Question about screenplay format

[Brichiko]

Hello,
I'm new here (+ new to everything about making a film) and I don't know if this is a common question but I'm in the process rewriting my screenplay and I realized that I have narration/v.o. at the beginning of the film and none throughout. I can't think of any films off the top of my head that have a voice over at the beginning without the whole film being a narrative so I figured I would ask here. Have you ever seen a film like this? Should I just rewrite the whole thing as a narrative? Thank you for any advice in advance.

 

[maz]

It would normally come off as a little odd to me, but then one of my favourite movies of all time (American Beauty) does more or less this. However, in that film the mystery and stakes of the VO are very different to most VOs, as the whole movie is a very in-depth character study.

Who has the VO? A main character? A secondary character? An external narrator?

 

[Brichiko]

Thank you for responding! The main character has the voice over and it's in the first scene of the film during an argument. The voice over actually ends in a question and I was thinking about just adding another voice over at the end of the film that answers that question to make sense of it.

 

[maz]

Thank you for responding! The main character has the voice over and it's in the first scene of the film during an argument. The voice over actually ends in a question and I was thinking about just adding another voice over at the end of the film that answers that question to make sense of it.

That would probably work. I misread your first post, I thought you said that the VO would be at the beginning and end (as in American Beauty). Another few considerations - a VO normally suggests that a character is recounting a story at a later time, meaning that they survive whatever peril they face in the film (and thus a mild spoiler depending on the kind of film).

(American Beauty obviously subverts this )

 

[Brichiko]

That would probably work. I misread your first post, I thought you said that the VO would be at the beginning and end (as in American Beauty). Another few considerations - a VO normally suggests that a character is recounting a story at a later time, meaning that they survive whatever peril they face in the film (and thus a mild spoiler depending on the kind of film).

(American Beauty obviously subverts this )

Thank you again, this advice really helped me! I will be rewatching American Beauty very soon as well.

 

[ahennessey]

Gone Girl has an opening VO and closing VO for Ben Affleck's character. I'm pretty sure we don't hear VO for him through the rest of the film.

The opening and closing VO's are very closely related, but we know so much more by the end that we have a very different understanding of it.

 

[Jack Lynt]

Also, Babe I and Babe II have something like that.

And maybe American Hustle. Though I felt when I saw it the first and only time I've seen it that it was way too much and overwrought. If I had been watching it at home, I might have turned it off because of it.