How to cast models for a brand shoot

I’m Yedukrishna Suresh. I direct and photograph fashion, beauty and brand work under YKS Productions, and I run YKS Talents, a free portfolio platform where brands find and book models, influencers, creators and actors aged 18 to 34 across India and the Middle East. I’m one person, not a casting agency: every brief comes to me and every booking is arranged through me. This guide is what I check on every casting, whether I’m shooting it or your own team is.

A brief that answers these questions gets a considered shortlist rather than a pile of profiles:

• The product and the brand — with a website or Instagram link.
• The look — age range, the feeling you want, and two or three reference images. References say more than adjectives.
• How many models, and whether they need to look like they belong together.
• City, location and dates — including any fitting day and a back-up date for outdoor shoots.
• Number of looks and the hours you expect on set.
• Stills, video or both — and whether there are spoken lines or language versions.
• Usage — the four lines above.
• Wardrobe sensitivities — swimwear, sheer fabrics or anything else talent should know about before they say yes.
• Budget range — even a rough one saves days of back-and-forth.

You can send exactly this through the casting brief form; it’s free.

The two are often confused, and they are different bookings.

• A model gives your brand a face for content you produce and publish on your own channels. You pay for the shoot time and the usage you agree.
• A creator or influencer brings an audience. You are usually paying for content they make and post to their own followers, sometimes with rights for you to reuse it. Follower counts, engagement and posting terms become part of the deal.

Many campaigns use both: models for the hero shoot, creators for reach. Just don’t book one and expect the other. If you want a model’s images on your ads, agree that usage; if you want a creator to post, agree the deliverables and dates.

You aren’t only paying for photographs. You’re paying for permission to use a person’s face for a defined purpose, in defined places, for a defined time. Put it in writing before the shoot:

• A signed model release covering the usage you agreed.
• The fee, payment date and how invoicing works.
• Wardrobe agreed in advance, including anything sensitive.
• What happens if you want to extend usage later — renewals are far easier when the original terms were clear.

Every model on YKS Talents is 18 or over. For bookings that come through me, I arrange the release and usage terms with the talent so they are settled before anyone arrives on set. This is practical guidance, not legal advice; for large campaigns, have your own counsel look at the contract.

Dubai briefs are usually for luxury retail, hospitality, real estate, beauty and jewellery, often with a mixed or international cast. A few things are different from India:

• Permits. Shooting at many public and commercial locations generally needs permission. Build that into your schedule.
• Right to work. Talent need to be legally able to work in the UAE. Raise it early, especially if anyone is travelling in.
• Heat. From late spring through summer, outdoor shoots move to early morning, late afternoon or indoors.
• Casting mix. If you need an Indian or South Asian face for one market and an international cast for another, say so in the brief.

Rules change, so confirm current requirements with your production partner. There is more on casting models in Dubai.