One thing that I found interesting in Nichols’s article was when he mentioned that the voice of a documentary is not strictly limited to what is verbally said. Common literal voices found in documentaries are the narrator or authorities on the subject who are often not seen. Nichols mentions that “the voice of the documentary speaks with all the means available to its maker”. In this statement, Nichols is referring to the cutting, editing, and framing of the shots. In addition, he is referencing lighting, sound, clip chronology, and intention of the film. Nichols argues that all of these elements work together to create a voice for the film. I found this interesting because I was under the impression that the voice of a documentary was strictly the creator’s narration, or the obvious voice. I didn’t realize that it had so many deeper layers.
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