O.S. or V.O.

[Janet82]

Which to be used to show a phone conversation?

[Revisionist]

Neither generally... You'd format it like so...

Jeff yanks the phone from the cradle.

JEFF
What!

JANET
(filtered)
Geezus. What's with you? I just had a quick question on format.

Jeff rubs a temple; tension subsides.

JEFF
Sorry. The phone's been ringing off the hook with questions from A to Z and back. Sometimes I'm not sure if I'll ever get any of my own sh!t done... What's the question?

JANET
(filtered)
How do you format phone conversations?

Jeff smiles.

JEFF
Read the transcript.

[kojled]

janet

vo. you only need to use it once to establish which side of the conversation we're seeing, like:

int living room day

tom on phone

tom: meet at three

joe (vo): okay

tom: make it two

joe: okay two

etc. if you cut to joe's location then use a slug line. you may use 'intercut' or 'intercut ad lib' or something like that. if it's not to be intercut ad lib then you must indicate when to cut with a slugline - you can use a shorthand slug like 'joe's location'.

don't cut between two locations in a phone conversation unless necessary - it will not (generally) be done in the movie because it looks bad, therefore it will look bad on the page if there isn't a good reason. usually a vo will be employed and the conversation will be one sided - like in 'the fugative' when harrison ford's char calls his lawyer for help from the bridge in chicago - the vo here is very effective because it leads to the phone tap tape being reviewed by the marshall and his crew - analysis leads to the discovery of the location - one block away. very tight and well put together (which is another subject, but you see how well the elements fit even when using a vo in a phone conversation)

if there are cuts in a phone conversation, they will be minimal and will be at the discretion of the editor and director unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise


zilla

[freebaser14]

O.S. = When someone is offscreen. Perfectly fine to use for whenever someone is on the other end of a telephone and not on camera. It's when you can literally hear someone talking but they are not on camera.

V.O. = voice over - when some is talking over what's happening on the screen. Like "when I was a little kid I used to play baseball..." or there is some sort of narration. - but those are just some examples as to how V.O. is used.

Anyway, this is how I learned it. Hope that helps.

[Deus Ex Machine]

Further down on this page in another thread on this perenial topic.

pub130.ezboard.com/fdonedealfrm23.showMessage?topicID=1737.topic (http://pub130.ezboard.com/fdonedealfrm23.showMessage?topicID=1737.topic)

[dpaterso]

Phone directions become important when there's someone else in each location:

INT. JEFF'S OFFICE - DAY

Jeff's phone RINGS, he picks up automatically. Matt shakes his head.

JEFF
(to Matt)
Sorry.
(into phone)
Jeff speaking.

JANET (FILTERED)
Jeff, it's me.

JEFF
(into phone)
Where the hell are you?
(to Matt)
It's Janet!

EXT. OFFICE BUILDING - DAY

Janet steps out of a taxi, talking on her phone.

JANET
(into phone)
Hang on a second.
(to driver)
How much?

DRIVER
Twelve bucks.

INTERCUT

JEFF
Who are you talking to?

JANET
It's not important. Jeff,
I want to tell you something.

MATT
Hey, how's she doing?

Janet fishes in her purse for money.

JEFF
(into phone)
Hold on, I'll put you onto
Matt.
(to Matt)
Ask her yourself.

Jeff passes the phone to Matt. / Janet pays the driver.

MATT
(into phone)
Hey Janet?

JANET
(into phone)
I love you! I've always loved
you! I'm coming up there right
now and I'm going to tear your
clothes off with my teeth! Meet
me in the elevator, big boy.

She looks at the driver. He nods approval.

MATT
(into phone)
That sounds perfectly acceptable.

He hangs up. INTERCUT ends.

JEFF
Did she say what she wanted?

MATT
Oh, it wasn't anything important.
I just remembered something I've
got to do. We can finish this
later can't we?

JEFF
Oh. Okay.

Matt exits quickly.

FADE OUT

[JoeNYC]

V.O. is used for narrations, ghosts, or if a character speaks to himself. Also, voices that come over an electronic device like telephone, loudspeaker, television, talking dolls, answering machines, or any voice that is added in post-production.

Example:

The phone rings. Answering machine clicks on.

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp BOB (V.O.)
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp I’m not home right now, but leave
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp a message at the beep.

BEEP.

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp MOM (V.O.)
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Where the hell are you? You said
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp you’d be home.

-- You could also use BOB'S VOICE instead of BOB (V.O.).

You'd used (V.O.) in a phone conversation for when you have a character speak to someone on the phone, but you don't want to show the person on the other end on screen because maybe it's a short scene and you don't want to intercut between them, or for whatever reason.

Example:

INT. MARY'S KITCHEN - DAY

The phone on the wall rings. Mary rushes in and answers it.

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp MARY
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Hello.

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp BOB (V.O.)
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp This is Bob. How are you?

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp MARY
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp I'm wonderful.

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp BOB (V.O)
&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Fantastic.

-- If you don't use (V.O.) after Bob, it would look like Bob's actually there in the room speaking with Mary, instead of his voice coming over the phone.

If you decide to intercut (back and forth between Mary and Bob) to the location where Bob is speaking, then of course you no longer need to include (V.O.) when the camera is on Bob.

The use of "filtered" is antiquated.

Off Screen (O.S.) is used when the character speaking is physically present in the scene, but not visible to the camera.

Examples:

The character, not seen, but present, calls out from behind a closed door.

The character is in the same room, but speaks out as he hides behind a sofa, heard, but not seen.

A character, in the scene, is not seen as he speaks because the writer wants the camera focused on someone or something else.

[nickj]

The spec script won't be used in post-production. Please, just try to make it clear to the reader what's going on. Look on Drew's for examples. Being John Malkovich has a scene where Lotte's on the phone (o.s.)AND doing a voice-over (v.o.). Panic Room, dialogue over the intercom is o.s. Wonder Boys, another example of o.s. for phone calls. Lots of others.

[CustomMadeKitty]

I always use O.S. for phone conversations when it's one sided.

[dpaterso]

I always use O.S. for phone conversations when it's one sided.

I realize that sentence probably made sense to you when you typed it, but what does it mean?

What's a one-sided phone conversation? When you can't get an answer but you talk into the phone anyway?

Do you use O.S. because the character doing the talking is in the location but isn't in shot?

Go on, post a sample, you know you want to.

-Derek

[CustomMadeKitty]

I'm sorry, I meant when you are only seeing one side of the conversation, but hearing both.

[scripter1]

Trottier says it should be VO.

I agree with this for the most part.

However, if VO is used effectively for narration and then you have phone conversations, clarity is needed and Filtered works just fine. Or you can use On Phone.
You have to indicate what is real voice over and what is phone conversation.

The number one thing to always keep in mind is clarity.
If the reader is confused and pulled out of the scene then it won't matter if you've used the correct format or the latest, greatest trend.

Keep phone conversations short and make sure the info being given is vital.

Happy Writing.

[ComicBent]

Frankly, I do no think it matters how you handle phone coversations as long as it is clear and logical. That said, I will also say that 'O.S.' is really best used for someone who is literally at the same location as somebody else, but is just 'off screen' (and therefore not seen) at that particular moment. For example, the WIFE steps into the closet, and talks to her husband, who is visibly in the bedroom. The WIFE's dialogue is then 'O.S.'

But telephone coversations, in my opinion, should not have a lot of direction about who is talking and who is listening. It is fine to use it, but really the director will visualize and conceptualize all of this stuff. I know it is tempting to tell, in the script, how to do it all. We all love to direct!

[dpaterso]

Maybe if we're talking ordinary people in ordinary situations, phone directions aren't important; and sure, maybe the director will figure it all out anyway.

Over the past couple of days I've been updating an antiterrorist technothriller script which, as the story punches into the final act, involves three main players in a car racing to a location, two advisers in another location feeding them urgent info as it becomes available, plus extra communication with unseen participants as the full extent of the emergency becomes apparent and various organizations are activated and given specific orders.

Take away the (into phone), (into radio mike), (to character) and INTERCUT directions, and ten pages of blisteringly high octane modern day communications between mobile security and military personnel turn to sh!t. Without these directions the reader wouldn't have a damn clue what's going on. Using the correct tools in a correct and proper manner, I tell them.

So, in a nutshell, and in my humble opinion, yes, phone and dialog directions do matter, tho' of course it depends on the situation and maybe the genre.

-Derek
-----------------------"You make love like a Japanese meal. Small portions, but so many courses."

[ComicBent]

Yes, there are times when some direction is very helpful. It is the same with parentheticals. In general they are superfluous and obtrusive; but sometimes they facilitate a clear understanding of what is happening, and they should definitely be used then.

For educational purposes, Derek, it would be interesting to see an example of what you are talking about in your script.

[dpaterso]

For educational purposes, Derek, it would be interesting to see an example of what you are talking about in your script.

Sorry, I don't mean to be coy or anything but that would just about give everything away -- the story, I mean, not the comms directions. In a strange land far, far away, people are reading the script right now and laughing themselves silly.

-Derek