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An Easy Guide to Incorporating Captions in Videos

Captions/subtitles are not only a helpful feature when scrolling through social media in a crowded, loud place; they are an essential part of communication for the d/Deaf and hard of hearing community. Yet current formatting of subtitles, including the fact that they are often treated as an afterthought to content creators, often means that subtitles interfere with the visual content of the videos and/or are inaccurate to what is actually being said.

The following is a guide for smoothly incorporating captions for videos posted to social media (from the beginning), working within the existing classic screen dimensions on Instagram and YouTube.

All screen dimensions and images here are borrowed with adjustments from Alex York’s “Always Up-To-Date Guide to Social Media Video Specs” on SproutSocial.com

(https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-video-specs-guide/)

Instagram:

Instagram is known for its square tiled images (1:1 aspect ratio). However, they also allow for videos with the recognizable horizontal rectangular 16:9 aspect ratio and a vertical rectangular 4:5 aspect ratio. If you are somebody who enjoys working within the recognizable square, you can film as usual within a square and add a 5:1 bar below for your subtitles. Similarly, if you enjoy the classic 16:9 aspect ratio, you have the option to use the square to add a large bar for your subtitles below (or above, or both!). Using the square, your subtitle space should come to an aspect ratio of 16:5. 

(Image description: a red graphic illustration of three phone screens on Instagram. The first shows the dimensions of a 16:9 video. The middle shows the same 16:9 video with the addition of a dark gray 16:5 bar of white text below, making the video a square. The text reads: “closed captions here for 16x9 screen dimensions.” The third phone screen shows a square video with a 5:1 bar below that reads: “captions here for classic square video,” making the total video+captions a vertical rectangle with the aspect ratio of 4:5.)

YouTube: All YouTube videos should follow the 16:9 aspect ratio. However, most movies in theaters show a much wider “cinemascope” screen, at an aspect ratio of 21:9. This means that uploading a film made for the big screen onto youtube either cuts off the edges of the film, or adds extra space above and below. That extra space added is the perfect amount of space for your subtitles.

(Image description: a red graphic illustration of a computer screen on YouTube. The video image has the dimensions of a cinemascope screen at 21:9. Below the video image is a short dark gray block that puts the whole image at an aspect ratio of 16:9. This block is overlaid with white text that reads “captions here for cinemascope video.”)

Extra suggestions for captioning videos:

Oftentimes captions can be confusing when two people are talking. This can be clarified with the simple addition of stating who is talking. For example, if one character interrupts another mid-sentence without stating who is speaking, the captions may read: “We always finish each other’s sentences!” You can clarify this by changing the captions to read: “Character 1: We always finish—” “Character 2: —each other’s sentences!”

Use your script! Sometimes scripts have funny descriptions of sounds or directions for emphasizing how words are said. Not only is this information good for communicating with your actors on-set, including it in the subtitles can also help to communicate with your audience. Script notes are informative and fun for viewers, as it allows them to peek behind the curtain into the process of how videos are made.

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Deconstruction//Destruction This grew from an assignment on the deconstruction of mens shirts into a performative collection about the destructive nature of co-dependent relationships. 

[yellow-a-peril]

Deconstruction//Destruction This grew from an assignment on the deconstruction of mens shirts into a performative collection about the destructive nature of co-dependent relationships. 

[yellow-a-peril]

Deconstruction//Destruction This grew from an assignment on the deconstruction of mens shirts into a performative collection about the destructive nature of co-dependent relationships. 

[yellow-a-peril]

Deconstruction//Destruction This grew from an assignment on the deconstruction of mens shirts into a performative collection about the destructive nature of co-dependent relationships. 

[yellow-a-peril]

Deconstruction//Destruction This grew from an assignment on the deconstruction of mens shirts into a performative collection about the destructive nature of co-dependent relationships. 

[yellow-a-peril]

Deconstruction//Destruction This grew from an assignment on the deconstruction of mens shirts into a performative collection about the destructive nature of co-dependent relationships.