ZED Cards and Composites We mentioned in the section about portfolio basics, that your portfolio is your resume, and a ZED card or composite (or actor's glossy) is your business card. While you would take your portfolio with you to an interview to show what you have done and can do, it's the composites that you mail out to get the call to begin with. In simplified terms, your composite is just a sampling of what is in your portfolio. A little taste of what is to come, to entice a would-be client into calling you for an interview. A composite is an absolutely mandatory tool for the model, whether they have an agency or not. At left is a sample of what most composites look like today. For years, the industry standard was a 5 x 8 "postage card", black and white or color, with one large photo on the front, and a few smaller ones on the back. It usually contains the models stats, as well as some kind of contact information - whether her own, or her agents. But with the advent of better laser copiers and photo printers, the "birthday card" style has grown in acceptance, and is considered today to be standard. Costs for composites (also called ZEDs) varies by the type your getting and the quantity of your order. Of course you can save money on the "per copy" price when you buy large quantities, but you may end up throwing away a good deal of those simply because you have been changing and don't really look like that any more. (This is especially true of younger women and girls, who are physically changing.) Costs can range from as low as .25 to .45 per copy for large orders, to as much as $1.25 per copy for smaller orders. You should base your decision on how to buy, by your age, and how vigorously you intend to mail them out. If you're only sending out 10 or so copies a month, buying 1000 isn't a smart idea. A few years ago, Models-1 created "composite masters". These are reproduceable sheets that you can copy to create composites on demand. So rather than buying 200 to 1000 at a time, you only print the number of copies you need at the time. The other advantage, is that the master can be changed and replaced at any time, so that as you change, the master can change with you. So you don't have to worry about having boxes of unuseable composites in a closet somewhere. As you can see, these are two 8 ½ x 11 sheets butted together to form an 11 x 17 copy. By just folding like a birthday card, you have your ready to mail composites! Our masters are standard issue with all portfolios we shoot, and we can easily make one up for you - just send us your photos. Just another way that Models-1 keeps you ahead of the game!

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