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2 Special Techniques

This document was originally published by the ITC, one of the organisations replaced by Ofcom at the end of 2003. It represents Ofcom's current policy.

2.1 Emphasis and Phrasing

Text in upper case characters can indicate an increase in volume, while emphasis of an individual word can be achieved by a change in colour.

Overlays
Subtle nuances of phrasing are difficult to deal with effectively, but special techniques can be used, for example:

No... No... But that isn't what I asked for.

A more powerful effect is achieved by the 'overlay' technique. This involves, for instance, turning the above example into two subtitles, by first displaying No ... and then adding the second part of the utterance after the pause and without deleting the No... . This dynamic method of simulating speech timing and phrasing can be very effective, but should be reserved for time and space emergencies because multiple overlays can result in jerky presentation and clogged screens.

2.2 Tone of Voice

There are no adequate resources for portraying tone of voice in teletext subtitles. Hearing-impaired people necessarily make use of facial cues in day-to-day communication, and this is a further important reason for allowing the viewer time to read each subtitle and to watch the associated picture. The devices mentioned in Section 2.1 for expressing emphasis and phrasing can provide additional help.

Where tone of voice is particularly critical to meaning, and facial expression and body language are inadequate to convey the tone, the use of '(!)' and '(?)' immediately following speech can indicate sarcasm and irony as shown below:

No, no. You're not late (!)

2.3 Speaker Identification

People who have gained experience with teletext subtitles find that the use of colours to identify individual speakers is helpful. Suitable colours are recommended in Section 1.2. Where possible, therefore, each speaker should be identified by a single colour consistently throughout the programme.

Alternatively, programmes can be treated in terms of scenes. Seldom does any single scene on television include more than about four speaking characters. Thus, particular text colours can usually be associated with separate speakers within any single scene.

It is also helpful to use screen position and justification to support speaker identification. Each subtitle can be displaced horizontally towards the appropriate speaker. The main problem here is when characters move about while speaking. In such cases, the caption should be positioned at the discretion of the subtitler to identify the position of the speaker as clearly as possible.

A blue background with white text can also be useful to indicate a different quality of voice such as a robot or ghost.

2.4 Off-Screen and Off-Camera Voices

When the source of off-screen/off-camera speech is not obvious from the visible context, special techniques should be used. The best way to determine the effectiveness of visible context is to watch the scene without sound and then insert arrows to indicate the off-camera speaker. These can be either the teletext left-pointing and right-pointing arrows, or the visually more effective combination of the 'greater than' (>) or 'less than' (<) symbols.

When off-screen speech is employed throughout the programme, eg as in narrative documentaries, the common approach is to centre subtitles without symbols.

Other situations where the source of speech is not immediately apparent include telephone voices, radios, tannoy announcements, etc. It is helpful to accompany the first subtitle from these sources with a labelled caption (See 2.9 Other Techniques):

LOUDSPEAKER:
"Fasten your seat-belts, please."

Character-name labels are sometimes necessary for clarification, eg for crowd scenes or scenes enacted in the dark.

JOHN: What's happened to the lights?

2.5 Dialogue Techniques

All obvious speech should be accompanied by subtitle information, but under conditions of rapid dialogue, several short subtitles displayed in rapid sequence can result in staccato or 'machine-gun' effect. There are two possible solutions for this:

i) Double text

Here the speech of two different speakers is displayed simultaneously. However, double-text can be an infringement of the synchronisation recommendation: the appearance of each subtitle should coincide with the beginning of the corresponding speech segment. Using double text may also result in the extension of the black box which could obscure other visual information.

Double text techniques

Double text is normally used when more than two characters speak simultaneously and contradict one another:

Have you had lunch?
Yes. No.

Both people's speech is contained within one subtitle.

ii) Add-ons or cumulative titles

The second solution is to use 'dynamic' text known as 'add-ons' or 'cumulative titles'. This is most effective when the two subtitles fit naturally together, for example in a question and answer sequence, or providing the punch line of a joke. In this technique the second part of the title is added on to the first part. Thus, the appearance of the second part, or 'add-on' of the title can coincide with the onset of the second utterance, while the subtitle corresponding to the first utterance remains on screen. In this way, the staccato effect is diminished while still preserving a natural relationship between speech onset and subtitle presentation.

A further advantage of add-ons is that they appear more natural when the two corresponding speakers are not shown in the same camera shot.

However, additional reading time is gained only if the gaze of the viewer remains on the subtitle area throughout its presentation. If the gaze of the viewer returns to other parts of the picture before the add-on appears, as can occur among unusually fast readers, the subsequent add-on can cause some perceptual confusion. In particular, the first part of a cumulative title may be re-read, resulting in a frustrating 'false alarm'. For this reason, cumulative titles or add-ons should be used with care.

