PLM English SDH

1.Technical information

     1. Font: Arial, White

     2. Min. duration: 20 frames

     3. Max. duration: 7 seconds

          a. 29.97fps – 210 frames

          b. 23.98fps – 168 frames

          c. 25fps – 175 frames

     4. Reading speed (please see 4. Timing) for:

          a. Adult programs – 20 cps (250 wpm)

          b. Children’s programs - 17 cps (200 wpm)

     5. Frame Gap: 2 frames minimum

          a. Frame gap should be 2 frames or at least 5 frames.

              All frame gaps of 3-4 frames should be reduced to 2 frames.

     6. Character limit: 42 characters per line

     7. Max number of lines: 2 lines

2.Line Treatment

     1. If an event can fit on one line, please keep it to one line. Do not split it for grammatical reasons.

     2. If the text needs to be broken into two lines, follow these basic principles: 

          a. Line should be broken:

               i. after punctuation marks

              ii. before conjunctions / prepositions

          b. The line break should not separate:

               i. a noun from an article / adjective
              ii. a first name from a last name
             iii. a verb from a subject pronoun
             iv. a prepositional verb from its preposition

              v. a verb from an auxiliary, reflexive pronoun or negation

3.Positioning

     1. Always position either top or bottom center.

     2. For PLACED SDH follow the English Closed Caption rules. This will be a specific request by Client Services.

4.Timing

     1. Subtitles should be timed to audio (within 3 frames).

          If extra time is needed for reading speeds, the out-time can be extended by 12 frames past end of audio.

     2. If dialogue starts within 3 frames of a shot change pull the in-time to the shot change.

     3. If dialogue ends within 3 frames of a shot change pull the out-time to the shot change if there is no event immediately after.

     4. For two events on either side of shot change, have the first event start 2 frames in from the shot change and the second event start on the shot change.

     5. Do not be afraid to cross shot changes if required. Do not split a subtitle unnecessarily to maintain a shot change.

     6. While the reading speed is 20 cps this is not always possible, the following priority should be 

followed when creating an English Template:
          a. Let the reading speed go up to 23 cps.
          b. Time to audio and extend by 12 frames past end of audio (as long as it doesn’t cause the event to cross a shot change and look awkward.)
          c. Truncate without losing the meaning of the audio
          d. Merge or split events to help with reading speeds

     If, after you have tried all of the above, the reading speed is still exceeding 23 cps then the file can be submitted as is, but all the above must have been tried.

5.Dual Speakers

     1. Use a hyphen without a space to indicate two speakers in one subtitle, with a maximum of one speaker per line.

                    Event 1: -How are you?

                                   -I’m fine, thanks!

6.Italics

     1. Italicize:

          a. Dialogue that is heard through electronic media, such as a phone, television, public announcement system or computer.
          b. Unfamiliar foreign words and phrases (not commonly used).
          c. Song lyrics when sung, not quoted (provided rights have been granted).
          d. Voice-overs such as out-of-scene narrators or visible characters expressing unspoken thoughts.
          e. Titles of books / periodicals / works of art / albums / movies / tv or radio shows / plays.
          f. (Documentaries only) ‘Voice in the sky’ narration always

     2. Do not italicize:
          a. (Documentaries only) Dialogue that occurs over B-roll footage. (e.g. camera interview with person changes to B-roll footage and person keeps talking and vice versa)

7.Continuity

      1. Do not use ellipses (3 dots) or dashes when an ongoing sentence is split between subtitle events.

                    Event 1: Let’s take the dog

                    Event 2: for a nice long walk.

     2. Use an ellipsis to indicate a significant pause or dialogue trailing off. For a pause, there should be a space after the ellipses.

                    Event 1: Loyalty... doesn’t exist anymore.

                    Event 1: I don’t know. Maybe we shouldn’t...

     3. In the case of a pause, if the sentence continues in the next event, do not use an ellipsis at the beginning of the next event.

                    Event 1: The murderer is...

                    Event 2: Colonel Mustard!

     4. Use an ellipsis without a space for an event starting mid-sentence.

                    Event 1: …and that’s how I saved the world.

     5. Use two hyphens for abrupt interruptions.

                    Event 1: -You can’t tell--

                    Event 2: -Shut up!

