Why we all need subtitles now

Vox
20 Jan 202310:43
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe video examines why many people now watch movies and TV with subtitles on, even if they don't have hearing issues. It traces how technology changes like smaller microphones and digital recording enabled more naturalistic acting that is often unintelligible. Downmixing audio optimized for theater surround sound to limited home stereo speakers also muddies dialogue. As films emphasize dynamic range and loud, bombastic sounds over clear speech, and TVs utilize smaller speakers, dialogue becomes harder to understand. Subtitles bridge this accessibility gap for all viewers and their prevalence reflects an industry shift rather than solely assisting those with hearing loss.

Takeaways
  • 😲 Microphone and recording technology have improved, allowing actors to speak more naturally instead of having to project their voices.
  • 😎 With more advanced sound editing software, dialogue editors can now digitally fix lines instead of having to bring actors back for costly re-recording sessions.
  • 🤔 Trying to preserve a wide dynamic range between loud and quiet sounds means quieter dialogue gets pushed down under loud sound effects.
  • 😠 Christopher Nolan is notorious for hard-to-hear dialogue in favor of an immersive, cinematic sound experience.
  • 📺 Movies are mixed for theater surround sound setups with over 100 channels, so downmixing to home stereo or TV speakers makes dialogue harder to understand.
  • 👂🏻 Modern slim TVs have tiny speakers on the back, which further muddles speech that’s already been squeezed into fewer audio channels.
  • 🆘 TVs now try to boost voices, but it’s just a band-aid solution to improperly mixed and downmixed movie audio.
  • 🎧 Better home speakers and only seeing movies in quality theaters with proper surround sound can help.
  • 😌 Being less worried about catching every word of dialogue is another option.
  • 📑 Keeping subtitles on for accessibility and convenience is increasingly common with streaming and laws requiring captions.
Q & A

  • Why do we feel like we need subtitles more nowadays?

    -Main reasons are the use of naturalistic acting styles with mumbling, dynamic range in sound mixing that makes quiet dialogue even quieter, and watching content on devices without optimal speakers.

  • How have microphones changed over time?

    -Microphones have gotten smaller, wireless, and there are more of them used. This gives actors flexibility to speak more softly and naturally without having to project towards a mic.

  • What is ADR?

    -ADR stands for automated dialog replacement. It is when actors re-record dialog lines in post-production, usually when the original line was unintelligible.

  • What is dynamic range and why does it make dialogue quieter?

    -Dynamic range is the difference between the loudest and quietest sounds. To make loud sounds seem even louder, dialogue has to be pushed down in the mix, making it harder to hear.

  • Why does Christopher Nolan get criticized for audio mixing?

    -Nolan likes to preserve a wide dynamic range in his films, even if it means pushing dialogue down very quiet. He does not mix audio for home theaters.

  • What is downmixing?

    -Downmixing takes an audio mix meant for many surround sound channels and condenses it to fewer channels for systems with less speaker capacity.

  • Why do TV speakers make dialogue hard to hear?

    -Modern slim TVs have tiny speakers on the back instead of large front-facing speakers. This makes even a downmixed stereo audio track sound worse.

  • What solutions help improve dialogue audibility?

    -Using better sound systems, not worrying about catching every word, keeping subtitles on, TV audio settings like voice amplification modes.

  • How have laws and technology increased accessibility?

    -Laws require movie theaters to offer captioned showings. Streaming services standardized subtitles. Speech recognition has enabled captions on user-generated content.

  • Why might we keep subtitles on even if we can hear ok?

    -Subtitles increase accessibility for deaf/hard-of-hearing. Also they are easy to toggle on/off and can clarify unfamiliar terms or names.

Outlines
00:00
😮 How microphone technology changed acting and made dialogue harder to hear

This paragraph explains how microphone technology has evolved to become smaller and allow actors more naturalistic performances. However, quiet and mumbled lines now need audio editing and can still be hard to hear, especially with dynamic range prioritizing loud sound effects over dialogue.

05:00
🎙️ The challenges of mixing complex audio and downmixing for different formats

This paragraph discusses the difficulties of audio mixing to make dialogue intelligible while preserving dynamic range, especially when downmixing from advanced formats like Dolby Atmos to basic stereo. Christopher Nolan defends his audio choices despite complaints. The mixing isn't optimized for home setups.

