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  Vent Haven ConVENTion 2011!   

July 13 - 16

 

 

 
Tips and Techniques

Highlights from Past ConVENTion Sessions
Al Moessinger a.k.a. Allo's Adding Variety to Your Act
Written by Staff   

September 2007

Do you ever feel that your standard dialogue between character and vent is falling a little flat?  You want to get the audience involved but you don't want to be another vent who uses an audience member as a puppet?  You want a little pizzazz, but don't have any ideas how do that?  Al Moessinger knows some great ways to add variety to your act to spice up what you do and build that audience participation in a fun, different way. 

First, a comment about audio systems and your act.  This was a BIG topic at the 2007 ConVENTion and almost every lecturer touched on it in some way, really encouraging people to get good sound systems.  If you can't be heard, you've lost half the act.   A hands-free microphone system is key; a headset like the Countryman E6i Directional Earset is a great piece of equipment.  That let's you be mobile on stage and not limited to what you want to add to your act.  The audience will pay attention to you if they can hear you.  You can move around the stage but they stay focused on you because of your voice.  Be sure you put enthusiasm into your voice.  Liz Von Seggen's Fun with Character Voices DVD is great and Gary Owen is very knowledgeable and approachable.  You can always talk to him at the Convention about voice techniques. 

Okay, there are lots of different ways to open your show besides opening with a joke.  Not everybody is Jeff Dunham who can do an hour and half of killer stand-up material.  Jeff is highly talented, but he didn't just jump on stage and start doing one-man sold out shows.  He's had to work very hard to develop his craft.  Some vents might say that he has a gift and use that as an excuse for why their shows are not succeeding. Jeff does have a gift for great comedy and funny characters, but everyone has gifts.  You need to find your gift; they can come from lots of different places.  When you figure it out, really work to develop that gift into an amazing talent that works for your act and makes it your own.  The purpose is to be entertaining and there are lots of ways to achieve that. 

One technique that Al likes to use is opening with clapping. Using his Roland SP 404 to quickly and easily add music, Al starts pulling a streamer out of his mouth to the beat of the music, all the while the audience is clapping.  The music is lively classical music like Flight of the Bumblebee, and Al is dancing around.  It gets the audience energized and ready for fun.  At the end of the bit, Al is sure to do a safety reminder that boys and girls shouldn't stuff anything into their mouths that's not food.  It was magic in his mouth, and they can go to the library to learn more about magic.  You can also open the show with another bit of magic, pulling a volunteer from the audience and asking them to tear up a piece of paper and stuff the bits into your hand.  Then you pull out a paper hat for the boy or girl to wear on his/her head.

When doing an educational show, Al follows the show to a T and only ad libs a little because the educational show has been carefully crafted and things tie together in the end.  If it's a family audience with both kids and adults, it's important to mix it up and make sure that elements of the act appeal to both.  Also, watch your audience and read their reactions; be prepared to jump to something else if a bit doesn't seem to be working.  Having some extra tricks in your arsenal is important.

Al pulls out his duck Webster who has brought an invention, a hypnotize wheel... or something to make him gain or lose weight in thirty seconds.  The audience stares at the wheel while it turns for 30 seconds.  Then the wheel is taken away and Webster either looks bigger or smaller.  Using a prop mixes up the standard vent act and gives it a little more interest. 

Webster: Knock knock
Al: Who there?
Webster: Dishes.
Al: Dishes who?
Webster: Dishes a nice group. 

Another way to open the show or warm-up the audience for an educational show is to use the color/rainbow ropes, an easy to find magic trick.  This is a very versatile, portable trick you can always carry in your pocket. Dialogue to match can be adapted in a variety of ways.  In this case, the three ropes are red, white and blue. You tie them together and then ask a student in the audience to test out if they are tied together by pulling the rope tight.  While the student is holding on, you can pull on the rope a bit and drag the kid across the floor a little which gets a laugh.  Then always thank the boy or girl for following directions, tying some manner cues into the show. Once the three parts of rope -- red, white, and blue -- are tied together, the dialogue goes something like this:

"The red rope is for believing in yourself.  If you don't believe in yourself, you won't go anywhere.  You need to believe in yourself. We'll be talking about that in the show today. The white rope is choosing good character.  This is very important and we're going to talk about that today too.  The blue rope is choosing good friends.  The people you hang around with make all the difference."

