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off

off (not live, off-screen)

adjective OF Rare
Arts & Culture Performance

Origin: borrowed from English 'off'

Also means

unofficial, fringe

Usage Note

Off is an anglicism used in French theatre and film to describe a voice or sound coming from off-screen or off-stage (voix off = voice-over). In festival contexts such as the Avignon Festival, le off refers to the unofficial fringe programme alongside le in (the official selection). It is invariable in form.

Examples

"La voix off accompagne les images du documentaire."

Natural Translation

The voice-over accompanies the documentary's images.

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