How do I do this layout?

hunnypot

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My MC is hearing the voices of ghosts. When they speak and MC can't see them, do I put it as V.O. and just the usual dialogue layout when he can see them?
 

dpaterso

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This is complicated lol.

Using the (V.O.) extension to indicate whether or not the MC is hearing them speak might not be intuitive. Especially if you need to use actual (V.O.) for narrator or whatever.

This is a suggestion, not gospel -- I'd maybe consider parentheticals instead, and adopt a tag that controls whether or not the MC hears them, e.g. and with random names made up on the spot:

Bill frantically searches under magazines, behind cushions...

GHOST LORD WILLIAM
(unheard)
What's the idiot looking for?

BILL
Where the **** are my keys?

GHOST LADY MARY
(unheard)
They're over there, you stupid man.

Bill looks around, puzzled and angry.

BILL
Bloody hell!

Lady Mary stands over the keys.

GHOST LADY MARY
Here.

Bill spins round, who said that?

...that might not be the "right" way, but I took a shot lol.

-Derek
 

hunnypot

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Thanks! I was thinking about this and was wondering if o.s. is better. e.g.

GHOST (O.S.)
Hello there.

BILL
Who said that?

Bill frantically looks around the empty room. The ghost materialises in front of him.

GHOST
I did.

BILL
Ahhhhhh!

What do you think?
 

Enlightened

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I assume there are 2 or more ghosts and they are communicating with one another (the human, however, cannot see them but only hear them).

If the audience can see the ghosts and hear them, do not use V.O., O.S., or anything else. Regular dialogue and actions.

If the audience cannot see the ghosts, but can hear them, use V.O.

What the human character sees is immaterial (as per dialogue). What matters is will the audience see the ghosts, physically? What the human character sees (action) matters though; e.g. ghosts knocking over papers on a desk.

I'd look over The Ghostbusters screenplay..... Page one, read over the action of The Card Catalogue and how the index cards mysteriously fly out of the drawer. They cannot see a ghost, but it is there doing it.

https://www.awesomefilm.com/script/Ghostbusters.txt
 

dpaterso

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Thanks! I was thinking about this and was wondering if o.s. is better. e.g.

GHOST (O.S.)
Hello there.

BILL
Who said that?

Bill frantically looks around the empty room. The ghost materialises in front of him.

GHOST
I did.

BILL
Ahhhhhh!

What do you think?
Yeah that works for me, it's clear, I know what's going on, (O.S.) says the ghost isn't visible to me.

Do the ghosts ever talk to each other, and I (audience) can see and hear them, but Bill can't? That could need some explaining.

-Derek
 

WildBill

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Yeah that works for me, it's clear, I know what's going on, (O.S.) says the ghost isn't visible to me.

Do the ghosts ever talk to each other, and I (audience) can see and hear them, but Bill can't? That could need some explaining.

-Derek

That's a good point, Derek, and if that's the case it may need a Cutscene or Quick Flashback. Hard to say.

-Wild Bill
 

Miss_Vix

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Write it however you want - just make sure it's easy to read and clear.

Having said that, VO implies a narrator or audio from another scene. The easiest way is to just make it known the first time a ghost speaks that only the MC can hear.

Don't over-complicate.