SYNOPSIS
Few things are as difficult and confounding to an actor as trying to interpret commercial copy. The copy can seem vapid and selly and if you get any direction at all, it is often vague or confusing, and usually given by someone who has nothing to do with making the final talent selection. The good news is that rules and guidelines about commercial copy exist and understanding them will provide all the direction you need to nail your reads.
Join commercial casting director, trained voice actor and former advertising creative, John McKinney as he shares this decoding rulebook. With insights from both sides of the mic, John has the unparalleled ability to help actors translate those silly sounding scripts into the kind of rich, layered reads ad agencies look for. Through a combination of mini-lectures, visual aids and student participation, actors will learn how to zero in on the emotional drivers behind different types of scripts, resulting in more artful, confident reads and more successful self-submissions.
REQUIREMENTS
This is an advanced level class. For members with 2+ years experience doing voiceover at a professional level. This class is not appropriate for beginners. Please do not RSVP if you are new to voiceover.
INSTRUCTOR BIO
John McKinney
As owner of John McKinney Casting, John routinely casts and directs voiceover talent for national TV and radio spots as well as occasional film and animation. Recent clients include Volvo, Coty, The Hartford, Anchor Steam Ale, Sony, Bismarck Industries, Dr. Pepper and Illinois Lottery. Prior to that, John worked as Casting Director for Pomann Sound where he worked on Verizon, Heineken, Castro, Fisher-Price and Michelob. John has also spent over twenty years as a copywriter writing and casting national TV and radio campaigns for major New York ad agencies, including Grey, McCann Worldwide, Grey Entertainbment and Gotham. All the while he kept a hand in doing voiceover work himself, voicing commercials for General Foods, Verizon and other national megabrands. John also works as a voice coach and voiceover demo producer. This diverse background gives John a unique ability to translate ad copy with subtlety and precision and to help other actors do the same.When not casting commercials, John pursues his “other calling” which is writing for the stage. As a three-time published and twice-award-nominated playwright John is used to working with seasoned stage actors and often draws from the theater world when casting commercial projects, and vice versa.