Film captioning services provide a visual aid to moviegoers and audiences in regards to the actor's dialogue, notations for music, sound effects, and other background noises, particularly when these components are central to the on-screen exploit. A caption is a central tenet of modern cinema, because of the assistance it provides towards people with hearing disability, and speakers of a foreign language. The role of captioning in inclusivity has even been recognized by government institutions - Final Rule in ADA Title III mandates movie theaters and cinemas to provide closed captioning.
Is captioning and subtitling the same?
Subtitles have been defined varyingly. Subtitles are sometimes defined as translated captions. While at other times they are defined as “minimalistic captions”. At other times - they are assumed to be aimed at an audience who can hear a movie. Whatever may be the definition of subtitles, one theme seems to be common among subtitles - details of sound effects aren't incorporated, and the source of off-screen speakers is not elaborated.
Closed captioning and open captioning?
Most people are acquainted with film captioning , a manner of revealing the captioned text only when it is wanted. CC is now a legal requirement in the US for most pre-recorded TV programs. Open captions comprise the same script as closed captions, but the captions are a permanent part of the picture (burned into the picture), and cannot be turned off. Open captioning is frequently used in movie theaters.
Why caption your movies?
- For the hard of hearing - In the United States, television closed captioning is used by some 28 million Americans who are hard of hearing. As the average age of the population increases, so do hearing disabilities. According to US government figures, one person in five has a form of hearing limitation, and that percentage grows -- one in four by the age of 55 -- with older age.
- For bilingual speakers - Captioning provides a double benefit for bilingual speakers. First, it helps in better comprehension of the message that a film is trying to relay. Second, it helps in learning a foreign language. An article titled “Watching Subtitled Films Can Help Learning Foreign Languages” published in Plos experimentally proves the point.
- Improving the reading level in children - Subtitles improves literacy level in children. An article in dailymail.co.uk states that subtitling can help in improving the reading levels among young children.
- Required by the law - As mentioned previously final rule under title III of ADA mandates movie theaters to maintain the equipment necessary to provide closed movie captioning, provide notice to the audience about the availability of caption, and ensure theater can assist the patrons with the equipment.
Mandates for closed captioning - movie subtitling services
The FCC requires captions to have four qualities - Accuracy, Synchronicity, Completeness, and Placements. You can enjoy the benefits of captioning by employing professional film captioning services. Online tv film captioning services are known for their heed towards all the parameters set by FCC. Accurate film captioning services arrange for captioners who are well versed in different dialects, slangs, and cultural references helping you achieve quick turnarounds. From rolls of tongues or stutters to minor tongue flicks and tsk sounds - online film / Netflix captioning services ensure accuracy, synchronicity, completeness, and placements such that films have an optimal impact and zeal