8.Foreign Dialogue

     1. Foreign dialogue should only be subtitled if the viewer was meant to understand it per creative intent in the original version. Please check to see if you are using a Subtitled or Subtitle-less version of the video.

     2. Always verify spelling and grammar when using foreign words.

     3. Foreign words should be italicized, unless they have become part of normal usage (e.g. In English, the following do not need italicization: bon voyage, bona fide, alfresco, kaput).

     4. Do not italicize proper names or company names.

9.Numbers

     1. From 1 to 10, spell the numbers: one, two, three, etc.

     2. Above 10, numbers can be written numerically: 11, 12, 13, etc.

     3. If a number starts a sentence, it should be spelled out.

     4. Exceptions to the above can be made for space limitations or correct usage (e.g. 2 km, phone numbers, She was 10 before she turned 11)

     5. Times:

          a. Use numerals for exact times (e.g. 10:45 p.m.)

          b.Use lowercase a.m. and p.m.

          c. Spell out words/phrases (e.g. midnight, half past, noon)

10.Quotes

     1. Quoted words, phrases and sentences are in double quotation marks; single quotation marks are used for quotations within quotations.

          She said: “I will never, ever go on a date with him.”

          He said: “I always sing to ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ when it’s on the radio.”

     2. Quotes should be used at the start and end of a quote, not at the start of every subtitle.

         Event 1: “Success is not final,

         Event 2: failure is not fatal.

         Event 3: It is the courage to continue that counts.”

     3. Periods and commas precede closing quotation marks.

     4. Colons and semicolons follow closing quotation marks.

     5. Question marks and exclamation points follow quotation marks unless they are part of the quoted text:

         What is the second part of this quote, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is,”?

         The second part is, “What are you doing for others?”

     6. Put song titles in quotes.

11.Acronyms

     1. Write acronyms without periods between letters: FBI, BBC, LA

12.Censored words

     1. If a word has been censored in the audio use four asterisks to indicate the censored word. Include any of the word that has not been censored.

          Tell him to **** off!

          He’s a real mother**** when he’s mad.

13.Songs

     1. Subtitle all audible song lyrics that do not interfere with dialogue. Exemptions can be made if the song is playing in the background and is not plot-pertinent e.g. shopping mall music

     2. Italicize lyrics.

     3. Song lyrics should be enclosed with a music note (♪)

     4. Start each line with an uppercase letter.

     5. Use an ellipsis if the song continues in the background but is interrupted by dialogue.

     6. Only question marks and exclamation marks can be used at the end of a line. Commas can be used within the lyric line, if required.

     7. Song titles are in quotes.

     8. Album titles are in italics.

14.Common Words

     1. Always use:

• “All right” not “alright”
• “Okay” not “OK”
• “Whoa” not “Woah”
• “Yeah” not “Yea”

15.SDH Instructions – Speaker IDs / Sound Effects

     1. Use [ ] brackets for speaker IDs or sound effects.

     2. Use lowercase, except for proper nouns.

     3. Only use speaker IDs or sound effects when they cannot be visually identified.

     4. Use a generic ID to indicate and describe ambient music (e.g. [rock music playing on radio]).

     5. Only include plot-pertinent sound effects.

     6. Never italicize speaker IDs or sounds effects, even if the dialogue is italicized.

     7. For censored words:

          a) Audio is dropped - Use four asterisks ****

               You can go **** yourself!

               He’s a real mother**** when he’s mad.

          b) Audio is bleeped out – Use [bleep]

               You can go [bleep] yourself!

               He’s a real mother[bleep] when he’s mad.

     8. For foreign dialogue:

          a) If translated – Use [in language] (e.g. [in Russian] )

          b) If not meant to be understood – Use [speaking language] (e.g. [speaking Japanese] )

          c) Always research the language. Do not use [speaking foreign language] or [in foreign language].

16.ESL Instructions

     1. Using the SDH file:

          a. Remove all sound cues and speaker IDs
          b. Remove all sounds that are not actually words. (e.g. Oh, Um…, Mm-hmm)

17.British English Versioning

     List of US vs UK spellings - http://www.tysto.com/uk-us-spelling-list.html

18.Reference

     The Merriam-Webster dictionary: http://www.merriam-webster.com/

     Chicago Manual of Style: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html