Comparison of the Role of Voice-Over Narration in Films - Essay Example

? VOICE-OVER NARRATION IN FILM By 12th, December, Voice-over Narration in Film Filmmakers have many unique devices through which they can engage and provoke thoughts and ideas within their viewership. One of the ways in which this is accomplished is through the effective use of the voice-over narrative. This technique is not new; rather, it has been employed to varying degrees from the time when film was first starting to gain a foothold as an art form. Before the voice-over narrative was introduced, there existed similar mechanisms within silent film. The director, or a responsible entity, would allow the audience a brief glimpse into the action from an omniscient perspective by using words flashed on the screen to describe the action that was taking place. Such a film device is not in any way new or inventive. It is a story-telling technique that is used by different directors to elaborate a plot, based on the needs of the plot and the messages they wish to convey to the audience. As such, this brief analysis will track and consider the ways in which directors of three distinct films—Dr Strangelove (1964), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), and The Big Lebowski (1998)—employ this technique. Through such an analysis, the author hopes to reveal the different nuanced levels of meaning that the individual directors hope to invoke through story-telling techniques such as the voice-over narrative. Kubrick himself, when discussing how he would cast and direct a satire on the lunacy of the Cold War, noted that it should be presented to the audience in a form of dark humour. In this way, it could more readily convey the levels of truth and the different meanings that are portrayed (Bilandzic & Buselle, 2011, p. 30). As a means to accomplish this end, Kubrick employed many techniques that sought to mirror elements of true life that the audience would readily be able to identify with and would appreciate. Of course one of the most powerful mechanisms that he employed was presenting news-like stories to the viewer in a matter of fact way; regardless of how utterly insane they might be in content. Kubrick further sought to provide a type of societal commentary that housed the work in a convenient yet detached framework. Rather than allowing the individual characters to stand out, ultimately diminishing the message that Kubrick was attempting to communicate, the director regarded central omniscient or seemingly omniscient narrator as a better mechanism. Thus, the director was able to present a serious and gripping subject matter in a satirical way from a detached standpoint. The detached standpoint itself is further compounded by the effect of the monotone voice of the voice-over narration, impressing upon the viewer an influential point of view. The overall effect that the director was attempting to incorporate into the film was precisely this: it was only necessary to add elements of realism into a script that was already tinged by elements of absurdity since the satire engaged the viewer with the preposterous nature of the Cold War and Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) (Kirshner 2001, p. 40). In this way, the voice-over narration provided the necessary ethos that Kubrick required to accomplish a sense of realism and authority. Iguarta (2009, p. 58) offers a comprehensive insight regarding Dr Strangelove (1964), particularly from the perspective of using the voice-over technique: Voice-over narration in Kubrick's films evolves from an element that shows the mastery of the text by itself and an element of coherence that assures the perfect fitting of each element in the first films. They also show a more detached, ironic relationship of narrator to the text, which hints at the growing feeling in the later films that reality cannot be controlled and that the text is unable to present it to us in a clear, reassuring way. This passage seems marked by the absence of voice-over narration in 2001, a reference to the organizing, clarifying function it had fulfilled in Kubrick's films up to then, which would not have been coherent with the spirit of this revolutionary film. What is of particular interest with reference to the way that Kubrick employed the voice-over narrative in Dr Strangelove (1964) is the manner in which the narrator spoke to the audience. Although this paper has already referenced the fact that the narrator spoke in much the same way that a news broadcaster of the time might do, what has not been discussed is the similarities to the fireside chatting style and others who had become household names by the time that the movie was released. This was of course at least nominally intentional, since Murrow himself participated in a series of Cold War propaganda films that were not dissimilar to the subject matter that was satirized in Dr Strangelove (1964). This ‘news-like’ representation of the subject matter is further evidenced by the way in which the narrator justifies and categorises the film within its opening sequence. Says the nameless narrator in an ominous and eerie voice-over that opens the film: There is a war in this forest. Not a war that has been fought, nor one that will be, but any war. And the enemies that struggle here do not exist unless we call them into being. For all of them, and all that happens now is outside history. Only the unchanging shapes of fear and doubt and death are from our world. These soldiers that you see keep our language and our time, but have no other country but the mind (Stillman 2008, p.489). Although purposefully vague and mysterious, the above quote is indicative of the style that Kubrik intended to evoke by employing the voice-over mechanism in the film. In essence, by employing this noticeable and unavoidable narrative, the