I've read a few comments on the board recently about how people 'hate' voice overs.
I was wondering what peoples' main problems with the technique are. I know that in the golden age of cinema they were a big no-no but then so were many of things that are routine now.
I love voice overs in films - it gives much much more of an insight into a character's thoughts than can be achieved through spoken dialogue alone. For me it brings films closer to the depth that can be achieved in literature.
What do others think...?
Hey there.
Well that's the thing I guess. Often it is just the cheap and easy way to TELL people what your character is thinking as appose to doing it visually. Films are films and books are books. I guess some people like things that way.
Despin out.
I think voice overs are ok, the biggest example I can think of now (having just watched the fellowship of the rings dvd :S) is where Peter Jackson uses a voice over for his prologue. He also uses voice overs in other places to show what characters are thinking, but he does it by showing characters reading each others minds which I don't think you can do unless its a fantasy film!
I think voice overs are good to introduce a story like used then, otherwise I would try hard as possible to use my actors to show how they were feeling.
IMO voice overs aren't bad. Like everything in film they can be done well or they can be done badly. They can be used properly or they can be used badly. It depends on the situtation and film.
Tom Towers - the voice of reason.
Think of films such as Platoon, Apocolypse Now, Taxi Driver, Goodfella's etc etc. All these movies, widely regarded as classics, use V/O to one extent or another. I think its like anything in film - it can be done well and enhance the film or it can be shit and laziness/lack of imagination on the part of the scriptwriter.
To say that you hate V/O outright seems like the standard -I've read a book on scriptwriting - type response, you might as well say I hate all black and white films.
tonga
I tend to disagree with the generalised theory that a voice-over is the quick and easy route and therefore a bad thing. The reason being that it has been proven wrong in many great films (Tonga mentioned a few above, I'd add 'Shawshank Redemption' to that list too).
Whenever I write a script, it never comes naturally to write V/O. Perhaps it will add depth to some films, whilst working against others.
A good film to look it is 'Blade Runner' Vs. 'Blade Runner- Director's Cut'.
I find VO to be annoying....
Think of a really bad Power-Point Presentation--Where the speaker repeats everything on the screen.
If the VO just tells me what is going on then it is pointless. If the VO tells me something insightful or different from what I am seeing then it can be OK.
Pictures are worth a thousand words.
Good Luck
I'm not very fond of VO's in feature films. There's enough time to show and tell things without a voice over. If it's cheap you'll be able to recognize if from a mile away. If it truly adds something to the movie you don't mind at all. (amelie has a great voice over)
Shorts have to tell the most amount of story in the least amount of time, and I don't really mind VO's in shorts.
but it all comes down to this: do they add something?
BUt overall, good voice overs rule. ANd bad ones don't. SO yes. A voice over is the same thing as a camera position. They have to add something to the movie, used wisely they're good, used badley they aint.
And because its a movie, you can do whatever you want with it to get something from the audience or to achieve what you want.
VO= [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]
I love using V.O's in my script.
For example, I posted a piece of a script a few months ago (should get a reply from the Beeb this month fingers crossed) and it used a lot of Voice Overs. I was told to show what he was thinking. Well, as the guy was in a room, sat at a desk, by himself, there was no way to show his back story and why he was doing why he was doing then to use a V.O.
However, a V.O isn't always needed to explain things. Take a look at Mark Prestovich's script for 'I Am Legend'. he has the character using a video camera to tell everybody what is going on. Doesn't work for every situation but is very good.
Also, Scorsese (or indeed Schraeder) had the V.O's in Taxi Driver as Travis Bickle was writing in his diary.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">So does that mean it wasnt a voice over?Also, Scorsese (or indeed Schraeder) had the V.O's in Taxi Driver as Travis Bickle was writing in his diary.
tonga
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