Between the devil and the deep blue sea.

[absolutedestiny]

So here I am putting finishing touches on a video (no spoilers so this is safe for all to read) and I have a major dilemna

Do I subtitle the lyrics?

So far I've been going through the video selectively subtitling things that are important. The translations for the lines appear within the footage in places where it should be neither too distracting nor too obscure... but it's a major issue. The video is so much nicer when you can just stop and look at the movement of the footage... but that's because I know the lyrics already. The lyrics are really important for the video and I can't really see how it can be appreciated without knowing them :(

So what do I do?

[Poll #284352]

And no, I can't do two versions - this is for a convention so this choice matters a lot.

This is why I swore I'd never do a foreign language video dammit >

Comments

[miraba.livejournal.com]

I voted to selectively subtitle. I would probably only keep them in only if they weren't distracting.
Perhaps you could reduce the lyrics to the most important phrases and include those? Just putting out an idea.

[spaglet.livejournal.com]

Could be worse - you could be doing a video that has the singer mumbling so often (and is a nasty mp3 of a live bootleg to start with) that you feel driven to subtitle it even though it's already in English.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

This is the one I've gotten to see, right?

It was no problem for anyone who has seen it over here - but we all know the song inside and out.

It's a jump of conjecture, but I'd have a hard time thinking your audience isn't much the same.

Offer to hand out hard copy translations. But I'd leave the subtitles out of it.

[absolutedestiny.livejournal.com]

Yeah this is the one you saw a beta of.

The things I do know for certain are this:

1) Selectively subbing looks cool but is hella confusing

2) Doing the same vool visual subbing for the whole thing would ruin the flow.

So my two options now are:

1) Ditch them altogether

2) For a con viewing only have them put in the letterboxing so they do not interfere with the footage, keeping the text changes as low as possible.

I'll give 2 a try, see how it looks and if it's crap fall back on 1.

[ecpcorran.livejournal.com]

I voted to leave them out but if you can pull them off like in the video Adinokyi Malen'kyi Zvetok (Lonely Little Flower) by Rinny Wilson then I'd suggest using them selectively.

[klinky.livejournal.com]

AMVs are for watching not reading...

I would try to blend a couple phrases into the video. You need to be able to concentrate on both at the same time.

Full on subtitles.... No thanks...

Most people will just get distracted...

[rozard.livejournal.com]

x2 :up:

I'd just put the translation in the video's profile once you put in on the Org.

[scintilla72.livejournal.com]

I'd also have to go with the selective subtitling thing...

(I felt I just had to say something given my history with subtitles :P )

[savia-wanderer.livejournal.com]

The problem is, whilst you're reading subtitles to lyrics it's not really possible yto fully absorb what's going on with the rest of the screen and hence to make the connection to the mood and theme of the scene. So, unless the flow is slow and gentle, you'll inevitably lose some attention. And a slow thoughtful video doesn't want the viewer to have to hop back and forth between the subtitles and main image over and over.

Without hearing the song it's not easy to judge how much of the emotion / meaning of it comes over without knowing the translation of the lyrics, although in my experience most people don't actively listen to lyrics anyhow as much as absorb the 'feel' of a song.