"The problem is that life also doesn't come with a limited running time, but documentaries do. And a few words of well-chosen narration can often cover what would otherwise take several minutes of footage to explain." (Hampe, 1997)
It's not so much that we had a time limit but there were things that Pam might say in a couple of minute that could be said by a voice over in a few seconds. There were also things that might not be said clearly that could also be covered by narration and the last reason was that I decided that emotion and anecdotes were good for the people to talk about and facts and figures could be covered much more succinctly by voice over.
Part of my role as director was for me to write the voice over so I've have done some research before I start writing to see if I can find some useful tips as I have not written a script for a documentary before. The main things I need to remember are the narration needs to be kept as short and as simple as possible. The paragraph I found below explains why you need to be careful with what you write and how much you write, because you need to make sure the images do most of the talking.
"In a documentary script, words are used to describe what will be shown and to explain the thrust of the documentary. Be very careful about the use of words in narration and dialogue. Always let the pictures carry all the meaning they can. I can't say this often enough: When language is used in narration to evoke images, it can get in the way of the images you are showing on the screen" (Hampe, 1997)
I started to write notes for facts that could be mentioned in the narration but I couldn't start writing it properly until most of the edit was done. I did this because I needed to use the images and contributor interviews to decide what would be said and where, so until I knew exactly which bits we were going to use and where I couldn't begin linking them together.
I wondered if leaving it until the end would be cutting it too fine but I read in 'Making Documentary Films' that you should
"Always write the narration as late in the process as possible." (Hampe, 1997)
and I think it is for that reason. Until you know the structure and layout you don't know what is going to be needed to be said and you also don't know where it will need to come in.
Once I got the basis down I kept reading it in my head to see if it made sense but then I read that it was better to read it out loud.
"...Read your narration out loud, even as you're writing it."
This was useful to help decide if I was using the right words or if the words would fit within the sentence.
"Narration scripts are, by design, written to be spoken out loud. Every word counts. Important words have to stand out in a sentence or paragraph. Sentences should be short and written in an active voice. Phrases should be reviewed to ensure they don't create a confusing impression..." (Bernard, 2004)
This was also good advice as I found that when writing something in my script, the way I'd written it, when read out made it sound different to the actual meaning I was trying to convey and I had only just realised this when someone else was reading it aloud so after that I made sure I always got someone else to check over what I'd written and read it aloud.
"You can have someone read aloud as you watch. Time permitting, the most effective way to check narration against picture is to have someone on the production crew record a temporary ("scratch") narration track, which is edited into the film." (Bernard, 2004)
Taking the advice above we did a scratch voice over using the producer to read the narration out so we could see how it sounded and how long it would take. This was just for the first draft or rough voice over though so after that once we had the final version, I used the editor to read it out loud alongside the film whilst playing so I could see if it went with what was said before and after it, if it made sense, if it was clear and concise and also the time it would take so we knew whether to extend or add more shots to make sure the voice over didn't then crossover with interview audio when it came in.
The first voice over we did was a female one as that's what the producer managed to sort out for us. In the end we decided this didn't fit, but not because she was female but more because her accent or the way she said things just didn't feel right and flow. We then tried a male voice but I didn't realise until I met him that he had an Irish accent so immediately I was unsure as to whether this would work. Because we had left this until right at the end I was unable to be there for the last voice over they recorded with another male voice as I had gone home but I spoke with the editor and he said this voice was probably the best out of the three but not spot on. It's a shame I couldn't be there but even if I was I don't think we'd have time for the producer to find someone else. If the voice over isn't as good as it could be this is something that I will look to change once we have screened the film as this is definitely a key element that I realise could either make or break the film and the wrong voice could completely disrupt the whole tone and feel of the film if we don't get it right.
Sources:
Bernard, S C (2004) Documentary Storytelling For Video and Filmmakers. Focal Press; USA.
Hampe, B (1997) Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos. Owl Books; Canada
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