Narration

Scope and Distinction from Voice-Over

All voice-overs are narration, but not all narration is voiced—intertitles in silent film functioned as text-based narration long before synchronized sound. Documentary cinema leans heavily on expository narration, from John Grierson’s paternal tone in Night Mail (1936) to David Attenborough’s measured awe in Planet Earth.

Modes Categorised by Bill Nichols

1. Expository — Addresses viewer directly; authoritative.
2. Observational — Minimalist or absent; cinéma vérité.
3. Participatory — Filmmaker appears on screen (Michael Moore).
4. Reflexive — Draws attention to filmmaking process.
5. Performative — Subjective, emotional. Fiction similarly oscillates: Rashomon-style unreliable narrators challenge epistemology, whereas Jane Austen adaptations often use omniscient narrators to replicate prose irony.

Recording and Post-Production Workflow

Narration is typically captured in a VO booth with pop filters and Neumann microphones, then layered over an M&E (music and effects) stem. Localization teams replace narration tracks for dubs, yet some directors insist on subtitles to preserve cadence.