Choosing the narration format is among the most critical decisions of documentary production.


Documentaries are productions for film, TV, or radio that are used to report truth in some way. They might have a number of purposes, such as informing individuals of a specific cause or telling a dramatic true story. They might also be mainly without narrative and just be documenting the mood or reality of the particular location and time. Nonetheless, simply because they routinely have an intention centring around informing or describing, it is very common for there to be some type of device to guide the audience. Tim Parker will understand that voiceover narration has been incredibly popular since sound was initially put into cinema, instantly being included in the newsreels that had been popular at that time. The narrator does not appear on film and their role is just dedicated to reading a script that defines or complements the footage. The narrator can also be active in the production, such as by being the producer, however it is additionally typical for them to have no other involvement.


The first few decades of the history of cinema consisted solely of silent films. This changed just under a century ago, when sound was first added and filmmakers had a whole new additional element they could add to their films. Nevertheless, just because sound is available does not mean that filmmakers have to oversaturate their films with every possible sound imaginable. Some films only depend on natural noises, for instance, while some add no music at all. Rachel Wang will likely be well aware that some documentaries consist of no narration. These silent narration documentaries alternatively inform audiences by a mixture of the knowledge gained from interviews and title screens. Also called intertitles or title cards, these are screens held for several seconds to allow words to appear for the audience to read.


Documentaries have traditionally been viewed as a more anonymous type of filmmaking. This might be in stark contrast to narrative feature films, in which both the cast and crew can be filled with world-famous celebrities. In fact, there actually has been people that have made a name for themselves via documentary filmmaking. A majority of these individuals have done this by using hosted narration. Soleta Rogan will be able to tell you that a narrator host is a person who conducts interviews, appears on camera, and completes voiceovers for the documentary. This might make the documentary appear to be the hosts personal journey and will provide a raw impression, as more traditionally behind the scenes elements can be included in to the last cut. The reason being other narration styles require more editing to make certain members of the production aren't on-screen. The hosted strategy consequently enables capturing footage of the difficulties productions face, like having interviews unexpectedly rejected or threatening encounters with people who do not want to be filmed.