Voice Overs query

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Peter Stedman
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Voice Overs query

Post by Peter Stedman »

Occasionally I make a slide show of old photographs using my Premiere CS6 video editing programme. I add suitable music title voice-overs etc. and all is well.

I am doing another at the moment involving around 230 old photographs from a village during the 1930s to 1950s.

All the photographs have captions of a suitable size for the older folk to read and the titles and music have been done. However I really do feel that without any occasional voice-over it’s a bit bland. What I see, as a problem, is that having some voice-overs and at the same time pictures with captions to be read, is going to be a bit confusing for the viewers.

Have any of you suggestions on this puzzle for me please?

Pete.
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TimStannard
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Re: Voice Overs query

Post by TimStannard »

Peter, I think you are absolutely right to be concerned about mixing voiceover, caption and image - just try to watch news programs with rolling headlines - I, for one, can only listen to the news or read the headlines - never both.

A mix can work, but only if the text is one or two words at a time. (For example imagine a voice over talking about "... happened at a a number of Premiership football stadia around the country" whilst images of different grounds are flashed ups with titles like "Anfield", "Old Trafford".

On no account repeat in the voice over, the words in the text!

So, to your problem.

Dare I suggest some music?
My thought is have sections where you have only voiceover and sections where you have only captions. Voiceovers for where explanation is required, captions for where simple titles are all that is required.
The problem with this is it rather draws attention to the fact you've got some spoken word and some captions. My thought of using music is that you would obviously bring it up in volume for the text only sections and duck it (but not lose it completely) under the voiceover. This will help bind the soundtrack together by lessening the contrast between the textual and spoken commentary.

Having said that, I am also aware that music - particularly inappropriate music - can ruin an otherwise good documentary so tread cautiously if you choose to go down this path.
Tim
Proud to be an amateur film maker - I do it for the love of it
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Peter Stedman
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Re: Voice Overs query

Post by Peter Stedman »

Thanks Tim for your observations and thoughts. I understand all what you say. All the pictures are fully captioned so there is little space in the body of the programme for VO so I might just think about something at the start and the end.

Thanks again. Pete.
A.K. Williams
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Re: Voice Overs query

Post by A.K. Williams »

Voice or narration is an entirely personal issue Peter and in my experience is not one which is overcome by asking others for their opinion. If you are comfortable with your own voice -and only you can decide this- then you should (in my view) simply proceed, to ask others for their view on your ability to sound expertly without having access to what you are in the process of is not going to be of any real value to anyone least of all you and so:

speak as you mean
speak as you feel comfortable
and (most importantly) speak what you mean,

Tony Williams.
col lamb
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Re: Voice Overs query

Post by col lamb »

Peter

Put a voice over on the movie.

There may be people in the audience who have reading difficulties and yet they could make out the video OK

If not needed you can always turn the volume down but at least it is there.

AND

You can put both with and without versions on a DVD
Col Lamb
Preston, Lancashire.
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Peter Stedman
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Re: Voice Overs query

Post by Peter Stedman »

Thank you all for your words of wisdom. I will see how I get on with this one.

Cheers. Pete.
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Dave Watterson
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Re: Voice Overs query

Post by Dave Watterson »

What about a couple of filmed inserts of you (or someone else) as a talking head to personalise the show?

"The cross-roads has undergone many changes over the years. More cars on the road, tighter safety regulations and the changing nature of the population."

"Many of us remember the childhood delights of the sweet shop. How many gum-drops, sherbet dabs and licorice sticks did we buy?"

and so on.

These could just break up the sequence a bit.
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Peter Stedman
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Re: Voice Overs query

Post by Peter Stedman »

Agreed Dave, but there's more to it than meets the eye. Not really my project, just trying to help someone and that's not what he wants. So be it.

Thanks.
Pete.
Cathy Poole
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Re: Voice Overs query

Post by Cathy Poole »

I completely disagree with Tim Stannard's comment, who said on
Sunday 22nd May 2016.

"On no account repeat in the voice-over, the words in the text"

A powerful statement, which I believe is wrong.

Before you take Tim Stannard's advice, please take a look (and listen)
to the first 40 seconds of this remarkable film.

FIDDLER'S WALK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI-pQzXCf5E

This film combines voice-over with identical captions
on the screen.

I think you'll agree that the introduction to this film
works extremely well, but I would appreciate your
opinion on this Peter.

Cathy Poole
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TimStannard
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Re: Voice Overs query

Post by TimStannard »

Cathy Poole wrote: This film combines voice-over with identical captions
on the screen.
It contains subtitles. Which is a different matter entirely :)

Indeed what does make for a powerful beginning is the voice with the few keywords flashed up on the screen. The subtitles detract (but I presume that's the joke)
Tim
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Peter Stedman
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Re: Voice Overs query

Post by Peter Stedman »

Thanks Cathy for your input. I have looked at the video you mention and in that context it works very well (Nice complete video of course). However, I don't think Tim deserves to be shot down in flames for his views which are standard opinions of course. We should remember that golden rules are there to be broken when the situation requires it. In your sample shown it's fine. However in my own production it wouldn't be suitable at all. To use a very old phrase, it's HORSES FOR COURSES.

Naturally neither you nor anyone here has seen what I am doing so no one can make any firm suggestions. Briefly, what I have done is to put suitable VO the introductory titles. That works fine. Then the already captioned photographs have been divided into their approximate years or subject matter and then with the year (Say 1940) as a large title I have added the VO with appropriate interesting facts about that period. And so on throughout the years. The the photographs follow with music from the period. The boss, and myself, are pleased with this result. Hope that explains it.

Thanks again for posting.

Cheers. Pete.
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