The first question to ask about any use of Voice-over is what is its narrative function in the specific film? The reason it's important to ask this question is because Voice-over has a number of distinctly different and specific uses.Voice-over is used in two basic ways:
- A Voice that narrates--that tells memories, dreams and fantasies, and/or that comments on characters and actions.
- A Voice that is an internal voice of a character speaking to herself-- simulating her mind and consciousness.
However, there are further distinctions within each of these two basic forms.
The Voice that Tells
There are two forms of the Voice that tells:( See my discussion of the types of First person narration in Narration in Film.)
- The Voice of a Narrator who is not a character in the story, who is outside of the story-world.
( See my discussion of Third-person narration in Narration in Film.)
- The Voice of a Character within the story-world who tells his experiences.
There is a further distinction between two kinds of first-person telling.
- The Voice-over of a character speaking to other characters within the story-world.
- The Voice-over of a character speaking to those outside the story-world.
The Voice that Thinks
There are three major forms of Voice-over that simulate what is going on inside a character's mind.
- Interior Monologue.
- Reading.
- Audio Mind Flash.
( See my discussion of forms of the Voice that Thinks in Narration in Film.)
Artistic Issues in the Use of Voice-over
The Art of Voice-over in Specific Films
- The Art of Voice-over in Apocalypse Now
- Voice-over in A Clockwork Orange
- Bad Art of Voice-over in Blade Runner '82