Narration

Narration means any kind of explaining or telling of something - it is usually used in reference to storytelling. Narration is a good technique for explaining to the audience what's going on in a scene, but it's also good for telling the audience things that they don't know.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) is a comedy film. It uses narration in a very interesting way, which is quite different to many other narrated films - there are many places in which the narrator breaks the fourth wall. In one part of the film, he says:

"And that's how she got to the same party as me. Oh shit. I skipped something. Damn it. This whole robot bit. I made a big deal, then I like totally forgot. Fuck, this is bad narrating. Like my dad telling a joke. "Oh, wait back up. I forgot to tell you the cowboy rode a blue horse." Fuck. Anyway, I don't know if you want to see it now, but here's the fucking robot stuff for your viewing pleasure. Can I say "fuck" more?"

This is a very good example of narration, because not only does he talk about what's happening in the scene, but he adds a lot to the comedic value of it by acknowledging the fact that he is narrating, and, as we now realise, doing a poor job of it. It also does what narration is meant to do - add to what's happening on the screen.

Adaptation (2002) is a drama film. It, again, uses narration in a different way to many films - it describes what the character is thinking, but also, straight after the narration is used, there is a very meta joke about how voice over should never be used. The narration itself adds to the drama element of the film, as we want the main character to succeed and so it provokes emotion from us, and to some extent so does the joke - he is putting himself down a lot, and then he is put down further by the teacher, for something nobody knows he is even doing. Therefore, I think this is a very good use of narration, as it's not only unusual and funny, but it makes us feel for the main character, which is essential in a drama film.

American Psycho (2000) is a comedy-horror. Narration is put to good use in this clip - firstly, it is said from the point of view of the psychopath, who is untrustworthy, which makes it a lot more interesting to the viewer as we have no way of knowing if what he says is true, and secondly it gives us an interesting insight into the superficiality and detachment of his personality. This is incredibly effective, as it not only intrigues the audience, it makes us feel quite anxious and off about him - he comes across obsessive and overly organised, but the tone of it tells us it's in a bad way.

In the romance film Annie Hall (1977), narration is present. It's used to good effect in this opening, as it tells us a lot about the narrator's childhood. It gives us enough information so that we have an insight into him as a child, and therefore we can guess what he is going to be like as an adult. The narration also puts across the idea that he wasn't very well liked as a child, and struggled with a few things, maybe giving us an insight to the rest of the film. Overall, the narration is quite effective in this - it doesn't take away from what's happening on screen, and it develops the character into someone we like and feel we know - something which is important in a protagonist of a romance film.

There's narration in the opening to the action film V for Vendetta (2005). This narration is very important to the film, as it sets up the entire film - the narrator explains about the origins of the Guy Fawkes legend, allowing us a possible bit of foreshadowing as to what the film is going to be about. Since the voice is of a female, and as dictated in the script we don't see any characters apart from those of Guy Fawkes' time, we make a guess from this that the protagonist of the film is going to be female. Overall, I think it's an effective use of narration, as it sets up the feel and plot quite nicely.

The content of narration is very important to making it effective. Narration should only be used to add to the scene - it's not very effective if it simply says what's happening on the screen, as the audience can already see it - they don't need it said to them too. It shouldn't go on for too long as to provide too much unnecessary information, but it should also make sure the audience can get the gist of what's happening.

One of the other most important things in film narration is the voice itself. When doing a voice over, unless the specific scene requires it, it's very important to sound natural, like you are actually having a conversation with the audience - if you sound awkward and forced, the audience won't feel comfortable either. It also makes the content of the voice over a lot more convincing, as it feels like it's coming straight from the narrator's head, not being read from a script. Also, this reason means that the narrator should be able to convey enough emotion to be able to read the script convincingly - telling the audience what's happening is important, but so is putting the correct emotions into your voice, so they can tell exactly how it makes the character feel. Finally, the narrator of a film should be able to speak clearly, and have a well paced, rhythmic voice that is easy for the audience to follow and listen to - since narration should only be used to explain something that's not easy to see on screen, if the voice over isn't clear either, it will make the film incredibly confusing.

I don't think I would necessarily choose to use narration straight away, as after researching, it is quite hard to get right. I think if you don't have the right person doing it, then it won't be very effective, as they have to have the right tone of voice, talk at the right speed, have good articulation, rhythm, and volume. Therefore, I think I'd only use narration if it was essential to the audience's understanding, as I don't want to take anything away from the scene if it doesn't work out.