Skip to main content

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.
(Link To Source)

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

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Investigation 3/1: The Tools Of Camera Stability

One of the most important aspects of cinematography that goes commonly unnoticed is having the camera steady. Even a slight amount of movement within a shot can pull the audience away from the film, so it is important to attempt to have shots. There are multiple different ways that you can use to stabilize your camera, some of which are more effective than others. Tripod Using a tripod is the easiest way to stabilize the camera while filming. By having three points of contact with the ground, a tripod keeps the camera extremely stable. The camera would likely only move due to very large movements on the ground or strong winds. The one downside to using a tripod is that it has to remain stationary. If the required shot involves moving around, a tripod can likely not be used. Overall, the tripod is the easiest, simplest, and cheapest way to keep your camera steady. (Image Source) Shoulder Rig A shoulder mount is one way to keep the camera stable while also being able to mov...

Elements and Principles of Cinematography

Bird's Eye  Curved Lines  Diagonal Lines  Emphasis  Formal Balance  Framing  Horizontal Lines  Informal Balance  Leading Lines  Movement/Rhythm Proportion/Scale  Repetition  Rule of Thirds  Simplicity  Unity  Variety  Vertical Lines  Worm's Eye

Investigation 2/21: Film VS Digital

Ever since the rise of digital cinema cameras over the past couple years, the debate of Film versus Digital has soared. All across the internet, you will see people argue over which is the superior format to use in order to produce a film. While there is not real answer as to which is the overall best format, both film and digital have their own strengths and weaknesses. Digital Digital has become the most popular format for the everyman. Phones and digital cameras can quickly take pictures and record them to digital memory for instant review. Recording with digital doesn't take any money out of your pocket other than the cost of the camera and recording media. If your shot doesn't look exactly like you wanted it, you can easily just delete the failed take and try again and again until things end up the right way. Since your digital photos and videos are essentially computer code, it is extremely easy to edit and manipulate them while having infinite flexibility to do so. Digit...