Analysing documentary narration with examples

Analysing documentary narration with examples

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Choosing the narration structure is among the most significant decisions of documentary production.


Documentaries are productions for film, TV, or radio that are designed to document truth one way or another. They might have a number of purposes, such as informing people about a specific cause or telling a dramatic real story. They may also be mainly without narrative and simply be documenting the reality or mood of the particular place and time. However, since they routinely have a purpose centring around informing or describing, it is extremely common for there to be some kind of device to guide the viewer. Tim Parker will know that voiceover narration was extremely popular since sound was first put into cinema, immediately being included in the newsreels that were popular at that time. The narrator doesn't appear on screen and their role is merely focused on reading a script that describes or complements the footage. The narrator can also be involved in the production, such as by being the producer, but it is additionally common for them to have no other participation.


The very first few decades of the history of cinema consisted solely of silent movies. This changed just under a hundred years ago, when sound was first added and filmmakers possessed a whole new extra element they could add to their films. But, just because sound is available does not always mean that filmmakers have to oversaturate their movies with every possible sound imaginable. Some films just rely on natural noises, for example, while some add no music at all. Rachel Wang will be well aware that some documentaries consist of no narration. These silent narration documentaries instead educate viewers by a blend of the knowledge gained from interviews and title screens. Also known as intertitles or title cards, they are screens held for a number of seconds to allow words to appear for the viewers to read.


Documentaries have usually been seen as a more anonymous type of filmmaking. This is certainly in stark contrast to narrative feature films, in which both the cast and crew could be filled with world-famous superstars. In fact, there actually have been people that have made a name for themselves through documentary filmmaking. A majority of these people have done so with the use of hosted narration. Soleta Rogan should be able to tell you that a narrator host is an individual who conducts interviews, appears on camera, and completes voiceovers for the documentary. This may make the documentary appear to be the hosts own personal journey and will supply a raw impression, as more traditionally behind the scenes elements might be included into the final cut. The reason being other narration formats need more editing to make sure members of the production aren't on-screen. The hosted strategy consequently enables recording footage of the difficulties productions have, like having interviews unexpectedly denied or threatening encounters with people who do not need to become filmed.