Ex.What's the difference between V.O., O.C., & O.S.? I'll try to give you a brief run down.
V.O. is Voice Over. It's narration. Use sparingly. Don't fill with too much exposition. A really good example of great V.O. use is "Stand By Me." (Love that movie!) I don't think that the movie would have been the same without it. But if you want more movies (because I can't think of all of them right now...) here's a Google search. It's always been a "sign of an inexperienced writer" to use a voiceover. I have found that's not really the case. It has to fit the show/feature. If you find yourself doing too much exposition in V.O. you may want to rethink your script. (Deadpool has the occasional V.O. but he also breaks the 4th wall (more rule breaking but it works and we'll talk about rule breaking in another topic) and it works.) Here's an unformatted example of V.O. from an original 1/2 hr comedy pilot I'm working on: INT. RAE’S ROOM - NIGHT It’s pitch black. NARRATOR (V.O.) No one starts a marriage with the intention of getting divorced. SFX - small arms fire NARRATOR (V.O.) But things happen. A beat. Life happens. SFX- a baby crying NARRATOR (V.O.) Then, one day, you wake up. MS RAE IN BED, EYES OPEN The only light is the light of the street lamp outside as it peers in through the blinds that cover the window. SFX- tone out O.C. is Off Camera. This isn't used as much in features. It may be used in TV. It all depends on the studio preference. Like it implies, the character speaking is not seen on camera. Great for phone conversations if you want to hear the other half. Example: Howard's mother in TBBT would have been O.C. as she was never seen. O.S. is Off Screen. This is typically used in features (or so I'm told, I have been working more on TV pilots & specs). Again, implication is character is speaking off screen. Example: conversation through a door and you want to hear one half but not see that person. Like maybe rom-com bride/groom scene. The person has the potential to come back on screen. It can also be used for phone calls. However, it also depends on the studio formatting. They may want all O.C.s to be used or all O.S.s to be used no matter the location of the character. V.O. = narration, never phone calls! O.C. & O.S. can be used interchangeably. Remember, if you're writing a spec TV episode as a writing sample, check the format that the studio is using. There are a lot of scripts out there (unless you're looking for DC, then don't bother. There's nada!). Formatting is important! If you still have questions, you can pop on over to Dr. Format's site and see if he has an answer to your question already. Or you can ask me. (I'm traveling today 21 July 2018, but I will get back with you as soon as I can!) A side note... I have used (at the direction of a producer) used V.O. for phone conversations, which breaks the rules I was taught. 🤨 Take that for what it's worth. I hope this helps you in your screenwriting endeavors!
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These posts were from the Writers Room in the Legion M Forum. "Screenwriting 101" is written by Nikki Ackerman. Don't know what Legion M is? It's the world's first fan-owned entertainment company. Want to know more? Visit Legion M at legionm.com Archives
January 2021
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