Screenwriting : What are the limitations and advantages of Narrator / Voice Over in a series (if any) by Dalene Stuteville

If used well it can add detail missing from a scene. I think it is used very effectively in the series Burn Notice.

I loved it in "To Kill a Mockingbird," and in "Fight Club," and in "Snatch," another Brad Pitt film.

Generally, VO should be used sparingly but is useful for providing a character POV or to add additional context. You might look at how the original Wonder Years used it to provide insight from grown-up Kevin or how Arrested Development for comedic effect. If it doesn’t add a layer to the storytelling, though, you’re better off showing rather than telling.

David Kleve forgot how much I loved Burn Notice. I'm going to have to go back and watch it again.

@John Anthony Murphy Fight Club was so underrated.

Phil Stubbs that makes sense. I like that perspective.

@Jonathan I totally get that. I forgot about the concept of perspective shift with grown-up Kevin. That's interesting too. I definitely don't want to use if it doesn't serve a purpose.

Dalene Stuteville "Fight Club" is like the sport of boxing itself, more cognitive than physical, when viewed by an aficionada. A beautiful film. What a script!

If it actually adds something meaningful to the narrative it is ok but not if it’s for its own sake or used as lazy exposition. There was a tv pilot a few years ago where they tried to add a voiceover for comedic effect but as soon as it went onto VoD it was removed.

@John Murphy oh I know! It's been one of my all time favorites since it came out.

@Ewan agreed and that's one of the things I want to avoid. It shouldn't feel contrived (I don't think it does) It's not comedic per se any more than Fight Club but the perspective of the character lends itself to the same sarcastic skepticism which can be funny. I have a writer that has a knack for it and his first run at the script he led with V.O. I wanted to cut it but now I'm rethinking.

The other thing is he's not the "main character" but has all of the elements to be a main character. If we shift the focus to him it gives our main characters a necessary enigmatic presence that could be underscored by his voiced perspective. Personally, less is more. I don't like wordiness in film but if it works, it works.

I'll experiment and see which feels better.

Thank you all for your input! Enjoy the rest of your weekend :)

It’s good to experiment with narrative! Narration from a character that isn’t the lead can work (like Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption) but if it is mostly providing the narrating character’s own introspective thoughts on themselves (like Scrubs) it may seem odd not coming from the lead, as they are the main way the audience experiences the world of the piece.

I like the perspective of a narrator but I also question the narrator's reliability.

I liked all the films listed here that used narration. To them, I'll add Barry Lyndon, which takes advantage of Thackeray's marvelous writing. I guess that's the one thing all these films have in common—great writing. I say, if you have that, go for it.

That's why I used Burn Notice as an example. The voice overs added detail that would, if shown, bog down the story but helped understand the actions.

Can you explain what you mean by "I also question the narrator's reliability," Abeeha Alam?

Maurice Vaughan Narrators have their own biases (as we all do) and we see the world through their eyes and get to know their opinions because it is the narrator who is giving us the insight. OR narrators may be unreliable because they can be naive (Forrest Gump) or liars (Alex from A Clockwork Orange).

Abeeha Alam Your answer to Maurice gave me a great idea for a screenplay. Thanks.

@Ewan that's worth considering. Adding this character as a lead adds a perspective I think the storyline might have needed. I'm not "precious" about my story / writing though so if it stinks, it's out the door.

@John Royan adding Barry Lyndon to my list of re-watches! Agreed, great writing is a must!

@Maurice Vaughan watch Life Itself on Amazon. Great description of the unreliable narrator.

Abeeha Alam yes and to be honest I think this perfectly reflects an age of immersive social media. We get everything... our news, our socio-economic perspectives, and even entertainment from scripted biased narratives all the time. Audiences are adapting and becoming very good at sussing out the pieces they want to believe and I really think they like doing it. But you're right a good script can't contradict itself either and has to as a whole feel like it was an honest representation of good storytelling. Nobody likes a writer trying to be clever.

@David Kleve Yes, Burn Notice, Rounders and Molly's Game made understanding the nuanced expertise of the characters a part of the driving energy behind the script. This would be our primary purpose behind it.

Anthony Murphy I hope to read the screenplay when you complete it.

@Dalene Stuteville That's a great point about social media!

Thesy Surface welcome back! Sounds terrifying....hope you have kept your own sanity!

Oh ok, I see, Abeeha Alam. That makes sense. And you're right, narrators can be misleading. Another tool for writers. :) Thanks for explaining.

Thanks for the recommendation, Dalene Stuteville.

Certainly here in the UK over the last few years, there has been a very significant move away from voiceover, flashbacks, nonlinear and non-diegetic storytelling or cinematic devices. Talent executives, commissioners, and producers are quite suspicious of these devices in spec scripts at the moment, unless they come from significantly established screenwriters. From my perspective, however, coming from a more literary background, I would say that a voiceover narrator can be an enriching aspect of storytelling — provided you deal with these issues:

How much does this narrator know?

Is their perspective omniscient/perfect or is it intentionally flawed?

From a screenwriting or production perspective, to what advantage will the use of a narrator be employed?

Am I using a narrator to sidestep more sophisticated or subtle methods of plot progression and character exposition?

William Campbell this is perfect! This is exactly the perspective I'm looking for. I don't want to use a device that creates suspicion but if I decide to go that route how can I dissuade readers from it being a negative. I don't want to make the mistake of telling too much prematurely. Hmmmmm I think I'll need a lot of eyes on this script. Thank you for those bullet points. Extremely helpful and falls in line with previous comments as well. Proceed with caution...

My novella is essentially a mystery in a scifi setting. It's told from a first-person point of view so the reader only knows what the character being followed knows. You might tell the story using the main character as the narrator commenting on the situation as it develops.

@David Kleve I love the mix of genre's - mystery in a sci-fi setting. I feel like sci-fi is always drama / action. I'm curious about your novella... I grew up on Isaac Asimov and Piers Anthony. Any correlation?

Phil Stubbs I live on the edge....I can handle a misdemeanor....

The million dollar narration technique is one that appears in both Russian and more recent American neoromantic literature: the unreliable, first person narrator. Donna Tartt employs this in The Secret History, and she is, in fact, drawing on a much longer tradition via Dostoevsky, Nabokov: what if the reader’s only viewpoint into the world of the story is from the perspective of a narrator who is lying to save their own skin — and the reader knows it from page 1?

William Campbell so very true. There's a tradeoff made -- reliability for intimacy. To validate a character's choices sometimes you have to lead the audience blindly down the same twisted path.

And I like that summation "what if the reader’s only viewpoint into the world of the story is from the perspective of a narrator who is lying to save their own skin -- and the reader knows it from page 1?"

Every screenwriting teacher, agent and producer out there will tell you Voiceover Doesn't Work...Until it Does. So if you use it, realize you'll be fighting an uphill battle with Conventional Wisdom, and make it clear you have a strong story/stylistic reason for it so they know what they're getting going in.

@Timothy noted! Thanks for that perspective!

Voice Over was originally a product of the studios giving exposition to the audience as a cheap fix in the recording booth over doing reshoots. There are varying opinions on it's use from hack to artistic, but in the end, you have to make that call...until someone pays you at least WGA minimums to do something different.