Folks,

Can you help out.  I got this question today from Ethan  

"I love your site, it's an invaluable tool for an aspiring writer like myself. There's a term, however, I keep finding in a screenplay I am reading that I don't understand and I cannot find it in your glossary. A few times in this screenplay there is a parenthesised term such as "off Rick's look" or "off Duane's hesitation" halfway through the character's dialogue. What does this mean?"

Don

I would think it means, the dialogue is prompted by "Rick's look" or "Duane's hesitation"

^^ I think you're right.

Beat me to it, Kev. You're right.

Will

Not familiar with these phrases at all.  Kev sounds about right.


Phil

Yeah - it means 'in reference to', 'prompted by' etc.

I concur with KAblers.

One of the ways I read it is as a bit of direction for camera and a cue for the actors.

Like maybe this:

The scenario is that John and Bill are discussing DEAD GUY'S tragic death. Dead Guy was always one to pay attention to detail.

John has just had the striking awareness:

John
He didn't even see it coming.
(Off Bill's look)
All he had to do was pay attention.

After John says, "He didn't even see it coming." What is being filmed is Bill's reaction to what John has said. While, John finishes with, "All he had to do was pay attention."

So we're very much (in the moment) seeing what Bill's reaction is to what John's saying while it's happening.

I think it's kind of like a moment of "connection" between two or more parties. I think of it as a reaction shot.

Sandra

Yeah, I tend to always have one or two of these in my script. It just saves you the extra line because you're not writing it in action.

"JOHN
Hey, Tim. Long time no see.

TIM
Yeah... It's um, nice to see you... ?

JOHN
(off Tim's confusion)
You don't remember me, do you?"

Okay, a pretty poor example but hopefully you know what I'm getting at.

I see this phrase a lot, and it means what Albers said. It's effective and efficient too. That's why we see it a lot.

For Phil

Code           DON      This would be a great weekend      to have everyone over for bacon      double cheesburgers!        (off Judy's look)      What?

Using a wryly mid-dialogue as opposed to a drop-down has bennies.
I find them helpful when dealing with some back and forth chippy dialogue.
Or to demonstrate a character's revelation...

JOE
Who are you?!?
(a flash of recognition)
No... it can't be!

E.D.

I commonly use the (off ___'s blank look) parenthetical, and I use it in the similar way it is used in this scene (around the 50 sec mark), with JGL going off Anna Kendrick's confusion: