User reception

Another important factor is the mode in which the subtitles are displayed. Depending if the audience need embedded or displayed subtitles, the gaze movement of the viewer will differ. The films that include both displays formats present, what Spoletti calls, the ‘Christmas tree effect’, which is produced by the combination of the subtitles embedded or projected appearing at the same time during the screening of the film. In order to minimize this effect, subtitles in both languages have the same spotting but present different lengths due to the language differences and also exposition time might be slightly larger for the projected subtitles to allow readability times. Also, it might occur that audiences relaying in the projected subtitles have longer gaze fixations in the screen displaying the subtitles because it is placed outside the main screen. In this sense eye-tracking experiments could provide significant data on the reception effects generated by the use of both display modes in the screening of a film.

A further reason for the use of two different displays at film festivals is that as Federico Spoletti explains ‘Filmmakers do not want to have two strips of subtitles on the image because they do not want you to cover the image’. As mentioned in section 5.1. the use of secondary screens such as Smartphone could allow the inclusion of subtitles in multiple language versions and also increase and improve the existing accessibility services, which at the moment are still very limited. Also, the use of Smartphone would allow the subtitle company to include all parameters

needed to render the films accessible to sensory impaired audiences in a more effective form.

4.7 Conclusions

The Venice Film Festival can be considered a relevant subject of study in order to analyse the developments introduced in the electronic subtitling process to date.

Three main factors have been reviewed in this paper: structure and regulations of the venue, technological developments, and reception. While the first is mainly conditioned by contextual political decisions, the second has resolved long and costly elaboration processes, adapting the final product to new consumer needs and trends. But the third factor, that of reception, still remains a factor that clearly requires more research in AVT Studies in order to determine the effect of the use of different displays and platforms on audience perception.

Films screened at the festival may be in any language, and most recently, in any language combination. Thus, success of the screening depends on an adequate translation, which may determine the film’s international success. Within this context, the introduction of the electronic subtitling system in 1985 could be considered as the first turning point in improving the subtitling process and display at film festivals.

However, the recent technological developments introduced by digitization are generating a second turn in this particular AVT field.

Over recent decades digitization has emerged as a main player in the audiovisual industry, revolutionizing all steps involved in the production of the film, from the production to final screening at the venue, including also the subtitling process. Questions relating to the lengthy preparation time and high costs of the subtitling process have been mitigated with the introduction of digital products like the DCP, which allows the subtitles to be turned off after the festival screenings and the digital copy to be distributed without subtitles in other countries. Furthermore, the introduction of new platforms, like the Internet, is changing user’s attitudes towards audiovisual consumption. The Internet is also starting to be used at film festivals, like in the case of the Sala Web launched in 2012 at the Venice Film Festival or the live broadcasting for the web in events such as press conferences and daily interviews, also available in Cannes, Berlin and Venice. This fact will inevitably have an effect on both: the subtitling practice and the traditional consumer’s attitude towards the cinematic experience. Additionally, the increasing number of audiovisual distribution

platforms is already challenging researchers and professionals in the subtitling field, forcing them to approach new technologies related to automatic and semi-automatic transcription and translation processes, which are being improved over the years.

Moreover, increasing transnational and European projects - such as the EU-Bridge (based on technologies for transcription and translation in the field of closed captions, Universities and parliamentary reports) or EU-SUMAT (an online service for subtitling by machine translation) - are determining the future of subtitling practice.

Therefore, the engagement of researchers and professionals in the subtitling field is vital in order to preserve the quality standards.

Finally, one of the limitations still in force at film festivals is the use of only two languages and the need of more effective accessibility services in a larger number of films. As argued by Oncins et al (2013) Smartphone could render the display and visibility of subtitles more effective, especially in large venues like the Pale Biennale in Venice, which has 1,700 seats. These platforms would also allow the increase of languages available for each film and benefit the introduction of new accessibility services, addressed to sensory impaired audiences, which still remain a problem to be resolved at international film festivals.

4.8 Bibliography

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Chapter 5. Resum

5.1 Resum

Els orígens de la següent tesis doctoral es remunten a l’any 2011, quan es va iniciar una col·laboració en un projecte interdisciplinar entre acadèmics del camp de la enginyeria i de la traducció audiovisual del centre de recerca de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona CaiaC (Centre d’Accessibilitat i Intel·ligència Ambiental de Catalunya). La finalitat del projecte era desenvolupar el Sistema d'Accessibilitat Universal (UAS per les seves sigles en anglès) una aplicació que permet la creació i l’enviament de continguts en diverses modalitats de Traducció Audiovisual (TAV):

subtitulació, audiodescripció i audio subtitulació. Des d’un inici, el principal repte d’aquesta tesis fou proporcionar accés en temps real a la informació verbal i visual a una audiència que pot presentar una discapacitat lingüística o sensorial.

Si es consideren els múltiples i variats tipus d'esdeveniments culturals en viu resulta difícil establir una taxonomia. Per tant , el focus principal d’aquest estudi s'ha centrat en dos formats audiovisuals (AV) principals: representacions teatrals, principalment, teatre i òpera; i pel·lícules projectades en festivals internacionals de cinema. Durant l'etapa de desenvolupament del Sistema UAS es va observar com determinats aspectes externs, com el lloc i les instal·lacions disponibles, que no estan directament relacionats amb el procés de traducció, determinen la forma en què es produeixen, es mostren i es consumeixen les diverses modalitats de la TAV.

Si bé aquests aspectes externs són independents de la pràctica de la traducció, s'han de tenir en compte per l’anàlisi dels subtítols i els sobretítols. Per aquesta raó, el present estudi analitza els serveis d'accessibilitat a les arts escèniques des d'un punt de vista global, considerant no només el producte AV a traduir, sinó també on i com es lliure aquest contingut i quina modalitat de TAV s’utilitza. A fi de proporcionar un anàlisi en profunditat, aquesta tesi es centra en dues modalitats específiques de TAV: sobretítols per a representacions escèniques i subtítols per a festivals internacionals de cinema.