Four Ways To Do Narrations in Documentary-Style Programs

by Dr. Robert Gershon
 

You've just been asked to produce a program based on a great deal of abstract information. Your first question is how to treat the subject--what "direction" to take. Since much of the information to be transmitted will be verbal, you have two problems. The first one that comes to mind is how to keep your tape visually interesting while the words go by. We have all dealt with this difficulty. Even more importantly, however, you must determine how to present the verbal information in the most effective way: Who will say what, and in what manner. To answer questions like these, you should be aware of the complex relationships among speaker, program, and audience which exist in all non-fiction productions. One way of fostering such an awareness is to analyze the types of verbal presentation in documentary style television production.
 

Types of Speaker

Suppose that a portion of your production concerns a specific function of a government agency, e.g., how the EPA tests for auto emissions. There are four basic methods you might use to describe this function. The first is to have a traditional voice-over narrator explain it: "First, the automobile is connected to the dynamometer.." he reads, as video of that activity is shown.
Another technique is to use an on camera speaker as an "audience representative" or "guide" throughout your production. He might be shown entering the office of the agency and explaining what goes on there to his audience: "This is the office where the decisions are made..."
A third method is the "guest expert" approach. Here the official who carries out the given function explains to the camera what he does. The face looking out from the screen might say, "Well, when I first came to the EPA there wasn't much need for the kind of equip ment..." A key would identify him by name and title.
Finally, you can have your audience "eavesdrop" on this same official as he does his job, and from such watching and listening, obtain an understanding of the function. We might overhear the official as he suggests modifications on a testing technique, or as he instructs a subordinate in a method of listing emission pollutants.

Audience Reactions
The first and most traditional is the authoritative narrator. His speech is formal, carefully modulated, and ennunciated. He reads from a script so he does not hesitate. He is recorded under controlled conditions so the listener does not hear fluffed lines. That comes as news to no one, but we often forget that --outside of television--we do not expect people to sound like that. The result is that the audience does not think of the narrator as a person. Viewers react to the spoken script as they would to printed words, picking up verbal information efficiently but with no personality im posed upon it. If the narrator appears on camera the situation changes, but only slightly. While the audience cannot help but notice the person speaking, viewers can ignore the fact that the person is any more than a front through which words are transmitted. Nonetheless, this approach does weaken the directness of verbal transmission, hence it is rarely used outside of the spot commercial (a questionable form of non-fiction) and the limited-budget instructional pro gram (which would probably do better with a different treatment). The foregoing refers to situations in which the narrator is not known to the audience. If the individual is a celebrity, again the effect changes. The audience is called upon to recall external associa tions with the speaker, and these are expected to add some type of authority to the content of the spoken information.
In most of the situations in which the narrator is known previously to the audience, however, he does more than stand up in front of the camera. He is both narrator of and participant in the action. He explains certain areas of the subject, usually in voice-over. Often he
explains an introduction, written in the past tense, to scenes in which he is part of the action. He acts as both representative and guide to the viewer. As representative, he asks the questions the audience would ask--this is the role Mike Wallace plays as he interviews the suspected shady dealer or dealer's victim on "60 Minutes." As guide, the narrator uses superior knowledge of the subject to lead us (through the camera's eye) into places where we make discoveries. While the narrator may already know the answers, the program is constructed in such a way that the audience feels it is making the discovery at the same time as the narrator. This is the method used by many of the non-fiction adventure shows such as Cousteau's Odessy. While the narrator is off camera the language and delivery are still formal, on-camera, the individual is often interacting with other people, and the speech patterns are normal and informal. In speaking to the audience, there is minimal interposition. Knowledge the narrator has of the content gives the audience added confidence in the speech, but the formal voice-over still allows the audience to ignore the fact that a person rather than a disembodied voice is speaking the words. The use of an expert on the subject of the program is a very different way of relaying verbal information. Here the viewer must constantly be made aware that the speaker is a specific person. It is this specificity that makes the presentation effective. The fact that an expert is speaking is its own argument in favor of accepting what he has to say. The expert must be introduced as such either by a voice-over or key. Usually, even if a key is used, a voice-over narrator will lead into the subject on which the on-camera person is to speak. Generally the expert is established on camera for at least a few seconds, after which his voice may continue over related video. This visual establishment is important. Unlike other types of narrative, in this format the audience must relate to the speaker as a human being. Not only must the audience see the speaker as a person, but it must hear him as one too. The expert. therefore, talks more or less informally, explaining the subject to the audience as he/she would to a single person or small group, and the viewer feels that the speaker is talking to him. Slight imperfections of language or speech may be inefficient in relaying in formation, but they also serve to acquaint the audience with the speaker who then becomes part of the subject. When on camera, the expert usually appears alone in an MS to an ECU. Generally he is almost in eye contact with the viewer, but rarely is completely so. This method is often used on the Nova series. Finally, a documentary will occasionally include sections of conversation. Most frequently this will be in the form of an interview, usually with the audience-representative speaker interviewing someone involved with the subject. Occasionally, the program includes normal conversation. This is the mainstay of cinema verite style, examples of which are Frederick Wiseman's films-- Titticut Follies, Primate, etc. In the case of the interview, a representative is interposed between the expert and the audience. The speaker relates not to the camera, but to another person. Even though the interview is staged specifically for the camera, the viewer does not receive information directly; he eavesdrops. This is even more true in cinema verite . Here the viewer picks up whatever information he can with no chance to ask for elaboration, even through a representative.

