Subtitling

Because my film blends both Urdu and English, subtitling wasn’t just a stylistic afterthought. It was essential. Subtitling everything, including the dialogue and diegetic sounds like “door opens,” “bottle clinks,” or “sighs,” helped ground the viewer in the moment and eliminate any confusion, especially during quieter, more ambient scenes. I wanted the subtitles to serve as a guide, not a distraction, and make sure that the meaning never got lost in translation.

At first, I leaned toward my usual subtitle style, the classic yellow font I’ve used in my previous films, including the preliminary task. But something felt off this time. The overall palette of the film had a yellowish tone, and the subtitles just blended into the background too much. I wanted something that stood out just enough to be read, without overpowering the frame.

Ironically, I had my “aha” moment while taking a break. I was watching Netflix and actually paid attention to their subtitles, which always felt polished and cinematic. They just work. So I went down a rabbit hole trying to identify that exact font. I scanned font websites, Reddit threads, and forums until I finally found it. It took hours, but I downloaded it, tested it out, and immediately knew it was the one. The difference was night and day.

From there, I followed the traditional bottom-center placement. I didn’t want the subtitles pulling focus from the visuals. They were there to support the image, not compete with it.

But simply placing the text wasn’t the end of it. There’s actually a technique to subtitling that I hadn’t fully appreciated until now. I spent time researching how directors approach subtitles and what makes good subtitling work. For instance, I learned that subtitles shouldn’t disappear the second a line ends. Holding them for just an extra second or two gives the viewer time to process what was said. Another helpful guideline was to leave a 4 to 5 frame gap between subtitle changes, especially during fast-paced dialogue. That visual pause helps the audience register the shift without feeling overwhelmed.

I also learned to avoid abrupt flickers by either cutting the subtitle with the shot change or dragging it across the cut intentionally, depending on what served the scene better.

Initially, I was also subtitling word-for-word translations. A line like “Kaafi raat hogi hai (It’s getting late), I think you should stay the night” was how I started. But it quickly became clear that this was too much text. The frame felt crowded. After watching more subtitled international films, I realized that subtitles work best when they’re concise and clean. So I refined the phrasing to preserve the meaning without overloading the screen. I also dropped the brackets and parentheticals, which felt distracting.

There were a few setbacks along the way. One that stuck out was during export. I was rendering what I thought was my final cut, only to realize I forgot to burn the subtitles into the video. They exported as a separate file, which I didn’t want. But thankfully I caught that in time before sending it off.

In the end, subtitling became one of those subtle details that quietly elevate the film. It’s something the audience might not even notice consciously, but if it’s done wrong, it pulls them out. I’m glad I took the time to understand it properly, because getting it right made everything feel tighter, cleaner, and more intentional.