“God help you if you use voice-over in your work my friends. God help you! That’s flaccid, sloppy writing. Any idiot can write voice-over narration to explain the thoughts of the character.”
Robert McKee (played by Brian Cox) in Adaptation
“You see, the body of a young man was found floating in the pool of her mansion – with two shots in his back and one in his stomach. Nobody important, really. Just a movie writer with a couple of ‘B’ pictures to his credit.”
William Holden VO in Sunset Blvd.
Last night I watched The Holiday listening to the director’s commentary by writer/director Nancy Meyers and she mentioned that while writing The Holiday that she watched Billy Wilder’s The Apartment three times. I haven’t quoted Wilder in a while so now is as good a time as any unearth another one from the great six-time Oscar winner.
In some circles having voice-over narration is taboo, but Wilder didn’t shy away from it. Heck, Wilder (and additional writers Charles Brackett & D.M. Marshman, Jr.) in Sunset Blvd. even had a dead guy give VO. And the writers won an Oscar for the story. Granted that was 60 years ago, but is voice-over narration really sloppy writing?
What about these films?
The Shawshank Redemption
Forrest Gump
Days of Heaven
Taxi Driver
To Kill A Mockingbird
The Big Lebowski
Election
A Christmas Story
Goodfellas
Stand by Me
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Fight Club
The Usual Suspects
American Beauty
The Princess Bride
Double Indemnity
Unless someone changed the definition of sloppy writing there isn’t a whole lot of fat in those films. And just for good measure, Nancy Meyers is fond of using voice-over narration and she’s the most successful female box office money-making director. And she takes her lead in the voice-over department from Wilder.
“In doing voice-overs, be careful not to describe what the audience already sees. Add to what they’re seeing.”
Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder’s sreenwriting tips as told to Cameron Crowe
[…] “God help you if you use voice-over in your work my friends. God help you! That’s flaccid, sloppy writing. Any idiot can write voice-over narration to explain the thoughts of the character.” Robert McKee (played by Brian Cox) in Adaptation “You see, the body of a young man was found floating in the pool of […] Original Source… […]
Great topic. I’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about VO narration lately. Especially after reading the bit about it in McKee’s “Story.” He certainly didn’t hold back his feelings about it! And even though some of my favorite films use the technique, I felt a certain “You go Bob!” when I read his thoughts because I think I understood why he was giving such a dire warning.
Most of the films I love with VO are not recent films so the VO felt “fresh.” But in some of the recent films I’ve seen with VO, it has felt a little tired and cliche’. And at times, I really didn’t want it because it was telling me how the character felt and I wanted to figure it out based on the character’s behavior.
The current state of VO almost feels like one more tool that worked in the past that has been overused. As a result, although it can still be a useful and powerful tool, current writers need to be more fastidious with it.
There are 2 tv shows that use it well–USA’s In Plain Sight and Burn Notice (there may be others). It definitely adds to what the audience sees.
Voice Over could work, but I would never, ever have it as a basic idea or concept in my first draft.
Well done it is perfect, but how many writers can do that? If it is anything less than well done, it ruins the movie.
I’ve read so many scripts of wanna-be writers who put their energy in writing voice overs instead of describing what the character do and how and where he/she lives which would give just as much information but leaving to the viewer to see and think for him/herself.
It’s effective when it becomes another character of the story.