Voice Over or Under?

We have taken it as gospel since it’s been used – voiceover: a voice speaking over a set of moving pictures that narrates or accompanies the scene(s) playing out.  But why?  Why have we decided this voice is over the picture?  Is it more important than the picture?  Is it less?  Is it serving the actor to think of the voice as being “above” and “over” all else in the spot?  Only just a few years ago I stopped taking words at face value and really started looking at them.  Embarrassingly, I didn’t even realize the word breakfast was more than just a random cocktail of letters, that it actually represented itself so perfectly – break fast.  Revelation!  Cool!  Then being made fun of by my husband.  But not all words were created so perfectly.

I would say at times the definition is true, and the use of voiceover is just right.  But have you heard a narration voice over lately?  Most of the greatest narrators truly understand the art of the voice under.  Their subtlety is in letting the image come first.  A voice can be powerful, no doubt, but a picture can often speak a thousand words, yes?  They understand they are accompanying the picture, captioning it, putting a small pointer stick to it.  Small being the key word here.  No one enjoys hearing shouting.  An over the top read sounds false, as we instantly recognize it is a “performance.”  Not so with the voice “under.”  It speaks to us like a light breeze.  It’s just what our ears need.  It’s just what the picture needs.  

Next time you find yourself practicing any voice over script (not just narration), trying giving it the voice-under treatment.  For some inspiration on just what that sounds like and to get a little more in-depth understanding of it, check out this past voiceover blog on Voiceover Narration Technique.  Next time you will see that the best way to get over a tricky read is to get under it.