Skip to content

10 Important Things You Need to Know About Subtitles in Movies

The Subtitle and Leader: What’s the Difference?

Key Idea: The subtitle, leader, and subhead all refer to the same thing – a brief sentence that comes before the main body of text and is often used to introduce the topic of the text that follows.

Summary: The subtitle, leader, or subhead is the name given to the sentence that generally precedes the scenes in a play.

  1. The Subtitle: A Sentence that Generally Precedes the Scenes

  2. The Leader: A Sentence that Generally Precedes the Scenes

  3. The Subtitle: A Sentence that Generally Precedes the Scenes

    1. The subtitle is sometimes called the leader.
    2. The subtitle provides important information about the scene.

  4. The Leader: A Sentence that Generally Precedes the Scenes

    5. The leader is sometimes called the subtitle.

The Importance of Subtitles in Movies

Key Idea: Subtitles are used to explain things that cannot be made clear to an audience in any other way, including lapses of time or changes in clothing.

Summary: It can also be used to explain a lapse of time between scenes. For example, if a character is wearing a summer dress in one scene and a fur-trimmed winter coat in the next, the subtitle can be used to explain that six months have passed between the two scenes.

  1. The Use of the Subtitle

  2. The Subtitle and Lapse of Time

    3. To use an illustration, a heroine wearing a shimmering summer gown in one scene and in the next a fur-trimmed winter garment needs some way of telling the audience her reasons for changing her clothes.

  3. The Subtitle and Changing Clothes

    1. It also explains lapse of time, such as when a character changes their outfit from one scene to the next.
    2. To use an illustration, if a heroine is wearing a summer dress in one scene and then a fur-trimmed winter coat in the next, the subtitle can be used to explain that time has passed and it is now winter.

  4. The Subtitle and Time

    1. The subtitle is used to explain any part of the story that cannot otherwise be made clear to an audience.
    2. The subtitle also explains lapse of time.

The Leader’s Role in a Scene

Key Idea: The leader’s position is “just preceding a scene, or as a break in a scene where explanation is necessary.”

Summary: In the past, it was believed that the value of a scenario was determined largely by the use of few leaders. However, the purpose of a leader is to provide clarity and understanding for the viewer, and so their use should be determined on a case-by-case basis.

  1. The Importance of the Leader

    1. The leader is the first person in a scene.
    2. The leader is responsible for setting the tone and mood of the scene.

  2. The Qualities of a Good Leader

    1. The leader should be short.
    2. The leader should be to the point.

  3. The Leader’s Position in a Scene

    1. The leader should be clear and interesting.
    2. The use of few leaders is considered best practice.

  4. The Use of Leaders in Movie Scripts

    1. The leader should be used sparingly.
    2. The leader should be used just preceding a scene, or as a break in a scene where explanation is necessary.

Why Too Many Subtitles Can Ruin a Movie

Key Idea: Subtitles can interfere with the flow of a story.

Summary: Some well-known and successful writers have argued that using fewer subtitles can create a more realistic and atmospheric movie. They claim that the subtitles can interrupt the flow of the story and make it more difficult for the audience to follow.

  1. The Advantages of Having Few Subtitles

    1. They believe that having fewer subtitles creates a more realistic atmosphere.
    2. They also believe that subtitles can interrupt the flow of the story.

  2. The Disadvantages of Having Too Many Subtitles

    3. They believe that too many subtitles can disrupt the flow of the story and make it less realistic.

  3. The Interference of Subtitles with Viewer Attention

    1. They believe that subtitles can interfere with the viewer’s ability to pay attention to the film.
    2. They compare the leader to the curtain in the theater, saying, “It takes time after it is used to get the audience back.”

  4. The Pacing of a Film with Subtitles

    1. William Lord Wright and Epes W. Sargent are both in favor of few subtitles.
    2. They both believe that subtitles can slow down the pacing of a film.

The Use of Subtitles in Movies

Key Idea: Subtitles are important in order to make the story clear, but that they should be written in a way that is concise and expressive.

Summary: There are two sides to the question of whether or not to use subtitles in a movie script.

  1. The Use of Subtitles in Movie Scripts

    1. The first writer believes that subtitles are necessary in order to make the story clear.
    2. Both writers agree that the use of subtitles is an important part of movie script writing.

  2. The Importance of Subtitles

    1. Subtitles should be used to improve the story.
    2. Subtitles can help the movie scriptwriter to improve their writing style.

  3. The Economy of Subtitles

    1. The two movie script writers quoted have different opinions on the use of subtitles.
    2. One believes that subtitles should be used sparingly, while the other believes that they are necessary to make the story clear.
    3. The use of subtitles is a matter of personal opinion and depends on the style of the movie script.

  4. The Newer Movie Scripts

    1. The newer movie scripts focus on revising and polishing the sentences rather than eliminating subtitles.
    2. This emphasis on revising and polishing sentences results in a more telling story.

The Subtitle: A Concise Guide

Key Idea: You should be concise in your writing and avoid unnecessary flowery language.

