Voice of an announcer recorded off camera and played over the visual action on camera; abbreviated announcer v.o. In television commercial production, the voice-over is the spoken portion of a commercial delivered by an announcer who is heard but not seen. This is particularly effective when using a close-up technique in the filming. For example, a fast-food chain commercial will feature a close-up of a hamburger cooking, while an announcer reads the copy. In this way the viewer's visual attention is directed exclusively at the product, as the audio portion offers information about the product. Generally, a voice-over costs less than an on-camera announcer.