Lip synching facts for kids

Lip synching is when someone moves their lips at the same time as a sound that is already recorded or made by another person. It's like pretending to sing or speak along with music or voices. Sometimes, performers might lip sync during a live show. They might do this if they are not feeling confident or want to make sure they don't sing any wrong notes.

The word synch is a short way of saying synchronize. This means making two or more things happen at exactly the same time.

What is Lip Synching?

Lip synching is a common technique used in many areas. It helps create the illusion that a sound is coming directly from a person's mouth, even if it's not.

Where is Lip Synching Used?

Lip synching is used in many different places, not just by singers.

In Music and Concerts

Many music artists use lip synching during their live concerts. This can be for several reasons:

• To make sure the show sounds perfect.
• To allow them to dance a lot without getting out of breath.
• To use complex background vocals that would be hard to sing live.
• Sometimes, it's used if a singer is not feeling well but still wants to perform.

In Movies and TV Shows

In movies and TV, lip synching is very important.

• Voice acting: When you watch cartoons or animated movies, the characters' voices are recorded first. Then, animators make the characters' mouths move to match those voices. This is a form of lip synching.
• Dubbing: If a movie is made in one language and then translated into another, new actors record the voices. Their voices are then lip synced to the original actors' mouth movements.
• Musicals: Actors in movie musicals often record their songs in a studio first. Then, they lip sync to their own voices while filming the scene. This makes sure the sound quality is very good.

In Music Videos

Almost all music videos use lip synching. The song is recorded in a studio, and then the artist performs along with the playback for the camera. This allows for many takes and creative filming without worrying about live sound.

Is Lip Synching Always Okay?

Most of the time, lip synching is a normal part of entertainment, especially in movies, TV, and music videos. However, sometimes it can cause a bit of a discussion.

When it Becomes a Controversy

A controversy happens when people disagree about something. For live music performances, some fans feel that artists should always sing live. They believe that if an artist lip syncs a whole concert, it's not a true live performance.

A famous example of this was the music group Milli Vanilli in the 1990s. They were very popular, but it was later found out that they did not sing on their own records. Other people had sung the songs, and Milli Vanilli just lip synced. This caused a big controversy because fans felt misled. It showed how important honesty can be in live performances.

However, it's important to remember that using lip synching for special effects or to help a performance (like when dancing a lot) is often accepted. It's usually about whether the audience expects a truly live vocal performance or if they understand it's part of the show's production.

Images for kids

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  An audio engineer (foreground) recording a voice actor (at microphone) for an animated video production. Lip synchronization of this recording with animation will give the impression that an animated character is speaking.

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  Milli Vanilli in 1990. This group faced controversy for lip synching.

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  A performer on stage during a concert tour.