"We've put all these things together -- believing in yourself, choosing good character, and choosing good friends -- so what good are these lessons?  No good unless you use your brain.  Pretend your hand is your brain (at this point wrap the rope around the hand).  Anything can happen so you need to pay attention and have a bit of knowledge.  Everyone pull a handful out of your pocket. (Students should put their hands into their pockets and pretend to pull out a fist.)  Raise your hand in the air and on the count of three shout, 'Be the best you can be!' and throw it up here. 

One, two, three...BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE!

"Choosing friends or choosing good character is not an individual lesson. They all go together to make you the bet you can be."  At this point the rope is unwrapped from the hand and is all one rope.  Ooohh, aaaahhh.  You've just introduced three character components that will be talked about later on in the show.  This trick can adapted for different stories but it packs flat and is easy to do. 

Another technique especially if you perform for children is to take a familiar song and make it visual.  For example, the song Bingo can be done using a clothesline (insert history lesson since most kids have probably never seen a clothesline, ha ha) and big, laminated letters on one side and clapping hands on the other.  The roped stretched across the stage makes the stage look full.  The vent can be mobile and active.  As you lead the song, point to the letters.  When it's time, flip them to the clapping hands and lead them in the clapping.  With the music pre-programmed on the Roland SP 404, it's very easy.

Game shows and reality shows are very popular right now.  Develop a 'game show' for your act.  Say, "Now we're going to play 'Whose Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" As you pull volunteers from the audience, introduce the ladies first and point out that it's good manners to let the ladies go first.  One idea is to do a dance contest.  A good song choice for this is The Twist.  A hula hoop contest is another idea that provides opportunities for fun and laughs.  Get good hula hoops, not the cheap plastic ones and be sure to have some large and small.  Whenever you bring people up from the audience, everyone gets to be a winner.  Don't actually pick a single winner.  At the end of the Hula Hoop Contest, announce you are going to pick the Hula Hoop Champion.  When the person comes up on stage, whisper in his ear (be sure you turn off your mic so as not to give it away to the audience) to just hold his hands up and dance around, that you'll take care of the hoop.  You move the hoop behind the person while they are dancing and being silly.  The audience can see the vent holding the hula hoop, but it is still funny. 

Kids and adults as you can tell by the picture below really like the Air Guitar Championship.  Select three or four volunteers from the audience and use a short music clip.  Johnny B. Goode is a nice choice because it doesn't offend anyone and most people recognize it.  Ask the contestants how long they've been playing and what kind of guitar they will be using.  It's easy to use the puppet with this bit.

 

Taking a game and adding a lesson is a great for educational shows.  The Smoke Detector Game is great for fire safety.  You take five smoke detectors and attach them to a board with a hinge and number them. One detector needs a new battery so the game is to push the test button to figure out which one it is.  The dialogue goes something like this:

"Your smoke detector is only good if the battery is good. We're going to test these detectors today to find out which one needs a new battery.  Our firemen friends say you should test the battery every month.  You should change the battery when you change your clocks in the spring and fall, and when you come back from vacation.  When the battery is low the smoke detector will beep, but if you've been on vacation you might not have heard the beeping."   Then you bring volunteers up to press the buttons and test them out. It's easy and people enjoy participating. 

Adding variety to your act means getting creative and breaking out of the simple puppet/vent dialogue routine.  It makes it easy to use music in the act without simply singing a song.  It also allows for a wide-range of audience participation that's different from turning someone into a dummy.  These ideas are fun and simple for the audience to do and make everyone who gets up feel like a winner.  Find that pizzazz by creatively adding variety to your act. 

To find out more about Al Moessinger, visit him at his website www.alloshow.com.
 
 
Al Stevens' Music in Ventriloquism
Written by Annie Roberts   

"Music is an integral part of most entertainment art forms, and ventriloquism is no exception" (all quotes are taken from Al Stevens' copious notes that accompanied his presentation and are available on his CD-Rom).   In HBO's 1978 Vent Event, all the performers used music or sang except Edgar Bergen, but Bergen did make fun of the band leader so that sort of counts.  This article will cover the kinds of music a vent might use, how to actually incorporate different music into the act, do's and don'ts for novice singers, and how to use backing tracks which is how most vents will work.  Most are solo performers and very few get to work with a sound man. That's a luxury.  Finally, we will touch on avoiding technical difficulties and copyright issues.  

