Zoom Audition Tips From An Actor for Actors
VIRTUAL AUDITION GUIDE
2020 brought on many challenges and necessary pivots, one being in the entertainment field. The pandemic essentially shut down the industry and it was slower than ever. Auditions stopped, everything seemed to stop really. And while we may not have an idea as to when in-room auditions will come back, if ever, 2020 forced the actor to get cozy with tech and adapt to auditioning virtually.
Although self-taping isn’t new it is most definitely occurring much more now. The more you do it the better you get at it; setting up, editing, etc. so that’s a plus in my eyes. Self-taping is just one piece of the virtual audition puzzle though. Breakdown Services/Actors Access came out with Eco Cast Live, which aims to mimic in-person auditions, and I highly recommend you watch one of their webinars to learn more about it. And then there are Zoom auditions.
By now, we all know how Zoom functions right? Great. Cool. I have popped my Zoom audition cherry and shared it in a vlog, but there are a few things I forgot to mention and breaking down in this post for you! For auditioning it’s very similar to the other “virtual rooms” like Eco Cast. But because this is an audition and not a regular meeting with friends, family, or co-workers, there are a few things that you should probably do before your appointment.
BEFORE YOUR APPOINTMENT
Yes, you get an appointment time. If the Zoom link isn’t included when you get the appointment email then it will likely be sent the day of earlier in the day, so make sure to check your emails frequently!!
The day before, do a practice run of everything! Do your entire set up: lighting, laptop or phone, backdrop, all equipment you think you will need. Decide whether you will be and standing or sitting and figure out how high your laptop needs to be so that it matches your eyes. You don’t want to be looking up too high or too low. Practice this by actually starting a new meeting and recording it as you practice your eye lines. Rewatch it and adjust. This will help you know and feel comfortable with where you are looking as well as how close you should be to your lighting source so that you are seen very clearly on camera. Another thing, have enough room in your set up so that if you are asked to pull back for a full-ish body slate, you can do so.
Make sure that you have the latest version of Zoom on your device. With an increase of users using platforms like Zoom, it’s inevitable that the software is updated frequently on the backend, and not having the latest version can cause it to not function properly. Also, check your Zoom settings...just in case! Have a virtual background on? Take it off. For the camera settings I pretty much leave it as-is:
FaceTime HD Camera
16:9 Widescreen
For my video settings:
Enable HD
Mirror my video
Always show video preview dialog when joining a video meeting (you want this preview before joining so you have time to make any adjustments before getting into the waiting room)
Disable notifications on your laptop so you don’t forget to do so day-of. If you are using your phone then you can obviously do this right before your appointment, but, do not forget!
Clean your laptop camera! If you have a Mac then you already know that where you open your laptop is right where the camera is and this gets dirty so easily. An unclean camera will have you looking cloudy and “out of focus.” Your face needs to be seen clearly.
Finally, make sure that all the devices that need charging that you plan to use are indeed charged. And while you’re at it, leave any cords out (chargers, extension cords, etc) out…just in case. I know, I know, I’m saying “just in case” a lot but it’s true. YOU. JUST. NEVER. KNOW.
APPOINTMENT DAY
Alright, now it’s game day! Even though you have an appointment time you will be asked to sign in a few minutes, 10-15, before your actual appointment time. Because of this, I highly recommend that you set up in advance so you’re not rushing and can resolve any issues that arise without getting too stressed. Auditioning is already stressful as it is, no need to add to it.
Something that I completely forgot to do for my first Zoom audition was switch to the 5G network 🤦🏽♀️ I know! There was a brief delay but luckily nothing too serious. If you do have a stronger network to connect to make sure to do so before logging in. What’s even better it to connect your device directly with an ethernet cable.
When you sign in, you will have time to double-check your lighting and set up before getting into the “waiting room” which alerts the CD that you’re in and ready. You’ll know it’s on and poppin’ when the CD appears on the screen 🤗 If you’re unsure about where to look you can always ask before starting your scene. In my case, the CD told me before starting that my framing and eye line was fine as is, so I didn’t have to change a thing.
I will say that I am so happy I decided to do it on my laptop vs my phone. First of all, you have a bigger screen to work with and that alone feels as though you are closer to the CD than you would be in the room anyway, which is great! It felt much more personal to me and I really liked that.
A few extra items I had on hand, just in case, that might be useful for you as well:
Setting powder ---- because I’m oily AF
Bottle of water ----- dry mouth can happen at any time
Earbuds ------------ just in case there’s an echo on the other side, these will help with that
Props————————— need a prop for your scene? Keep it close to you. Non-distracting ones of course, for me it was a pencil even though I didn’t end up using it.
I vlogged the day of my first Zoom audition so if you’re interested in seeing how that went down, what I felt etc. then you can watch it below: