Captioning: When to Turn to a Pro

Captions are seemingly everywhere now. When video content is viewed without sound (as it often is on social media), captions become crucial to understanding and engagement. Some social platforms have built-in tools to create captions in a variety of styles. Adobe Premiere’s transcription capabilities make outputting simple caption files relatively easy, and Vimeo allows users to download caption files that can be converted to different file types and edited for accuracy. Many platforms allow viewers to turn on AI-generated captions if the content creator hasn’t provided any. But these kinds of “simple” captions are quite a bit different than those required by broadcast networks like PBS, or streamers like Apple TV, Netflix and Hulu. Those entities have stricter guidelines relating to captions, and working with professionals who understand the ins and outs of this kind of captioning can ultimately save you time and money during the delivery of your program or film.

Videos on the web often include very straightforward captions that relay exactly what the people in the video say and nothing else. However, if you turn on captioning for a Netflix show you’ll notice descriptions of other things viewers hear besides dialogue, like “Spooky music plays” or “Frogs croak in the distance.” These types of descriptions are what set “ADA-compliant” captions apart and they’re required for longer programming delivering to broadcast entities or streamers.

The goal of these captions is to provide the deaf and hard of hearing with a viewing experience as close as possible to the viewing experience enjoyed by a hearing-abled person. In addition to including “sound descriptors,” ADA-compliant captions aim to provide an accurate representation of the verbal dialogue whenever possible. That means if an interview subject stutters or misspeaks, the captions must reflect that.

There are many benefits to working with a professional team like Henninger Media Services to caption long form content. First, Henninger has captioned hundreds of programs and films in the ADA-compliant style required by networks, therefore we’re familiar with what will be accepted and what won’t. We also have specialized software that helps make the captioning process efficient and can help us identify and fix technical problems before they become an issue. Each broadcast network or streaming entity has their own technical specifications for captions, but generally captions must not interfere with on-screen graphics or bugs and they must not extend into commercial breaks. Additionally, captions must not fly by so quickly they cannot be read. Our specialized software allows us to make adjustments that ensure that a program will pass a technical evaluation.

At Henninger, experienced professionals will also review your program multiple times to ensure that the captions are correct, consistent and technically acceptable. Captions created by one operator are watched by at least two other people to minimize the chance of mistakes. Notably, when PBS finds mistakes in a caption file the filmmaker is often charged for fixes. We use our experience and our in-depth knowledge of PBS specifications to help make sure captions are right in the first place. This helps insulate filmmakers from extra charges and delays late in the post production process.

While captioning has become more and more ubiquitous in the world of social media, ADA-compliant captions remain a bit of an art and a science. Henninger has the experience and technical expertise to ensure your captions are delivered flawlessly.

Caption your project with us! If you have any questions about captioning or video production in general, please contact us by calling 1 (888) 243-3444 or email us at info@henninger.com.