Projection Part 1: Projection for the Actor

When I first started acting, projection was a problem I just couldn’t seem to master. It seemed the notes that I got the most were to “project!” and “be louder!” I hate notes like that because they did me no good as it was obvious that I didn’t know how to be any louder. Over time I began to understand and within my first year I eliminated that note completely. It was only a year or two after that I began to learn how I had achieved the art of being louder. So how can you learn to do the same? How can you learn to project without going hoarse, or hearing “speak up” one more time? Well, it’s a three step process really, but with a little daily practice, projection can become your default position.

The three steps of this process are simply levels of knowledge that you must acquire before you can truly project. First you must learn how your body breathes, second you must learn how your body produces sound, and lastly how to use your diaphragm. We’ll go through these first two very quickly, as I’ll discuss them in more detail in later articles this week, and right now we’ll focus more in depth on how to utilize your diaphragm.

So step one in projection is to learn how to breathe. “But I already know how to breathe,” you say, “It’s kinda the reason I’m alive.” And yes, that’s true, but you must also realize that there is a difference between breathing to live and breathing to project. The second requires more air and a more efficient use of that air. So the best way to learn how to breathe is to learn how NOT to breathe. There are many misconceptions about how we breathe and these are what are keeping you from doing this correctly.

Two Most Common Breathing Misconceptions:

Our Lungs Expand Outward - The first misconception is that when we breathe or lungs expand front and back, or outward like a whoopee cushion. This isn’t the case however. What actually happens is that your lungs expand in three dimensions all at once, like a balloon. They expand outward yes, but they also expand up and down and side to side. Think about your lungs working that way and try to breathe, you’ll very quickly learn that you can take in more air with this updated knowledge of your body map. If you believe that your lungs only expand in two directions, you’ll only get that much air. Believe that they expand three-dimensionally and you’ll find you can breathe deeper than ever before.

Our Lungs Are What Makes Us Breathe – Nope, it’s that magical muscle the diaphragm that breathes you. Your lungs are just inert sacks of air, what pushes and pulls air in and out of them is the contracting of your diaphragm. To feel this for yourself, push lightly with the pads of your fingers in the center of your chest, just below where your rib structure ends. When you breathe you will feel the muscle of your diaphragm moving. So now see how different it feels to stop breathing from your lungs and start breathing from your diaphragm.

So now that we know how we breathe, we can find out how we make sounds. There are two major misconceptions here as well.

Two Most Common Sound Misconceptions:

Sound Comes from the Air We Breathe Out – Well, yes and no is the answer to this one. Yes, sound is helped by that air you breathe out, but that is not how your body produces sound. Keep in mind that sound travels in a wave that is created through vibration. Yes, the air vibrating out of your throat makes noise, but the sound is primarily produced by the vibration of your diaphragm, vocal chords and larynx. With that in mind . . .

Sound Comes from Our Throat - So now that we know that there are many things that can vibrate to make noise, we can begin to reshape the way we see this system working. Now you must realize that your body acts as one big resonating chamber; not just your throat. Your chest itself can act like a resonation chamber to amplify your voice and project it farther. Think about that the next time you speak or sing and you’ll see how much better you can do both just by realizing that your throat alone can’t make sounds that loud, but your mouth, throat and chest can produce a booming sound.

Great, with those formalities dealt with let’s get to the really fun part of this article, which is learning to use your diaphragm. There are two great methods to learn to project, but before we get into them I want to put forward a disclaimer: If at any point while you try these exercises your voice becomes hoarse, or your throat becomes sore and scratchy, stop immediately. “No pain no gain” is bull, if it hurts, you’re doing it wrong. You’re pushing from your throat and that’s the quickest way to hurt yourself or lose your voice. Be aware of how you feel, because the vibrations you will feel in your chest should feel pleasant; there should be no pain involved in this.

With that said, let’s get to the fun stuff. So the first thing you’re going to want to do before you try these is to find your diaphragm. Run your fingers down the center of your chest right along your sternum until you feel the bottom curve of your rib structure. When you feel this I want you press in slightly and take a deep breath in. If you feel the soft flesh contract into a hard muscle under your fingertips you’re in the right place. That’s the muscle we call the diaphragm. So now the two exercises:

The Belt Method – This will give new meaning the term “belting it.” To do this exercise you’re going to need a . . . you guessed it, a belt. Just take whatever belt you would normally put around your waist and put it around your ribs instead. Wrap it at the widest part of your ribs, breathe out and buckle it down nice and tight. You should be able to breathe, but only small shallow breaths. If you can’t breathe at all, it’s too tight. So know that you’re strapped in the first thing you should notice is that your ribs cannot expand the way they want to and this in turn causes your breathing to be shallow. It’s hard to talk like this and it’s almost impossible to sing. So you’re going to have to learn how to breathe. Rather than trying to expand your lungs, try to breathe the air into your belly. What’s actually happening is that your diaphragm is pulling your lungs more downward than outward. Now try to speak. Believe me right now you’re probably projecting. In my experience it’s nearly impossible to speak from your head voice once you’re breathing from your diaphragm. So begin practicing your lines, or singing songs like this. Like any other muscle, your diaphragm with strengthen through use and with practice you won’t need the belt anymore and you’ll be projecting like a pro.

The Poking Method - Lastly you can try this method, which is much more productive with a partner. To do this stand with your back pressed against a wall and have your partner begin poking your diaphragm lightly with their finger tips. Don’t poke too hard; the point isn’t to hurt the other person, merely to make their diaphragm contract. So as you are being poked in the stomach I want you to start speaking in your normal voice and hear how bumpy it sounds, like when you were a kid and you used to talk into the rotating blades of a fan to hear how funny your voice sounded. Now begin to speak from your stomach, being aware of how your diaphragm feels as it contracts. This will help you become aware of how it should feel as you speak. If you don’t like getting poked all the time you can also try an alternate version of this where your partner puts their fist on your diaphragm and applies a steady, light pressure while you speak.

Before we wrap up this article for today I just want to say that I take no responsibility for what you do with these exercises. If your hurt yourself it’s own doing, I’m merely sharing with you what has worked with other actors in the past. Remember what I said before, if it hurts you’re doing something wrong.

So there you have it, two tried and true methods to learn how to project. If you have some you’d like to share feel free to submit them to the site and they will be reviewed and hopefully posted. And be sure to check back this week for articles on the use of breathe and sound for the actor. So until then, grab a belt, a partner and a diaphragm and Sin Boldly! . . . wait . . .

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