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  • Writer's pictureGerry

Voices - They're Everywhere

Who is your - and the Nation’s favourite narrator? A narration can make or break your enjoyment of a film - be it on TV or even at a lower level - in an entry in one of our own competitions.


Just a few of the more well known narrators are:- Tony Hirst (pictured left) for ‘How It’s Made’. Ralph Inneson with his distinctive deep - voiced rumbling Yorkshire accent for ‘Salvage Hunters’ and many more. Oliver Postgate, who was the writer, producer and narrator of ‘Clangers’, ‘Ivor the Engine’ and ‘Bagpuss’.



Michael Buerk, who was the BBC Foreign Correspondent for 20 years, provided memorable reports on the devastating Ethiopian famine in 1984, from which Live Aid was born.


David Jason did the narration for ‘Danger Mouse’, while Bernard Cribbins ‘The Wombles’. Meanwhile, Ringo Starr's dulcet tones made ‘Thomas The Tank Engine’ essential viewing. Ian McMillan is well known for his work on The Yorkshire Dales and Lakes’, his regional accent being obviously ideal for the subject matter.


This extremely interesting programme is dotted throughout with tales and anecdotes from those being filmed, something our John advocated in his club talk just prior to the lockdown.


Possibly legendary among narrators has been David Attenborough who’s had a career spanning over sixty years. Perhaps the main reason for his distinctive and very successful style is his genuine passion for his subject matter - nature and the natural world - which he truly believes is increasingly being destroyed by an apathetic humankind. That passion comes out in every word he utters. His approach to the art of narration is unique, and there’s even a Facebook article dedicated to his style of voice. He’s a genuine National treasure. Many people would watch anything on TV if he was narrating....it’s been said he’d even make reading out of a telephone directory music to one’s ears! David Attenborough - a truly passionate naturalist. Within Nuneaton Moviemakers we have our own narrators - Denise Haffner and Terry Wheatley being the most notable. We’ve all had a go at narrating our own films at one time or another....my take is that I don’t rate my own voice, much preferring in the past to get someone else to do the job, in my case Alan, Jane, and more usually nowadays, Denise Haffner. Most members have a go at narrating for their own films, but many times I think while watching their work, “I wish they’d have got someone else to do that....it would really lift their production”. After all, costly top quality cameras and editing equipment is used to make the film, which, when ‘finished’ is let down by a poor narration...what’s the sense in that? In the recent CEMRIAC competition, Alan and Michael’s film about concrete was criticised by the judge for having too much information squashed into a short space of time....viewers were continuously bombarded with facts and figures, to the point where any fact that Terry Wheatley’s narration provided, could not be assimilated before the next avalanche of information burst on ones ears. I’m fairly sure that what is otherwise a cracking film, wouldn’t suffer if half of the info was left out. Narration - an art which can make or break any film we put out there!

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