What Actors Need to Know about Zooms and Ecocast Live

Navigating virtual auditions can be confusing, especially for new actors just starting their careers in the entertainment industry. In this episode of Take Fountain, talent agent Anthony Boyer and talent manager Jess Canty walk you through everything you need to know about Eco Cast Live, Zoom auditions, and how to handle yourself in a virtual waiting room.

If you're getting callbacks but aren't sure how to prepare for this new hybrid model of auditioning, this video will give you practical, real-world advice to help you show up like a professional and make the most of every opportunity. You'll learn how to frame your shot, manage your background, prep your tech setup, and avoid common pitfalls that could derail your audition — all while making a strong impression on casting. From camera etiquette to when and how to ask smart questions, this is essential knowledge for actors at the beginning of their careers.

Don’t let virtual auditions throw you off your game. Watch now to build confidence, look great on camera, and deliver your best performance when it counts. 

EcoCast Live Tutorial: https://actorsaccess.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/17000105647-casting-how-to-use-eco-cast-live

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hello from Hollywood.
My name is Anthony Boyer.
And I'm Jess Canty.
And today on Take Fountain,
we're gonna talk about audition terminology.
Now there's in a bit of a hybrid. Mm-hmm.
This kind, this, uh, in, we're,
we're filming this in 2024, I believe.
Recent in 2025.
Bit of a hybrid model here, um, called the, uh, well,

(00:23):
it might be called an Eco Cast live.
It might be done over Zoom. Yeah.
Um, there are a few different forms it can take,
but this is essentially a live audition done virtually.
Right. Um, and this is very much a whole new world.
A lot of people are figuring out, um, you know, and,
and including the how do,
how do I handle myself in a virtual waiting room?

(00:43):
Yeah. Do you have any tips for that?
Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, virtual waiting room,
very similar to a regular waiting room.
Yeah. And potentially, you know, depending on if it's,
if it's eco cast live, it's actually set up to show you kind
of where you are next in the queue of who's waiting.

(01:05):
You'll see how many other actors are ahead of you.
It'll let you know when you're on deck
to go into the room next.
So Eco Cast live really truly is set up
to mimic the live in person
scenario in a virtual environment.
There's a great tutorial online

(01:27):
that we'll post a link to, right?
To how to, what to Expect out of an Eco Cast Live.
And that was published by Breakdown Services.
So definitely if you get an eco cast live
and you've never done one before, you're gonna wanna review
that webinar so you know exactly what to expect.
If it's a resume, you know, the, they may be able

(01:47):
to see the waiting room.
They may have someone in the waiting room
that's watching the waiting room.
You know, these sessions in both scenarios are
obviously being recorded.
So again, your behavior not only in the audition itself
and your performance in the audition itself,
but everything else around
that is being recorded potentially.

(02:09):
And so if you're in the waiting room, you know,
you definitely, you can have your camera off
until they bring you in so that you're not in danger.
I actually recommend Yeah. You're not in danger. Off
Camera off and muted.
Muted. Right. Of, you know, your roommate walking in
and not realizing that you're in an audition
or you're in a waiting room or something like that.

(02:29):
Or a pet sort
of interrupting you while you're in the waiting room.
Wanna be professional, but you also wanna be ready to go.
Yes. When you get invited into that virtual
audition space, the other thing you wanna make sure of is
that you've got your framing.
And this is I think another term
that you'll see come up all the time.

(02:50):
It, it's what we were talking about a bit
with the vertical versus horizontal,
but also your actual,
where you are showing up in the frame of the camera.
A lot of times the camera on the device
that you're zooming on is quite different than you,
whatever you normally use for your self tape set up.
And you don't want to notice that your framing is off

(03:14):
when the audition starts.
Right. So practice, you know, figure out
where you're gonna set that up.
It's usually gonna be a computer or your phone again.
And if you don't have a tripod for your phone, what is
that going to be sitting on
during this live virtual audition?
What is your background look like?
Is your head hitting the top of the frame?
Is is, you know, usually the shot is gonna be something

(03:36):
similar to what we've got here.
And casting, I think has gotten used to helping
to instruct people Yeah.
In these scenarios. But all of the same rules apply. Right.
If you need a moment between when they ask you to slate
and when you wanna start the audition, ask
for some time, ask questions.
If you are, and we didn't really cover that before true,

(03:57):
but ask questions.
If you have questions about the material
or questions about the character, engage with casting.
If you have an idea about a way to take the character
that may be a little bit different
after you do the first take, ask them if you can get a take
with your cool idea so that they can see
your unique artistry that may be different than

(04:19):
what everyone else is bringing.
But don't just make one up to make one up.
It's gotta be organic. It's gotta make sense.
Um, and to your point earlier about the reason I, I think
that like, turning off your, your camera and,
and turning off your sound when you're in the waiting room,
or not your sound, but your, your mic, uh,
when you're in the waiting room is, zooms are exhausting.
They just are, you kind of have to be on all the time.

(04:42):
Everything's very, like, you have to be alert and up. Yeah.
So that's why I think that that's a really nice time to kind
of just let yourself chill.
Mm-hmm. Um, and not feel like you have
to be on in the same way.
So that's why I, I really advocate
for turning everything off.
Thanks so much.