Sound for Narration

New_Zealand

New_Zealand

Veteran
I have a scene that has narration over. the scene is of a girl walking along the forest/beach etc.

The question is I wonder if I should record this in a quiet room or should I record it outside?
 
Always record VO separately, and as dry as possible. You can always add ambient sounds later, but you cannot remove them if they're recorded with the voice.
 
I heard a tip that you can use a car as a voice over booth since it's designed to be acoustically isolated from the outside world and contains a lot of soft upholstery to absorb echoes.
 
AndrewGentle said:
I heard a tip that you can use a car as a voice over booth since it's designed to be acoustically isolated from the outside world and contains a lot of soft upholstery to absorb echoes.
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You can use a car in a pinch if you have nothing else,but all that glass causes sound reflections that are less than ideal.
 
C2V said:
Always record VO separately, and as dry as possible. You can always add ambient sounds later, but you cannot remove them if they're recorded with the voice.
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I'd agree with this, but I have to think that the transition would have to take presedence (assuming there is one). E.g. if the VO transitions from VO to reveal of where the VO is taking place (so more of an OS than a VO) I'd think you'd want to be extremely careful about making sure the two line up perfectly.

I have several VO transitions in my current feature, meaning that dialog from a different scene enters the scene you're watching before it ends.

So, two people sitting in an office talking, but we're watching their car traverse the city area it took them to get to the office. I'd be concerned about recording that conversation in an environment that doesn't mold seamlessly for when we actually pick up the conversation on-screen.

MO
 
Chamber005 said:
I'd agree with this, but I have to think that the transition would have to take presedence (assuming there is one). E.g. if the VO transitions from VO to reveal of where the VO is taking place (so more of an OS than a VO) I'd think you'd want to be extremely careful about making sure the two line up perfectly.

I have several VO transitions in my current feature, meaning that dialog from a different scene enters the scene you're watching before it ends.

So, two people sitting in an office talking, but we're watching their car traverse the city area it took them to get to the office. I'd be concerned about recording that conversation in an environment that doesn't mold seamlessly for when we actually pick up the conversation on-screen.

MO
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That's not technically VO. That's simply extending on-cam dialog over an edit. It's an L-cut, or a J-cut, depending on which way you're going.

The OP asked about narration, which is recorded completely separately from any location/on-cam dialog.
 
C2V said:
That's not technically VO. That's simply extending on-cam dialog over an edit. It's an L-cut, or a J-cut, depending on which way you're going.

The OP asked about narration, which is recorded completely separately from any location/on-cam dialog.
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But he said that the girl is walking around outside (and so asked if he should then record her speaking outside). When I think VO I think strictly narration, like without deviation. E.g. this is a fictional overlay, nothing that is actually happening; storyteller, inner monologue, etc. But his comments made me think that this isn't VO as much as it is someone actually speaking somewhere, in an actual enviornment. If the person speaking is ever actually shown speaking in the enviornment, I think the best option is to record whatever actually is in the scene (just as we would any other scene).

However if it is "true" VO and only will ever exist as inner monologue (or the like), then I think the controlled, "studio" approach is appropriate.

To me there's nothing worse than someone, say, singing in a movie and then when they start talking again suddenly it sounds completely different because the ambient noise has changed so dramatically.

So is this audio track someone actually speaking, or is it someone thinking/a narrator? I think that's the difference.
 
Just as an example, in Forrest Gump it walks back and forth between Voice-Over and Off-Screen. (where recording outside might make sense, but a recording studio is still likely used for the bulk of the off-screen lines that don't directly lead into an on-camera line)

Where Shawshank Redemption is a true Voice-Over. You just hear his thoughts and it's not him actually talking to anyone. (obviously a recording studio would be best)
 
Chamber005 said:
I'd agree with this, but I have to think that the transition would have to take presedence (assuming there is one). E.g. if the VO transitions from VO to reveal of where the VO is taking place (so more of an OS than a VO) I'd think you'd want to be extremely careful about making sure the two line up perfectly.

I have several VO transitions in my current feature, meaning that dialog from a different scene enters the scene you're watching before it ends.

So, two people sitting in an office talking, but we're watching their car traverse the city area it took them to get to the office. I'd be concerned about recording that conversation in an environment that doesn't mold seamlessly for when we actually pick up the conversation on-screen.

MO
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And that's why you always record room tone and ambient (yes, they are different!) tracks, precisely to bridge such transitions in post
 
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