Voice in documentary

Introduction 

The voice is a powerful tool. It can be used to share untold stories and to portray emotions and situations. Documentaries often give voices to those who don’t have it. In this blog post, I shall discuss the impact and use of different voices that are encompassed in documentaries and the consequences of that on the documentary. 

What is voice? 

At its most basic form, the term ‘voice’ refers to the sounds that come out of someone’s mouth. The complexities of voice lie in tone. Tonality provides the means of pervasive observations that are communicated to the audience (Taylor, 1968). It is worth noting that there is a difference between ‘voice’ and ‘tone’ where voice describes the physical sound however tone looks to refer to how something is said. Within the context of documentaries, tones are often determined by the author’s stance on the topic that is being explored (Taylor, 1968). This will often then inform how the documentary is set out regarding the communicative meaning of the topic.   

How is voice used in documentaries? 

Most commonly, voice is utilised in documentaries to tell the story through the voice of the narrator. The role of the narrator is typically to educate the audience on a story. Utilising a narrator as the main speaker in a documentary subverts the ideological norms of documentaries. This idea can also be applied to Nichols’ theory on the subgenres within documentaries as narrators typically fall into the expository genre (Nichols, 2019). Within this, the narrator is considered omniscient and therefore has all the knowledge. Another example of this is how narrators are in interviews. Generally, the reactions of the narrator, or in this case the interviewer, have an impact on the viewer’s reactions to the interview as well. There is a theory that narrators can be considered the biggest illusion of all in documentaries as their tonality sets the overall mood for the entirety of the documentary (Rangan, 2017). This can be linked to the idea that truth is relative in documentaries. The messages are communicated and fabricated by ordering photos, videos, and audio to construct a story (BLUMENBERG 1977). One of the most used tools to achieve this is through the narrator.  

It can be debated what makes a reliable or unreliable narrator but regardless, having a narrator means that ultimately the audience is given the experience of the events in the documentary through the eyes of the narrator. From this, it is possible to determine that the documentary becomes more of a subjective truth as opposed to objective as the audience will be exposed to the emotions of the narrator in response to the topic. This is a clever technique that the writers will also use to communicate certain emotions to the audience. It is possible to determine that writers who do this adopt the view of presumptive assertion as they construct depictions of the world in such a way as to communicate certain messages and meanings to the audience (Plantinga 2005). One method of achieving this would be using footage that is proven to have no manipulation to it on its own (eg. surveillance camera footage). The benefit of this is that it would increase authoritative control through authenticity, thus strengthening that the portrayal of a topic in a documentary is accurate and truthful. In turn, this will aid the filmmakers in distributing their agenda regardless of whether the documentary is objectively accurate (Currie and Gregory, 2005). 

It is fair to determine from this that narrators are a particularly powerful tool for storytelling and creating a flow throughout the documentary. Furthermore, diegetic sounds refer to sounds that the actors can hear in the film. the benefit of this being used in documentaries is that it helps depict spatial awareness in the documentary, specifically when the narrator is interacting with others (Sorkin, 2021). Another benefit of having a narrator is that it allows for a further connection with the audience. For example, David Attenborough is well known for narrating documentaries and therefore the benefit of having him as the narrator is that it would bring a pre-established audience to the documentary, thus increasing its likelihood of success. Diegetic sound is most utilised in documentaries.  

Multiple voices are also used in documentaries to boost engagement levels. This is due to multiple voices allowing for conflict and difference in opinions. Utilising conflict in documentaries allows for there to be more risk associated with the story. There are many ways in which this can be integrated into documentaries such as through interviews and dramatic reenactments. Both devices allow for other perspectives which is often more powerful, particularly if the documentary is focused on heavy social issues. This therefore allows the writer to enhance the message of the documentary.  

Conclusion 

In conclusion, it is clear that voice is one of the most important aspects of a documentary and has the capability to set the entire tone. Furthermore, the power that voices have in documentaries and how they can be used for educational purposes is something that should be considered to have influence over many audiences and a great responsibility for the makers of the documentary regarding representations.  

Bibliography 

BLUMENBERG, R.M., 1977. Documentary Films and the Problem of “Truth”. Journal of the University Film Association, 29(4), 19-22 

CURRIE, G., 2000. Preserving the Traces: An Answer to Noël Carroll. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 58(3), 306-308 

NICHOLS, B., 2019. Introduction to Documentary, Third Edition. 

PLANTINGA, C., 2005. What a Documentary Is, After All. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 63(2), 105-117 

RANGAN, P., 2017. Audibilities: Voice and Listening in the Penumbra of Documentary: An Introduction. Discourse, 39(3), 279-291 

SORKIN AARON, 2021. Diegetic Sound and Non-Diegetic Sound: What’s the Difference?Available from: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/diegetic-sound-and-non-diegetic-sound-whats-the-difference 

STOEHR, T., 1968. Tone and Voice. College English, 30(2), 150-161