Proper diction, enunciation, pronounciation and developing the ability to eliminate regional dialects whe roles don't call for them all serve the actor but nothing is more important than an emotionally free and accessible voice.
Acting Techniques - The Actor's Voice
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Any actor who is serious about the craft should do vocal work on a regular basis. The voice is a wonderful instrument of expression but only to the extent that emotions are allowed to ride upon the melody of sound. Classes in vocal technique, singing, diction, and dialects are a must. However, you can have the best diction in the world and if your voice doesn't carry emotion, you won't be believable. The voice is a reed instrument and should be capable of many different nuances in exrpession.
For example, if you sound the same when your character is choked up over some traumatic event as you do when they are at peace, what is there to watch? The audience wants to feel what the character feels and one way they can feel that is thru the vibration of the voice in response to emotional input so, in addition to the standard voice lessons, work with allowing emotional expression in your voice by rehearsing different scenes and noticing your voice in them.
Just as emotional restriction in your formative years can have a restricting impact on your body and the way it moves, so can it impact the ability of your voice to express fully.
If you were not encouraged to express yourself freely as a child, you may have a voice that is functioning far below it s potential for strength and expression. On the other hand, if you always had to yell to get attention, you may find it impossible to speak softly with the same authority.
Pay attention to your own voice in the days to come, and to the voices of those around you. You will begin to see that personality is indicated quite definitely by the tone, volume and rhythm of the voice. This is valuable research for developing character voices, but is also necessary to bring awareness to your own verbal melody, or lack of melody. The purpose is to develop a voice that is capable of expressing many personalities; any personality that you desire.
An actor must become a master of observation. Learn to observe your own voice, body movements and emotions in real situations and you will be imprinting those memories on your mind for easier use later on when a part calls for that type of memory. Again, realize I am not saying you will recall the memory of the event and relive it. You will recall how your voice sounded and how your body moved, in response to an event and be able to incorporate those actions into the current scene. Wow, what a difference it will make!
Learn to avidly watch others too (of course, one must be discreet....) and notice how the voice changes when someone is getting upset, getting happy, getting nervous, etc. Mentally store these nuances of expression. How do you store them? Simply by telling your mind at the time that you want to do so. Get in a habit of doing this. You can also do the same thing with animals. By watching their movements and reactions you can learn wonderful new character traits to incorporate.
Voice Development Technique: This exercise was part of a larger vocal development class I took in New York years ago. It was much more involved in the class but, for the purposes of simplicity and a good tool to develop the muscles that support strong voice, here is a simplified version:
Lay on your back with mouth open as far as is comfortable, with arms extended on floor over your head. Come up as if doing a sit-up and, as you begin to rise, make a tone. Continue the tone all the way up and over, as you bring your hands to touch your toes (or toward the toes, anyway, if you are less flexible, like me!). As you touch your toes, take a deep breath in.
As you begin to go back down to lying, make the tone again. This exercise will strengthen your abdominal muscles for better projection. After you've done it a few times, to warm up the voice, start lowering the tone bit by bit, as low as you can go, with each sit up. (Will get your abs in shape too!)
The exercises for the voice are similar to those for the physical body and have the same objectives: to free you from limitations, and to increase awareness and accessibility.
VOCAL EXERCISES - YOUR VOICE AS AN ACTOR
a. OBSERVATIONWhereas you paid attention to any restriction of movement in the physical exercises, you will now notice any difficulty in expressing verbally. Begin as before, by choosing a time when you will be undisturbed and putting yourself in a relaxed state. Warm up by using your voice, making sounds but no words, as follows:
Note: We are such a verbal society that this exercise can be challenging for some. If you find you simply can't just make any old sound that comes out, which is what we're aiming for here, then pick a word like "ha" or "da" or "puh" and do the exercise above.
b. ALLOWING EMOTION
Returning to the list of words in the physical exercise of the same name, detaching from any need to form verbal patterns in the mind, and allow your voice to tell you how that emotion or state sounds. Start by making sound only, to represent each word. It could be a moan, a scream, an almost silent sigh, etc. Then, actually say each word, feeling it on your tongue and lips, allowing the concept represented in the letters to be interpreted vocally.
c. COMBINING PHYSICAL AND VERBAL
You have an inexhaustible well of originality that will continually refresh and replenish your work, provided you avoid accepting the last interpretation as the best.
To evaluate what you've learned from lesson three, journal the following:
What words were difficult for you and which ones were easy to get in touch with emotionally?
Did you notice that your body did anything when you were doing the exercises? Did your arms or hands move or express in a certain way that would indicate an emotional response from the body?
If so, do the exercise again attempting to strengthen whatever reaction the voice was giving way to in the body response.
Acting Lesson Four - The Actor's Emotions
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