Immersive Subtitles

The Russian movie Night Watch takes an unconventional approach to subtitles. Typically, the only effort put into their display is choosing a contrasting color. Then they’re plopped at the bottom center of the frame. In this film, the subtitles are designed to match each scene – taking into account the tone of what is said, who is speaking, and visual balance with the onscreen action.

It works surprisingly well.

I feel the need to see many subtitled movies twice, because I miss a good portion of the visual language as I read the written. Here they move together nearly in unison.

There is also a wonderfully strange effect on comprehension. The actors Russian voice melds seamlessly into my own reading of the words. ...There are even a few spots where I’m unsure if the spoken dialog was in English or Russian.

While you really need to see the entire movie to get the full effect, there are a few clips on YouTube that demonstrate it well:

This scene is the least subtle variation in the movie. To represent an ethereal voice, the director uses positioning, color, and an animation that interacts directly with what’s occurring onscreen. As a result, the voice maintains presence.

Things are more reserved here. Conservative positioning is interspersed within standard centered titles. There’s also a very slight bit of movement and fade. The words help to highlight who is speaking and to focus your attention within the given frame. The effect is almost comic book like.

I would love to see more films with designed subtitles. Especially when they have a strong visual component. If Amelie were re-released on DVD with nothing more than subtitle improvements, I’d buy it again without hesitation.