FRED Film Radio - English Channel

(From intertitles to multiple language versions)

Another important part of how we watch films has to do with language. How do we watch films that speak a language other than ours? Again, we need to go back to the beginning of film history in order to understand what is available for us now.

When silent films were introduced and became popular, many people thought that finally, and for the first time ever, human beings had created a universal language, one that everybody could understand. Charles Chaplin’s most famous character, the Little Tramp, was at some point in the 20s considered to be the most iconic and recognisable image in the world and viewers in different countries considered him not as a British or American character, but as one of his. After all, he didn’t speak any language.

But this is not exactly true. Most people think that the translation of films started with introduction of sound in cinema in 1927 but actually, silent films also spoke different languages. As early as 1901, silent films started using intertitles, cards with printed text that were included in between images to convey dialogue or descriptions. When films had to be shown to foreign viewers, these intertitles were replaced with title cards in the viewers’ language.

With the introduction of sound, filmmakers and producers had to think of a different solution to translate films. The first one they came up with was very surprising: making the films again and again in many languages, sometimes with the same director and actors, some other times with different actors. They were called multiple language versions. In Paris, for example, the Joinville studio, founded by Paramount, made multiple versions of the same films in up to 12 languages 24 hours a day in 1930.

Of course, this was very expensive, so they soon had to think about alternative solutions to translate films, either revoicing the characters’ speech in another language or translating what they said as text at the bottom of the screen. This is how dubbing and subtitling were born.

(Dubbing)

In dubbing, the voices of the characters are replaced with voices in the translated language matching the lips of the actors on screen. The translation is done by translators and then voiced by dubbing actors working in a dubbing studio with instructions from a dubbing director.

The translators must make sure that the translation is almost exactly as long as the original in order to match the lips of the actors on screen. When there are close ups where only the face of the actors is seen on screen, the task is much more difficult. The translators must then make sure that whenever the actors close their lips (which happens when you pronounce a p, a t, an m, a v and an f), the translation also uses some of those letters to match the lip movements. So, for example, if there is a close up of the face of an actor saying “Good bye” in English, using “Adiós” in Spanish would be a good translation in terms of meaning, but it would not match the lips of the actors, which are closed with the word “Bye”, but not with “Adiós”. Maybe in this case “Nos vemos” (see you later) would be a better option.

Dubbing is the most common translation mode in Spain, France, Italy and Germany, and it is also used all over the world to translate animation and cartoons.

(Subtitling)

In many other countries, such as Portugal, the UK, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, etc., foreign films are usually subtitled. The viewers in these countries can hear the original voices of the actors and the words are translated normally at the bottom of the screen. Viewers who can understand the original language often complain that what appears written at the bottom of the screen is not always an exact translation of the audio. This is true but we must remember that subtitlers have to follow some rules and they are advised not to use more than two words every second, because otherwise most viewers would find it very difficult to read the subtitles and watch the images.

(Voice-over)

Finally, in some other countries, such as Poland, one person narrates the translation while you can still hear the voices of the original actors. The problem here is that there is only one voice speaking for all the characters and also that this voice doesn’t really show a great deal of emotion, so some of the intensity of the film may be lost.

Producing partner: University of Roehampton http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/home/

The post 1.2 – Film Viewing: Dubbing, Subtitling and Voice-Over #FilmLiteracy appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

In this unit, we will have a look at where and how films are watched and how this has changed over the years.

In order to talk about film venues, we need to review the history of film as a public form of entertainment. This takes us to the small town of Orange, New Jersey, where as early as 1888, US inventor Thomas Edison first imagined the kinetoscope, a machine that could spin images in a box over a light source, giving the illusion of movement. This was only for private viewing. The kinetoscope was designed for films to be viewed by one individual at a time through a peephole viewer window at the top of the machine.

When Edison organized the first public demonstration of his kinetoscope in Brooklyn in 1893, it became evident that, even though it worked, it was too private and small. Cinema had to be bigger.

And it became public and bigger in Paris thanks to the Lumière brothers, who, two years later, in 1895, invented the cinématographe, a machine that could project an image onto a screen and that, unlike Edison’s kinetoscope, could be viewed simultaneously by a large number of people.

Neither the Lumiere brothers nor Edison nor any of the other inventors could imagine how big cinema would become. In fact, at the beginning it was mostly considered as a sideshow for the working classes, who would go to theatres called nickelodeons to watch short 5 to 15-minute films as though it was a fairy attraction.

By 1913, Nickelodeons were no longer big enough to accommodate all the moviegoers who wanted to watch films, so it was necessary to build bigger theatres who would also show the new and longer feature films.

Another type of cinema that existed in the first decade of the 20th century were the so called Hale’s Tours of the World, which were designed like train carriages.