For a ventriloquist who is new to using music, let's start with the easiest to add -- Entrance and Exit music.  This is what plays as you hit the stage running to start your show. When you start talking, the music quietly fades away.  There are three great tunes to use in this situation: Fine and Dandy, This Could Be the Start of Something Big, and There's No Business like Show Business (Songs like these suitable for entrance music are on Al Stevens' CD.  Click here to find out more).  The music helps you make a big entrance, and the audience can't hear anything but the music. Same thing at the end; make a big exit with lots of music and as long as the audience is applauding, the music should keep playing.  You come back out, take your bows, and when the applause begins to die, let the music die.
Read more...
 
Dan Horn's Creativity
Written by Annie Roberts   

Tips and Techniques
From ConVENTion 2007

Where do ideas come from?  They are based on perception; not seeing something for what it is but what it can be.  Creativity is looking at things in a new way.  According to the dictionary, creativity is the quality of being creative. That's a helpful definition, isn't it?  If you look up creative, it says the power to create...even more insightful.  Sigh.  Still trying to hone in on a useful meaning, if you look up the root create it means to bring into existence, produce through imaginative skill.  Now we're getting somewhere.  When you create, you take materials at hand and make something fresh, make it new through that elusive imaginative skill.  As an artist and a performer, you want to try to cultivate that ability.   It's not just important for writing material, but also for creating characters, evaluating the vent's role in the act, staging, or updating characters that have been in use for awhile.  You must develop creative skills to keep your act from becoming stagnant and stale.
Read more...
 
Do You Have a "Game Plan?"
Written by Mark Wade   

November 2004

Any endeavor worth doing is worth doing well. . . and that is especially true when it comes to performing before the general public. But many times we ventriloquists (or magicians, clowns, etc.) fail to put together our master "game plan", the outline of what we are trying to accomplish.

To try and perform without knowing what direction to take is like trying to steer a ship without a rudder. . . the whole thing wanders aimlessly. Therefore you owe it to yourself to take some time and figure out just exactly what you are trying to accomplish with your ventriloquism.

A brainstorming session with yourself and a piece of paper and a pencil or pen will do the trick. Sit down in a quiet place and do some soul searching. On that piece of paper you might want to put some subheadings such as:

1. What kind of audiences will I be playing for primarily?

2. What kind of characters (wood, fiberglass, soft-sculpture, etc.) will put the act across?

3. How much time do I need to do (length of act)?

4. Do I want to do this for a living? Do I only want to do vent part-time?

5. What is my ultimate goal with ventriloquism or my act?

By putting forth a little effort you can clearly define what you want to do with vent and/or your act and then have some purpose. By using this method you can avoid unnecessary side-trips into areas that you might not feel comfortable (for  instance. . . you might not like to do programs in nightclubs or lounges) or spend money on characters that you thought would be "really neat" but find out later that it doesn't fit in with your act or what you are trying to do. I would certainly hate to see the closets of some performers. . . they're probably jammed with puppets, magic, and props that looked good at the time but really didn't fit into the overall game plan.  

Remember. . . the "game plan" is like a road map. It can keep you on course and get you to your destination without detours. After all, life is too short to waste it on incidentals.

 
 
Gary Owen's Stage Craft for Ventriloquists
Written by Annie Roberts   

To be an entertaining ventriloquist, it's important that you have good material, good puppets, be dressed nicely, etc., but if the show is not staged well -- if it's poorly lit, has a bad backdrop, you can't be heard -- then the audience is missing out on a good show.  Despite what you might think, you are NOT the star of the show; the puppets are the stars. They are the comedians and what the audience came to see.  The comedy comes from the characters.  So to give the audience a good show focused on the puppets, you've got to make sure the staging elements are in place.  There are many ways to enhance the production value of the show -- lots of different things in different places of the performance to make your show seem more professional, more polished and make those puppets really shine as the stars of the show.

Good staging involves good sound equipment, music, tables/stands, lighting, and choreography.  The staging of your show is a long term investment, but the expenses will definitely pay off.  It's about the whole picture which when done right, the audience will notice a great show.  When done wrong, comments like, "The puppet was cute but I couldn't hear him" or "I couldn't see him too well" surface afterwards. 

