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Best Use of VO?

My understanding is V.O.s are out of fashion.

I used one in my last script. Bookends: a few words at the beginning, a few at the end. I think it worked. If something works, fuck it, use the tools you've got, right?

What's your favorite V.O. moment?

Mine: My hero, William Goldman. From MAVERICK (1993), Mel Gibson as Bret Maverick. Opening Scene:



EXT. DESOLATE LANDSCAPE - HANGING TREE - DAY

Rocks. Cactus. The occasional tree.

Not a place you'd like to spend your summer vacation.

Maverick's on a horse, a rope around his neck, his hands tied behind his back. A bag of snakes is tossed at the feet of his horse by a trio of really BAD guys. As he watches a half-dozen rattlers come out of the bag, all with big fangs:

MAVERICK (V.O.)
It had been just a shitty week for me from the beginning.



Heh.
 
VOs only have a bad name because too many films have used them for exposition. Dodge that bullet and you've got a really powerful tool at your disposal. My first script was laden with VO.
 
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