Add-on techniques

In both double-text and add-ons, the second part should normally appear on the line immediately beneath the first part. If the second speaker is positioned to the screen right of the first speaker, then the second part of the double-text is displaced towards the right:

A general guide to the use of double-text and add-ons may be stated as follows:

Double-text can be used when two characters or more speak simultaneously.
Add-ons should normally be preferred when two or more characters speak consecutively and time does not allow individual subtitles.
The total length of either double-text or add-on sequence should never exceed four lines.

2.6 Sound Effects

Any relevant sound effect not immediately obvious from the visual action should be subtitled. This includes sound effects that become apparent in the subsequent action, eg the telephone ringing before it is picked up, an explosion occurring outside before everyone dives under the table.

Descriptive statements are normally preferable to onomatopoeic spellings for sound effects. But context and genre (cartoons versus drama, for example) must be taken into consideration.

GUNSHOT

is usually preferable to

BANG!!!

Sound effect subtitles can also be used judiciously to create the background atmosphere for a scene:

ROAR FROM AUDIENCE
LIVELY CHATTER

The use of background colour (eg white text on a red background) and upper-case text, provide a distinction between sound effect subtitles and speech subtitles.

In general, each sound effect subtitle should be displaced towards the source of sound. Flashing text can be used to direct attention towards particularly important sound effects, but this should be done only if the subtitle is to be displayed for more than three or four seconds. The importance of particular sound effects can best be determined by watching the programme without sound.

2.7 Music

At the very minimum, the title of the music playing should be given. Where possible the words of a song should be included. This is especially important where the programme is to be viewed by younger people. Pop programmes, opera and songs connected to the story line are particularly important areas.

Song lyrics should be subtitled verbatim; but, if the pace of the song is very rapid, whole couplets or verses may be omitted.

The lyrics of a song should be made obvious by means of a sign. The 'hash' or'sharp' sign is most commonly used. Where speech and song are interspersed, care should be taken to signpost each title correctly.

Provision of an occasional subtitle for mood music, if it is significant to the plot, can be very effective:

# FRENCH PROVINCIAL MUSIC

Such subtitles should be used only sparingly.

Occasionally, consecutive scenes are enacted in pitch darkness, and scene changes are signalled entirely by changes of incidental music. In such cases, if time permits, the subtitler should use subtitles such as:

# LIVELY DANCE BAND MUSIC

Then, when the tempo of music changes dramatically, it is followed by:

# MOVES INTO SLOW DANCE MUSIC

Thereby deaf viewers are made aware of the scene change.

2.8 Silence

Long speechless pauses in programmes can sometimes lead the viewer to wonder whether the teletext system has broken down. It can help in such cases to insert an explanatory caption such as:

INTRODUCTORY MUSIC

LONG PAUSE

ROMANTIC MUSIC

2.9 Failure of Subtitles

Losing subtitles is as frustrating for the hearing-impaired viewer as losing sound is for the hearing viewer. If subtitle insertion does fail, prompt transmission of an appropriately worded apology caption is extremely important and, if restoration of transmission is delayed, an early explanation is to be given.

2.10 Acquired Programmes

Trials in the conversion of subtitles, which have accompanied certain acquired programmes from the U.S.A., have been shown to produce acceptable results. It is possible to improve the subtitles to a satisfactory standard at reduced cost compared to the provision of new subtitles. The conversion process must ensure that the subtitles achieve the minimum standards set out in these guidelines except in two areas where the ITC has agreed a limited degree of flexibility, as follows:

Synchronisation – the requirements in section 1.7. do not have to apply, however gross synchronisation errors between dialogue and visual material must be eliminated.
Presentation rate – however excessively fast dialogue must, where practicable, be edited to within the maximum limit set in section 1.7 (i.e. 180 words per minute).

2.11 Other Techniques

Single quotes '...' can indicate non-synchronous speech, eg a voice-over or thoughts or nothing on screen visibly connected with speech.
Unmarked text in upper and lower case indicates synchronous speech, ie the speaker is visible (most of the time) and titles follow.
Double quotes "..." can suggest mechanically reproduced speech, eg radio, loudspeakers etc or a quotation from a person or book.
Text in brackets can indicate whispered speech or asides.
Brackets can also be used to indicate the way in which a person speaks:

(SLURRED) He wasn't there.

The source of speech can be labelled by using capital letters followed by a colon:

LOUDSPEAKER:
"Fasten your seat-belts, please."

JOHN: What's happened to the lights?

Uncommon abbreviations, such as SFX, should be avoided.