director is able to use a greater degree of freedom in seeking to describe and define the individual characters within the film. Thus, rather than defining themselves based upon a framework that Kubrik sets forth for the actor to engender, the narrator is able to create the themes and underlying motives that define the satire. As such, rather than being a mechanism that is used to walk the viewer through the movie in a condescending way, this mechanism is employed to radically and quickly set the stage for the means by which the satire itself and the proceeding characters will interact within the larger framework of the issues involved. Conversely, in Spielberg’s A.I. (2001) the voice-over narration is used to a different end. The voice-over narration was used almost exclusively in Dr Strangelove (1964) to evoke a sense of ethos within the viewer and to provide the elements of a news broadcast with respect to the happenstance that was occurring on the screen. The use of voice-over narration in A.I. (2001) serves to provide helpful segues into what would otherwise be disjunctive portions of an already abnormally long film. Thus, the director does not seek to impart a sense of overarching understanding by means of incorporating the voice-over narrative; rather, the purpose of the narrator is to provide a smooth and effortless transition over the long periods and different phases of the epic journey that child-robot undergoes. Moreover, what is of unique relevance to the development of the child-robot is the fact that emotional growth is not available to him at the same level that it would exist for a human child. As such, the voice-over narration helps to bridge the gap between the level of emotional understanding and desire that exists within the child’s programming and the actualities of the external world. Similarly, the level of plot development within the robot’s journey can be traced to four distinctly different periods. As stated, these uniquely disjunctive periods are bridged by the voice-over narration. This helps to provide segue into the new material and the development that Spielberg wants to incorporate into the plot. Obviously, there are other means by which this could have been accomplished. However, the purpose was to save time. Without this technique, the development would need to be incorporated into the plot. As such, Spielberg chooses to use the voice-over narrative to shorten the overall length of the story, besides rapidly grasping and redirecting the viewer’s attention to the topics upon which he chooses to focus. Additionally, and much more traditionally, the voice-over narration is used in Artificial Intelligence to bring the viewer into an unfamiliar world, consequently dispelling the viewer’s confusion. Such a technique has been employed for a very long time in film as a rather common method of rapidly introducing subject matter. It allows the director to cut directly to the plot and or the action that has been discussed (Geraci 2007, P. 261). In this way, the mechanism is used as an alternative platform to conventional methods used to engage with the viewer, gain his or her trust and present the subject matter rapidly and succinctly. Yet, beyond this desire to impart a quick background to the story, the viewer can realise a secondary reason for the director chosing to incorporate a voice-over narrator within the plot of the film. A secondary reason for this is of course the fact that the film itself deals with a subject matter that is inextricably linked to religious themes. The religious theme of ‘making man in our own image’ is fully brought to the viewer’s attention because the robot-child must mentally develop and seek to form attachments and mirror the relationship that a true son would have to the family in which he is ‘born’. The relationship between the son and his parents mimics that of a fall from grace that Adam and Eve experienced. The comparisons to the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Life serve to underscore the religious tones that the director is trying to achieve. Thus, the juxtaposition of a voice-over narrative helps to reinforce the omniscient view of the narrator, giving the allusion that the narrator is acting as a type of deity who explains how the fall of humankind precipitated. This type of narrative style helps to categorise the story from the very beginning within the viewer’s mind as something similar to a tragedy that will necessarily unfold in what can only be described as an ominous way. Regardless of the tone, the way in which the director engages the voice-over narrative to impress upon the viewer the overtly religious tones that will be discussed serves to strengthen the overall message that the director is attempting to convey. Thus, both the plot and the mechanism of the voice-over narrative engage the viewer and draw them further into a story that contains strong religious connotations. It is a unique use of the voice-over narrative that reinforces the religious element (Petlewski 1979, p.18). The final film that this analysis will consider with respect to the director’s use of the voice-over narrative is that of The Big Lebowski (1998). This particular movie is a vastly different genre from the other two films that have been analysed. Given that the subject matter is so divergent, it also makes sense that the use of the voice-over narrative is used differently. The voice-over narration intends to provide the viewer with a different level of understanding and a particularly nuanced mode of transmission (Ozguven, 2010, p. 164). In The Big Lebowski (1998) the voice-over narrative helps to provide the unspoken audience reaction to the overarching and far reaching generalisations of the actions that are occurring on the screen. Thus, a type of third actor is interacting with the cast (Klinger, 2010, p. 