So You Think You Can Model? - preliminary practice space

Will you be participating? What's the plan?

Yes, I will be taking photos for the mini tasks and entering the main competition	19.4%	[ 14 ]
Yes, I will be taking photos for the mini tasks but I am not sure about joining the main competition	16.7%	[ 12 ]
No, this is dumb	15.3%	[ 11 ]
I am/would like to be a judge/organizer	8.3%	[ 6 ]
Poll Whore	40.3%	[ 29 ]
Total Votes:			[ 72 ]

[kill3rsushi]

Banner by Twilight Afternoon

The preliminary practice rounds

There have been many modeling competitions on Gaia over the years, but none have ever been run quite like this one. "So, You Think You Can Model?" is a competition run by veteran judge and competitor, Kill3rsushi, and it aims to push old and new competitors alike to create diverse portfolios and take their own creative abilities to the limits.

Before the actual contest can begin, there is lots that needs to be done and this thread is the place to do it. Here Sushi and her team of judges will assign tasks designed to get potential competitors warmed up for the more intense shooting they will be doing later. These low-stakes tasks will be simple and many will be directly linked to future tasks of the real competition. If you do your best here, you will have a much better chance once the real contest starts. Here, there is no winning and losing -- you will strive for your personal best in each task, post your results after the due-date (late submissions always welcome!) and everyone will have the opportunity to give and receive feedback from everyone else. The photo deemed best out of each participant's set will be displayed on the front page. The judges should be popping in from time to time too, and maybe even trying the tasks out themselves, so keep an eye out for them!

WHAT YOU NEED TO PARTICIPATE:
-A bit of extra free time
-A camera that takes good quality shots
-An instant timer/friend to capture the shots
-Creativity and motivation to improve.

Disclaimer: All photos submitted during these mini-tasks and for the formal competition will be displayed publicly. We, the organizers of this competition, cannot be responsible for who/what uses your images once they are out in the world. By submitting photos here you recognize that they may be used in videos made for this competition and possibly used for other purposes by third parties. Talk to your photographers about who owns the rights to your images/permission to submit the images before posting them here. All photos must follow and comply with Gaiaonline.com's TOS which includes no nudity, even for the purposes of art.

CURRENT TASK!!
SIGNATURE POSES
– find 3-5 poses that you can do in your sleep.
--They should be versatile and unique, something you can make your signature and pull it out of your hat any time you wanted to. THEY DO NOT HAVE TO BE STANDING POSES.
--Photos should be unedited, full body (as much as possible), and in color. They can be taken from any angle.
--Challenge yourself to do things out of your comfort zone, and make sure your posing flatters your body.
--You can make these photos commercial, conceptual, high fashion or anything in between. Have fun with them!
-- Try not to use props, but feel free to interact with your surroundings and setting


Photos can be posted any time after JULY 9th, Pacific Standard time USA. Post 3-5 of your best shots in the thread and everyone can give you a respectful critique!

[kill3rsushi]

CURRENT PARTICIPANT PORTFOLIOS:

--FRuSTRaTeD eXPReSSioN--


Woah! Its HiddenBeauty


chirpysmom

Stay tuned for more information here as more people join!

PAST TASKS



COLOR POP
- Take a photo of yourself in a bright outfit in front of a backdrop or scenery that doesn't have a lot of color!
-Make sure your outfit is featured prominently, but don't get lost amidst the color you're wearing
-Try to turn in upper-to-full body photos instead of head shots
-The only photo editing allowed is minor complexion fixes (hiding blemishes), NO MANIPULATIONS
-Don't stress, it's only the first mini task

[kill3rsushi]

ABOUT THE NEW COMPETITION'S RULES AND STYLE:

Introducing a new type of Gaia Modeling competition! If you're like me, you're so tired of seeing the same basic tasks from the same people over and over in gaia modeling competitions, so I started this competition to mix things up. Subscribe to this thread for updates on the status of the full competition, and make sure to add SYTYCM Mule as a friend to receive PMs from her. When the competition is ready to begin, she will send out a notice with the application form to prospective contestants. So what's so special about this contest?

