One of the things that I heard about 8 quatrillion times in various screenwriting classes was —
Unless you want to look like an amateur, do not include voice overs (V.O.) in your script.
Sure, I get it, why say things in a voice over when visually you can show whatever it is you’re trying to convey to your audience. Film is a visual medium after all, and what you are writing on paper must ultimately lend itself to that visual medium.
But…what if you do it and it works?
They will say still do not do it, it will be the sure mark of an amateur if you do. They will tell you it’s lazy writing, and unnecessary.
Can you imagine the movie The Shawshank Redemption without Morgan Freeman’s V.O.? The story itself would still probably be told without his narration, but it’s just so much better with it!
Here is the end of the film, so – spoiler alert, don’t watch this if you’ve not seen the movie and want to keep the ending a surprise.
Just imagine this clip without Red’s (Morgan Freeman) V.O. Visually you can still see what is going on, Red packing, travelling, etc. You can put two and two together here to see what he is doing and where he is going. However, the addition of his V.O. adds so much to the story here, and to Red’s character. This is one scene that never gets old to me. I’ve seen it dozens of times and still no matter what, when Red starts whispering “I hope”, I burst into tears.
Another one of my all time favorite movies, Fight Club, is also a great example of using the V.O. well. Edward Norton plays the Narrator in this movie, who never actually gets a real name. He narrates his thoughts to us. Without them we’d still have a story, but it wouldn’t be as interesting.
Sin City is another good example of the V.O. done right.
In this clip Mickey Rourke’s character Marv’s V.O. doesn’t take away from the story – we can still see he’s angry and hurting – but it adds to the style of the movie here. It’s very stylized and Marv’s V.O. adds to the action, rather than taking away from it or distracting us. It could have been written with Marv standing at a tombstone reciting these words – but that wouldn’t have been nearly as epic!
These are just three examples of many good uses of the V.O. in screenwriting. Take the V.O. away from any of these movies, and you’d still have a movie. The story would still be told. But add the V.O. in and you get so much more out of the movie. These are pro screenwriters using voice-overs amazingly. It doesn’t have to be the tell-tell sign of a lazy writer or an amateur. It can be done well! Sure, it really shouldn’t be done all the time because it might not work all the time, but don’t be afraid to try!
What are some of your favorite voice-overs? I know there are a lot of stinkers out there with V.O.s too…and I’m sure you will tell me in the comments. Right? Right! Right.
