Should The Film Have A Narrator?
- Thread starter Rhindon
- Start date
JadistarkilleR
New member
this actually never occured to me, but yeah it would be nice to have a narrator.
AlwaysHis324
New member
For the Narnia films I think a narator would be a good thing.
As a playwright I often find that using a narrator is an easy escape. A simple and less challenging way to get your point across... but it can work if its done right.
I am always cautious about films using narrators, and I often wonder if they could get away with out it. Its more of a challenge in some cases and also proves the talent of the screen writer.
However, like I stated before, while it would be a challenge and show excellent writing to not use a narrator, I almost feel as if the movies would benefit from it.
I especially like the idea for the starting line in VDT about Eustace... what a hoot!
I vote for the middle choice. Yes, only at beginning and end.
As a playwright I often find that using a narrator is an easy escape. A simple and less challenging way to get your point across... but it can work if its done right.
I am always cautious about films using narrators, and I often wonder if they could get away with out it. Its more of a challenge in some cases and also proves the talent of the screen writer.
However, like I stated before, while it would be a challenge and show excellent writing to not use a narrator, I almost feel as if the movies would benefit from it.
I especially like the idea for the starting line in VDT about Eustace... what a hoot!
I vote for the middle choice. Yes, only at beginning and end.
(And the Scrubb line is great, too!)AlwaysHis324
New member
Some one had the suggestion of King Frank being the narrator (only would work if all 7 films are made).
Personally I think Digory/Professor would be a good narrator for the films. If we are going with a character. Otherwise just some stock british male voice over type actor... someone 'posing' as Lewis. (I've always imagined that he is the one telling the stories)
Personally I think Digory/Professor would be a good narrator for the films. If we are going with a character. Otherwise just some stock british male voice over type actor... someone 'posing' as Lewis. (I've always imagined that he is the one telling the stories)
I think it'd be nice (I myself was thinking of Digory before I saw your post, AlwaysHis), but I think it'd have to be very sparingly used. Like how on LotR, Galadriel narrates the intro of FotR, but not the end. She sort of narrates in the middle of TTT, and I don't remember her narrating in RotK.
But there are some parts of Narnia that are written very much like a narrator. For instance, I love the way he writes stuff to the reader like, "Have you ever done this?" and stuff (not that I want to see that in the film, just good for the book), but definitely the first line about Eustace in VoDT would be good spoken out, but by someone in the stories, preferably a man ('cause it feels more like CS Lewis is telling us the story).
hm, in TMN, the first two paragraphs could be used.
LWW could start out "Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmond, and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids. They were sent to the house of an old Professor who lived in the heart of the country, ten miles from the nearest railway station and two miles from the nearest post office. He had no wife and he lived in a very large house with a housekeeper called Mrs. Macready."
In HHB, I could see some alteration, maybe something like "In the Golden Age of Narnia, Peter was High King in Narnia, and his brother and his two sisters were King and Queens under him. In those days, far south in Calormen on a little creek of the sea, there lived a poor fisherman called Arsheesh, and with him there lived a boy who called him Father, though whether he was his father is another matter. The boy's name was Shasta."
I can't think of how PC could be narratated unless they start from Prince Caspian's view before he blows the horn, calling the Pievensies. It could be narrated by Dr. Cornelius.
In VoDT, not really sure, but I would definitely like to hear the first sentence about his name.
I don't know if there'd be a good way to start TSC with narration. I think that'd look nice if it just goes straight into Jill crying behind the gym.
TLB could either go right into it or could start with the first several sentences describing Shift and Puzzle.
Anyway, I know I got a little carried away, but that's how I think the narration could be done for each of the stories.
But there are some parts of Narnia that are written very much like a narrator. For instance, I love the way he writes stuff to the reader like, "Have you ever done this?" and stuff (not that I want to see that in the film, just good for the book), but definitely the first line about Eustace in VoDT would be good spoken out, but by someone in the stories, preferably a man ('cause it feels more like CS Lewis is telling us the story).
hm, in TMN, the first two paragraphs could be used.
LWW could start out "Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmond, and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids. They were sent to the house of an old Professor who lived in the heart of the country, ten miles from the nearest railway station and two miles from the nearest post office. He had no wife and he lived in a very large house with a housekeeper called Mrs. Macready."
In HHB, I could see some alteration, maybe something like "In the Golden Age of Narnia, Peter was High King in Narnia, and his brother and his two sisters were King and Queens under him. In those days, far south in Calormen on a little creek of the sea, there lived a poor fisherman called Arsheesh, and with him there lived a boy who called him Father, though whether he was his father is another matter. The boy's name was Shasta."
