Music video models for hire and extras for your music video
ShootModel books music video models for hire by the hour or the day. Enter your shoot date, city and hours, and you see verified adult models, actors and extras who are free that day, with the total for their time already added up. Every booking comes with a signed model release and a usage license that covers the video, the cover art and the promo clips cut from it.
Hiring models for a music video, in one paragraph
Artists, labels and directors hire music video models in three ways: a modeling agency, an open casting call, or a booking marketplace. Agencies are slow but curated, casting calls are cheap but bring hundreds of unvetted replies, and a marketplace like ShootModel shows who is free on your date at a fixed rate. Whatever the route, get a signed release that names streaming, social and paid promotion before the camera rolls.
Which talent a music video needs
Most videos need more than one kind of person on set. Book the lead for the camera time, and the rest for the scenes they fill.
Lead or love interest
- Talent type to search
- Models or actors
- Typical booking
- Full day
- What to check before you book
- Screen presence, a reel or moving footage, comfort with close ups
Featured dancers or performers
- Talent type to search
- Models with movement experience
- Typical booking
- Half day or full day
- What to check before you book
- Video of them moving, not just stills
Party, club or crowd scenes
- Talent type to search
- Extras
- Typical booking
- Half day
- What to check before you book
- Their own wardrobe, punctual call times
Story with lines or acting beats
- Talent type to search
- Actors
- Typical booking
- Half day or full day
- What to check before you book
- A short self tape or reel
Couple scenes
- Talent type to search
- Couples
- Typical booking
- Half day
- What to check before you book
- Natural chemistry on camera
Behind the scenes and promo clips
- Talent type to search
- UGC and content creators
- Typical booking
- 2 hours on set, or remote
- What to check before you book
- Vertical video they have already shot
Booking lengths are common patterns. A performance video in one location often wraps in a day; a story video with several setups can need two.
Book music video models in four steps
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01
Search by shoot date and city
Pick the talent type, the city where you shoot, the date, the hours and your budget. You only see people who are free that day and fit your budget for those hours, so nobody in the results is a dead end.
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02
Shortlist and share with the director
Save the strongest options and send the shortlist to your director, the artist or the label rep before anyone pays. Each card already shows the total for your hours.
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03
Pick the usage at checkout
Choose where the footage runs: streaming platforms, social, paid promotion, cover art, live show screens. The model sees the same terms before accepting, so there is no surprise invoice when the video takes off.
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04
Book instantly or send a request
With instant booking the person is confirmed the moment you pay. Otherwise they answer within 24 hours, and your card is charged only when they accept. The booking agreement, release and license are created with your terms and signed online by both sides.
Hire extras for a music video without a casting call
Open casting calls for music video extras tend to bring two problems. You get far more replies than you can read, and on the day a share of the confirmed people simply do not show. That leaves a club scene looking half empty and a director shooting around gaps.
Booking extras on ShootModel works like booking a lead, just in bigger numbers. Search extras for your date and city, book the count you need plus a couple of spares, and each person has a confirmed, paid booking with a call time. Paid people show up far more reliably than unpaid volunteers, and you can see their photos before the day, so the crowd matches the look of the video. Our extras page covers call times, holding areas and wardrobe notes in more detail.
How much does it cost to hire a model for a music video?
Each model sets their own rate, so cost depends on the city, the hours, how featured the role is and how widely the video will be used. Public casting listings for featured roles in non-union videos commonly offer a few hundred dollars for a half day, while leads in big markets charge more for a full day. Extras usually cost less per person than featured talent.
On ShootModel you set the budget in the search and each card shows the total for your hours. The buyout for usage is added at checkout. The booker pays the listed rate plus the buyout and nothing else; the 15% platform fee comes out of the model's payout. See model rates for how hourly, half day and day rates compare.
Costs to plan besides the talent
- 01Location fees and permits, which some US cities require for street shoots
- 02Hair, makeup and wardrobe, especially for the lead
- 03Meals and water on set for everyone, extras included
- 04Overtime if the day runs long, so book an hour of buffer
- 05Travel or parking for talent if the location is far from transit
Usage rights for music video footage
A music video rarely stays in one place. The full cut goes to streaming, a 15 second clip becomes a social ad, a still turns into cover art, and the visual plays behind the artist on tour. If the model only agreed to the video itself, each extra use is a fresh conversation after the release date.
Settle it before the shoot. On ShootModel the buyout is picked at checkout and written into the usage license: media, territory, term and any exclusivity. Paid promotion and worldwide use cost more than organic posting in the United States, and you see the total before paying. Read our guide to usage rights and the model release form each booking creates. If the production is union, check the rules that apply to union performers before you book.
Where artists and labels find music video models
Modeling or talent agency
- How booking works
- Email the booker, wait for options and a quote, agency fee on top
- Release and rights
- Agency contract, usage negotiated per job
- Best for
- Major label videos that need a specific signed face
Open casting call
- How booking works
- Post the role, sort replies, chase confirmations
- Release and rights
- Up to you to draft and collect
- Best for
- Large unpaid or low budget crowd scenes
Social media DMs
- How booking works
- Message people one by one
- Release and rights
- Usually nothing in writing
- Best for
- Friends of the artist, very small shoots
ShootModel
- How booking works
- Filter by date, city, hours and budget, then book or request
- Release and rights
- Agreement, release and usage license with every booking
- Best for
- Independent artists, directors and labels who want paid, confirmed talent fast
An agency still makes sense for a headline campaign. For most independent and mid budget videos, booking talent directly saves days of email and the agency markup.
What to send talent before the shoot
Chat opens inside each booking. Use it for the details that keep a video day on schedule.
- 01Call time, address, parking and who to ask for on arrival
- 02The song, so people know the tempo and the energy you want
- 03Treatment or reference frames, including the look of each scene
- 04Wardrobe direction and what talent should bring from their own closet
- 05Any choreography, lip sync or blocking they should learn before the day
For more on briefing, read how to brief a model. Payment is released to talent 48 hours after the shoot, and you can open a dispute inside that window if something went wrong.
FAQ
01How do I find models for my music video?
You can find models for a music video through a talent agency, an open casting call, social media or a booking marketplace. On ShootModel you search by shoot date, city, hours and budget, and see verified adult models, actors and extras who are free that day, with the total cost shown before you book.
02How much do music video models get paid?
Pay depends on the city, the hours, how featured the role is and the usage. Featured roles in non-union videos are often listed at a few hundred dollars for a half day, leads in large markets cost more, and extras cost less. On ShootModel each person lists their own hourly, half day and day rates.
03Do music video models need to sign a release?
Yes. Anyone recognizable in a music video should sign a release that covers how the footage will be used, including streaming, social clips and paid promotion. Every ShootModel booking creates a model release and a usage license with your chosen media, territory and term, signed online.
04How many extras do I need for a music video?
It depends on the scene. A house party usually reads full with 15 to 25 people, while a club or concert scene can need 40 or more, framed tightly. Book two or three more than the shot needs, because even paid bookings can have a late cancellation.
05Can I hire models for a music video in Atlanta, Los Angeles or New York?
Yes. Pick the city in the search and you see talent who are free on your date there. Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York and Miami are among the busiest US cities for music video shoots. See our pages for Los Angeles and New York.
06Can I book a model for a music video for just a few hours?
Yes. Search with the exact hours you need and each card shows the total for that time. A cameo or a single scene can fit in two to four hours, while a lead in a full video usually needs the whole day.
Your next shoot, booked today
Pick a date, a city and a budget. See who is free and book in one step.