Impersonating Voices
Work on mimicking vowels, which is usually the way to get an accent. Think of the Boston "ar" in words like car or park (pronounced "cahh" or "pahh-k"), or the long, strong "aye" sound in the Australian "A" ("good d-AYE, m-AYE-t"). Pinning down vowels will help turn every word quickly into an impression, and is the most obvious way to throw your voice. Does your subject extend the vowels out, our are they short and quick? Do they "replace" vowels with other vowel sounds? For example, some Spanish speakers turn an "i" into a long "eeeee" sound.
Drop syllables and words like your subject. For example, a southerner generally omits the G at the end of "-ing" words, so "going" sounds more like "goin'." American speakers from across the country drop syllables in the center of words, like "average" ("av-reg"), so keep an eye out for these little word shortenings. While not all accents and tones of voice will drop words or syllables, you can usually find some variation or spin on common words in strong accents/voices.
Find the voice's "location" to get your pitch right every time. Most impersonations won't be in your natural vocal "range," meaning you'll have to speak either lower or higher to get it right. If this is confusing, sing a very high note to yourself and then a really low note. With the high note, notice how your voice vibrates in your head, but the low note vibrates in your chest. Using these two marks as baselines, figure out where you need your voice to come from for the accent. Once you get the pitch right, make a mental note where the voice "comes from." If you're performing an impression live, you don't want to make people wait while you "find" the accent. Locating where the voice comes from is a good way to gain consistency.
Make a list of the person's most famous words and phrases. If you're impersonating Arnold Schwarzenegger, you better have an "Hasta la vista, baby," saved up somewhere. If you're impersonating Bernie Sanders, say "percent" (pronounced "perthent" with a lisp). If you're talking about Donald Trump, the word "huge" (pronounced "yuuuge") should be prominent. People worth impersonating usually have big, colorful vocabularies and recognizable phrases -- make sure you use them. Are there phrases the subject is commonly associated with, even if they don't really use them that often in real life? For example, a good Michael Jackson impersonation must have a high-pitched "heee-heee!" What common words do they substitute out? Southeastern Americans, for example, frequently use "fixin'" in place of "getting ready to," such as "I'm fixin' to get something to eat."
Think about speech patterning and pacing to pull it all together. This isn't so much what is said or the accent used, but how the words come out. Consider Sacha Baron Cohen's famous Borat character: while you could get the accent down, the impersonation isn't complete until you get his phrasing correct, such as "what is up, vanilla face," instead of "what's up, vanilla face." It seems small, but forgetting to contract "it is" is a common mistake of foreigners, making it an essential detail for a good impression of the fictional Kazakhstani citizen. Some things to consider include: Does the subject speak slowly or do they rush the words out? Pacing is important! Where do they place pauses or emphasis? To see this in the extreme, check out a William Shatner or Christopher Walken impersonation, as both actors have extremely unique pauses in their speech patterns.
Impersonating Mannerisms And Physicality
Mimic and exaggerate the subject's general body language. If you're impersonating a powerful, confident figure, like Bill Clinton or Idris Elba, you'll want to stand up straight, chest puffed out and chin up. If you're after a lazy or chilled-out impersonation, like The Dude or Cheech and Chong, sag your shoulders and move slowly. Instead of trying to perfectly mimic the person's unique body language, take their general mood or personality and use it get a rough approximation your audience can recognize. If you've got an energetic subject (Kanye West, Robin Williams, Tom Cruise, etc.), be sure to keep moving and speak quickly. Note and incorporate any big, broad, or uniquely personal gestures. A Michael Jackson impersonation, for example, would benefit greatly from a spin and crotch grab.
Watch a person's hands as they talk, using them to capture their speaking habits. One of the best ways to easily mimic a person's movements is to stick to the hands, as everyone has slightly different habits when speaking. Broadly speaking, big and energetic personalities (or Italians) move their hands all the time when talking, while quieter folks tend to keep them down. Politicians tend to point with their thumb and fist, while amorous or sexually prolific subjects (think Prince, or maybe a bad Bill Clinton) tend touch other people frequently.
Keep an eye out for facial tics and common expressions. Watch many performances or live interviews of the person that you're trying to do an impression of. For instance, if you're doing a Donald Trump impersonation, you better be able to smirk sheepishly into a camera. Bert Reynolds impersonators might keep their jaw moving, a-la Norm Macdonald's Saturday Night Live impression of the actor. Oprah Winfrey impersonators are experts at the wide-eyed smile and enthusiasm that comes with one of her coveted recommendations. Someone's eyes, in particular, are wonderfully expressive, meaning you can nail an impersonation if you can mimic them appropriately. The best places to study are extreme emotions, where people tend to have more unique expressions. What is your subject like when overjoyed, angry, excited, or surprised?
