Behind the Scenes!

Hey, ZOOMers! Lots of you have asked for a sneak peek into what it's like to be on the ZOOM show. So, we posed some of your behind-the-scenes Q's to the cast. Here's the A of what they had to say:

Meredith of Erie, PA asks:
What was it like to audition for the show? Was it nerve wracking, or was it like "ooo here's another audition?" or what?

Maya:
My first audition was nerve wracking before I actually went in the room, but after and during my audition, I had a lot of fun. Everyone was really nice.

Shing Ying:
Yeah, at first it was a little nerve-wracking, but everyone's so kind and awesome that it's hard to be nervous! Each time I'd always be thinking to myself "There are a lot of people trying out! Just be yourself!"

Kyle:
It was very nerve wracking because I didn't want to mess up.

Francesco:
The wait for the final call was unbearable.

Cara:
I hadn't been to many auditions before, so I was nervous, but there are so many great people at ZOOM that I felt more relaxed. It was more fun than anything to audition!

Mike:
For me, it was kinda nerve wracking but I'm usually pretty comfortable when it comes to stuff like that.

Kortney:
Ha! It was pretty nerve wracking for me because I thought I was gonna mess up or that I wouldn't make it to the next one.

Steven, age 12 of Boston asks:
What did you do for your audition and how many callbacks did it take until you got picked for the show? Was this the first time you auditioned for ZOOM?

Maya:
For my ZOOM audition I did a monologue (a one-person skit.) I got 4 callbacks 'till I got picked. This was the first time I auditioned - very cool.

Shing Ying:
It was my first time auditioning too. For the audition, kids had to improvise, do experiments, read, sing, dance, and have a ZOOMchat. I think it took me 4 callbacks.

Kyle:
We had 4 callbacks. We had to sing and dance and do plays. It was the second time I'd auditioned.

Francesco:
I read a poem and it was the first time I auditioned. One callback, out of about 4, I sang "La Cucaracha."

Mike:
I was picked the first time I auditioned for ZOOM too. I didn't have anything prepared. Instead I just went in and talked. I just was myself and I guess they liked it.

Cara:
For my audition I read a poem that I wrote about forgotten homework. It took 4 callbacks. It was really fun to meet all the kids.

Kortney:
For my audition I told a kind of joke that was told as a story and it had lots of puns in it. I think it was about 4 callbacks before I got picked for the show. It was my first time auditioning.

Jinelle of Nampa, ID asks:
How many episodes do you film a day?

Mike:
We don't actually film them in order. We do the segments all mixed up, then put them together to make shows.

Shing Ying:
We film by segment of whatever the studio is set up for (ex. If it's set up for cafes, we'll do cafes all day.)

Kortney:
Then they put the episodes together after we finish filming.

Mary asks:
What do you see when you are filming your scenes?

Maya:
I see props, chairs, cameras, the cast, the crew (some of them) and black curtains. Sometimes we can see what we are doing while we are doing it by looking at a monitor.

Cara:
There are really funny cameramen who do different things with cameras. We also see about... 1,2,3... a jillion lights!

Francesco:
I can see the camera and anyone else on set, but I don't look at any other people because it looks weird on TV.

Brittany, age 12, of Huron, TN asks:
If you were ever camera shy or had stage fright how did you get over it?

Cara:
I was very camera shy! I used to look like a deer in headlights! I just figured that people watched ZOOM to see us. I knew that they would always be supportive. After a while, you don't notice the camera.

Kyle:
I got over it by understanding that you can do things more than once.

Mike:
At ZOOM it's easy because you know everyone in the studio and they become your friends. So, you're no longer shy when you're around them.

Kristina, age 9 of Walton, NY asks:
What is it like to do everything in front of a camera?

Maya:
It was kind of scary my first day, but after that, I learned to pretend the camera wasn't even there.

Kortney:
It's cool, but also weird sometimes because the camera can see every move you make.

Mike:
You don't notice you do things and then realize it when you're watching the tapes later, but you become used to it and it feels just as natural as off camera.

Christina of Palm Bay, FL asks:
What is the hardest thing for you to do on the show?

Kyle:
The hardest thing is to do an introduction to a segment.

Francesco:
For me, it was memorizing lines because my memory stinks!

Shing Ying:
I talk way too fast. I am constantly being reminded to slow down!

