Eco Cast Live is an all-in-one remote recording and uploading feature available on our website. Using Eco Cast Live, you can set up a schedule, record your auditions, and upload your session instantly to Eco Cast. All you will need is a computer with a built-in webcam and microphone!


Eco Cast Live is modeled after in-person auditions and allows you to give each actor a specific audition time. You can remotely run sessions with your full Casting Team and invite individual Collaborators to the sessions.


If you do not see the option to use Eco Cast Live on your account page, please contact us and we will set that up for you.



Getting Started


1) Once you have "selected" your Actors, you can create a schedule. To do this, log in to your Breakdown Express account and then click on the title of your Breakdown.



2) Once you are in your Breakdown, click on the "Schedules" tab at the top of the page, and then select "Create Eco Cast Live Audition".



Please note: If you have already done your first round of auditions and marked the Actors as "Callback" in your schedule, you can create an Eco Cast Live Callback, which follows the same process as creating a regular Eco Cast Live Audition. For more information on creating a callback, click here.


3)  Once you are on the "Create Eco Cast Live Audition" page, you can choose a date for your audition, select a start and end time, and indicate how you want to schedule your Actors. 

 

After the above information is filled out, a drop-down menu will appear in the “Include Roles” section, where you can select the role(s) you wish to schedule, as well as the Actors (via their assigned numbers) that you would like to invite.

 

Then click the "Create Schedule" button to create your schedule.



Please note: Instead of using "Rooms," you now have "Eco Cast Live" rooms. This feature allows you to run more than one Eco Cast Live, simultaneously. 


4) When the next page loads, click on "Review Schedule". 



5) For more details about how to edit your schedule, please click here. Once you are finished making your adjustments and are ready to send out the audition invitation to the Actors, click "Create Notification". 



6)  On the “Create Notification” page, you will see a space to fill out any audition information and instructions you may have for the Actors. You can also attach Sides and audition material at the bottom of the page, either by uploading new files or checking off files you have already uploaded to the selected role(s). For more information on how to attach Sides or audition material to roles, check out our help article here. Once finished, you can click "Send Message". 


Please note, in order to send files to an Actor, you will need to make sure that the box next to the file name is checked. If the box is not checked, that file will not be sent to the Actor.



Please note: Your audition address will always be pre-filled and will include a link to the audition. This address cannot be edited.


7) After you have successfully sent out your Notification, you can add any Collaborators that you would like to have join you in your audition session. To do so, input their Collaborator Email and an Optional Title to display by their name. Then, hit "Send Invitation" to send them a link that they can use to access the session when it's time.



Please note: If you do not see the Collaborators feature on your account, please contact us to have it activated on your account. 


If you have employees at your Casting Company that also need to join, they can be added as an additional user on your account. These will not go towards your Collaborator limit when running a session. Please contact us to set those up!


Running an Eco Cast Live Session


1) Once your Actors have confirmed and you are ready to start running your session, click the blue "Eco Cast Live Session" button on the schedule page.



Please note: In order for an Actor to be able to join the Eco Cast Live, they must first confirm the audition.


2) You will be brought to the Eco Cast Live page. Your browser will prompt you to enable and turn on your camera and microphone and you will want to click "Allow".



3) You will now see yourself appear on the top-right corner of the page. We recommend testing out your system before the start of your session by clicking the “Test Now” button. This will check if your Operating System, Web Browser, and Network Speed are supported. 

  • Check for updates to your device’s system and browser software. Restart your device.
    • Use a device with these minimum system requirements:
    • Mobile: iOS Safari (2017), Android 4.2.2 (2013)
    • Browsers for Computers: Google Chrome 28+, Firefox 22+, Safari 11+, Opera 18+, Microsoft Edge 12+
  • Plug-in your device to a power source or ensure your battery is fully charged.
  • Use landscape orientation on a phone or tablet.
  • Close all apps and browser tabs. This will allow your device to fully prioritize its resources to your Eco Cast Live session.


