Series & TV

Is your house not suited for your needs?

Do you have a compelling story?

Do you think you can be a part of ABC´s Reality Show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition?

Do you want Ty Pennington and his crew to change your life?

Well, then perhaps you are looking to be a part of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, but you don´t know how.

First of all, download Extreme Makeover: Home Edition application form.

Then, read it thouroughly.

Afterwards, you must make a home video about you, your family and your home, in any of the following formats: DVD, MINI DV, VHS, and MINI DVD.

The application form is quite extense, so you should as I said, download it and read it, and complete it.

But what´s very nice from those folks at ABC is that they prepared an easy How To make your Extreme Makeover Home Edition´s application video Guide with many many tips:

HOW TO MAKE A FAMILY CASTING VIDEO

Remember: Accepted video formats include: DVD, MINI DV, VHS, MINI DVD (that has been finalized from your camera). Please view video before shipping to us. As a back-up plan make yourself a copy in the event that your tape gets lost. No tapes will be returned to you.
Dear Family:
First off, you should relax and have fun with us! The main purpose of this video is for us to meet your family, see your house, and find out why you deserve a home makeover. Please make sure that all members of the household are present for the taping and appear and speak on camera at least once. If you are not a current member of the household, the only time you should be on camera is if you are doing a nomination.
Please know this tape could be used on television so make sure appearances are fit for TV! The colors white and red are not television-friendly colors, nor are tight check patterns or stripes. Logos on t-shirts should also be avoided. You should dress casual as if you were going out for a family dinner or nice lunch. Ladies, please take the time to put on light make up and look nice. This is the first impression you are making on producers. For example, try not to wear sweat pants unless that’s all you have.
The key is you want the folks at ABC to fall in love with your family and that means revealing all the layers. We want to see your bubbly fun personalities when you are saying hello and good-bye and giving us the tour. We want to see you speak from your heart even if it means being emotional when you tell us your story. We need to know what it is like for you and your family when times are tough and when the tough times make you strong.
Good Luck. We look forward to meeting your family!
SHOT LIST: (please make sure the following appear on your tape and it does not matter what order you tape it in)
You should know that the casting department will edit your tape, so don’t get nervous if you screw up, just keep talking, we can cut around it. IT IS OUR JOB TO MAKE YOU LOOK YOUR BEST!
Just give us the following elements:

1. Family Greeting Shot

• Entire family that lives in the home stands outside of the front door of house for Family
Introduction. (Ex: “Hi, ABC! We’re the ______ Family”…big waves and smiles and lots of
energy.) After that, each family member should say his or her FIRST names and ages.
Make sure this is a tight, static shot where you put the lens on wide, yet get as close as
you can. Please give us multiple takes of this. You can be as creative as you want to be
with the family introductions.
• (Lots of personality & really loud & fun)

2. Family Goodbye Shot

• Family stands in same place as above and says “Goodbye ABC! Thanks for coming!” etc.
The key for these two shots is enthusiasm.

3. Tour of Home

• Then invite us into your house and show us around. During this portion, there should always be someone in front of the camera giving a tour.
• One person can do the main rooms in the house but each person should give us a tour of their respective rooms.
• While you give the tour show us the most problematic areas AND include your family’s story. Talk about how your life situation relates to your house and how having your home fixed would improve your life. It is important that you open up to us during the tour and give us a chance to get to know you. We are not only casting your house but your family!
• Don’t forget to give us a tour of the outside of the house and yard including a 360 view from the front of your house. Its best if we have a sense of where your house is, what the property is like and how close you are to your neighbors so we can plan properly.

4. Interviews

• Sit down and talk to camera like an interview and tell us your story. Explain your situation, why you think you deserve a makeover. During this portion you want to be emotional, open up and ask for help. (If you are more comfortable alone, set your camera on a tripod and make sure you are in frame and then just talk to the camera.
-Why your family is unique (do they volunteer, etc)
-How you all have overcome adversity
-How much you all love each other
-How it would improve your lives if we make the house over
-Why do you all need a makeover NOW?
-Tell us why your kids/parents inspire you
- Tell us a short funny story about your family- (something that when you think back- it still makes you laugh)
-What is your biggest fear for your family as it relates to the condition of your current home

5. If someone else is nominating you

that person should also appear on camera and tell us why they are nominating you and tell us about why you deserve this, why you need this and how it will help your family if you get this.

BASIC CAMERA TIPS (Interview and Tour):

1. If you are the person operating the camera during the tour, please don’t talk. Your job is to pay attention to holding the camera steady, lighting, sound, etc.
2. Camera angles are important. Please make sure there isn’t a large amount of space between the tops of heads and the top of the screen (we call this “head space”).
3. During an interview, if you are asking questions to prompt the person talking on camera, don’t talk over them and ask them to repeat the question in the answer. If you are not on camera, your voice will be cut out.
4. DON’T use the zoom feature. Keep the lens on wide and move your body if you need to get closer to something.
5. Keep your movements slow and steady, the lens can’t move as fast as your eye.
6. If you are the one operating the camera and the subject (person giving the tour) is talking, KEEP THE CAMERA ON THEM. You can always give us a nice slow pan of the room before you move on.
7. Use auto focus and pay attention to how much light is in the room.
8. If its daytime, don’t stand in front of a window without blinds, you will appear backlit and just look like a shadow. Close the blinds and turn on all the lights.
9. Please turn off TV and Radio in the background and make sure that people who aren’t on camera are not talking. That goes for noisy pets, no matter how cute they may be!
10. If you don’t have a tripod, consider setting the camera on a table or something that the camera can sit on. Some have used phone books piled up on a table to get good height.
11. Please don’t chew gum.
12. Make sure the Time/ Date stamp is off so it doesn’t show up on the video.
13. If you are being interviewed, please don’t sit in a rocking and / or swivel chair. Also, be mindful of fidgeting while you are talking to camera.

Now that you read it all… are you eligible for an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition visit?

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Tags: ABC, Castings, Extreme makeover Home Edition, Ty Pennington

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