The first topic is sound systems.  If they can't hear you, your show is lost.  You need a good sound system of your own that you understand how to use.  Never rely on the host to provide what you need. You might find yourself in a situation where the technology is limited, where you're being asked to use a handheld mic or a lapel mic and the sound is above the audience in speakers at the ceiling.  This is NOT ideal.  Get your own sound system.   It's your show so make sure your show is going to work.  Look for a system that is fairly portable with not too much set-up that also doesn't take up much room in the car.  You want something that is light weight that folds up into a box or case.  A good, punchy system will cost around $400-$500 and can be found in most music stores or guitar centers.  Some vents use a small guitar amp for schools or libraries, and this is okay, but it doesn't put out the punch you need to do vent.  Vocal projection is definitely a weakness for vents; that means not projecting your voice so that it can really be heard by all, so you need a sound system that will push you because if the audience can't hear you, you've just lost half your material.  Get a sound system that makes you sound better.  Gary Owen recommends the Yamaha Pro Audio STAGEPASS300 which meets all the above-mentioned requirements. 

An important component of the sound system is the microphone.  Everyone has their own tastes about mics, but here are some thoughts to influence what looks good and sounds good.  All microphones have their own values, benefits, and drawbacks.  Don't settle for a $99 wireless mic.  You get what you pay for and at that price you will get one that does not carry your voice or  has other things like CB radios on the frequency making your voice cut in and out.  Do you really want your act to sound like a bad cell phone connection?   You've saved money on the mic but you've left your audience frustrated.  Plan to spend anywhere from $300-$700 for a decent microphone, depending on the frequencies and punchiness.

Before you buy anything, get educated.  If you see one you think you like, learn about it and get it demonstrated for you.  Never buy online without an in-person demonstration.  Also, learn about the technical support and repair options.  Find out how and where to get support and repair because it's almost inevitable that at some point you will need it.  Hopefully not ten minutes before a show either!

Now let's talk about wireless headsets.  The basic standard headset with the headband and mic ala Brittney Spears is good for demos at home shows, but doesn't provide much clarity.  Gary Owen's wireless mic of choice is the Countryman E6i Directional Earset.  It's subtle, powerful, and good for vents.  You're looking at investing from $499-$699 for this kind of wireless mic, but it's worth it.  Be sure you get a directional mic, NOT an omni.  Don't get an omni because it picks up sound in a circular pattern and you will get feedback.  Omnis are designed for musicians and concerts.  A directional mic picks up only what is going into the mic.  Wireless provides the vent with freedom of head motion and keeps the hands free to be involved in the act.  Some vents like the mic stand because they can hide their bad lip control behind the mic. A hands free set up will force you get better, not only by providing good sound, but improved lip control.

You've invested in a good sound system so the audience can hear you; now let's figure out how they can see you with effective lighting.  Never take the facility's word about lighting.  Banquet organizers will often say there is great lighting and you get there and find out it's dark or the light is not aimed at the stage.  Again, if they can't see the character, the other half of your show is lost.  Don't buy intelligent lights that DJ's use.  These have colors and you don't need that.  Gary Owen recommends a Par 48, Par 56, or Par 64 light package.   The lights come on a tree stand and do take some time to set up.  Some people go to Home Depot and buy a shop light and put it on a stand.  You'll certainly have light, but how effective will it be?  Does it make you look like you're being pulled over for a traffic violation?  You can spend from $399-$1500 on lights, and it does take some set up time. To check out lighting go to Musician's Friend and shop some of their packages. If you can't afford a lighting system, tell the client that they will lose value on the show if the audience can't see it.  Ask the buyer to rent lights for you or at least a spot light.  The client pays for it but he will feel like the company will get a better show because of it. 