Here's how it works:
-This competion will take place over 16~20 weeks, depending on number of entries. The calendar will be finalized after all the applications are in place at the discretion of the judges. We accept a maximum of 25 entries that we deem qualified based on application.
-Each round will take two weeks. At the start of every week the task will be assigned. Contestants will have 7 days to complete and turn in their photos (5 photos unless otherwise stated). Judges will then have 7 days to write their critiques and the results will be posted the same day as the following task.
-Judges will judge each contestant individually on a point system. Contestants can be awarded up to 10 points per category per judge. The categories are: overall quality, creativity/individuality, and difficulty. Points add up weekly to determine the overall rankings in the competition, but week to week the rankings will be determined by the current task alone.
-Eliminations will not occur weekly, but instead after every few weeks, depending on number of entries, the lower scoring half (or smaller portion) of the contestants will be eliminated. As the finals approach, all but the final 2 will be eliminated. The final task will only be completed by the final two, but this elimination system is more forgiving of contestants who just have a bad week and gives them the chance to grow and prove themselves before they are forced to leave.
-If a contestant cannot turn in their work one week, for whatever reason, they will automatically receive a score of 0 which will put them at a disadvantage in later weeks come elimination. If a contestant doesn't turn anything in for 3 tasks, they will be automatically disqualified.
-THERE WILL BE NO TIME EXTENSIONS FOR THIS COMPETITION. Late submissions are accepted, but contestants who turn in their photos late will not receive full critiques, only point rankings, which will be halved after they are totalled for the week.

OTHER SPECIAL DO-DINGS!
-Sushi will make videos as needed that explain and demonstrate certain specifics of each task, this makes the directions clearer and levels the playing field substantially. Sushi will also make videos every elimination America's Next Top Model Style that reveal the safe contestants via suspenseful photo unveiling before the results are posted in the thread. This gives contestants a better feel of the person on the other side of the computer screen and makes viewers who aren't active contestants a way to feel more involved by tuning in to watch the videos.
-Every task is specifically designed to give the contestants a diverse and unique portfolio. Those who make it to the very end will have 8-10 completely unique photos they can be proud of and use to start their own modeling careers.
-Sushi (and/or other judges TBD) will make videos at their discretion to liven up the competition. This will include anecdotes about her own experiences in pro modeling, sometimes, and other times just tips and tricks that will liven up the competition.
-Since all of the judges have different backgrounds that make them qualified, they can each bring a different perspective on the contestant's work to light as their focus, as well as critique the overall product.
-Lastly, there is a 100% NO DRAMA POLICY for this competition. We kindly ask that if you have an issue with someone, you take it up with them privately over PM. This goes for judges, contestants and viewers alike. If someone is deemed to be starting drama and refuses to take that negativity out of the thread THEY WILL BE BLACKLISTED AND ALL RELATED POSTS WILL BE DELETED. Drama will not be a defining atribute of this competition like it has been for so many others.


WHO IS JUDGING THIS THING?

The judges are personal friends and colleagues whose work I respect in the real world. I have read their mock-critiques and reviewed their previous works and believe they have a lot to bring to the table as far as helping contestants improve.

Head Judge/Host: Kill3rsushi

I'm kill3rsushi, but everyone calls me Sushi. I'm 20 and have completed 5 Modeling contests on gaia since 2009, placing 1st in three of them (coming in second and third in the others). At this point I feel like I've seen/done it all. I've judged Gaia modeling contests before, and I specialize in creative makeup and wardrobe and I'm known for my risky choices in previous competitions. What should you expect from me? A fair, honest critique and constructive criticism EVERY week, no matter what. I'm critical because I want to see you improve, so I'll never count something against you and not tell you why and how to fix it. It took me 3 years to get to where I am and I want each and every one of you competitors and aspiring models to have the chance to grow as I have. Now, prove you are 100% model meat and make me proud!

Judge/Graphic Design Specialist: CatLadyAlyx

Hello All!
My name is Alyx and I will be one of the judges for SYTYCM!
Currently I am a graphic design graduate who has dabbled in photography and cosplay and spend a lot of time on the computer. Oddly, Gaia has been on of those sites I have never even been on so please bare with me while I learn how to navigate this place!
I am here because Sushi was looking for judges who has particular experiences and I felt that while I have no experience judging photos on a design level, I can apply the same knowledge I learned in school to all the things I will be seeing here!
I hope to meet new people, learn some new techniques as well as provide as much feedback as I can to help the contestants better their photos..in a positive way of course!
And for the sake of knowing what I look like, heres a photo I took of myself! It was inspired by the song Night of the Hunter by 30 Seconds to Mars. Normally, I have glasses and my hair is pretty short.