15; Douglass & Walls, 2008, p. 147). This narrator seeks to exhort from the audience the attitude they should adopt. The narrator influences how the audience analyses and considers the action that takes place with respect to ‘The Dude’. The way in which the Coen brothers employ this voice-over narrative engages the audience with the unique way in which the Coen brothers present their material, providing an overarching framework to understand the lead character (Igartua 2009, p. 19). What should be understood is that the role of these voice-over narratives is not meant to be understood and analysed as a solitary entity. Rather, they are each distinct in their own unique way as a type of mechanism that is designed and incorporated into the film to bring about a particular end (Butte 2008, p. 277). Whether this end is to provide a level of differentiation and comedic relief, a story segue and development or a framework in which to quickly explain and frame the plot, each of these is more than merely a voice over narrative. The voice-over narrative technique is a means of storytelling that each of the respective directors employs to relate his specific story. Thus, regardless of the differentiated ways in which each of these voice-over narratives are employed, they are a means by which the director can work to introduce and differentiate his story to the viewership. Buckland (2003, pp. 84-97), examines the manner in which the auteur’s role has transformed over the years to add value and meaning to the art of film. The auteur has changed his role in such a way that he ceases to be a distant technician by infusing his own craft into the film. Further, he adds some aspects of his individuality in the craft of film making. The film effectively uses visual techniques to illustrate the manner in which science has replaced human feelings (Kolker, 2011, p. 107). All the neatness and efficiency of machinery are purely developed for purposes of warfare. Effectively, the director mocks at a kind of progress that means the annihilation of humanity. Kreidler (2003, p. 32) observes that Spielberg adopted peculiar techniques of presenting subjects on the sidelines of the mainstream and dominant thought. The ability to look on the opposite end requires the adoption of techniques and styles that can effectively represent the deviation, (Morris, 2007, p. 300). As can be seen, the mechanisms by which each of these voice-over narratives are employed and the ultimate ends that they are meant to accomplish in the minds of the viewers is as diverse as the films that have been briefly analysed within this brief paper. Regardless of the subject matter that the director uses to engage the viewer, the implementation of the voice-over narrative is both an effective and diverse tool in which such an engagement can take place. Further, regardless of the genre, the end result of such a mechanism is meant to differentiate the story and allow the viewer to engage with it in a way that they might not have otherwise (Wilson 2006, p. 81). Rather than relying on the individual actors or circumstances to paint the image and clearly grip the viewer’s attention, the voice over narrative does so in an obtrusive way, which forces the viewer to engage and identify strongly with the subject matter at hand. Naturally, this can be abused by filmmakers and become a tiring technique, which appears to be preaching to the audience on a host of topics. However, with the particular applications that this essay has dealt with, it is the opinion of this author that with the exception of perhaps Artificial Intelligence, the directors have used the technique sparingly enough to evoke the desired effect masterfully upon the audience. References A.I. Artificial Intelligence, 2001, (Film), Directed by Steven Spielberg, Warner Bros, New York. Bilandzic, H, & Buselle, R 2011, 'Enjoyment of films as a function of narrative experience, perceived realism and transportability', Communications: The European Journal Of Communication Research, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 29-50. Buckland, W, 2003, The role of the auteur in the age of the blockbuster: Steven Spielberg and Dream Works, in Stringer, J (ed), Movie Blockbusters, Routledge, London, pp. 84-97. 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Igartua, J 2010, 'Identification with characters and narrative persuasion through fictional feature films', Communications: The European Journal Of Communication Research, vol. 35, no.4, pp. 347-373. Kirshner, J 2001, 'Subverting the Cold War in the 1960s: Dr Strangelove, The Manchurian Candidate, and The Planet of the Apes', Film & History (03603695), vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 40-44. Klinger, B, 2010, Becoming Cult: The Big Lebowski, replay culture and male fans, in Screen, 51 (1), pp. 1-20. Kolker, R, 2011, A Cinema of Loneliness, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Kreider, T, 2003, Reviews: A.I. Artificial Intelligence, in Film Quaterly, 56, (2), pp. 32- 39. Morris, N, 2007, A.I. Artificial Intelligence: eyes wide open, in The Cinema of Steven Spielberg: Empire of Light, Wallflower Press, London, pp. 299- 315. Ozguven, F 2010, 'Writing on Film History, Far from the Canon', Cinema Journal, vol.50, no.1, pp. 163-165. Petlewski, P 1979, 'Complication of Narrative in the Genre Film', Film Criticism, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 18-24. Stillman, GB 2008, 'Two of the MADdest scientists: where Strangelove Meets Dr No; or, unexpected roots for Kubrick's cold war classic', Film History, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 487-500. The Big Lebowski, 1998, (Film), Directed by Joel Coen, Gramercy Pictures, New York. Wilson, G 2006, 'Transparency and Twist in Narrative Fiction Film', Journal Of Aesthetics & Art Criticism, vol. 64, no. 1, pp. 81-95. Read More