tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946722630962887786.post6698857596697624114..comments2014-10-22T10:16:18.842-07:00Comments on Archfriend: Voice-over narration in movies.Archfriendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16427916684246054084noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946722630962887786.post-46328265299813464602014-02-01T16:06:51.787-08:002014-02-01T16:06:51.787-08:00My problem with opening captions, particularly the...My problem with opening captions, particularly the Star Wars ones, is that they betray the golden rule of show-don't-tell. This is a practical issue: if your story relies too heavily on exposition relayed through dialogue or scrolling text, there is a large chance an audience might not be listening close enough, or paying attention at all. Even a bookworm like me will often regress over an entire paragraph because my mind trailed off thinking about something else.<br /><br />Dialogue and text alone are simply not gripping. I remember something Iranian film director Asghar Ferhadi once said to his actors: "the camera sees everything, even the thoughts inside your head". What this means is that film should impact its viewers so strongly they don't even have to pay attention to dialogue to know what's happening.<br /><br />Admittedly, the original Star Wars films were great without needing the opening crawl, but the text--and most importantly the music--add to the stylization and immersion of a fantasy epic. Up until it became a staple, that is, and by the prequel trilogy they were so loaded with political terminology I eventually stopped reading them altogether.Archfriendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16427916684246054084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946722630962887786.post-68025130950137565952014-01-30T23:30:37.519-08:002014-01-30T23:30:37.519-08:00I love the Morgan Freeman voiceover in The Shawsha...I love the Morgan Freeman voiceover in The Shawshank Redemption.<br /><br />And of course, very long intro captions 'A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away etc' can give an audience a valuable running start into a movie. Voice Over Talenthttp://www.melaniehaynes.com/for-talent/voice-over-talent/noreply@blogger.com