25 Things You Didn't Know About The Shawshank Redemption

25. Morgan Freeman Recorded His Voiceover Before Shooting Began

The Shawshank Redemption Morgan Freeman
Columbia Pictures

Though the typical rules of filmmaking dictate that any voiceover required for a movie is recorded during post-production, Frank Darabont took the highly unconventional move of having Morgan Freeman record Red's memorable narration before shooting had even begun.

Darabont's reasoning was that the narration could then be played on set to establish the tone and rhythm of each scene while shooting.

Freeman recorded the original take of the narration in an Iowa recording studio in just 40 minutes, but unfortunately, there was a hiss audible on the track which couldn't be erased by the sound team.

As a result, Freeman ended up having to re-record his voiceover in a better-equipped studio, and this time it took an entire three weeks to perfect.

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