Starbound's America's Got Talent Auditions!

    

On December 4^th and the 5^th, we here at Starbound Talent were privileged to be asked to audition in the Toledo area for Season 12 of the hit NBC television show Americas Got Talent. We would like to give a Special Thank You to The Toledo Blade and Explore 419 for help with advertising this spectacular event!

We held auditions to pick the top 20 and then an extra special 6 were chosen in addition to the 20, to be seen by the executive producers of the show.  We saw close to 100 people come out to Starbound to audition for the coveted spots, which guaranteed you a Front of the Line Pass at the shows auditions in Cleveland December 10^th.

         Hopefuls auditioned for Starbound’s owner and Director Wendi Davis. She saw many talented singers, dancers, comedians, etc., all different age ranges and walks of life. We even had the talented and remarkable dance school “Touch of a Dream” come out to audition as well.

         Then the chosen group headed to Cleveland to audition without having to wait in that terribly long line, and hopefully make it to the next round of auditions. We even had a few people from our group, chosen to be spotlight contestants and had the cameras follow them around and throughout the audition process!

         All-in-all, it was a successful and fun 2 days of auditions, and the ones chosen had a great time in Cleveland auditioning and were excited and thankful for the experience.

         So, be sure to tune in next year to Americas Got Talent on NBC (check local listings for channel) when Season 12 airs! You never know, you might see someone from Toledo!

Success Story Update: Sarah Bomber

This week our Starbound Talent success story will feature Sarah Bomber. Upon doing my research for this update I got the chance to speak to Sarah (through email, but it was still addressed to me!) and she told me her story from when she came to Starbound to where she is now, in her own words!

Sarah first came to Starbound in 2008 as she says “a shy teenager”. She grew up in the Findlay area, in Ohio, with a very musical family and spent most of her free time taking lessons for singing, harp, piano, and others. Once she came to Starbound she says, she “was given the tools she needed in order to open up and become more confident through the safe and comfortable environment provided to learn and grow at Starbound”. This is where she feels she received the foundation that she needed in order to begin to concur the entertainment world!

Sarah then auditioned the same year for IMTA with a Sara Bareilles song titled

“Gravity”. I even got to hear her audition tape, and as we all know Sara Bareilles has a wonderful voice but in my opinion…Sarah Bomber’s version was sooooo much better than the original (sorry Bareilles fan’s just being honest here)! From that audition she was chosen to attend IMTA in New York City. Because of IMTA Sarah said “this was the first time I could see my largest dreams as a real possibility".

Being seen at IMTA she was able to meet a New York vocal coach, and agent. She then moved to New York for a brief period of time. While there she continued her high schooling at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy. After graduating high school she then attended Central Michigan University, where she continued her love of the arts, and began to work professionally in Music Theater. 

Sarah has been in musical theater productions all over the U.S. Including Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, to name a few. She was also nominated for awards, and originated roles during her time at CMU. Sarah then graduated with her BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts), in Music Theater. Sarah is now currently the lead vocalist on the famous “Queen Mary 2” performing in 8 different shows. With solos included. She continues to pursue her dream of being in musical theater, and lives back in New York City. 

We here at Starbound are very proud of you Sarah, and wish you continued success!   

*PS..Can we get a discount on tickets? We would all love a vacation! 

Everything You Need To Know About Casting Reels

You have made the decision that you want to become a serious working actor and either snag an agent or audition for a role. So what is the next step that you need to take you may be asking? Making your self a casting/demo reel. This is essentially your advertisement to people showing all you are capable of doing in the acting world. Casting or demo reels are used to send to agents and or casting directors in order to grab their attention by putting selections of your highest quality material together in order to get them to want to sign and represent/cast you in a role. Casting/Demo reels are quickly becoming the most important part of professional casting submissions- even more important to some, than headshots and resumes. Many actors use clips from student films, independent films, web series, or privately produced productions to make their reel. But if you are just starting out it is acceptable to record yourself (or someone record you), performing various scenes. Below are a few tips and suggestions that you may find helpful in beginning your journey to making your casting/demo reel!

Do and Don’ts to Remember!

• Casting Reel should be 60-90 seconds tops. No longer. You don’t want to do the entire scene or show your entire part from the play you are using…leave them wanting MORE!
• Most of the time the viewer decides if they like you from in the first 10 seconds, so GET their attention and KEEP it!
• Know your type (what types of characters you are best at playing (examples: Comedy, Preppy, Serious, Dramatic etc.) and focus your material in a way that highlights it. As your reel continues you can diversify and show your range. 
• If using more than one clip have each self contained, and run about 15-20 seconds depending on the amount of clips.
• Label each individual clip; at the top of the clip
• This way you will have a large variety of clips to choose from and the viewer can pick and choose which they want to see or send.
• Make your reel easy for people to view; instead of emailing the intended person a huge email file they will have to download then load. Try making it a click-able link...this could be the difference between getting seen or ending up getting deleted.
• Make your reel focus on YOU! Even if other actors are in the scene, avoid covering them too much.
• At least 75% of your reel should cover you, they want to see your face, emotions, and how you convey yourself, and your body movements because as we all know these things can make or break a scene!
• Have someone who has an objective eye (NOT your mother or other family members who think nothing YOU do can be wrong/different/better!) to help you edit to get to your final copy.
• Make sure your reel is good quality (High Definition) and professional.
• Finally, make sure your contact information is easily viewable in the video. You want them to be able to contact you without having to hire a decoder to decipher your information. After all that hard work you want them to be able to easily contact you when they realize you are the next SUPERSTAR! 

How to Make a Casting Reel!

• Get sides (aka Script)
• Slate into camera -If the audition you are doing the reel for has their specific set of slate rules follow theirs. 
• Then turn head a little and look next to the camera
• Deliver lines (scene)
• Look back at camera when you are done with lines/scene
• Person who is assisting with the scene/other character should not read lines exaggerated, but in a tone above mono-tone 
• When the script calls for direction (such as character closes door; take the direction but minimize it) so pretend you are closing the door or whatever the direction states, but NEVER turn your back to the camera even if in script.
• Make sure you have a plain background/wall (no bright colors stick with neutrals such as white, cream, beige, etc.)
• Wear solid color shirt with absolutely no logos, patterns, pictures, or other distracting things. Also make sure it compliments your skin tone
• Appearance should be clean cut, nothing extravagant, look presentable!

*Last but not least… Remember the golden rule when it comes to Casting Reels: “No Reel is BETTER than a BAD reel”.