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Script Abbreviations in Screen Writing

SCRIPT ABBREVIATIONS 

ELS extreme long shot 
MLS medium long shot 
LS long shot 
MS medium shot 
MCU medium close-up 
CU close-up 
ECU extreme close-up 
OS over-the-shoulder shot 
2-S or 3-S two-shot or three-shot 
POV point of view shot 
ZI or ZO zoom in or zoom out 
INT interior 
EXT exterior 
SOT or SOF sound on tape or sound on film
BG background 
SFX or F/X special effects (can be either sound or visual) 
VO voice-over 
OSV off-screen voice 
DIS dissolve 
MIC microphone 
VTR videotape 
Q cue (as in cue talent) 
ANNCR announcer 

SUPER superimposition

Comments

Kyle said…
V.O. is used when the speaker is not physically in the scene. The speaker could be someone on the other end of a telephone line or radio broadcast, an unseen narrator, or a character’s inner-monologue.
Unknown said…
O.S. is used when the character is in the scene location, but not currently on screen. For example, if the character walks to the other side of the room and into the bathroom, and yells unseen that he/she is out of toilet paper, O.S. should be used.

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