In scriptwriting, if talent is off-camera, the audio is notated as which of the following?

In scriptwriting, if talent is off-camera, the audio is notated as which of the following?

• A. Voice over (VO)
• B. On-camera dialogue
• C. Off-screen dialogue
• D. Sound effect

Answer: (A)

When the talent is not visible on screen but their words are heard, the line is labeled as Voice Over. This tag signals that the audience is hearing speech or narration from someone who isn’t shown in the shot, such as a narrator or a character speaking while the camera focuses on something else. It helps the crew and editors understand that the audio comes from off-screen and should be mixed accordingly, even though the speaker isn’t in frame. This differs from on-camera dialogue, where the spoken words come from a performer who is visible in the scene, and from sound effects, which are non-voice noises like a door creak or a thunderclap. Some scripts use off-screen dialogue to indicate a character speaking from off-camera, but the standard way to denote spoken words heard without seeing the speaker is Voice Over.

When the talent is not visible on screen but their words are heard, the line is labeled as Voice Over. This tag signals that the audience is hearing speech or narration from someone who isn’t shown in the shot, such as a narrator or a character speaking while the camera focuses on something else. It helps the crew and editors understand that the audio comes from off-screen and should be mixed accordingly, even though the speaker isn’t in frame.

This differs from on-camera dialogue, where the spoken words come from a performer who is visible in the scene, and from sound effects, which are non-voice noises like a door creak or a thunderclap. Some scripts use off-screen dialogue to indicate a character speaking from off-camera, but the standard way to denote spoken words heard without seeing the speaker is Voice Over.