There has been a lot of discussion about voice actors standing up for themselves when doing extreme voices for video games and other media. All those points are well taken.
Having said that, It is my opinion there should also be much more discussion about how to develop a well produced voice that just doesn't rely on "making hamburger" out of ones self to create a theatrical vocal effect.
A persons voice is the engine that does all the work. Developing it and fine tuning technique is very important. I have actually had some agents tell me that they don't want their actors learning voice development because it will make them loose their"naturalness" Well of course it does if you do it incorrectly and don't understand vocal production. They are reacting to some classes where actors do "voice exercises" that involve screaming until they're hoarse to "build up the muscle".
Yes there's a lot of stupid out there, it just takes some common sense to avoid it.
Voice development and breathing exercises give the voice greater range, sustainability, nuance and yes improved naturalness and believability. The more control a person has over their voice, the more creative freedom they have because they aren't fighting vocal exhaustion. A voice is a powerful instrument that deserves to be developed and the best of care.