I can't think of how PC could be narratated unless they start from Prince Caspian's view before he blows the horn, calling the Pievensies. It could be narrated by Dr. Cornelius.
In VoDT, not really sure, but I would definitely like to hear the first sentence about his name.
I don't know if there'd be a good way to start TSC with narration. I think that'd look nice if it just goes straight into Jill crying behind the gym.
TLB could either go right into it or could start with the first several sentences describing Shift and Puzzle.
Anyway, I know I got a little carried away, but that's how I think the narration could be done for each of the stories.
NiennaTinuviel
New member
I think narration would be cool if used sparingly. And the guy doing it would have to be really good.
Narration would be a mistake.
A good film-maker, when tackling a prokect that started as a book should try as hard as possible to see beyond the literary aspects of the stoyr, to the cinematic. Voice-over narration is a cop-out of the last resort.
Consider these two beginnings:
Literary: [Voice-over] Once there were four children. There names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This is a story of what happened to them during the war, when they were sent to a house in the country ... blah blah blah
Cinematic:
[Shot of black sky]
[Title] London, 1941 - The Blitz
[Sound of airplane engine]
[Suddenly a Misherscmidt (sp?) flies right by the camera - the black of the screen is actually the night sky over London]
[Camera falls behind the airplane to see bombs dropping with a whistle, then follows one of the bombs down to explode in a dark London street as people scream and run]
[Cut to the interior of a house as the noise of falling bombs continues. A youngish man and woman are hurrying their young family through a trapdoor into the cellar]
Mrs Pevensie: We simply must send them somewhere safe.
Mr Pevensie: Yes, but where?
Mrs Pevensie: I received a letter from the Porfessor this afternoon.
Mr Pevensie: Kirke? His country house would be perfect
That's not perfect, but conveys all the information a voice-over would have, and is much mroe cinematic.
A good film-maker, when tackling a prokect that started as a book should try as hard as possible to see beyond the literary aspects of the stoyr, to the cinematic. Voice-over narration is a cop-out of the last resort.
Consider these two beginnings:
Literary: [Voice-over] Once there were four children. There names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This is a story of what happened to them during the war, when they were sent to a house in the country ... blah blah blah
Cinematic:
[Shot of black sky]
[Title] London, 1941 - The Blitz
[Sound of airplane engine]
[Suddenly a Misherscmidt (sp?) flies right by the camera - the black of the screen is actually the night sky over London]
[Camera falls behind the airplane to see bombs dropping with a whistle, then follows one of the bombs down to explode in a dark London street as people scream and run]
[Cut to the interior of a house as the noise of falling bombs continues. A youngish man and woman are hurrying their young family through a trapdoor into the cellar]
Mrs Pevensie: We simply must send them somewhere safe.
Mr Pevensie: Yes, but where?
Mrs Pevensie: I received a letter from the Porfessor this afternoon.
Mr Pevensie: Kirke? His country house would be perfect
That's not perfect, but conveys all the information a voice-over would have, and is much mroe cinematic.
GrayCloak
New member
I would prefer a narrator (especially someone like the professor, or a man acting as Lewis himself) They don't have to narrate the whole movie, or interrupt the storyline i.e. "And then they walked through the snow for a while...." but someone to introduce you to the characters at the beginning, and maybe at the end depending on the book. (LWW probably doesn't need it, but in SC and HB you would loose out on the endings, like Aravis and Shasta fighting so much, and then making up, that they decided to get married)
As already stated, a good example is Galadriel in LOTR.
As already stated, a good example is Galadriel in LOTR.
Yeah, my favorite part of the books -- and also my fave thing about AA Milne as well -- is that you have a real feel for the voice of Lewis himself as he "tells" the story to his niece. That's who it is to, right? So, it would not bother me if there was storytelling all the way through. to add color to story.
Rhindon
New member
I definitely understand those who dislike the idea of a narrator. Especially in LWW where it could be very easily avoided. But there are some books that would be difficult to do otherwise. Think of "The Horse and His Boy". It is very important in that story to know that it does not start off in Narnia. And the same goes for endings where, without a narrator, you would not know what happened to the beloved Narnians afterwards. Even the BBC version had a narrator towards the end with Mr. Tumnus informing us on what happened in the years of the four children's reign.
faeriechylde
New member
I voted "beginning and end," because I can see how that could possibly be effective, like Galadriel's narration of the prologue of LOTR.
I don't know if it would really be necessary, though. I've often seen screenwriters putting things that were narrative in the book as lines for some of the characters.
Either way would work out well if they do it right.
I don't know if it would really be necessary, though. I've often seen screenwriters putting things that were narrative in the book as lines for some of the characters.
Either way would work out well if they do it right.
