on the corner of Wardour and D'Arblay in W1 London. I'm killing time waiting to walk into my Remington casting. Thus far in the UK it has managed to rain an impressive 80 percent of the time, leaving a fresh clean smell in the air and my trousers (you have to call pants trousers because in the UK pants literally means underwear) and shoes soaked completely through.
I'm going to walk into my casting in a few minutes shaking uncontrollably and attempt not to jump out of my own skin. This casting is for a TV commercial so if I book it I'll have something pretty cool to share on the blog... not to mention a much needed influx of cash to continue to fund the "traveling in the moment" experience.
Wish me Luck,
Kyle

P.S. Megan is home in bed sick, so send her some love!

POST UPDATE:
Thoughts after the casting - Imagine walking in and greeting the studio secretary with a smile as you fill out the casting information form and without a pause stripping down to only your "pants" (underwear) then walking barefoot, iPad in hand, into a small room filled with people. You smile and introduce yourself, then make a joke about being practically nude to break the ice. You walk over and stand in front of a video camera and "slate" (where you simply say your name followed by your agency, then show your profiles, right side, left side, etc.) as you watch them analyze you, do a little turn around and throw them an EXTRA LARGE smile to try to seal the deal on your first impression. You booked it! They loved you! Or did they???

That's what it was and is like almost always like every single time you go on a casting, plus or minus the underwear part. I got a really good response from the client, so we shall see what happens. I also may be shooting for Mens Health at the end of the week.

-Fingers Crossed-