– (Cecília Andrade/)
QUESTION Matheus Costa, Brasília, DF
To make a dummy “talk”, the ventriloquist needs to move it in sync with his voice, emitted without moving his lips. Neuroscience explains how the spectator is deceived: when the sound and the movements of the puppet’s mouth happen at the same time, the tendency is to associate them unconsciously – the same happens when we watch TV and think that the sound comes from the lips of those in the audience. screen and not the speakers.
The practice of ventriloquism is believed to have started around 300 BC., in ancient Greece, used by oracles to simulate the voice of the gods. In the Middle Ages, the technique was associated with witchcraft and, in the 16th century, began to appear in magic shows. Only at the end of the 19th century did it take on its current format, with puppets amusing the audience with stories and jokes.
Some ventriloquists do the puppet voice while pretending to drink water. The trick is done with a special cup, used in magic acts.
Check out how the sound illusion is created:
1) STILL LIPS
Speaking without moving your mouth, with parted lips, requires breath and practice. Beginners start practicing speaking vowels in front of a mirror, always inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly.
2) EXCHANGE OF LETTERS
Pronouncing letters like “p”, “b”, “m” and “f” without moving your lips is difficult. In these cases, the way out is to say “no” instead of “mother” and “tact” instead of “duck”, for example. In the midst of other words, no one notices the difference in pronunciation.
3) LIVING OBJECT
Small actions of the puppet, such as shaking its head, deceive the audience, making it associate the sounds with the movements. Furthermore, at the time of the “speech”, the ventriloquist stares at him, leading the audience’s gaze.
4) VOCAL IDENTITY
Developing a voice for the puppet is essential for the audience to believe that it is he who is speaking. The intonation needs to match the profile of the character and, at the same time, be very different from the ventriloquist’s voice.
5) SCRIPT IS EVERYTHING
The text needs to be memorized, with the most difficult words rehearsed several times. The process helps the ventriloquist forget that he is talking to himself and makes the dialogue more natural.
CONSULTANCY Yakko Sideratos, actor and ventriloquist
SOURCES Book Dumbstruck: A Cultural History of Ventriloquismby Steven Connor, and website Science Daily