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How to Create a Video With Closed Captions

Closed captioning is a communication production service that allows people with hearing impairments to enjoy a film or television show by reading the script and sounds at the bottom of the screen. If you are producing your own video and wish to add closed captions, you will need to obtain the appropriate video-editing software so that you can include this benefit to your viewers. Closed captioning is a detail that is added in the final editing stages of the video, so your video must be complete.

Things You'll Need

  • Digital video camera
  • USB chord connecting camera to computer
  • Video-editing software
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Instructions

    • 1

      Shoot video footage with the video camera as you normally would for a video without closed captions.

    • 2

      Upload the completed video onto a computer by connecting the camera to your computer with the USB chord. Open the video-editing software to begin adding the closed captions.

    • 3

      Click on the heading at the top of the software for "New Subtitle" or "New Closed Captions." This will open up an independent table on the screen that contains two columns for start and stop times, as well as a blank line where you can write the text into.

    • 4

      Play the video back. Pause the video during someone's line or if an important sound is heard in the background. Check the time at the top or bottom of the screen. The time relates to how far into the film you are.

    • 5

      Type the start time and end time into the appropriate columns of the closed caption table. This lets the computerized program know when to display the closed caption, and when to dissolve it. Write the text in the blank line next to the start and end times.

    • 6

      Indicate who is speaking by adding the character's name inside of brackets on the text. For instance, if the character Marc is asking the other character in the scene how she is, you would write, "[Marc] How are you today?" Portray sounds by putting them into brackets also, such as "[Music playing]" or "[Thunder]."

    • 7

      Continue playing and pausing the video to add start times, end times and text. Save your work as you go so that you do not risk losing the information you input.

Film Production

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