Summary: The subtitle of a film is too long if it is unnecessarily flowery or uses stilted language. It is important to be concise in order to make the most of the limited footage.

  1. Concise and to the Point

    1. It should not be too long.
    2. It should not be stilted or flowery.

  2. Not Too Long

    1. The subtitle must not be too long.
    2. It should express the same thought without making the director cut out scenes.

  3. Not Flowery or Stilted

    1. It should not be unnecessarily long.
    2. It should not be flowery or stilted.

  4. Expressing the Same Thought

    1. The subtitle must express the same thought as the scene it is accompanying.
    2. The subtitle must be concise and to the point.

The Importance of Subtitles

Key Idea: You should not shorten a subtitle until it sounds perfectly senseless. If you are trying to explain a vital bit of action, make sure that the subtitle is clear and concise.

Summary: Frank is offered a job as a salesman for a mining company. He accepts the offer, believing that the company’s stock is genuine.

  1. The Importance of Subtitles

    1. The subtitle is explaining a vital bit of action in the big scenes.
    2. The subtitle is explaining a vital bit of action in the big scenes by means of a leader.
    3. The subtitle is explaining a vital bit of action in the big scenes by means of a leader, and it should not be shortened.

  2. The Meaning of Subtitles

    1. Frank accepts an offer to sell mining stock.
    2. Frank believes the stock to be genuine.
    3. Frank intends to sell the stock.

  3. The Benefits of Subtitles

    1. The first subtitle is the better one for us because it tells us that Frank is ignorant of the fraudulent nature of the mining stock.
    2. The first subtitle is the better one for us because it tells us what Frank intends to sell.

The Subtitle: A Tool for Scene Introductions and Character Development

Key Idea: Subtitles are a way of summarizing what is happening in a scene, and of getting both emotion and action down to fewer scenes.

Summary: A subtitle is a line of text that appears at the bottom of the screen in a movie or TV show. It is typically used to provide additional information about the scene that is taking place, such as the location or the time period. Subtitles can also be used to convey emotional information, such as when a character dies.

  1. The Importance of the Subtitle

    2. The subtitle is used to introduce a scene or to provide additional information about the characters or plot.

  2. The Subtitle as a Scene-Saver

  3. The Subtitle as a Medium of Emotion and Action

    1. The subtitle can be used to break the news to the audience about something that has happened.
    2. The subtitle can be used to smooth over a difficult place in the scenario, such as a deathbed scene.
    3. The subtitle can be used to get both emotion and action down to fewer scenes.

  4. The Subtitle as the Best-Known Way of Reserving Footage

    1. The subtitle is a great way to save footage for later scenes.
    2. The subtitle is also a great way to communicate emotion and action to the audience.

The Benefits of Spoken Subtitles

Key Idea: Subtitles provide a way for viewers to understand what is being said in a movie or TV show, which is especially important for people who are not native English speakers.

Summary: The spoken subtitle has solved the problem of not being able to understand what the actors are saying in a movie by quoting from the lines of conversation in our script.

  1. The Benefits of the Spoken Subtitle

    1. The spoken subtitle allows viewers to understand what the actors are saying in their scenes.
    2. The spoken subtitle is helpful in determining what the characters’ motivations are.
    3. The spoken subtitle can provide important plot information.

  2. How the Spoken Subtitle Helps the Audience Understand the Story

    1. The audience is able to understand what is happening in the story by quoting from the lines of conversation in the script.
    2. This allows the audience to follow the story more easily and enjoy the film more.
    3. It also means that the actors do not have to worry about speaking their lines clearly for the audience to understand them.

  3. Reasons Why the Heroine May Not Accept the Hero’s Proposal

    1. The heroine’s father is in financial trouble and she needs to marry Worthington to help save his fortune.
    2. The hero loves the heroine, but she can’t accept his proposal because of her circumstances.

  4. The Heroine’s Engagement

    1. The heroine is already engaged to Worthington.
    2. The heroine’s father’s fortune is at stake.

The Use of Conversation in Scenarios

Key Idea: Conversation can greatly enhance the value of your movie script. If you can put a sentence in here and there, without overdoing it, it is suggested that you use dialogue.

Summary: If you are unsure about whether or not to use conversation in your scenarios, this is the place to get clarification. Using dialogue is a personal choice, but it can be beneficial to the script if used sparingly and at the appropriate times.

  1. The Use of Conversation in Scenarios

    2. Learn the best way to write your leaders.

  2. The Benefits of Including Dialogue

    1. Spoken dialogue can help to convey the emotions and thoughts of characters.
    2. It can also help to advance the plot and move the story along.
    3. Used sparingly, dialogue can be a valuable tool in a movie script.

  3. The Importance of Staying Up-To-Date

    1. Conversation can enhance the value of your movie script.
    2. Use dialogue sparingly to avoid overdoing it.

  4. The Advantages of Sparing Use of Dialogue

    1. Spoken dialogue can enhance a movie script if used judiciously.
    2. It is important to stay up-to-date on the best ways to write leaders.