Do you know GenZ use subtitles when watching films?
According to surveys by YouGov, Preply, and Stagetext, because Gen Z watch videos and content on their phones while travelling, they are more likely to turn on subtitles when watching films. Given this enormous viewership, filmmakers should spend the additional money on subtitles rather than lose out on a sizable audience. The film industry, particularly the African film industry, has always used subtitles, but they are now more important than ever and should not be disregarded by any producer. Over the past ten years, the African film industry has grown significantly, with numerous films being screened and winning accolades on a global scale and smashing box office records like C.J Obasi’s Maami Water, The Weekend by Daniel Oriahi, Funke Akindele’s A tribe called Judah and Everyone Loves Jenifa. These examples are a testament to the commercial success of African films and the huge potential for distribution and growth. One major way we can achieve global and local growth in distribution is through subtitling, captioning and transcribing our works to cater to a growing audience.
Why are Subtitles, captions and transcription important for filmmakers and content creators?
Subtitles and dubbing are the cinematic equivalence of adapting books to foreign languages and filmmakers should look into expanding the vocabulary of their films to different languages to draw more audience. Research on audience behaviour shows a significant rise in the demand for subtitles as viewers of all abilities are clicking the caption button on their remotes, apps and mobile devices when watching films, documentaries and content.
The audience no longer only uses subtitles because they have hearing impediments or because the film is in a language they cannot understand. Viewers currently demand subtitles and captions for English films too.
According to a survey by Preply, an online language-learning platform more people watch content with captions most of the time, this means it’s no longer for just people with hearing loss. Gen Z aged 18-25 and millennials aged 25 to 41 are top of the list of people watching content with captions or subtitles. This is also because 74% of Gen Z watch films in public on their phone and use subtitles to follow the story in noisy environments.
Other reasons include different models of mobile devices, television, poor audio quality and accents. Captions are no longer optional but a necessity for filmmakers who want visibility and a global audience.
Streaming platforms and the demand for subtitles.
According to Netflix, in 2023, 40 per cent of its global users have subtitles all the time, while 80 per cent use them at least once a month. YouTube has also become a streaming platform of choice for many Nigerian filmmakers, following the decrease in funding from streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime. YouTube filmmakers have a lot to gain by using captions for their content. For example, Discovery Digital Network, a YouTube channel found out after an experiment that it got 13.48% more views in the first two weeks and 7.32% more lifetime views when it attached sub and transcription to their videos.
This shows that captions and subtitles have become an important and integral part of visual media. Adding subtitles can significantly boost viewer engagement and extend the reach of content to a global and diverse audience. Sub by 1610 offers captioning, subtitling and transcription solutions to filmmakers, broadcast companies, content producers and everyone who needs accurate, reliable captions and subtitles.
In conclusion, subtitling for a diverse audience is not only restrictive to films in local languages like Jagun Jagun, Chetam and Seven Doors. It is an integral part of visual media. Subtitles, captions and transcription are priority, they are also not the job of the editing intern or assistant editor. It is an integral part of your filmmaking process and you must budget and plan for it. I encourage filmmakers to contract professional subtitles, caption agencies like Sub by1610 and other professionals who understand language, cultural nuances, and audience needs for their projects.
Written by Winner Achimugu.
Winner Achimugu is a writer, producer and creative head of 1610 Studios, a film production house in Lagos, Nigeria. Sub by 1610, a branch of the studio, specializes in high-quality transcription, captioning, and subtitling services for filmmakers and creators. Ready to amplify your content? Contact us to subtitle your projects at 1610mediastudios@gmail.com or winnerajifaachimugu@gmail.com. You can also connect with us via our social media handles—send us a DM, and let us help you reach a global audience!
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