Voice Over / Photo Credit: Acting Plan
THE VOICE OVER AND ITS USE IN
FILM (In the Entertainment industry.)
Bruce Bisbey…please follow me at: https://dumbdogproductionsllc.blogspot.com
or https://www.facebook.com/DumbDogProductionsLLC/ thank you.
The Voice Over and Its Use in Film.
Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage
commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the
narrative (non-diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking,
theatre, or other presentations. The voice over is read from a script and may
be spoken by someone who appears elsewhere in the production or by a specialist
voice talent. Synchronous dialogue, where the voice over is narrating the
action that is taking place at the same time, remains the most common technique
in voiceovers. Asynchronous, however, is also used in cinema. It is usually
prerecorded and placed over the top of a film or video and commonly used in
documentaries or news reports to explain information. Voiceovers are used in
video games and on-hold messages, as well as for announcements and information
at events and tourist destinations. It may also be read live for events such as
award presentations.
Voice over is added in addition to any existing
dialogue, and it is not to be confused with the process of replacing dialogue
with a translated version, which is called dubbing or re-voicing.
The voice over is a film technique that is utilized
in virtually every film genre. Filmmakers use voice overs to provide quick
exposition, tell stories, narrate, and provide an intimate look into the mind
of a character. This essay will explore how voice overs are used in the context
of several films. Filmmakers are always looking to challenge the status quo and
create innovative films, so it is impossible to come up with rules that are
true for all movies. Nevertheless, there are certain conventions that remain
fairly consistent in their usage from film to film, and I will work to explain
how voice overs influence the structure and function of a film. This essay will
explore how voice overs are used in nonfiction as well as fiction films, the
main differences between voice overs and breaking the fourth wall, how visual
aids and voice overs can be used in tandem for greater impact, and the
subjective nature of a character-provided narrator. This essay will then
provide arguments as to why the voice over is not a cheap, easy storytelling
mechanism, but rather a significant tool that can be used to create truly great
films. The voice over is not a cheap gimmick, but instead is an important tool
to any filmmaker, which gives them a range of abilities in storytelling that
they would not have otherwise.
Voice overs have a spotty reputation in the film
criticism community because they are often used poorly and without much creative
insight. The command “Show, don’t tell” is generally regarded as a worthwhile
pursuit for a filmmaker. A beautifully composed sequence or a spectacular
performance by a character actor should be easily interpreted by any audience.
If the film is confusing to audiences because of shoddy editing or unclear
narration, it is entirely on the shoulders of the filmmaker to remedy the
situation.
Voice overs provide filmmakers with a range of
abilities in storytelling that they otherwise would not have. The real power of
a voice over is its ability to communicate directly with the audience. Because
there are so few tools available to the filmmaker that allows him to speak
directly to the audience, the voice over is an invaluable asset to anyone who
wants to establish a direct connection with the audience. In nonfictional and
fictional narrative, the voice over acts as a liaison between the action on
screen and the viewer, giving the filmmaker an opportunity to directly address
the viewer, bypassing the usual conventions of dialogue, staging, costume, and
the like to convey a meaning. A direct link between the audience and the
characters in a film brings the audience closer to the action of the story. The
viewer is no longer a casual observer, but rather an active participant in the
story. The use of the voice over can save valuable screen time because the
filmmaker does not have to spend extra time showing the audience information,
and can leave the audience to infer the real meaning. The filmmaker is able to
explicitly tell the audience what they need to know in order to move the story
along. When a voice over is used skillfully, it can transform from a cheap
gimmick into a valuable tool.
Character Device
Characterization techniques in voiceovers are used to
give personalities and voice to fictional characters. There has been some
controversy with characterizing techniques in voice overs, particularly with
white radio entertainers who would mimic black speech patterns. Radio made this
racial mockery easier to get away with because it was a non-confrontational
platform to freely express anything the broadcasters found fit. It also became
the ideal medium for voice impersonations. Characterization has always been
popular in culture and all forms of media. In the late 1920s radio started to
stray away from reporting exclusively on musicals and sporting events, instead,
radio began to create serial talk shows as well as shows with fictional
storylines. The technique of characterization can be a creative outlet to
expand on film and radio, but it must be done carefully.
Creative device
In film, the filmmaker places the sound of a human
voice (or voices) over images shown on the screen that may or may not be
related to the words that are being spoken. Consequently, voiceovers are
sometimes used to create ironic counterpoint. Also, sometimes they can be
random voices not directly connected to the people seen on the screen. In works
of fiction, the voiceover is often by a character reflecting on his or her
past, or by a person external to the story who usually has a more complete knowledge
of the events in the film than the other characters.
Voiceovers are often used to create the effect of
storytelling by a character/omniscient narrator. Sometimes, voice over can be
used to aid continuity in edited versions of films, in order for the audience
to gain a better understanding of what has gone on between scenes.
