The voice as a tool

It is blistering hot! Checked my phone for the temp. It says 29 degrees, but feels like 39 degrees! No wonder it is so uncomfortable when you're not sitting in front of a high-speed fan or locked in an airconditioned room.

My mother stepped out of the kitchen, where she hangs out watching TV while doing a bit of food prep work. She complained about feeling dizzy. You betcha! How can it not make your blood pressure zing when the temperature outdoors is so high and you're sitting in a kitchen with added heat from the stove.

Got reeled in for non-writing work in the office. We're coming out with a podcast starting tomorrow. The voice-overs weren't finalized yet. The supervising staff got caught in an extended meeting and sent an SOS.

As stressful as it was to coach the young staff assigned to do the V/Os due to time constraints, it was fun. I had to record a demo to 'show' them how they can deliver their spiels better. They had to re-record multiple times because I felt their initial attempts lacked verve. In the end, they were quite happy with the result.

Thank God for the theater training during high school. It also taught me a lot about doing voice work. There is a world of difference when you simply read a script versus act out the script just using your voice.

That's why watching clips or videos of BTS voice acting is something I am quite interested in. I've learned to pick up nuances and cadence and phrasing, and how it can totally elevate how even just one line is delivered.

It is not totally acting but simply giving the right tone or emotion when saying something on air, whether live or recorded. And how modulating the voice through proper breathing and correct movement of the mouth can make you sound so different.

Utilizing one's voice as a tool for acting is one thing that is missing among local actors, especially the studio stars. That's why you become so familiar with who's on TV acting even without seeing them onscreen.

Hats off to theater actors who cross over to television or film. They just do things at another level primarily because of training, which uses every available tool in their person - face, voice, and body.

Even changing the cadence of our speech transforms some blah script or spiel to something else. Of course, it takes a lot of training and practice. But the key is for each actor to want to explore all these and apply them when they start filming.

I remember watching a mini series of a Sidney Sheldon book adapted for TV years ago. One character was an aspiring actress. Her name was India. She eventually left to study acting and when she came back, even her closest friend didn't recognize her. It wasn't just her look that changed, but her voice as well. It was so well modulated and India explained the secret: proper breathing!

And it is true. Deep breathing exercises, and breathing through the diaphragm will lower your voice a notch or two. If you are acting or doing voice work, training will enable you to adjust your pitch as needed. The challenge is consistency, especially when using a particular tone for a certain role or project.

So, if you want to tweak something in you, or develop a new skill, try working on your vocals. It's not just for singing.

Will you look at that? I got an article done! Am so happy. But yes, it still is very, very hot!

Images from Unsplash