V.O. or O.S. (Voice Over or Off Screen)
Sometimes it takes a while for something to sink into my thick skull. This happened to me when learning the difference beteen V.O. (voice over) and O.S. (off-screen). They are very similar but, at the same time, very different. It took me a while to fully understand the difference.
What helped me remember when to use one and when to use the other is to think of O.S. (Off Screen) as being OFF SITE.
V.O. and O.S. are both used to indicate that a character is speaking but we do not see them on the screen. The key to knowing which to use depends solely on where the character is physically located when they speak.
In a nut shell, if the character is nearby, use V.O. But, if the character is OFF SITE, use O.S. or Off Screen.
Let’s say a wife and husband, are talking face to face. And the husband meanders out of the room. On film, we see the wife. We hear the husband but we do not see him. In this case, V.O. would be used. Although the character is “off screen”, the character is not “off site”.
Now, if this same couple were talking on the phone, O.S. would be used. The situation is similiar, the wife can’t see the husband but she can hear him. But the character is OFF SITE so “off screen” or O.S. is used.