From the very beginning of cinema, and especially when in 1896 the Lumière brothers shocked an audience in France by showing on a screen a train that was moving directly to them, cinema had a strong fascination with the train. Maybe this fascination started even before the invention of cinema because, in a way, the passengers on a train were offered a cinematic experience years before the emergence of cinema itself. When the first cameras where invented, cameramen started to tie themselves and their cameras to the buffer of a speeding train, showing the journey from the train’s perspective and capturing the approaching track, the surrounding landscape and the passage through tunnels. These scenes were called phantom rides, because from this position the film seemed to be moving by aid of an invisible force. This was an all-new and dynamic spectacle and the new cinemas, Hale’s Tours of the World, took the realism of phantom rides to another level: the benches would shake and the images would be accompanied by the sounds of hissing steam and train whistles.

Since those early days of cinema, the evolution of film venues has always been linked to the evolution of technology. Silent films were mainly made to be shown in the cinema to public audiences and this applied also to films with sound, from the first one, called The Jazz Singer, in 1927, to thousands of films in the 30s, 40s and 50s.

In the 1960s, the TV brought films to the living room for family viewing, which means that audiences no longer had to go to the cinema to watch films, although the choice was limited to what the TV was offering. This was partly solved in the 70s with VHS tapes and in the 90s with DVDs, which gave viewers more options to choose.

Nowadays, the choice of venues and devices is huge and it keeps growing: you can watch films in cinemas, festivals, theatres, museums, bars, schools, planes, at home and on TVs, computers, tablets, mobile phones. And this choice is even bigger with the introduction over the past ten years of pay per view and video-on-demand platforms, which allow us to select and watch films and programmes when choose to, rather than having to watch at a specific time.

One of the consequences of having such a wide range of choice in terms of content and devices is that the viewers’ attitudes and behaviour towards watching films have changed. This is also very much related to the widespread use of the Internet, where we move from one website to another quickly and the longer the text, the less we read. Researchers are finding that our attention span is decreasing as we move further into a fully digital society, which is why we are sometimes known as the Impatient Generation or digital goldfish. The effect in film viewing is that younger generations are more used to watching series or short videos on the Internet and they sometimes find it difficult to watch long films.

Producing partner: University of Roehampton http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/home/

The post 1.1 – Film Viewing: Where and How We Watch Films #FilmLiteracy appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Olaf de Fleur Johannesson – Filmmaker – Brave Men’s Blood

FRED’s Matt Micucci interviews Icelandic filmmaker Olaf de Fleur Johanneson, whose film “Brave Men’s Blood”, his follow up to the acclaimed “City State”, had its international premiere in the Spectrum section of the 44th International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Olaf talks with us about how the idea of revisiting the “City State” microcosm with “Brave Men’s Blood” came about, his influence from TV series and about his interest in exploring the human condition.

Plot: “Brave Men’s Blood” is a crime sequel from Iceland, which also works without its predecessor (“City State”). An ambitious detective wants to kill two birds with one stone: unmask his corrupt boss and dismantle a drugs organisation. Atmospheric, cleverly written, well acted and surprising right up to the end.

BRAVE MEN’S BLOOD TRAILER from Olaf de Fleur on Vimeo.

The post Olaf de Fleur Johannesson – Brave Men’s Blood #IFFR appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Jakrawal Nilthamrong – Filmmaker – Vanishing Point

FRED’s Matt Micucci interviews filmmaker Jakrawal Nilthamrong, whose film “Vanishing Point” had its world premiere at the 4th International Film Festival Rotterdam – where it was also proclaimed one of this edition’s Hivos Tiger Award winning films.

Jakrawal tells us about making this film a type of universal self-examination. He also discusses with us the very personal nature of the film, in which he uses events that really happened to him and affected his life, as well as how working on the film helped him grow. We also discuss whether his background as a documentary filmmaker shaped his perspective on fictional cinematic language and about the importance of the exploration of his geographic setting in “Vanishing Point” – his fiction feature debut.

Plot: “Vanishing Point” is a serious film about serious, complex issues (including a dramatic car crash), presented in a light, playful way. The film follows two very different men, each of whom changes his life in his own way. This doesn’t seem to be a direct result of the choices they make. Change can be like that…

The post Jakrawal Nilthamrong – Vanishing Point #IFFR appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Daniel Wolfe – Filmmaker – Catch Me Daddy

FRED’s Matt Micucci meets Daniel Wolfe, whose feature debut “Catch Me Daddy” was screened at the 44th International Film Festival Rotterdam. Daniel talks with us about making films about people living on the edge, about the importance of social realism in this film, and about the use of street casting to play the characters in the film. He also discusses whether his background in music videos had a direct influence on his transition to feature film and whether it was difficult for him to get “Catch Me Daddy” off the ground.

