e.g. you might translate it along the lines of “… documentary narration… can develop setting for the audience, give essential information and be used as a vehicle to move the story forward”


The Writer's Little Helper: Everything You Need to Know to Write Better and ... By James V Smith Jr:
“To begin, narration is a handy way for the author to give information, create atmosphere, develop setting, and provide data that would take too long to portray in the action of a scene. Like scenes, narration must move the story forward, carrying an audience from one scene to another…
Never use narration in place of significant action that affects a significant character”
http://books.google.cz/books?id=Mv8GEhB9B9sC&pg=PA101&lpg=PA...


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 hrs (2013-12-30 06:33:59 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------


This quote describes how the famous Ivens makes dějové zkratky after visiting China:

“Although the visuals are dramatic, moving, and at times horrific, the footage lacks continuity; therefore, because of the restraints placed on Ivens and his crew, the film relies heavily on the spoken word both to carry the story forward and to evoke a sense of the subjectivity and nuances of life in a nation under siege.”

The Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film edited by Ian Aitken

http://books.google.cz/books?id=4r8cRrzOavEC&pg=PA263&lpg=PA...