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#WW #screenwriting #screenplay #script CSSC Writer Wednesday | Blog the 37th: Voice Over

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I hate voice over.

But sometimes I use voice over.

This is my burden.

I’m not lying.  I really do hate voice over.  I recognize that many well made movie use voice over (Shawshank Redemption, Sunset Boulevard), so I am not advocating that voice over should not be used in a script.

But you shouldn’t use voice over in a script.

And by you I mean the aspiring screenwriting reading this post.

As an aspirating screenwriter you, like myself, are still learning the tools of the trade and have not perfected the craft of screenwriting (though many professional screenwriters have also not perfected this craft).  Since you are still learning, you are not an expert and therefore should not use expert screenwriting tools.

In my opinion voice over is one of these tools.

Voice over seems easy to do and ultimately there lies the problem.  It is so tempting to use that writers use it.  But voice over is actually very difficult to use and can go wrong really, really fast.

Voice over allows the writer to showcase the thoughts that are inside the minds of the characters.  The trouble with this is that the audience of a film expects a certain level of subtlety.  Film is a reflection of real life and in real life you cannot hear the inner workings of another human being, and that other human being is not likely to just talk about all their innermost thoughts and desires.

So a film cannot do this either.

To help you in your quest to determine if you should use voice over in your script I will offer you up my 4 tips on using voice over.

1) Use it to set up your fantasy or sci-fi world
2) Never use the word “I”
3) Never ask a question
4) Don’t use voice over for exposition!

Now this is by no means an all encompassing list of how to use voice over, it is just what I have found to be helpful, and the things that annoy me when I am reading screenplays.

Now let’s get into what I mean by each one.

1) Voice over is often used to explain backstory and the information that the audience needs to know about the inner workings of the world the script is set in (see The Lord of the Rings).  Often times voice over is chosen for this because the other option is to have characters explain these details, and that leads to exposition which is a movie killer.

I recognize the need to use voice over to set up a world and so does the audience.  Therefore, you can use voice over to this effect.  But if you are not writing a sci-fi or fantasy but instead you are writing a script set in the real world, then do not use voice over.

If you insist on using voice over for the real world, then be smart about it and follow the next 3 tips.

And if you are using voice over to set up your non-real world, you also need to be smart about it.  Just because you are writing a fantasy doesn’t give you an excuse to have terrible voice over.

2) Never use the word “I” in voice over.  Some movies do this, but it is a trap you should avoid.  Using “I” means you are discussing the personal thoughts and feelings of your character and that means you are cheating.  People do not typically discuss these thoughts out loud and neither should your characters. (see American Psycho 2 for an example of how bad this can be)

3) Never ask a question in voice over.  Questions are passive and your protagonist should be active.  I have heard that a protagonist should never ask questions, but I think that is going to far, just avoid it in voice overs.  Questions in voice overs are often rhetorical and attempt to be philosophical when they are not or the voice over reflects the inner questions inside the character’s mind.  Which you cannot do.

4) Don’t use voice over for exposition (unless you fall into the situation described in tip 1).  This may seem counter intuitive but it is the best tip I can offer about using voice over.

I blogged about this idea a few years ago, but the idea is important to revisit.  Dialog is NOT an expression of plot, Dialog IS an expression of character.

If your characters are talking just to forward or explain the plot, then you will lose your audience.  Instead dialog should be a reflection of the emotions, needs, wants, desires and attitude of your character.

This applies to voice over as well.

Voice over should not direct the plot, instead it should reflect the character of your protagonist.  It should provide insights into their view on the world or interpretation of events.  This may sound like you are expressing the inner workings of the mind of the character, but it is subtly different.  If you keep voice over away from plot and apply tips 2 and 3 you should be able to make your voice over work.  (See Mean Girls for this).

In the end, it is your choice to use voice over or not and the simplest way to avoid the pitfalls of voice over is to abstain from it entirely.  However, if you decided you must have voice over in your script, I hope you consider my 4 tips.

Until next week, keep writing.


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