LIP SYNCING
15/6/2015
What is lip syncing?
Lip syncing is when an artist or actor move their lips silently in synchronization with a pre-recorded soundtrack. It can be used in live produtions such as music videos, or even live performances. Some performers are infamous for their lip syncing fails such as Mariah Carey or Milli Vanilli, which proves that it is fairly difficult to pull off.
Lip synching is used in many different scenarios such as music videos, acting, and even video games. The reason for lip synching within musical performances is because it then enables the artist to do other things such as dancing or other performances.
Why is lip syncing used?
Lip syncing is used when a song is deemed too difficult to perform live. If an artist believes that they cannot dance and sing at the same time, they choose to lip sync. Many artists disagree with lip syncing though, like Bono or Elton John, who both wish for their fans to enjoy a live performance as "they have paid for the ticket, so they will get their moneys worth".
Sometimes artists are expected to lip synch due to inevitable factors such as the artist having a sore throat, or the fact that they didn't have enough time to research. When recording music videos, it is easier to lip synch because the track can be repeated until the scene is considered acceptable. This saves the energy of the performer so that they can focus on dancing or acting, considering whatever typology they have chosen for their video.
To the right is a video featuring 10 lip syncing performances gone bad: