Computer Generated Voice...(V.O) or (O.S)

[MoviePen]

Yeh, but how cool would it be...

INT. NONDESCRIPT ENTRYWAY -- DAY

MoviePen stands at a RETINA SCANNER, its red laser scans his eye. 

                     RETINA SCANNER
           MoviePen -- access granted. Welcome, 
           Sir.

Maybe, but it's 5 lines of "show don't tell" for me. My druthers would be to use those five lines for more interesting stuff.

If it conveys info absolutely necessary to the story, that's a horse of a different color. Or if the computer's name is Hal. Or Robotard.

[odocoileus]

Originally Posted by Fortean

If the voice supplied for the computer is done as ADR, (usually for clarity's sake), as with other devices, (telephone, television, radio, public address systerm, etc.), then:

COMPUTER (V.O.)
(filtered)
Access granted. Welcome, sir.

Yes. (filtered) is correct.

[ComicBent]

Of course, this is one of those situations where you could do things several ways. It really does not matter.

I would not use (O.S.), because that is clearly for a character who is off screen (like standing behind a curtain, or something like that). No point in personifying the computer to that point (not even the famous HAL).

I would just use (V.O.) and forget about it.

EDIT TO ADD: You know, I have been here more than ten years. One of my favorite activities has been to analyze these questions about "How would you show this?" and "How would you format this?"

But, honestly, if you are dealing with an issue so unique that it is going to receive various answers, then you do not have to worry that somebody somewhere is going to say, "Hey, this guy is a doofus. He doesn't know how to format."

[scripttoolbox]

Voices over electronic devices are always (V.O.).

You can read more about the correct use of Voice Overs here: http://scripttoolbox.com/character_h...vo_and_os.html

[scripttoolbox]

Also, I wouldn't use (filtered). Many people use this too often (especially for phone conversations. It is basically a special sound effect, and those are best left up to the director.

[BattleDolphinZero]

Again, I would do it this way...

COMPUTER (ON THE OVERHEAD SPEAKER)
Yes, sir?

[minty_fresh_uk]

Both (V.O) or (O.S) are wrong in this case and the people saying the computer/scanner should get a a character slug are correct. This is not a voice-over and nor is it offscreen. It's exactly the same as having a person saying the line on the screen.

Having said that, I personally find talking computers on mundane objects like doors etc. to be a bit of a movie cliché. They seem illogical and a waste of time.

[jonpiper]

Originally Posted by Chief

**** moves to the side and faces a scanner. a RED LASER scans his retina.

Computer Generated voice (V.O) or (O.S)

******* Access granted. Welcome Sir.

Originally Posted by medavidson

... or neither.

Technically, the voice IS on-screen, but spoken by a computer.

Maybe...

COMPUTER (ON THE OVERHEAD SPEAKER)
Yes, sir?

or, better, more simple, and still clear -- nothing...

COMPUTER
Yes, sir?

True, the voice is on screen, heard by the character and the audience. But we don't see what generates the voice nor are we sure where the sound originates. Is it an overhead speaker we see or is it an unseen speaker behind the scanner or somewhere else?
It doesn't matter, does it?

You just want us to know the voice is generated electronically by an unseen computer or other device in response to the scanner reading.

There may be other different Computer generated voices in the script, so I
would go for:

SCANNER VOICE (V.O.)

(V.O.) is usually used for dialogue from an unseen Narrator, heard only by the audience, AND for dialogue comming from a speaker, radio, computer, or other device.

P.S. Could even go with:

SCANNER (V.0.)

[The Road Warrior]

Originally Posted by minty_fresh_uk

Both (V.O) or (O.S) are wrong in this case and the people saying the computer/scanner should get a a character slug are correct. This is not a voice-over and nor is it offscreen. It's exactly the same as having a person saying the line on the screen.

Having said that, I personally find talking computers on mundane objects like doors etc. to be a bit of a movie cliché. They seem illogical and a waste of time.

It's only illogical if you're Spock and chatting to Cpt Kirk. Otherwise - it just seems wrong.

[Manchester]

Of course (he proclaims), none of this matters as long as it's clear on the page. The rest of the discussion here is just shooting the **** (or a circle-jerk, depending on your joy/cynicism ratio).

That said, and expanding on my prior post in this thread, assuming (a) a must-be-used rule exists, and (b) the rule is logical...

If a voice is heard on a radio, the radio is not speaking; rather, some character is speaking and the voice simply arrives via the radio. That is why a voice heard via a radio gets an extension in parentheses with V.O. or some version thereof. Similarly, if someone at a security gate shows his ID and then a voice is heard, "You may enter" - if that voice is the voice of a character at some unseen location and it is heard via some speaker at the gate, then, again, it is V.O. or some such.

On the other hand, if JOE presents his ID to ROBBY THE ROBOT standing guard at the gate and Robby decides that Joe may enter, then it's

         ROBBY THE ROBOT
Hey, mother****er, go on in.

Note that it's not ROBBY THE ROBOT (V.O.) or ROBBY THE ROBOT (ON A SPEAKER IN HIS CHEST).

Who is Robby the Robot? More precisely, what is Robby the Robot? He/it is a computer - just another form of the scanner/computer in OP's question. Entities - human or otherwise - that are present in a scene and actually speak* do not get an extension/V.O. (* "speak" here means emitting a voice, whether by a voice-generating means or from a library of prerecorded voices.) Just as HAL's dialogue in 2001 did not need V.O.

But again, none of this matters as long as the way that you do it is clear on the page.