Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds 3D Concert
I am of the opinion that the Hannah Montana music videos on the Disney channel are not sung live, which is fine, since it is an industry standard; but, a concert demands live singing, so I was concerned that the Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds 3D Concert being shown at SM The Block would be just lip synching.
Let us explore some of the telltale signs whether someone is really singing live or not.
Lip Synching First, you can observe whether the lyrics match the opening of the singer’s mouth. Some performers can be so careless that they start speaking their lines before their supposedly singing voice has completely disappeared or they’re simply not adept at lip-synching. A well-documented case was a slew of the Britney Spears concerts.
Opening of the Mouth In order for sound to be produced, the tongue must drop and efforts must be made to widen the mouth to form the proper opening. If the singer barely opens his mouth, then I doubt he’s singing live.
Presence of Breathing I also listen for that all-important inhalation of air that will be later released in a succession of notes. Consequently, a fast paced number will also produce faster breathing. If there is absence of inhaling and exhaling, I wonder how he can possibly be singing.
Less Choreography A compromise must be made regarding choreography. While back up dancers can do very complicated moves, the singer can do majority of the steps only if the choreographer is skilled and knowledgeable enough about the demands of singing.
Body Alignment In general, the upper body must be aligned from the diaphragm to the chest to the throat to the mouth. If the singer has no regard for his body’s alignment, then he may just be mouthing the words.
Verdict I am very relieved to observe that Miley Cyrus is really singing, both as herself and as Hannah Montana in her Best of Both Worlds 3D concert. In fact, I was very entertained by the whole concept and execution. The only thing that confused me was the fact that the credits listed Bruce Hendricks as the director, but, onscreen, Kenny Ortega of High School Musical fame can be seen giving instructions and directing Miley.
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Since the project is billed as 3D concert, it could be that while Bruce directs for the video recording/editing, Kenny directs the “live” concert. Video and theatrical staging are two different disciplines both requiring direction.