Info on more judges coming soon!

[kill3rsushi]

THIS COMPETITION NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Do you have extra gold or items lying around? Please consider sending them to the competition's mule account, "SYTYCM Mule" and we will put your name and donated amount up here! Donations are desperately needed so we can award all the prizes we want to when the competition has finally started! The prizes are as follows:

Top Model - a prize awarded to the winner with the highest score at the end
Top Model Runner Up - a prize awarded to the person who finishes with the second highest score
Most Creative - a prize awarded to whoever showed the most creativity throughout the competition
Most Improved - a prize for whoever made the most personal improvements throughout the competition
Most Consistant - a prize for whoever was maintained the same level of high quality from the start to the end
Fan Favorite - a prize awarded to whoever wins the fan favorite poll held during the final round of competition

Also, people can donate to specific prizes, for which your donation will be credited next to the total amount of the prize. Donors will have their names up in a special section of the permanent contest thread and can give me a banner or link to their website, thread, or anything else they want advertised. The more we have for prizes, the more the contestants will strive to win so please consider donating.

Donations thus far!
-Former GNTM competition: 848,000g!!! heart heart heart
-Mirialia86: 10,000g!!! heart
-Kiara_Kamlyn: Hermes Moon 11th Gen (worth 1mill approx) for Most Improved!! heart heart heart heart heart

WE ALSO DESPERATELY NEED BANNERS. If you make a small banner for this competition to be displayed in people's signatures, we will put it up on the front page along with a link to your website, thread, etc of your choosing.

BANNERS SO FAR!:
By chirpysmom-

[url=http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/chatterbox/so-you-think-you-can-model-preliminary-practice-space/t.79905617_1/#5][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v500/kill3rsushi/SYTYCMbanner0.jpg[/img][/url]

Affiliated Threads, etc.

Gaia Radio is a neat user-run radio show that covers arts and entertainment on Gaia! They will be covering the competition once it starts up and Kill3rsushi (and maybe more?) will be on for interviews once in a while. Please check them out!

[SYTYCM Mule]

I am the Mule! SYTYCM stands for "So, You Think You Can Model?"

Please send all of your donations and applications to me! If you have any general questions, please ask me via PM or directly quote this post to get my attention in the forum!

[kill3rsushi]

This thread is now officially open! WHOOWHOO!

[shelbz]

oh this is so cool 4laugh

[kill3rsushi]

Perriera

oh this is so cool 4laugh

If you're interested, I definitely encourage you to subscribe/stick around. Hopefully more people from various former competitions will trickle in to chat soon and the first challenge should be up by the end of the week if not much sooner.

[Kiara_Kamlyn]

You know you can count me in. heart I've missed these. Am I allowed to donate a prize if I am participating? I know I've done it before, but figured I'd ask.

[kill3rsushi]

Kiara_Kamlyn

You know you can count me in. heart I've missed these. Am I allowed to donate a prize if I am participating? I know I've done it before, but figured I'd ask.

You are definitely allowed, and I am so glad to see you're on board. It's been a while, I hope you've still "got it" hahaha. At least these prelim rounds will be a good refresher course.

[kill3rsushi]

Alrighty, it's 2am in Japan now and I am gonna go to bed. I hope this thing is jumpin' by the time I log on tomorrow!

Kisses and hugs for all~

[The Backwoods Barbie]

Count me in! This sounds fun (:

[Nasakaa]

Interesting

[Mirialia86]

Love your concept Sushi! I really like that you plan on doing videos to explain the tasks and all, the ones for the results... I think will be nerve wracking especially for the contestants ^^ but a cool concept still! And the fact that there are no "weekly" eliminations is great too, it'll help people really improve.
And I think it's great you'll do the challenges too, after all, you're the one who inspired so many of us to start modelling here, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who misses your photos (-:

I've suscribed to the thread, but as my finals start next week, I'll just be watching for some time. Can't wait to see these warm-up challenges! biggrin

[Ransom0374]

lots of people to hit on here B)