Voiceovers

Wow, it's been a while since I posted. I have a lot of great stuff coming up on pitching and networking. But for now, let's talk a bit about voiceovers.

I've found that there are generally two camps of people when it comes to voiceovers. The people who love them and the people who absolutely can't stand them. I definitely fall into the first category. A good voiceover can lure me in to a story, make me feel like I know the character, and sometimes share tremendous insight the way that a novel sometimes can. My favorite example of voiceover is from the season two episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer called "Passion."

Angel (or Angelus, because at this point he's evil) open the episode with the following:

"Passion. It lies in all of us. Sleeping...and waiting...and though unwanted..unbidded...it will stir...open it's jaws and howl. (Action sequence where Angelus bites a woman, Buffy gets into bed, Angelus looks in. Angelus comes into the room, strokes her hair as she sleeps. Watches her.) It speaks to us...guides us...Passion rules us all. And we obey. What other choice do we have?"

This voiceover works because it sets the tone for the episode, tells us something we otherwise wouldn't be able to completely understand just from visuals or conversation, and most importantly, make the audience think. The audience hears Angel say that, and realizes how much of our lives we give over to passion -- and for a second, we're Angel. We understand him. It makes the whole episode scarier.

There's a lot of voiceover out there that doesn't work, though. And even as a lover of the tool, I get so irked by improper V.O. to the point where it can taint my opinion on the script. So I can just imagine how people who hate the technique feel when they come across V.O. done poorly.

So here are some Don'ts of Voiceover:

1. DON'T include voiceover in the middle or end of the script if the character did not start the script with voiceover. If we haven't been in his or her head the whole time, we can't find ourselves there partway through the story.

2. DON'T include something in voiceover that is repeated in dialogue or in action. For example:
CHARLIE (V.O.)
I always knew I wanted to be a mechanic. Since I was a child, I've loved cars. Red cars. Yellow cars. All cars.

Charlie slams his locker shut. Bob approaches.

BOB
Dude, can you take a look at my car? It's been sputtering and I know you want to be a mechanic, so...

3. DON'T use voiceover when you have the option to use dialogue or action. That's just lazy. Voiceover is a last resort.

4. DON'T pepper the whole script with voiceover just for the sake of it. It doesn't legitimize the use of voiceover, it just makes it overkill. If we're in your character's head too much, consider telling this story in another format.

5. If you start the script with voiceover DON'T forget to end it with voiceover.

The bottom line is, make your voiceover perfect, dynamic, and irrefutable. Because a reader who appreciates the technique will love it, and a reader who hates the technique will let it go by.