Voiceover Narration

[Orrex]

[Phillycat]

1. It worked really well in Sex and the City

And the Lord of the Ring movies for the beginning summaries. Pretty much any other voiceover I've seen was crappy.

[Orrex]

2. Not a Sex and the City fan, but

You're right about LOTR. Narration can work best IMO when used sparingly to provide exposition, but if it occurs within the story it's usually glaringly overdone. In most cases, the VO narration simply describes what's onscreen, which is redundant at least redundant.

But I think in a case like "A Clockwork Orange" it works much better because the narration gives insight into the narrator's character rather than to what's visible already.

[philosophie_en_rose]

3. It works on 'My Name is Earl.'

In many cases, voice over narration is a cheap trick to avoid telling the story, but sometimes it really moves things along. My Name is Earl is a good example.

[tjwmason]

4. Just as long as you don't get some hack actor

who think they can do an English accent - you do realise that they are all incredibly crap don't you? :banghead:

[WeRQ4U]

5. ....Is John Kusack's bread and butter.

Is it me, or does it seem that he has an oddly large amount of films with this characteristic?

Better Off Dead
One Crazy Summer
Hi Fidelity

I'm sure there are more.

[henslee]

18. Cusack always plays... Cusack. I love High Fidelity but am pretty

skeptical of his importance as an actor.

[ContraBass Black]

6. JEJ Can do it.

Word.

[Orrex]

7. But has he? In a movie?

I think he may have done some narration in The UFO Incident, but that would have been in the context of a description-under-hypnosis of events replayed onscreen for the viewer, so I don't know if that counts.

But does he have a superduper voice? Of course!

[terrya]

8. It usually works

It even worked in "Blade Runner". IMO.

[Orrex]

10. Clearly you're insane

Just kidding! :hi:

But wow! I've never heard anyone speak favorably about the VO in Bladerunner. I can't even watch that version when it's on.

[terrya]

13. I know I'm in a minority

As I recall, Ridley Scott DETESTED the VO in "Blade Runner", thus the "director's cut"

I don't know...it just lost something without it.

:hi:

[mitchum]

27. I actually prefer the voiceover version of Bladerunner...

I feel that it underscores the hardboiled/pulp/noir heart of the film

[Orrex]

28. That's a valid assessment

Taken as a part of the noir tradition, then the VO fits. But I have to be honest and say that I don't usually like VO even in noir pieces, so it doesn't work for me in BladeRunner, either.

[ScreamingMeemie]

9. Waylon Jennings was awesome on the Dukes of Hazzard series...

:hi: And Earl Hamner doing the "Waltons" was a good idea as well. :hi:

[Orrex]

11. Can't remember the Waltons too well, but good call on The Dukes

I never would have thought of that one!

[Phillycat]

12. OMG Waylon Jennings!

"Well, ole Boss Hog was fit to be tied..." I can hear his voice in my head right now! :thumbsup:

[ScreamingMeemie]

14. It was like listening to a neighbor talk on the front porch...spinning

a yarn. :hi:

[Phillycat]

16. Hey there, by the way

:hi:

[henslee]

15. Works in Goodfellas. Scorcese films could not survive without it.

[terrya]

17. Definitely works in Goodfellas.

I agree.

[henslee]

20. As a device, V.O can enhance a story. But often, V.O. is written after

a film is made... and used as a crutch to patchstory holes. This type of V.O. often sucks. Much like the songs that appear in a musical, voice-over must advance the plot otherwise it won't work.

[Orrex]

29. Good assessment

It has occurred to me over the course of this discussion that, when a film's VO is used in the manner of a novel's 1st person narration (or when adapted from such a novel) then it seems more effective than a tacked-on plot crutch.

As an example of really bad VO, watch pretty much any episode of The X-Files that featured it. Almost always 100% extraneous.

[Orrex]

19. Gaahh! How could I have overlooked those?!?

Even The Last Temptation of Christ uses it!

And Casino makes excellent use of it IMO, especially leading up to Pesci's death scene!

[henslee]

21. Casino did make excellent use. Especially that long part explaining

the "skim" inside the casino count room. V.O. can free up the visuals of a story... to go back and forth in time without it seeming awkward.

[Radio_Guy]

22. That work is hard to get

And it pays surprisingly well. I'd love to do more of it than just junior high science films.

[mitchum]

30. And it's getting even harder to get.

I recently read an article about more and more advertisers are turning to known actors for anonymous voiceovers. The theory is that the listener, even if he doesn't consciously recognize the voice, will respond favorably. Because he already "knows" the pitchman.
Goddamn celebritie$.

[liberalpress]

34. Yeah... about the good pay part..

... Prbably in NY and LA, maybe in CHI, but here in BNA.... Lunch money.. an expensie lunch, but still lunch money.

[Aristus]

23. "Saigon......shit! I'm still only in Saigon.

Each time, I think I'm going to wake up back in the jungle.

When I was home after my first tour, it was worse. I'd wake up, and there'd be nothing. I hardly said a word to my wife until I said 'yes' to a divorce. I'm here a week now...waiting for a mission...getting softer.

Every minute I wait here in this hotel room, I get weaker...and every minute Charlie squats in the jungle, he gets stronger...

Every time I looked up, the walls seemed to move in a little closer......"

One of the best voice overs EVER!

By Martin Sheen, no less.

[KitchenWitch]

24. Who did the VO in "The Wonder Years"

I loved it.

[kmla]

25. Daniel Stern.

The tall goofy burglar in the first two "Home Alone" movies.

[KitchenWitch]

32. You are kidding!

He is pretty good

The VO by Richard Dreyfuss in "Stand by Me" is good as well.

[mitchum]

26. Works well when done by Herzog, Malick, and Scorsese, but is...

too often the refuge of a lazy or inept filmmaker

[bigwillq]

31. Works very well most of the time.

I love it! :bounce:

[liberalpress]

33. Of course, I do it for a living...

...so what do I know