Introduction to Voice-Over
Contrary to screenwriting gurus, voice-over can be a handy narrative device. By speaking directly to the audience, rather than dramatizing, voice-over cuts through the running time. It can also cut down on resources. Just don't overdo it. Overbaked voice-overs sidestep drama, and leave little to interpretation. Imagine if everything were explained to you secondhand, rather than witnessing it yourself.
For an excellent example of dramatic voice-over, look no farther than Goodfellas.
This is unrelated, but check out the trailer for Pineapple Express.
thats awesome- I love your works guys! keep it up yo.
Another thing that works well with voice over is let them play off each other. Like the visual is a set up and the V.O. is a punchline, or vice-versa. And there’s different styles of V.O. Peter was doing a stream-of-consciousness type of thing, but there’s also V.O. that treat it like they are telling the audience the story, usually from the perspective of some time after the movie is finished. There’s also omniscient vs. first-person V.O.
I wonder if V.O.s are economical…
Finally got to see something from you guys that combined a little bit of everything that you have been teaching although quite short, I loved the Goodfellas Scene.
L
Amelie uses a narrator as well to present the character, but mostly to give a tone to the story. Not that i am the crazy-for-amelie type. As Amelie, many many Frech movies do so. I recently saw “Mon oncle d’Amerique” (literaly “My uncle from America”) by Alain Resnais, and has a voice over too. Pretty cool movie, mostly if you’re a behavioural neurology and anthropology freak like me.
And this episode has a great ending! I didn’t recognize it at first till i heard the voice over. Good!