Online auditions have become the new normal in times of COVID-19. And making online auditions more interesting is short video sharing platform HiPi.
HiPi, which was launched earlier this year, launched Star Hunt last month which allowed users of HiPi to post videos for auditions for two upcoming originals of ZEE5 – Jamai 2.0 season 2 and Sunflower.
HiPi users had to follow the individual briefs for each role and enact the given situations in a 60s-to-90s short video and upload it on the app.
Explaining the audition process, Manish Kalra, Senior Vice President & Head AVOD, ZEE5 India, told Moneycontrol, "People can record auditions on HiPi and the videos are used to shortlist candidates. Lead actors along with directors of the two shows have been involved in the selection process. Plus, the platform has features which are helping participants make their audition videos more creative by using filters, video effects, movie songs, etc."
He said that for the Star Hunt which started from October 13, over 1,000 unique entries were registered in the first few days.
Along with Zee5 shows, HiPi is also looking at auditions for non-fiction shows.
In fact, for a leading music festival, the platform will be organising digital auditions for two categories including dancing and singing.
Kalra pointed out that digital auditions are helpful to both content creators like Zee Entertainment as well as artistes.
"A lot of our producers keep looking for new content and such a platform (HiPi) gives mass reach and it becomes easy to get talent. For artistes, it becomes an easy mechanism."
Ask Kalra if Zee Studios will use HiPi to audition for the films they are producing, he said that possibilities are unlimited.
While online/digital audition is an outcome of coronavirus impact, experts in the entertainment space believe that it is here to stay.
They also said that online auditions are more systematic, cost effective, and more convenient for both actors and production houses.
