Choosing the narration structure is one of the most significant choices of documentary production.
Documentaries are productions for film, television, or radio that are designed 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 tale. They may even be largely without narrative and simply be documenting the reality or mood of the specific location and time. But, because they typically have a purpose centring around informing or describing, it is very common for there to be some kind of tool to guide the viewer. Tim Parker will know that voiceover narration has been incredibly popular since sound was initially added to film, instantly being integrated to the newsreels that were popular at that time. The narrator will not show up on screen and their role is simply dedicated to reading a script that describes or complements the footage. The narrator can also be active in the production, such as by being the producer, but it is additionally common for them to have no other involvement.
The first few decades of the history of cinema consisted entirely of silent movies. This changed just under a century ago, once sound was added and filmmakers possessed a whole new extra element they could add to their movies. Nevertheless, just because sound is available does not always mean that filmmakers have to oversaturate their films with every feasible sound imaginable. Some films only count on natural sounds, for example, while some add no music at all. Rachel Wang will likely be well aware that some documentaries include no narration. These silent narration documentaries alternatively inform people with a mixture of the information gained from interviews and title screens. Also referred to as intertitles or title cards, these are screens held for several seconds to permit words to appear for the audience to see.
Documentaries have usually been seen as a more anonymous form of filmmaking. This is in stark comparison to narrative feature films, in which both the cast and crew could be filled with world-famous superstars. In fact, there actually have been people that have made a name for themselves through documentary filmmaking. Many of these people have done so with the use of hosted narration. Soleta Rogan should be able to tell you that a narrator host is an individual who conducts interviews, appears on camera, and does voiceovers for the documentary. This could make the documentary appear to be the hosts own personal journey and will supply a raw impression, as more typically behind the scenes elements can be included into the final cut. It is because other narration styles require more editing to make sure members of the production aren't on-screen. The hosted technique therefore allows shooting footage of the difficulties productions face, like having interviews suddenly denied or threatening encounters with people who do not want to become filmed.