Captions, Do You Copy?

written by 10118 Lee Shi Hyeon

 

After nearly three years of waiting, fans have been delighted to witness the return of the sci-fi Netflix drama Stranger Things. Generating an unprecedented amount of praise among various audiences, the drama has recaptured the world’s attention after nearly three years of being on hiatus. However, several record-breaking occurrences aren’t the only reason the Netflix original is making headlines this time around.

 

The Case of the Strange Subtitles

Closed captions, the text versions of audio content contained in a video, are undoubtedly being utilized to their full potential in season four of Stranger Things.

Prompting quite a stir online, these captions have become the source of various memes. Viewers can feast their eyes on odd phrasing and creative descriptions that are sure to get a [chuckle] out of anyone with a decent sense of humor.

A few of the most notable captions that garnered a lot of attention are the following:

- [tentacles undulating moistly]

- [gate writhing wetly]

- [hand unfurling creakily]

- [menacing industrial synth music playing]

- [tender, emotional music playing]

 

The Captions and the Captioner

Exercising their minds to their limits, it isn’t a stretch to say that the creative team behind the show’s captions have contributed greatly to its most recent season’s success.

 

Though, gracing the world with the most meme-worthy sentences to ever be projected on a TV screen isn’t the only thing the masterminds behind the phonetic mastery in question have accomplished. The phenomenon that has taken the Internet by storm has actually helped raise some awareness about captions and their importance.

English SDH (subtitles for the Deaf and hard of hearing) writer Jeff T. (chose to refrain from disclosing his surname to protect his identity), who is responsible for the creation of audacious phrases such as “[wet squelching],” stated that due to space limitations and reading speed limitations, coming up with descriptive, yet easily understandable sentences is far from an easy feat.

He continued by emphasizing the usage of words when subtitling a scene. “We wanted to try to accurately reflect the importance of sound design for the deaf and the hard-of-hearing because subtitles are their primary avenue for access to those sensory inputs.”

Karli Webster, who provides a second opinion to make sure Jeff’s descriptions don’t get too out-of-hand, claimed that complaints from viewers who deemed the subtitles to be “too invasive” were diminishing the purpose of the captions altogether.

“What I’ve noticed is that quite a lot of people online are ones who don’t really understand that captions are for the deaf and hard of hearing. I’ve seen a lot of, ‘Why are the captions so overly descriptive? We don’t need these.’ And I know you don’t, but you weren’t the main audience for captions from the start.”

According to Jeff and Karli, transcribing dialogue isn’t all there is to captioning. They’re intent on ensuring that those who have a harder time picking up auditory cues continue to have the leisure of experiencing the show like everyone else. That includes adding over-the-top captions on sounds that even those who have less trouble hearing would rather ignore.

 

Captions Don’t Lie

Intended to be viewed by those less fortunate when it comes to hearing, captions must be concise and precise. This is so that those who may have never heard sounds before still get an immersive experience without feeling as if they’re missing out. Thus, while the positive reception surrounding the subtitles of the most recent season of Stranger Things is welcome, it must be noted that closed captions were originally proposed as an accessibility feature.

A creation for an audience of which would otherwise be excluded from the “curiosity voyage” the Netflix series takes viewers on.

That being said, the sheer ingenuity the team producing notorious captions like “[fissure writhing wetly]” has displayed no doubt deserves the recognition it’s continuing to gain.

This show is often credited with bringing the nostalgic vibe of the 80s back to the small screen with its effective use of combining classic hits from the respective time period it’s inspired after and eerie sound effects that blend in well with the fictional world of Hawkins.

In its fourth season, the sound effects, in particular, articulate most of the ominous atmosphere radiating from the more mature conflict on screen. Portraying the internal struggles festering within the now angst-ridden teenagers as they come face to face with the biggest threat they've met since their first encounter with the supernatural requires apt auditory cues, which is something the crew behind the sound design is aware of and no stranger to.

A richer viewing experience for the deaf audience can be procured through captions embodying the sinister and graphic happenings of the scene unfolding. Thanks to the talented minds behind them, the captions effectively capture the essence of the gruesome horrors that will forever be engraved in the minds of those who watch the series. But they also offer some entertainment to those who voluntarily switch them on.

Captions were initially created with the intent of being features that would improve media accessibility for an audience whose voice is often silenced. However, as Stranger Things and its “[discomforting slithering]” has proved, even audience members with no diagnosed auditory conditions subject themselves to the odd phrasing some unhinged geniuses came up with.

Regardless of what a person’s hearing is like, captions are alternate gateways to differing versions of perception, influencing one’s comprehension and engagement with an event transpiring on the surface of their device of choice. Descriptive captioning has the capacity to affect the narrative of a story being told, and the elaborate defining of situations that can be seen on Stranger Things is a prime example of captioning at its finest.