Are subtitles the new norm for watching video content? - Part 1

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Have you ever found yourself reaching for the CC button to turn on subtitles, even though you're pretty sure you can hear just fine? You're not alone. In fact, according to a study by Kapwing, a whopping 80% of people admit to using subtitles regularly, with younger audiences more likely to use subtitles.

There are numerous reasons why individuals choose to enable subtitles and we will explore these reasons across two separate blog posts. In Part 1, we’re going to explore the most significant reason—one that’s both complex and relatable: people can’t hear dialogue.

With all the advancements in technology and audio equipment, you might wonder why this issue persists and many viewers still struggle to discern the words spoken in their favorite shows and movies. A recent study by Vox revealed that a staggering 58% of people struggle to hear dialogue clearly.

It turns out that while technology has addressed some issues, it has also, somewhat ironically, created new ones. The wonderful folks at Vox released a video* that deep dives into this phenomenon and we’ll break it down here for you: 

  1. Naturalistic, mumbly performances thanks to advancement in microphone technology:
    One such challenge is the rise of naturalistic performances. Thanks to smaller, more discreet microphones, actors can now deliver more nuanced, subtle performances without feeling constrained by the need to project. They can speak softly, knowing that the tiny mic hidden on their body will pick up what they're saying.

    While this benefits the overall realism of a scene, it can also lead to dialogue that's difficult to hear, especially when combined with background noise and effects.

  2. Balancing bombastic SFX/Foley/Background sounds with audible dialogue:
    Dynamic range refers to the difference between the quietest and loudest sounds in a film. For example, the volume of everyday conversation is significantly softer than an explosion.

    While technological advancement has made it possible to add realistic sound effects and elaborate background sound to films, it has created these moments of dynamic range dilemma - should we reduce the volume of the dialogue to make the explosion seem realistic and big?

    More often than not, creators choose to maintain a wide dynamic range, and to achieve this you have no choice but to push the quieter sounds lower instead of pushing the louder sounds louder.  This balancing act can make dialogue less audible in certain scenes.

  3. Muddy audio due to a variety of listening devices:
    Film audio is first mixed for the most advanced surround sound formats available, such as Dolby Atmos, which offers a true 3D sound experience with up to 128 channels. However, if you’re not watching in a Dolby Atmos-equipped theater, you won't experience all those channels.

    Consequently, the audio must be downmixed to fewer channels, such as 7, 5, 2, or even one. These downmixed versions often encounter further challenges, such as the small speakers found on newer TVs or speakers placed behind the TV rather than in front. Trying to deliver the same audio experience intended for 128 channels is frequently unfeasible.

    As a result, the audio output can become muddy, which often impacts the clarity of dialogue.

4. The trade-off between creativity and accessibility:
Despite all the technology designed to enhance dialogue clarity, some directors prioritize delivering a specific audio experience, such as a Dolby Atmos mix, over ensuring that the dialogue is easily understandable for all viewers. For instance, Christopher Nolan’s choice to mix exclusively for Dolby Atmos has negatively impacted audio quality for those watching on phones, laptops, or regular TVs.

Okay, but can’t the dialogues just be re-recorded or made louder? 

With digital recording technology, we now have tools for editing audio in post-production that weren’t available before. There are two main methods for improving dialogue clarity:

  1. ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement): This involves bringing actors back in to re-record dialogue where it’s hard to hear - what we call dubbing.  While effective, ADR can be expensive and time-consuming, making it practical only for high-budget films and shows.

  2. Dialogue editing: More commonly, dialogue editors use techniques like frequency separation to isolate dialogue frequencies from other sounds. However, even with these techniques, the dialogue might still not be fully clear due to dynamic range limitations.

Combining naturalistic, mumbly audio, less-than-ideal speakers, and a broad dynamic range with intense sound effects can make dialogue difficult to hear.

What Is the solution?

Is it practical to expect audiences to invest in high-quality speakers? Not really.
Should we only cater to those watching in Dolby Atmos theaters? That’s quite restrictive.

Let Clockwork Captions deliver the most accurate subtitles for your video content, ensuring that your audience can experience your work as you intended? This seems to us like the optimal solution.

While we can't expect viewers to invest in high-end audio systems or limit themselves to watching content in specific theaters, we can ensure that the content itself is accessible to a wider audience. Subtitles and Closed Captions offer a practical and effective solution to the challenges of hearing dialogue in modern media.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we will explore additional reasons why people use subtitles—even when the dialogue is audible. Some of these reasons may surprise you!

References:
1. ”Why we all need susbtitles: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYJtb2YXae8