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Investigation 10/27: Voice over Techniques and use in Documentary

The use of voice over in film allows the filmmaker to enhance their production. Whether light voice over used during a simple scene or long voice over used over the course of the entire film, voice over works to expand and further the story. The way that voice over is presented varies from film to film because of each individual project's focus and tone.

Voice Over Techniques

The process of recording voice over for a production is a very difficult process. This difficulty is found in the uncertainty of discovering how to present for the production. While this changes for each film, there are a few techniques and tips for a narrator to keep in mind in order to give a good performance. Three of these tips are pacing, emphasis, and inflection. Pacing helps to create genuinity within the voice over. Speaking at too fast or too slow of a speed can alienate the audience, making them feel as if the words spoken aren't spoken with any feeling. Finding a fitting pace for voice over eliminates this issue and allows the audience to feel what the narrator is speaking about. Emphasis while speaking also helps prove to the audience that the narrator understands and feels passionate about the subject. The narrator should be sure to emphasize important words that best exemplify the points being made within the documentary. Inflection is the way that each word is spoken by the narrator. Inflection helps to add depth to the spoken words and contributes towards the previously mentioned emphasis.
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Voice Over In Documentary

The voice over is usually the main driving factor for progressing the ideas being shared within a documentary. The narrator of the documentary presents relevant information pertaining to the subject of the documentary. This information is intended to further develop the content of the film, working alongside the video accompaniment shown.The narrator should speak in a tone that reflects the documentary's tone. More dramatic productions would possibly desire their narrator to have a deeper voice, speaking very precisely and slowly. Documentaries with less serious/impact topics would likely differ with their choice in narrator. These productions would presumably have more casual voice over, making use of a more "normal" sounding narrator who would speak as if they were simply having a conversation with someone in the audience.

Work Log

Monday 10/21: First Day of MP 1 Presentations
Tuesday 10/22: Second Day of MP 1 Presentations
Wednesday 10/23: Doctor's Appt. (No Work)
Thursday 10/24: Organized what I needed to work on to continue post production
Friday 10/25: Blog Post Work
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