Film noir is especially associated with the voice
overs technique. The golden age of first-person narration was during the 1940s.
Film noir typically used male voiceover narration but there are a few rare
female voice overs.
Educational or descriptive device
The voiceover has many applications in non-fiction as
well. Television news is often presented as a series of video clips of
newsworthy events, with voiceover by the reporters describing the significance
of the scenes being presented; these are interspersed with straight video of
the news anchors describing stories for which video is not shown.
Television networks such as The History Channel and
the Discovery Channel make extensive use of voice overs. On NBC, the television
show Starting Over used Sylvia Villagran as the voice over narrator to tell a
story.
Live sports broadcasts are usually shown as extensive
voice overs by sports commentators over video of the sporting event.
Game shows formerly made extensive use of voiceovers
to introduce contestants and describe available or awarded prizes, but this
technique has diminished as shows have moved toward predominantly cash prizes.
The most prolific have included Don Pardo, Johnny Olson, John Harlan, Jay
Stewart, Gene Wood and Johnny Gilbert.
Voiceover commentary by a leading critic, historian,
or by the production personnel themselves is often a prominent feature of the
release of feature films or documentaries on DVDs.
In radio, voice overs are an integral part of the
creation of the radio program. The voice overs artist might be used to remind
listeners of the station name or as characters to enhance or develop show
content. During the 1980s, the British broadcasters Steve Wright and Kenny
Everett used voiceover artists to create a virtual "posse" or studio
crew who contributed to the programs. It is believed that this principle was in
play long before that time. The American radio broadcaster Howard Stern has
also used voice overs in this way.
Commercial device
The commercial use of voice overs in television
advertising has been popular since the beginning of radio broadcasting.
In the early years, before effective sound recording
and mixing, announcements were produced "live" and at-once in a
studio with the entire cast, crew and, usually, orchestra. A corporate sponsor
hired a producer, who hired writers and voice actors to perform comedy or
drama.
Manufacturers will often use a distinctive voice to
help them with brand messaging, often retaining talent to a long-term exclusive
contract.
The industry expanded very rapidly with the advent of
television in the 1950s, and the age of highly produced serial radio shows
ended. The ability to record high-quality sound on magnetic tape also created
opportunities. Digital recording—thanks to the proliferation of PCs,
smartphones (iOS and Android 5.0+), dedicated recording devices, free or
inexpensive recording and editing software, and USB microphones of reasonable
quality, increasing use of home studios — has revolutionized the industry.
The sound recording industry uses the term
"presence" as the standard of a good quality voice over and is used
for commercial purposes in particular. This term "presence" measures
the legitimacy of how it sounds, specifically one of a voiceover. Advances in
technology for sound recording have helped voiceovers reach this standard.
These technological advances have worked continuously on diminishing "the
noise of the system...and thus reducing the distance perceived between the object
and its representation."
The voice over industry works in tandem with the
advertising industry to help deliver high quality branding and as a whole is
worth millions. Commercial advertising that uses voice overs reaches about 89
percent of all adults in Britain alone.
Due to new technology and the internet. Voice over
artists are able to cater for anywhere or anyone in the world regardless of
their location. An example of this is http://thevoiceoverguy.com.au an in
demand Australian Voice artist based down under in Australia. Catering for the
USA and other countries besides his native country.
Translation
Main article: Voice-over translation
In some countries, such as Russia and Poland, voiceover
provided by an artist is commonly used on television programs as a language
localization technique, as an alternative to full dub localization.
In Bulgaria, multiple voiceover is also common, but
each film (or episode) is normally voiced by three to six actors. The voice
artists try to match the original voice and preserve the intonation. The main
reason for the use of this type of translation is that unlike synchronized
voice translation, it takes a relatively short time to produce, since there is
no need to synchronize the voices with the character's lip movements, which is
compensated by the quieted original audio. When there is no speaking in the
film for some time, the original sound is turned up. Recently, as more films
are distributed with separate voice and noises-and-music tracks, some voice
overs translations in Bulgaria are produced by only turning down the voice
track, in this way not affecting the other sounds. One actor always reads the
translation crew's names over the show's ending credits (except for when there
is dialogue over the credits).
Sources, References & Credits: Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, WikiBooks,
Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New
York Film Academy, The Balance, Careers Hub, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide
Magazine, Blurb, Media Match, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Chron, Investopedia,
Variety, No Film School, WGA, BBC, Daily Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample
Resume, How Stuff Works, Career Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Truity, Production
Hub, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Variety, Wolf Crow, Get In
Media, Production Beast, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, UCAS, Frankenbite, Realty
101, Careers Hub, Screen Play Scripts, Script Doctor, ASCAP, Film Independent, Any
Possibility, Ethan Laughman, CTLsites,
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Voice Over / Photo Credit: Acting Plan