Use your clothing to imply the person's profession or claim to fame when possible. Sometimes putting a costume together will be easy -- if you're impersonating a politician, for example, you'd wear a suit or pantsuit. Bill Cosby impersonators pretty much have to wear a big, colorful sweater. Some costumes will be a little less simple, but remember that you just need to get general idea across. Instead of going out to buy a new outfit, use smaller cues and ideas to get the point across: Even one piece of clothing, like a hat, shirt, piece of jewelry or tie, can be used to get the point across if well played. Imagine you ran into them at a coffee shop -- what are they wearing? Thrift and second-hand stores are the best places to get outlandish and unique clothes cheaply.
Think about one strong or unique prop that your subject might have. This can be obvious, like a jeweled glove for Michael Jackson. You can also go a little more humorous or outlandish, such as an empty jar labeled "Iraq's WMDs" for a President Bush impersonation. A famous soccer player might carry a ball, a chef a spatula, Bugs Bunny a carrot -- simply think about the one object that will pull the impersonation together for your audience.
Pulling it All Together
Practice in front of a mirror to get the overall impression perfect. The best way to ensure you're impersonation is on-point is to watch it happen. Jim Carrey famously spent hours in front of the mirror working on his celebrity impressions, and the work clearly paid off. Even if you aren't doing as much physical comedy as Jim Carrey, working in a mirror lets you make minute adjustments on the fly, seeing little things that you can't notice otherwise. The longer you practice in front of a mirror the better you'll get. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and then jump right into the impression as soon as you open your eyes. Practicing this "on the dime" switch will be key for a live audience.
Record yourself practicing to hear the voice how your audience hears it. Take a few phrases and work on them first instead of trying to pull the accent out of thin air. Just try to perfectly replicate a few phrases exactly how your subject says them. Once you get these down you can start working on a more general accent, as your mouth and mind will be more comfortable with the impersonation. Can you find other people or actors doing the same impression? This is often a good way to practice, as they will naturally exaggerate important areas to help you hone in on the impression. Make a note of syllables that give you trouble, and try to find an example of your subject’s saying them. Keep practicing the voice to get better and better. How long can you stay in the accent without breaking?
Push your mannerisms and accent a bit further than reality. A good impression doesn't have to be on-the-nose, especially if the impression is subtle or not particularly unique. A good example of this is Kate McKinnon's recent Hillary Clinton impersonation. Mrs. Clinton does not have a particularly unique voice, accent, or set of mannerisms, but McKinnon pushes harder on her costume, facial tics, and flat tone of voice to make something that is not quite the "real" Hillary, but is still an instantly recognizable impression. Be careful about going too far, of course! You want to be recognizable, not a cartoon version of the person.
Add in your own movements, tics, and ideas as they fit the impression. Tina Fey's famous Sarah Palin impersonation is credited with the line "I can see Russia from my house," but it's not something Palin ever actually said. SNL's Bobby Moynihan made "Full Throttle" the Guy Fieri slogan he's never actually said. A recent Melania Trump impression on The Late Show introduced a steely, 5-10 second gaze at the audience that, while influenced by Mrs. Trump, is still a new spin on the "character." If you want to really push your impressions for the audience, you'll paradoxically have to make some things up on the fly. Remember that if you're performing this for an audience, the impression itself isn't a joke. You'll need to actually do something with it to make people laugh or clap. A classic, easy joke premise is to put your impersonation in a situation it would never actually be in, like a Barack Obama impersonation where he has to order his own meal at McDonald's.
React to others "in-character" instead of relying on stock phrases and sentences. A good impersonation is fluid, meaning you can react and respond to the conversation without dropping the impersonation. While common phrases and words can help people recognize the character quickly, you'll need to be comfortable on the fly to truly impersonate someone. This takes practice, as well as a commitment to the part. The more you can work on the impersonation, especially with a mirror and/or tape recorder, the better you will get.
Understand that not everyone can do every impersonation. Your voice can only change so much. If you have a deep, bass-filled voice, then you will struggle with a high-pitched impression, and there is little you can do to get around this. You'll feel pretty quickly whether or not your voice can hit the right notes, but don't be discouraged if you can't. There are plenty of impressions in your own range. Just because an accent or impersonation is hard doesn't mean it is impossible -- this skill takes practice. However, you should feel pretty quickly if the tone or pitch is impossible for you to mimic.
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