VENTRILOQUISM
or HOW TO MAKE MAKE A LIVING PLAYING WITH
DOLLS
Ventriloquism
is an ancient art that goes back centuries. Up until
the last 100 years, though, a dummy was not used by
the performer. Most vents (short for ventriloquists)
used a distant sounding voice to make it seem as if
ghosts or inanimate objects were talking. When the
use of "ventriloquist figures" (the term many vents
prefer) came into play, a whole new world opened for
performing.
THROWING YOUR
VOICE
Here is one of the big secrets
of ventriloquism: you really cannot throw your voice.
It is just an illusion that the sound comes from
somewhere else. The sense of hearing is the easiest
one to fool, and we vents use that fact to our
advantage. Just like a magician can misdirect your
eye, a ventriloquist can misdirect your ear. When we
are next to a figure that is moving and opening its
mouth as you hear words, your brain naturally makes
the connection that the dummy is
talking.
HOW WE DO
IT
There is much more to
ventriloquism than talking without moving your lips.
Most letters can be said without lip movement,
however there are a handful that cannot. These
require special work, and you can find more
information on those secrets at other sites on the
web, or email me if you are really interested.
You didn't think I was going to tell you
everything here, did you? The techniques of
producing these letters that need lip movement
require many many many hours of practice.
Ventriloquism is an art that you need to constantly
work on. When a performer is on vacation, there is
still practice in order not to lose that all
important lip control.
MOVEMENT
OF THE FIGURE
Another important part
of ventriloquism is the manipulation, as we like to
call it, of the dummy. The figure must be in almost
constant motion. Your eyes should be drawn to it,
with each movement adding to the illusion of life.
The mouth must open correctly in conjunction with
the words it is speaking. The head and whole body
should move and appear lifelike at all times. One of
the big mistakes that beginning vents make is to not
have the dummy move except when it is talking. Next
time you see someone perform, notice how they
manipulate the puppet and bring it to
life.
THE
CHARACTER
Another very important
facet is the character of the dummy. It is not
enough to be able to say "bottle of beer" without
moving your lips. The dummy has to have a very
definable character. It can be human, animal, male,
female, happy, sad, grumpy, silly, or whatever
qualities that make it unique and interesting to the
audience. Many vents will write a biography of their
"partners", listing such things as age, likes and
dislikes, educational background, and other items in
order to flesh out what this person they are working
with is really like. This also helps when writing
material, not only giving ideas for the dialogue, but
so that the dummy says things that are in
character.
GOING
SCHIZO
A ventriloquist is actually
acting for two people at the same time. Part of the
brain is keeping the dummy looking alive and in
character, while another part is keeping the vent in
character as well. There is a relationship between
the two that must be established. Are the vent and
figure friends or dislike each other? Is one dumb
while the other smart? Is one serious while the
other is funny? Whatever is done, the vent is
constantly thinking for two persons. Not only does
the dummy have a character, but there is an onstage
persona for the the ventriloquist that must be
maintained as well. Eventually the separation
between them becomes so natural and second nature
that the dummy can sometimes spout out an adlib that
will crack up the vent. No, Twilight Zone aside, we
aren't nuts, just very good at thinking for two
people at one time.
I hope this
gives you a little more background into the art of
ventriloquism. It may look easy, but trust me, there
is a lot of work that goes into a good performance.
Let me know your thoughts and
questions!
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