Screenwriting : Question on Termonology by John Ravitz

O.C. or O.S. if they are in the same scene etc. but out of shot. V.O. if they not part of the scene during their dialogue. (Used a ton in narration over montages or series of shots) PRE-LAP is if the speaking happens in a subsequent scene BEFORE the scene transitions to it (although I've seen V.O. used here as well).

O.S. (Off Screen): We hear the voice of someone who is in the scene at the same location, but not visible on camera. V.O. (Voice Over): A voice that comes through a device, or is heard within someone's mind is "voiced over." Or we hear someone's internal dialogue; what that person is thinking, or if they are narrating—that's V.O. Narration of any kind is a voiceover. For example, V.O. is used extensively in "Dexter." ;) If we hear someone's voice at the end of a scene, but don't actually see that person until the next, then V.O. is used. I hope that helps! :)

Thank you.

O.C. and O.S. and V.O. means voice over film. That means they add the voice to the film after the scene has already been shot.

Thanks for the quick response.

There's absolutely no difference between O.S. and O.C. choose one and stick with it. V.O. is a different matter.

Thank you.

The difference between O.C. and O.S. are minimal and they are often used interchangeably - but there is a difference. O.C. is used when the speaker is physically in the scene but not in sight of the camera. O.S. suggests that the speaking character is in a location other than the scene.

Writing so technically is tedious, but fun. :D

What the camera sees is on screen, what the camera doesn't see is Off Screen/Off Camera, there is no difference.

O.C. was more popular years gone by and O.S. is more popular now.

Thank you.