Omitting a #subtitle can be just as important as adding one.

In this scene, a girl is waiting outside a flower shop for her loved one. The music gets emotionally intense as she realises she’s alone.

You might think: “What’s the harm in adding a subtitle to explain the sign in the shot?”

But we already know where she is: the visuals make it clear, and the shop sign was subtitled two minutes earlier. Adding “Flower Shop” again now:

a) underestimates the viewer’s ability to follow the story, and
b) most importantly, distracts from the emotional core of the moment.

Most #subtitlers working from scratch wouldn’t even consider adding it. But when you’re working from a template, you see an empty box and assume it needs to be filled. That’s when we need to pause and reflect.

Image credit: the Florist Window

#subtitleomission #subtitling