By Story Consultant Fernanda Rossi, The Documentary Doctor

(Reading time: 5:15 minutes – 468 words)

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Voice-over is the technique of adding narration to images, i.e., voice over images. Lately, however, I feel compelled to re-name it voice-all-over because of its overuse. Or voice-over-again, because how many times it’s re-written.

Filmmaker Gino Del Guercio, with a dozen documentaries under his belt, has no problems writing, directing, and editing good narration. But his latest film, Abandoned in the Arctic, presented a particular set of new challenges. So we decided to work on it together in his South Easton, Mass. studio along with his executive producer, Jeff Clark.

It took a thorough scene breakdown and analysis to find the miniscule glitches that were putting the rest of the film out of balance. And it was only on the second day that it struck me: the double function of the voice-over was adding extra weight to the already complex story.

The film has two storylines: that of James Shedd retracing the steps of his great-great-grandfather Lt. Adolphus Greely’s exploration of the Arctic; and that of the original exploration itself and how Greely was forgotten both by history and the government that was supposed to pick him up at the end of his expedition, an oversight that resulted in desperate yet heroic attempts at survival.

Through narration James himself intertwined these storylines separated by 120 years and four generations. But, alas, that forced him into two almost opposing functions: on the one hand, present-day explorer coming of age; on the other, omniscient historian. Can one single character do both? Sometimes; but after thorough consideration we all concluded it wasn’t possible in this film.

The obvious solution was to have talent narrate the historical events. Of course, Gino had thought of that and tried it already. Professional talent and James didn’t mix well. Who else could it be? Gino quickly blurted out, “The aunt! The aunt!” Yes, the aunt, who appeared in only one scene in the opening, was the family custodian of Lt. Greely’s memorabilia.

This sparkly old lady would be perfect, better than talent. Rather than making history a separate entity passed on from a disembodied narrator to the audience, it would be integrated more deeply into the film, with James’ aunt passing the family’s oral tradition to the next generation, as though a wise ancestor were guiding young James through his adventure in the Arctic. It made mythical sense!

In retrospect, the solution, like all good solutions, seems obvious. And the answer might seem too easy, but it was only easy because we found the right question. It was not whether to have less voice-over or different content or more scenes or use cards instead: the true issue was to understand the function of characters and voice-over in the overall story structure.

Conclusion: Voice is made of air not ink and paper..

The Doctor will see you now: The Doc will be offering her signature workshops on structure and fundraising trailers in Denver, May 17-18. She’ll also be at the Boston Market on May 30. For details check www.documentarydoctor.com.

Voice Over and Over – Case Study: Abandoned in the Arctic by Gino Del Guercio.
Article by Fernanda Rossi | edited by Marcia Scott | photo by Tania Retchisky
published by Documentary Educational Resources

Fernanda Rossi, 2008. All rights reserved. This article can be reprinted in its entirety for educational purposes only, as long as no charges of any kind are made. Partial reproductions or modifications to the original format are strictly prohibited.