Advantages of Each Type
The voice-over narrator is the most direct. Within the structure of the program, he represents the Voice of Truth. The viewer cannot doubt his word with out doubting the entire program. But the narrator must have video to explain, and too much voice-over commentary can be deadly boring. Putting the narrator on camera relieves some of the video problem, but usually increases the boredom. Using this technique along with a guest expert often provides balance. The voice-over narrator is particularly good for instructional programs, especially when there is little or no controversy in the program content. The use of an audience representative/guide is in itself an excellent organizing principle. The narrator can lead the audience through the subject just as if the viewers were investigating on their own. But with this knowledgeable guide, the audience can become extremely efficient in its investigation. While using the representative as interviewer loses the directness of an involved person speaking to the camera, it is still a good method for presenting a reluctant or less-than articulate speaker because the interview can ask repeated questions until all the pertinent points have been covered. This technique also allows a probing investigation to unfold with startling speed. An expert who speaks directly to the audience allows the viewer to become involved with a participant in the subject. Use of one or more experts along with the voice-over narrator allows a change in speaker--both in tone and in style--with a consequent increase in interest. This is a good way to deal with complex topics, and possibly the best way to treat controversial subjects-- allowing proponents of both (or all) sides to speak for themselves. The "overheard conversation" is difficult because of the distance it creates between the speaker and the audience. Also, visually it allows little chance for full face shots--the most effective way for a viewer to get to know the speaker. With this method, however, the context and manner in which the speaker talks become part of the subject's development. In Wiseman's Meat we are allowed to view and overhear a jobber selling vast quantities of beef. The subject becomes not the price or availability of beef, but the process of buying and selling.

Production Techniques
While this article is meant to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various styles of narrative, a word or two on production is in order. Production methods and logistics necessarily differ, depending upon the style used. Use of a traditional authoritative narrator throughout gives you complete control. Subject allowing, you can begin with a script, shoot your material as that script dictates, and edit. When the narrator acts as a guide to the audience, generally you also can follow a preconceived script. When the guide acts as audience representative asking questions of another speaker, obviously you must wait for the interview to determine precisely how it will fit into your production. The use of an expert speaking to the audience usually allows you to develop only a rough outline before shooting. Only after you review your material can you finalize a voice-over narrator's introduction and conclusion (if needed) to each expert's material. Often even the order of the material will have to be changed. If the director and expert agree beforehand on what will be said (even to the point of starting with a given sentence), sometimes a pre-written script will work. Since the expert is not a professional speaker, however, the sense of direct conversation with the viewer is usually lost. Allowing an expert to speak to the audience directly is sometimes more difficult than it seems. A prepared speech often sounds stilted and loses the advantage of informality--the expert speak ing person to person. A good, if time consuming, way to capture such a speaker is to position a camera over the shoulder of and as close as possible to the interviewer. This way when your subject speaks to the interviewer, he is looking almost directly at the camera. While the shot can be altered as the conversation warrants, movement should be kept to a minimum. Remember you are planning to use only segments of the interview, and you do not want an un necessary camera move at a crucial point in the segment.

The interviewer should ask only as many questions as are absolutely necessary to get the required information. He should never interrupt. A good technique is to nod and show an interest in non-verbal ways--any verbal response will be picked up on mike. You might want to ask the expert to begin with a given sentence or idea so that it will work into a pre-written outline or even a script . After shooting, it is best to make a transcript of the interview so you can find places to begin and end segments and can write transition passages for a voice-over. Using visuals also allows you to piece segments together for audio editing, but obviously you must try the edits to see if voice intonations and levels fit. While the studio is a good place for an interview, the expert's office, laboratory, workbench, or whatever place is associated with the program's subject, or even an outdoor setting also work well. These will be more likely to put the expert at ease, add visual interest, and give the viewer a more vital sense of the expert's personality.
The problem of maintaining informal spontaneity also applies to the over heard conversation. It can be a scripted or re-created scene, but unless your sub jects are actors, a sense of spontaneity will be blatantly lacking. This narrative style is usually the most unpredictable. Generally it is best to shoot a great deal of material and script those parts that use overheard conversation as part of the editing process.

Dealing with verbal material during television production can be a tricky process; you run the risk of boredom on one hand and incoherence on the other. But with an awareness of how an audience reacts to various forms of the spoken word, you can treat each subject as interestingly and effectively as possible.