Continuing our tips for voice actors, this time around I thought I’d hit on vocal warm ups. The reason being, I suspect a lot of people new to voice work might also be new to acting. Which means you may have missed out on learning about the importance of warming up your voice (and your body) before performing. Most stage performers, especially in a school or community setting, will have had a director leading them through group warm ups with the cast. When you’re talking screen or voice over, traditionally warming up falls exclusively to the responsibility of the individual actor. Much like a singer, a voice actor needs to stretch and warm up their voice to truly be able to use their “instrument” efficiently. And I promise you, if you do some of these exercises before going on mic, you will see a difference.
ENUNCIATION
In order to speak clearly, you need to be able to enunciate your words. Even if your character isn’t meant to sound crisp and clear, starting from a place of sharp pronunciation will allow you to choose when to fall back into a less enunciated character. It becomes your personal choice, not a limitation of your mouth. So this means warming up your face and your tongue. There are a ton of exercises out there to help warm up your enunciation. The main thing to focus on is over exaggerating the words as you say them so you are warming up the extremes of your face muscles, tongue and even voice. This is one I learned many, many moons ago when I performed at a Renaissance Festival. We’d have to be understood shouting from a distance (in our Americans-doing-British accents) Before any recording session, I will run this over exaggerating the words. If you don’t sound ridiculous, you aren’t doing it full out!
“What a to-do to die today at a minute or two to two. A thing distinctly hard to say, but harder still to do. For we’ll be two-tattoo at a twenty to two, a rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tattoo. And the dragon will come when he hears the drum at a minute or two to two today at a minute or two to two.”
So you see all of those T’s in there. Also, the word “What” allows you to really stretch your face if you say it super exaggerated. I roll my R on “rat” and overdo “dragon” “come” and “drum”
BREATH
You can do this above exercise slowly to hit all of the exaggerated consonants. Then, if you end up memorizing this, you can also use it as a breathing exercise. How fast (while still being clear) can you say it? Can you do it in one breath? Perhaps you’ve noticed one of my favorite gags for Madison is a monologue she says at lightening fast speed. The comedy lands when she doesn’t take a breath in the monologue. So I run this exercise several times at normal speed for enunciation, then as fast as I can in one breath. The more you do it, the stronger your lungs will get, and you won’t “run outta gas” by the end where your last few words are barely audible. It’s a challenge!
Why does warming up your breathing matter? Even without Madison’s one-breath monologues, opening up your lungs and giving you more air behind your performance will give your delivery power. A power you will be able to control. As an editor of voice actors, I certainly do prefer avoiding giant breaths in the middle of lines. Oh, yes, sometimes the emotion of the moment absolutely dictates it, and I always leave those in to sound natural. But in a normal conversation, not a fan of giant breaths in the middle of the line. I will cut them out because they are hard on the listener’s ear. So as a voice actor, if you have more control over when you breathe, you won’t be gasping for a breath mid-sentence.
VOCAL RANGE
Other warm ups should get your entire vocal range accessible. As high your voice can go, to as low. That way you have command of your entire range as you portray your character. Singers do scales. And if that’s something you have access to, go for it. Going to as high and as low on the piano as your voice can stretch. For me, sans piano, I do “ahhs” reaching for the ceiling. Like, you should be cracking, sounding terrible, not singing a pretty note AT ALL. I push my voice as high as I can go. Scaring my cats. It’s not a range I would sing or speak normally, but the extreme. Then all of my higher register is open. Then going as low as I can. I will do a “hmmm” where my voice gets a nice vocal massage in the basement of my range. Then playing between the two. Go as high as you can, then slide down to as low as you can. Up and down over and over.
FACIAL WARM UPS
Lastly I do a lot of facial warm ups. Some of this was accomplished in my exaggerated enunciation stretches. I’ll push my face to its wide limits. One of my favorite warm ups for the face from theater is “mouse and lion.” Squish your face down, pursing your lips, as a tiny, tiny mouse. Then open wide your face and your mouth like an angry lion roaring. No sound, just the facial movements. Repeat over and over. Then I’ll do lip sputters. Like the childhood “motor boat” sounds. Loosen up the lips so they are ready to say anything!
Do a lot of people just jump on mic and perform without any of this prep work? Of course they do. But why go into a recording with your own voice limiting your performance? It separates the professional from the amateur. You see professional athletes stretching and warming up all the time. Do you think voice actors in the top of their field, voicing animation, commercials, video games are just walking into the studio without any warm ups? Do your best work by doing your prep work and warm up!
-Chrisi (aka Madison)
