Monday 16 January 2017

Subtitles - the Broadcasters secret

Its long been known by many of us that subtitles sharpen the focus, especially post war boys born during the 50's, from an early age watching that French film,  "Belle de Jour"...you read the subtitles, you tried to follow the film, but actually you were distracted by puberty.

I dont want to talk about that though, rather the concept us Brits suffer from, easily distracted. Isn't that what "Avant Garde" stands for?

Well that's what they told the young guys in 1916 during Battle of the Somme.

If "The Killing" from Copenhagen taught us anything, it was our capacity for understanding psychological
thrillers better if we concentrated.

How do you get the 'easily distracted' to concentrate?

Use a foreign language.

Its a lesson we should use in schools. I wish we did. As soon as the word is printed it carries a different sense, even a different scent. You can smell a shit sentence, well I can, as I write them all the time.

Its one of those things that reminded me that I will put out a few more issues of Deadbeat this year. It will be a bit bizarre after 30 years, but there's a need and we can fill it. There are spelling mistakes only we can do, the mainstream press just have trouble with their and there. We will put out monthly issues from May and by December we'll be on issue 40.

There's an audience over 50 and under 30 and with the lack of subtitles at most gigs, I feel obligated to write the lyrics.

The subtitle culture of concentration continues that wonderful Orwellian thread I mumble regularly about. As phones and other gadgets run our life, I love the concept of choosing to read which a paper offers but subtitles dont.

Subtitles oblige you to read them.

They are the Orwellian surge and I think they're the broadcasters friend.

I feel a contrarian argument in Gaelic hitting the letters page!

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