Rabiger - Creating Narration

• Filmmakers want to avoid traditional voice-over, like "voice-of-God" style

Problems it can solve:

• Getting the film started
• "The audience needs more information on a participant's thoughts, feelings, choices" pg. 493
• Simplifying complicated story lines

"Viewers are apt to assume that a narrator's voice is the voice of the film itself" pg. 493

narration is useful in short films to save time on displaying the information visually

Documentary may

• "Use a characters voice-over as narration because he or she has insider knowledge and a right to an opinion" pg. 494

Method 1: Read from a script

• Useful if based on letters/diary
• Faults: literary writing. Ambiguous representation of who is narrator/author

Method 2: Improvisation

• Participant as narrator
• Use own voice to sound spontaneous

Bad narration

• Ready-made phrases and cliches
• Syntax of writing
• Jargon or impressive language
• Too much information
• Describing what's already evident
• Condescending humour

Good narration

• "Active language" of speech
• Simplest vocabulary
• Least amount of syllables
• Balances and powerful to listen to