Plot: Young Laila has run away with her boyfriend. It seems inevitable that her traditional Pakistani family will try and settle the score, out of shame and to avoid scandal. But who is following her? “Catch Me Daddy” is the impressive and gripping debut by music video director Wolfe and his brother. Stylish and of course with a great soundtrack.

The post Daniel Wolfe – Catch Me Daddy #IFFR appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Daan Veldhuizen – Filmmaker – Banana Pancakes and the Children of Sticky Rice

FRED’s Matt Micucci interviews filmmaker Daan Veldhuizen, who talks with us about his documentary “Banana Pancakes and the Children of Sticky Rice”, which had its world premiere in the Bright Future section of the 44th International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Daan talks with us about what it was about Laos that fascinated him so much and made him want to make this film. He also talks about how the locals reacted to his presence and whether they felt at ease under the watchful eye of the camera.

Plot: When backpackers come to a small village in rural Laos, their arrival divides the local population and disrupts the relationship between two childhood friends. “Banana Pancakes and the Children of Sticky Rice” is a complex East-meets-West story, told in a cinematographic language that is as rich as it is confrontational.

The post Daan Veldhuizen – Banana Pancakes and the Children of Sticky Rice #IFFR appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Kivu Ruhorahoza – Filmmaker – Things of the Aimless Wonderer.

FRED’s Matt Micucci meets filmmaker Kivu Ruhorahoza, whose powerful film “Things of the Aimless Wonderer” had its European premiere in the Bright Future section of the 44th International Film Festival Rotterdam. On top of talking about his film and the different stylistic choices he employed in making it, Kivu also shares with us his thoughts on the current cultural state of Uganda, ridden by paranoia and fear. He also tells us a little bit about the current state of the cinema of Rwanda and why films that are more daring and experimental are rare in his home country.

Plot: An unusual African film with a powerful visual narrative style and an experimental electronic score. The Aimless Wanderer of the title is a white man making an African travelogue. He meets a local girl who soon disappears. Little by little, fear and paranoia overcome him.

The post Kivu Ruhorahoza – Things of the Aimless Wonderer #IFFR appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Matthew Yeager – Filmmaker – Valedictorian.

FRED’s Matt Micucci meets filmmaker Matthew Yeager, whose film “Valedictorian” had its world premiere in the Bright Future section of the 44th International Film Festival Rotterdam. Matthew talks about the stories and themes that inspired him in making “Valedictorian”. He also talks about how he constructed the film and expresses his views on the themes of alienation and relationships that are true driving forces in his feature.

Plot: Ben is the typical Brooklyn hipster with his band, job and girlfriend. But is that all there is? Without any real reason or big drama, he goes off in a completely different direction. Ben switches from protagonist into passer-by, about whom his vague acquaintances only occasionally think. A striking portrait of this individualistic generation.

The post Matthew Yeager – Valedictorian #IFFR appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Kris Kristinsson – Filmmaker – Hearts Know * the Runaway Brides.

FRED’s Matt Micucci meets filmmaker Kris Kristinsson, whose film “Hearts Know * the Runaway Brides” has its world premiere in the Bright Future section of the 44th International Film Festival Rotterdam. Kris tells us about the unique travelling filmmaking style he employed to put this film together. He also opens up to us and reveals the heartbreak that inspired him to play with the central subject of the runaway brides, and tells us how the personal nature of the film shaped his overall fascinating vision.

Plot: Nineteen brides, scattered over four continents, run off on their wedding day. Dressed up in their wedding gowns they cross cities, industrial estates, inhospitable rocky outcrops, huge fields. Why? All attempts to explain this from different cultural backgrounds only served to increase the puzzle.

The post Kris Kristinsson – Hearts Know * the Runaway Brides #IFFR appeared first on Fred Film Radio.

Eddie Cahyono – Filmmaker – Siti.

FRED’s Matt Micucci meets the Indonesian filmmaker Eddie Cahyono, whose film “Siti” had its international premiere in the Bright Future section of the 44th International Film Festival Rotterdam. Eddie talks with us about his fascination with stories about strong women. He also explains his choice of using black and white photography and a documentary style cinematography and gives us some info about his miniscule budget and extremely tight shooting schedule.

Plot: It’s almost a genre: simple black & white films about poor young women who are forced to take the wrong path. Such as this sensitively filmed story about the young mother and fisherman’s wife Siti. Her husband has been paralysed and that’s why she has two maintain the family on her own. The karaoke bar lures her.

The post Eddie Cahyono – Siti #IFFR appeared first on Fred Film Radio.