10:02
📺 Why we need subtitles now more than ever

This closing paragraph notes that while better speakers and theaters would help, subtitles are an easy solution for hard-to-hear dialogue. They also increase accessibility for many viewers. Speech recognition now enables automated subtitles widely.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Microphones
Microphones are devices used to capture and record sound. The video explains how microphones have evolved over time, becoming smaller, more advanced, and allowing for more naturalistic acting that doesn't require projection towards a mic. This has enabled subtler performances but also more unintelligible dialogue at times. Examples of issues caused by modern mics picking up mumbles or background noises are given.
💡Frequencies
Frequencies refer to the pitch or tone of a sound. The video discusses how mixers work to separate the frequencies of dialogue from the frequencies of other sounds like music or explosions. This prevents them from overlapping and dialogue from getting drowned out. Keeping these frequency bands separate is now possible with digital editing.
💡Dynamic Range
Dynamic range means the difference between the loudest and quietest sounds. Having a wide dynamic range allows for contrast, like between loud explosions and soft dialogue. But it also means Quieter sounds often get pushed down below audible levels when louder sounds are boosted up to their maximum undistorted volumes.
💡Downmixing
Downmixing refers to taking a movie's sound that was mixed for many surround sound channels and condensing it down into fewer channels for home systems. This can result in a muddier, less clear version of the audio reaching viewers compared to theatrical releases.
💡Naturalistic Acting
Naturalistic acting means subtle, realistic performances that mirror natural speech and behavior. Advances in sound recording now allow for this instead of having actors project their voices towards microphones. However, heavy accents, mumbling, and other natural speech patterns can lead to less intelligible dialogue.
💡Accessibility
Accessibility refers to making content usable by people with disabilities. The video explains how laws and technology improvements have made subtitles more widely available. This makes films and shows accessible to deaf or hearing-impaired audiences.
💡Automated Dialog Replacement
ADR or automated dialog replacement is a technique where actors re-record hard to understand lines in post-production. This can fix intelligibility issues but is time-consuming and expensive.
💡Speakers
Speakers, specifically their size and quality, impact how clearly dialogue and other audio comes through when watching films. Small low quality speakers lead to a worse viewing experience compared to theater sound systems.
💡Surround Sound
Surround sound refers to multi-channel audio systems that envelop the listener. Films are often mixed for advanced surround sound setups in theaters. These get condensed down to fewer channels for home listening, losing fidelity.
💡Subtitles
Subtitles provide text transcriptions of dialogue on screen. Their increased availability and accessibility allows viewers struggling with unclear audio to still understand plots and dialogue.
Highlights

Microphones have become better, smaller, wireless, and more numerous, allowing for more naturalistic acting.

Naturalistic acting isn't always the best for intelligibility, as seen with Tom Hardy's mumbling.

Dialogue editing software allows for fixing unintelligible lines without costly ADR rerecording sessions.

Mixers carve out frequency space for dialogue, but it still must compete with loud sound effects for audibility.

Dynamic range between loud and quiet sounds means dialogue is often quieter to allow for bigger explosions.

Christopher Nolan famously mixes his films for optimal theater sound systems, not home setups.

Downmixing condenses many audio channels down to fewer, worsening home audio quality.

Thin, tiny TV speakers pointing away from viewers make dialogue hard to hear.

Settings like Active Voice help, but don't fully solve the problem of quiet, muddy dialogue at home.

Buy better speakers, worry less, or just use subtitles to deal with poor home audio.

Laws require theaters to offer captioned screenings for accessibility.

Streaming services have standardized subtitles and made them easy to toggle.

Speech recognition technology enables captions on most online video.

As captions expand, they solve issues both for accessibility and unclear dialogue.

Just keep the subtitles on.

Transcripts

Browse More Related Video

Problems of living together as a mixed couple

Why you CAN’T understand TV and movies without subtitles (and how to fix that)

What you don't know about hearing aids | Juliëtte Sterkens | TEDxOshkosh

how to record music/covers (for beginners/noobs)

How A24 took over Hollywood

Sound: Crash Course Physics #18

Rate This

5.0 / 5 (0 votes)

Thanks for rating: