[uptempo jazzy tune]
I heart closed captioning. Live captioning can be hilarious, with interesting interpretations of names and places (don’t they have a script to work from?).
Closed captioning hides other gems, as well. Names of songs, or types of music. Watching reruns of WKRP or Quantum Leap are a hoot – you get the name of the song originally paired with the episode instead of the bland filler replacement music. Or entirely different conversations – little bits of drama or reaction lost in the shuffle.
What I don’t get, however, is why some closed captioning, the kind that the movie producers put directly on screen (access this option through a DVD menu rather than your TV menu), are so abbreviated. They leave out large chunks of dialog, subtleties that really can wreck a scene. Do they think we can’t read fast enough? Does some captioner think they’re improving the story?
Does anyone work in the industry? Help a curious soul out!