MOS
n. uncountablen. a way of recording video without any sound. You use this term when a scene is filmed silently and the audio is added later or not at all.
n. a technical designation for a film sequence recorded without synchronous sound. Often attributed to a German-influenced shorthand for 'mit out sound' (without sound).
We filmed the exterior shots MOS to save time.
The director decided to shoot the background crowd scenes MOS since the dialogue would be dubbed in post-production anyway.
While the lead actors performed their lines live, the second unit captured several MOS inserts of the surrounding architecture to establish the film's atmospheric setting.
Disputed, with many speculative suggestions; see Wikipedia.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Commonly used as a post-modifier after 'shoot' or 'film' ('to shoot MOS').
Last updated May 6, 2026