Kortney:
The hardest thing for me to do on the show is stay in professional mode and not laugh while we are filming if something is really funny.

Grubace ubasks:
Whubut dubo yubou thubink ubof spubeakubing ububbubi dububbubi?

Kubyle:
Ubi thubink thubat spubeakubing ubour ubown lubangubuage ubis tubotuballuby cubool.

Mubike:
I actually had to learn it my first season. Almost everyone was familiar with the language except me.

Cubaruba:
Ubat fubirst, Ubububbubi Dububbubi ubis cubonfususubing, bubut thuben ubit gubets ubeasuby. It can be fun too. Recently, some of us were in a crowd and we spoke it and got the funniest looks. It's cool to think people can't tell what you're saying.

Frubancubescubo:
Ubi hubad uba lubittle truboububle ubat fubirst, bubut Ubi cubaught ubon. Now friends at my school are using it.

Mubayuba:
Ubi thubink thubat ubit ubis vuberuby cubool tubo hubave uba subecrubet lubangubuage thubat nubo ubone ubelse cuban ubunduberstuband (wubell, nubot mubanuby pubeopuble cuban.)

Megan asks:
What do you do between takes?

Francesco:
Between takes I just sit down and drink water.

Kortney:
I sit in the chairs they have off stage, practice lines, or talk to whoever is around me.

Shing Ying:
We rehearse lines, but between segments we hang out in a room we call the "ZOOMzone."

Maya:
The ZOOMzone is our own hangout and we decorate it, make rules for being in it, and hang out! We play games, do crafts, lots of stuff! It's really awesome.

Jessamyn, age 7 of Belmont, MA asks:
Do you watch ZOOM when you are finished taping it?

Kyle:
Sometimes the producers give us sneak previews, and I watch it when it comes out on TV.

Francesco:
Yeah, we get to see a short bloopers tape, but we have to wait just as long as you to see the show.

Shing Ying:
Once all the shows are edited, I always love seeing how they come out.

Cara:
It is so much fun to see and hear yourself. I thought I sounded different.

Hannah, age 7 of Sammamish, WA asks:
What is the best experience you have ever had as a ZOOMer?

Maya:
The best experience I EVER had as a ZOOMer was CampZOOM, the weekend we spend together before we start shooting the show, because we got to know each other really well, and overcame lots of our fears.

Cara:
Although every experience was awesome, I think being Kyle's arm for the Ubbi Dubbi Chef was the funniest and the best example of how strong our friendship is. I knew ZOOM would be great but I never dreamed it would be as awesome as it was.

Shing Ying:
I think my best experience as a ZOOMer would be playing the games. We all had so much fun and we learned how to cooperate even more, listen to each other, and complete the task at hand.

Mike:
For me, it was the experience as a whole. It changed me forever.

Faith, age 13 of Spartanburg, SC asks:
Do people notice you on the streets? If so, what is that like?

Kyle:
People haven't noticed me yet, but maybe after I'm on the show another year they might start approaching me.

Shing Ying:
A little girl did once and ran away when I asked what her name was (she was so cute!!!)

Cara:
Some people ask a lot of questions and that's fun, but I like to hear about them instead of talking about myself! I'm just Cara. I had my ZOOM shirt on at the beach and one group of kids came up to me and I got to talk to them. After, we looked for crabs together!

Mike:
It is strange because people approach me like they know me (and they do from the show) and I've never met them. I've also had little kids ask me if I'm Harry Potter.

Kortney:
Sometimes someone will notice me and it's really cool because how often do you meet a ZOOMer while walking down the street?

Keelin, age 9 of Seattle, WA asks:
Would you say this "ZOOM" TV show was the greatest experience of your lifetime so far? If so, why?

Kyle:
Yes it was, because I know I'll never-ever forget it.

Mike:
Yeah, it was definitely up there, if not the best.

Maya:
I would say it's one of the greatest because it was so life-enriching.

Kortney:
It has got to be the greatest because it's been so much fun and I have learned so much.

Francesco:
I have never been so excited and dedicated to anything. It was fun and I can't wait for next year!

Shing Ying:
ZOOM has definitely been my best experience ever. I met so many awesome people, became more optimistic, learned tons of stuff, and above all, had the time of my life.

Cara:
I learned so many new things and made so many great friends. I never in my wildest dreams thought it would be like this.