beccaelizabeth's dreamwidth journal

Today was a very late monday, cleaner was here, I did laundry, all the proper things.
But I haven't ordered any food, so I have to either order for tomorrow or be actually sure I'll leave the house then.

I watched the end of Bedknobs and Broomsticks, with the subtitles on. I think I know all the words to the singing bits anyways. The bits that are in german are handily pre subtitled for your convenience. Except today, where instead the BBC put over the top SPEAKS IN GERMAN. Which, as a subtitle, is notably less useful. Well done BBC.
... I don't usually complain about subtitle errors. Because there's so many of them. Maybe there'd be less if I complained more?

I don't understand it though, do they not watch their own work?
I can understand subtitles being a separate box from the people who actually have a script, and hence being a bit shonky on the transcription sometimes, but I can't understand putting the words over the top of perfectly good existing words.
Also, I may say I can understand it, but it's a daft way to do things.

I started trying to watch the GDL Sherlock Holmes. I didn't quite manage ten minutes. Dratted thing doesn't have subtitles. Since I'd been planning to watch it with the sound off this is a bit of a problem. Sound+headache=unfun. I hadn't even checked because it's been ages since I bought a DVD with no subtitles. Very unhelpful.

Also I'm possibly not in the mood to watch silly films I only bought because I'm a fan of someone in them. I have watched *many* silly films, tv shows, and even unaired pilots, because fan, but one has to have the right brain in. I appear to be stuck with the 'everything's rubbish' brain so I'll have to watch something shiny awesome pretty to try and jolt it better. Since Doctor Who is on this evening I have high hopes.

Rewatched 'Sound of Drums'
as always the jokes worked better without the subtitles
they just kill the timing
you're already *facepalm* before the speaking ever gets to the punchline
and you react to the words seperately than the delivery
and sometimes it's the actor selling it that makes it work.

This time I was still *facepalm*, to the point of curling up in a little ball of they-didn't, but I was *facepalm* and *sniggering*, so that works out.

Am rewatching 1-04 Cyberwoman

I emailed the BBC the other day asking about why the subtitle differences, and they said that the DVDs are done by BBC Worldwide, a different company to the TV subtitles (I think, it's in a folder somewhere).

But I still don't know if either or both of them have scripts to work with.

The DVDs have some fairly significant differences in there. I mean, the really clear stuff, tends to be the same. "Have some fucking mercy" there's no doubt about.

But there's rather a lot of difference between "Hold him still" and "Have a nice day"
which are the TV and DVD versions of what Jack says when the lift starts up.

I'd have never heard 'have a nice day' there until I read it subtitled that way.

It's like the Supernatural subtitles can almost fool me into thinking he really did say "Sam" and not "Jared".


I'm pretty sure the TV subtitles are more accurate, but I'm basing this on the concept of actually making sense, which, you know, not necessarily so.



But it goes back to the 'what is canon' question again. You'd at least think we're all working with the same words, but noooooo.

A Jack that can be all "Have a nice day" quippy at that particular moment is a Jack who really *earns* the words Ianto throws at him, and the rest.

Jack who's more "Hold him still" is being protective of his team.

Waaaaaay different characterisation.




In other detail oriented news I noted that Tosh wastes 35 seconds in between doors, yet the second door still opens about 45 seconds after the first one. That's a classy bit of alien gadgetry right there.

Subtitles on Channel 4 are screwed again. Only half the lines are showing. The channel 4 website has on the FAQ page a bit about subtitles being screwed up, and reckons it is because when reception goes screwy the subtitles are first to go.

Logical.

I haven't actually seen a thing about screwed up subtitles on other channels websites.


I'm feeling much less blergh than yesterday, but my brain is all over the place. I couldn't remember what I opened the LJ window for.


I went out shopping for two particular things, and then I came back with a half dozen things that were not those things. But I did at least remember to look for them.

I have donuts now. And Quorn slices that pretend to be mince and onion, which may or may not be good to take places to eat. And also everything bagels. I don't know what the 'everything' is but they've got seeds on and they taste good.


I need to do homework essays. I can't seem to think a straight line. These things are not mixy.