Acting with the Voice: The Art of Recording Books

by Robert Blumenfeld

Overview

Blumenfeld convincingly argues that the basic techniques of acting apply whether the actor is performing onstage or in a sound studio. Numerous practice exercises help the actor to speak the words of a text that can be enhanced by the varying sounds of the human voice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780879103019
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/01/2004
Series:	Limelight
Pages:	382
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.79(d)

Table of Contents

	List of Illustrative Texts and Practice Exercises	ix
	Acknowledgments	xiii
	Foreword: The Art and the Business of Recording Books	xv
	How to Use This Book: A Note About the Phonetic Symbols and the Illustrative Texts	xix
	Introduction: Getting Started in the Book Recording Business	1
	What You Need to Get Started	2
	The Resume	2
	The Demo Tape or CD	4
	Getting an Agent	4
	The Casting Process	6
	Auditions: What a Director Expects	7
	The Recording Session: What a Director Expects	8
	Publishers of Recorded Books in the USA	8
	Book Recording in the UK and Canada	11
Chapter 1	The Voice	15
	The Nature and Care of the Voice	15
	Some Advice About Vocal Technique	16
	Finding Your Voice	19
	Placing the Voice	19
	Supporting the Voice	21
	Breathing and Breath Control	22
	Developing Variety and Flexibility	23
	Paralinguistics: How to Do Different Voices	24
	How to Change Your Voice	25
	Vocal Exercises	27
Chapter 2	Diction and Pronunciation	29
	Some Definitions and Some Notes on Language	30
	A Guide to the Correct Pronunciations of General American and of British RP	34
	Positions of Vocal Apparatus	36
	Phonetics	37
	Stress Patterns: Rhythm	42
	Pitch (Intonation, Music)	44
	Some Sounds to Avoid	44
	Some Difficulties of English: Some Things to Look Out For	45
	Some Words with Two Pronunciations	46
	Comparative Pronunciations for British RP and General American	49
	Pronouncing Foreign Names, Words and Phrases	51
	Practice Exercises for Good Diction	55
	Recommended Texts and Exercises for More Diction Practice	59
Chapter 3	Microphone and General Recording Techniques	61
	A Brief History of Recording	61
	The Microphone	65
	Microphone and Recording Technique	65
	The Environment of the Soundproof Sound Studio	66
	Preparing for the Recording Session	67
	What to Expect: How the Recording Session Works	68
Chapter 4	Acting Methods and Techniques	74
	A Glossary of Some Common Terms	83
	Subtext and Intentions: An Exercise	86
Chapter 5	Reading Techniques	88
	Some Important General Hints	89
	Preparing the Text for Recording	91
	Charles Dickens: His Public Readings	93
	Helen Potter's Impersonations	116
	Phrasing and Rhythm	118
	Personalize the Text	127
	Some Recommendations for Further Reading and Listening	133
	A Final Exercise, from Charles Kent's Charles Dickens as a Reader (1872)	135
Chapter 6	Recording Prose Fiction	137
	General Advice: Telling the Story	137
	Understanding Style and Period	144
	Setting the Scene: The Opening	164
	Some Openings: How to Read Them	164
	Reading Different Kinds of Scenes	181
	Action Scenes	181
	Love Scenes	186
	Descriptions	197
	The Character's Voice: Creating a Character Vocally	202
	Attitudes Are Adjectives	209
	Actions Are Verbs	221
	Using Accents	239
	More Practice Texts	249
Chapter 7	Recording Plays	262
	Notes, Comments and Hints on Lady Macbeth's Monologue	263
	From Chekhov's On the Harmfulness of Tobacco	267
Chapter 8	Recording Poetry	272
	About Poetry	272
	Some Poems	277
Chapter 9	Recording Nonfiction: Making the Text Come Alive	297
	How to Read Biography, Autobiography and Memoirs, and History	300
	Illustrative Texts: Biography	302
	Autobiography and Memoirs	308
	History	321
	Essays and Philosophy	329
	Other Genres	341
	Humorous Nonfiction	346
	Selected Bibliography	353