Thread by @timesculture

The on-screen descriptions in series four of the Netflix drama have become a hit with a younger generation who aren’t hard of hearing.

So, how did #StrangerThings4 make subtitles cool?
thetimes.co.uk/article/strang…

Jeff T, the shows subtitles writer, used phrases such as “tentacles undulating moistly”, to describe the villain Vecna; “fissure writhing wetly”, to describe a gate opening; and “Nancy bandaging wetly”, as the character Nancy Wheeler attends to a wound

These phrases have become a hit on social media for displaying the sort of verbosity usually found in sixth-form English literature essays 📔

Jeff T said:

🗣️ “My best friend is hard of hearing in one ear, and he came up to me and he was like, ‘This is one of the first times, if [not] the only time, I’ve just felt fully immersed in a show without having to turn the volume all the way up’ ”

The subtitler said that he listened to a number of different sounds to work out which words get the strongest reactions.

🗣️ “I’ll grab them and put them in my word bank,” he says, adding: “ ‘Moistly’ pops up a lot”

Nowadays, subtitles are no longer only for the hard of hearing; they are particularly beloved by younger hearing viewers too (often to the frustration of their parents, who prefer a clear screen) with many users sharing Twitter memes captioned “I can’t hear without my subtitles”

A recent study by Stagetext and Sapio Research, which surveyed more than 2,000 people in Britain, found that 80% of 18 to 25-year-olds want to read as well as hear what people are saying on TV

📺 Do you watch TV with subtitles on?

Before the recent Stranger Things subtitle furore, the BBC drama #KillingEve drew attention for its captions. As Sandra Oh’s character Eve Polastri relieved herself in the bushes, the words on screen read: “urine splashes, relieved sighs”

Read the full story 👇
thetimes.co.uk/article/strang…