Short subject (fiction, festival circuit): pro bono forever?
Thread poster: Mercedes Claire Gilliom
Mercedes Claire Gilliom
Mercedes Claire Gilliom  Identity Verified
France
French to English
+ ...
Feb 6, 2013

Last year I did the subtitles for a short (French) film that would be entered in one or two film festivals for which English subtitles were a requirement. The project was posted on Proz as pro bono, and I was glad to do it even without compensation: it was an interesting project, and it gave me an opportunity to learn how to use some free subtitling software (Aegisub). I even taught myself how to use a bit of post-production software (Avidemux--also free), so that I could fuse the subtitles onto... See more
Last year I did the subtitles for a short (French) film that would be entered in one or two film festivals for which English subtitles were a requirement. The project was posted on Proz as pro bono, and I was glad to do it even without compensation: it was an interesting project, and it gave me an opportunity to learn how to use some free subtitling software (Aegisub). I even taught myself how to use a bit of post-production software (Avidemux--also free), so that I could fuse the subtitles onto the video file.

I was perfectly comfortable doing this project pro bono for a number of reasons. The foremost, of course, was that this was my very first time subtitling anything. Second, it was a low-budget art film. Third, I was most interested in having a subtitle credit, so that more subtitling work would come my way in the future.

Now, it's the future, and more work has arrived. The director of the first film passed my name along to the producer of another short French film. She has not yet specified whether she can pay for the subtitling, and I'm wondering whether I should broach the subject at all. The reality is that I would not mind doing a second project for free, because I am still rather new at this, and I'll be happy to have a second credit. All this preamble is really for two questions:

1. Is there hope of receiving compensation for subtitling short-subject "art" films?

2. Is there hope of gaining enough short-subject credits to have a crack at subtitling a feature film, especially in a market as competitive as the French > English one?

Thanks for any input you may have!
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Jing Nie
Jing Nie
China
Local time: 20:35
Member (2011)
English to Chinese
+ ...
Film captioning is not profitable Feb 7, 2013

I have been contacted by many subtitling companies, they offer very low price for film subtitling.
I find that the subtitling price for company introductions, product introductions are much higher than film subtitling.


 
Sylvano
Sylvano
Local time: 13:35
English to French
Not forever Feb 7, 2013

1. Subtitling for film festivals is always either free or giving very low rate.
2. Subtitling nationaly/internationaly for the screen in theaters is a matter of luck and meeting the right people, and can pay very high rates. But to me, working for free doesn't seem to be a very good incentive to clients to reach that goal (well, 'Graal' might be a better term for this).


 
Aisha Maniar
Aisha Maniar  Identity Verified
Member
Arabic to English
+ ...
Other options Feb 11, 2013

I agree with the other responses, however ultimately it is up to you. If you are approached by a filmmaker when the project is still in its early stages and they "require" subtitles, as you say, then they should include a budget for this in their costing for the project when they look for sponsors. If the film is ultimately commercial and someone is making a profit, then why not you? If it's not commercial and purely a labour of love all round, and if you are not comfortable always doing such th... See more
I agree with the other responses, however ultimately it is up to you. If you are approached by a filmmaker when the project is still in its early stages and they "require" subtitles, as you say, then they should include a budget for this in their costing for the project when they look for sponsors. If the film is ultimately commercial and someone is making a profit, then why not you? If it's not commercial and purely a labour of love all round, and if you are not comfortable always doing such things pro bono, why not negotiate a nominal fee? Working under similar circumstances, the filmmakers should understand that.

Alternatively, if you do such projects simply out of interest, then why not do subtitling for TV programmes/documentaries/etc., which is paid better and more regular work, and keep this as a side project? "Art" projects are much harder too, in view of their intended audience, creativity and translation of ideas required.
Just a few ideas, Aisha
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Sylvano
Sylvano
Local time: 13:35
English to French
+1 Feb 12, 2013

Aisha Maniar wrote:

they should include a budget for this in their costing for the project when they look for sponsors. If the film is ultimately commercial and someone is making a profit, then why not you?


I can't agree more, Aisha.


 


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Short subject (fiction, festival circuit): pro bono forever?







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