Directing Yourself On-Camera with John McKinney

Few things are as confounding to an actor as trying to interpret commercial copy. Between the absurd, unrealistic and often silly sounding language and the vague or sometimes confusing direction, figuring out what the client is looking for can seem like an impossible task. And in this post-Covid world of self-submissions, this guessing game has become even more difficult as actors try to interpret copy on their own, often without any human direction whatsoever.

The good news is, commercial copy is often embedded with a great many hints and clues that can help you nail that commercial audition exactly the way the ad agency envisioned it – once you know where to look for them.

Join commercial casting director John McKinney as he shares his many helpful secrets to copy codebreaking. Using each actor’s performance as a springboard to broader discovery, John will shine a spotlight on all those hidden directions woven into the text and video directions of your copy, allowing actors to make more correct interpretations in their auditions with exactly the kind of nuanced, richly layered performances ad agencies are looking for.

This class is for experienced on-camera actors only.

RSVP'D Actors will receive commercial copy scripts and the ZOOM Invitation to participate the morning of the class.

Commercial copy scripts will be sent the morning of the class.

CASTING DIRECTOR BIO

John McKinney

John’s diverse background in the commercial world began as a radio DJ, followed by a long and successful career as an advertising creative (think Mad Men but without the skinny ties and martini lunches) at several prestigious New York ad agencies where he worked on over a hundred national brands. During this period, John became increasingly drawn to the theatre world, first as an actor and then later as a playwright. This eventually led him to a new career path – commercial casting – starting as a voiceover casting director for a major midtown recording studio, then striking out on his own in 2019 to form John McKinney Casting where he now casts on-camera and theatrical projects as well. Today, John is held in high regard by talent agencies on both coasts as a voiceover coach to actors wanting to advance their skillset and perfect their craft. He is especially known for working with theatre trained actors and helping them to understand the often confusing but critical nuances of commercial copy.

REQUIREMENTS

You must have completed a Casting Access Application prior to registering for this class. Participants MUST be able to stay for the entire class.

Please note that the 90-day frequency restriction applies to this workshop. Your last frequency-restricted workshop must have taken place no less than 90 (ninety) days prior to this event to be eligible to register.

Only those participants who have received a telephoned or e-mailed confirmation message from staff will receive a link inviting them to the session. Waitlisted individuals who have not received such confirmation will not be sent the link to join the class.