Once you are ready, you can click "Start Session" to begin. You are able to start an Eco Cast Live Session up to 30 minutes before its indicated start time. 



4) On the left side of the page, you will see four statuses for the Actors: "In the Room," "On Deck," "Waiting Room," and "Not Checked In". 



  • "In the Room": The Actor currently auditioning with you.

  • "On Deck": The Actor who is next up.

  • "Waiting Room": These are the Actor(s) remaining in the waiting room.

  • "Not Checked In": The Actor(s) that have not yet entered the session.

For your reference, this is what the Actor will see when they're in the Waiting Room:


 

5a) When an Actor has marked themselves as "Ready", you will be able to bring them into the room by clicking the "Bring Into Room" button. 



5b) Alternatively, if you want to alert an Actor that they are next, click "Move On Deck" to add them onto the "On Deck" section. This will notify the Actor that they are On Deck, and you can bring them in when ready.



6) If you are running the session with Collaborators, you will all appear on the screen. The first Casting Team member to start the session will be the Session Runner and the Reader by default. You can re-assign the role of Session Runner or Reader to any other member of the Casting Team or Collaborator.



7) With our new Chat feature, you can send a message to a specific Actor, to all Actors in the Waiting Room, or to all the Actors in the Audition Room, to let them know that you will be beginning shortly, running a little behind, etc. You can also choose to turn on the "Allow Replies" option, if you would like the Actors to be able to respond. 



For your reference, this it what it looks like if you have received a chat from an Actor:



Please note: Collaborators are not able to use the Chat feature.


8a) Once you have brought an Actor into the room and are ready to begin recording, click the white circle button.

 


8b) The button will turn red, and a red border will frame the Actor’s video feed to indicate that you are actively recording a take. To stop recording, click the red circle button. You are welcome to record as many takes as you would like!



For reference, the Actor will see a reverse view when the audition is live and being recorded, with you as the center video and themselves in a small thumbnail in the top right:




9) For a session with Collaborators, only the Session Runner can initiate the Recording. When they do, the Actor will only be able to see themselves and the designated Reader. Others can be heard if they would like to give input, but only the Actor's and the Reader's voices will be recorded on the take.



For reference, from the Actor's view, there is no one on the screen but the Reader during the recording. The Actor will be looking at the Reader during takes, and they will see all Collaborators in a grid between takes.



10) You can delete takes by clicking the trash icon next to a take. 



11a) If you aren't done with auditioning an Actor and want to bring them in later, you can move them back to the waiting room by clicking the "Send Back to Waiting Room" button.



You will be asked if you want to confirm and click "Yes, Send Back" to continue. This will end the current audition and upload the takes to Eco Cast.  However, the Actor will not be released from the session, so you can bring them back in from the Waiting Room later.



11b)  Otherwise, if you're done with an Actor, click "Done with Actor".



You will be asked if you want to confirm and click "Yes, Dismiss Actor" to continue. This will end the current audition and upload the takes to Eco Cast, and the Actor will be dismissed.



You can then choose to bring another Actor in from "On Deck" or from the "Waiting Room" Repeat the process again until you finish your auditions.


12) After you've finished recording everyone, click "End Session" to end the session for everyone.



You will get a prompt that will ask you to confirm that you want to end the session. Click "Yes, End Session". Once you choose to end the Eco Cast Live session, you will not be able to restart or rejoin it. Choosing "End Session" will end this session for you and anyone else in it. 



Please note: If you experience any technical difficulties or connectivities issues, your session will not automatically conclude. You will be able to rejoin your Eco Cast Live at any point, up until you decide to end the session.


13) You can now go directly to Eco Cast by clicking "Manage Eco Cast on Breakdown Express", which is available to you right after you end a session. 



Please note: It may take a minute or two for the last few recorded videos to finish processing before they will appear on the Eco Cast.


14) Now you will be able to review and share your videos and auditions in Eco Cast. 



If you would like to share the media from the audition session with your Collaborators or anyone else, you can do so using Presentations. For more information about creating and sharing Presentations, click here!



Next Steps