To the suitcase!  A classic component of the ventriloquist act and used in jokes in just about every vent act.  Each vent has his/her own style of cases and stands, but you might streamline your show and make it more professional looking by choosing just the right kind.  A case that can also be used as your stand will save you trouble of having to use both.  Gary Owen uses a custom case built by Six Flags but it was taken off the magic table design. His case is 15 lbs. empty and 50 lbs. fully-loaded which is the limit for airline travel. The bottom has wheels, of course, for easy rolling.  The case itself is like a clam-shell and the top opens to double the height and become the stand for the figure.  The inside of the case is compartmentalized with slots for figures and props.  Cover the front of the open case with a canvas which can be fairly inexpensively changed as needed for different shows, and your beat-up travel trunk becomes a professional looking prop and stand, custom- sized to fit the height of your figure.  When the show is finished, everything goes back in its place, the clam shell is closed, and you're ready to roll it to car or plane.  It's helps tremendously when your case can be both functional and durable, as well as useful on stage.  

Many vents close their act with a song. In fact, it's become very standard and some might say overused, but there are other ways to incorporate music into your act to enhance the professionalism of the show.  This means using music for introductions, bumpers, and background.  If you're still using a cassette tape, you need to get out of the dinosaur age and into the digital age.  Some places have CD's players or ways to hook your I-Pod in, but you can't always rely on that.   There is a music sampler device called the Roland SP 404 which runs for about $399 which will allow you to add unlimited music to your act.   The buttons are big which is great as you get older according to Al Moessinger.  You can take it anywhere you want to go and often it can hook into the house PA system.  The Roland SP has eight banks with 12 tracks in each bank.  All the information is stored on an external memory flash card (never remove the flash card while the unit is on or all information will be lost).  Always turn off the unit before taking out the memory card. To purchase a Roland SP 404, click here.   You can make the Roland SP 404 wireless by adding the SHURE PG14 Wireless Guitar System.   The transmitter plugs into the earphone jack of the SP 404 and the receiver gives you the option of using a balanced or unbalanced line going into your PA.  This unit runs about $199.   

The Roland SP 404 allows you to prerecord your introductions with snappy background music.  It allows you to use music for all segues or bumpers like getting the figure in and out of case, exit music, music for when you bring volunteers up on stage.  It makes your show have no dead time.  The more you use music, the more polished your show looks.  If you have someone working tech backstage, be sure to include specific instructions on cues and tracks.  If it's all written out, it's very easy for someone to follow.  Also, be sure the music you are using is licensed production music.  You can go online and find production music at sites like Royalty Free Music, Freeplay Music, Studio Cutz, Free Hand Music, Music Bakery, CSS Music, The Production Garden, and Unique Tracks.   Axtell Expressions also carries royalty free production music disks.  Royalty free music CD’s run anywhere from $70 –$150 each and have a variety of themes per disc. Most companies allow you to audition the music on line before you buy. Many allow you to order and download directly from the websites.   Using music for more than just the closing song adds production value and helps your show be more successful.  Even if you can just add music getting on and off stage, it adds energy to the performance and gets the audience excited for the show. 

Finally, let's look at choreography.  No, we're not talking about adding dancing to the show.  This is about format, entrances and exits, and line-up.  First impressions are important. Think about how the audience first sees your  puppet. Does he come out of the case or do you walk out on stage carrying him?  Either way, be sure to keep the figure facing the audience.  Never turn your back or the puppet's back to the audience.  If you're coming out from behind a curtain, put the figure out first toward the audience so they don't see the hole in the figure's back.  Remember to manipulate and make the puppet alive all the way to the stand when the routine starts.  Make sure your stand is pre-set so that once you get there, you're not taking time to adjust. If everything is ready to go, you will come across as much more professional. 

This brings us to format.  Have a written format for your show so you know what you're doing at all times.  Write it down.  If you have someone running sound for you, that person will need it.   Get to your performance site a minimum of one hour before show time.  If you rush to get set up, then you're fried by the time you walk out on stage. Your breathless appearance will make you seem tired before the show has even started.  An hour should give you time to get your sound system set up, to hook into the house system if possible, to go over sound cues with a tech person, to get your stand set to the right height, to make sure the lights are focused on the stage, and finally to actually do a sound check long before any of the audience members arrive. If there is an event going on just prior to your show, you may have to come get set up several hours before and then come back a little before show time. During your sound check, start with the volume low and gradually increase.  Again if everything is ready to go, you will come across as much more professional.

Once you get to the stage, you need to be confident, and you will, if everything is ready to go and tested.  If you look good and sound good, you will perform good.   All these staging elements that the audience takes for granted will help them have a great time at your show.
 
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