1. Captioning Considerations for Web-based Media
Jayme Johnson
Director of Accessibility and User Experience
CCC Online Education Initiative

2. Overview
Terms and FAQ’s Technology Requirements Legal Requirements Formatting Captions Captioning Process (Generic) Tools for Captioning Web-based Video Creating Captions with YouTube (DEMO)

3. My first rule of captioning…
If you can pay someone else to do your captioning, then do so!
Getting Your Captions:
DECT Grant: g/Captioning/Pages/default.aspx
Purchase captioned media
Create your own…

4. Terms and FAQ’s
Captions vs. Subtitles Captions vs. Transcripts Line 21, .scc files, or “Scenarist” Accessible Player Captions as Instructional Technology Transcripts are not good enough YouTube Auto-captioning is unacceptable

5. Technology requirements
Creating Captions
A computer/browser that can play YouTube videos
Internet connection
Digital video
Text Transcript (recommended)
Playing Captions
A computer/browser that can load YouTube videos
An accessible player (if not using YouTube)

6. Legal and Copyright Issues
Copyright matters, seek permission
Section 508/California 11135
WCAG 2.0 AA
FCC: internet-video-programming
Chancellor’s Office Legal Opinion M02-22: rchive/02-22.pdf

7. Formatting Captions
Comprehensive guidelines are available in the Caption Key from:
Use two lines.
Left-align the two lines.
Use 32 characters per line (max).
Use Sans Serif Font.
Use Upper and Lower case letters.
Transcribe Dialogue word-for-word.
Ignore nonsense syllables such as “Uh” or “Um”.

8. Line Division Rules Keep modifier with word it modifies.
Keep prepositional phrases together.
Keep a person’s name and title together.
Break lines before conjunctions (FAN BOYS).
Keep auxiliary verb (can, have, will) with the word it modifies.
Break captions at the end of a sentence.

9. Presentation rate
Allow a minimum of 1.5 seconds duration for each 32 characters of text.
Allow a minimum of two seconds duration to display the last 32 characters of text before “blanking” or removing a caption.
Do not display any caption for less than one second.
Maximum duration for line of captions should not exceed three seconds (per 32 characters).

10. Italics Use for voice-over narration.
Use for off-screen dialogue, unless entire video is narrated.
Dreaming, thinking, etc.
Background audio: PA system, intercom announcements, etc.
Foreign words should be italicized.
Use italics to indicate any kind of emphasis.

11. Sound Effects Include important sounds.
Use descriptions (in brackets) and onomatopoeia.
Italicize if off-screen.
Use lowercase for describing sound effects.
Sustained sounds use the present participle (-ing).
Be as precise as possible.

12. Music Use descriptions that indicate mood. Caption lyrics verbatim.
Include name of vocalist/group and song title in brackets.
Put musical notes around lyrics (leave space).
When no lyrics are available or you can not use them, describe the mood/attitude of the lyrics.

13. Generic Captioning Process
Transcribe audio content.
Format the digital text.
Determine timing for each line.
Save digital caption file.
Integrate caption file and video file together for presentation.
Deliver video in an accessible video player.

14. Accessible Video Player Required
Captions are not enough
Keyboard controllable interface
Caption stream being presented as accessible information?
Examples:

15. Tools for Captioning
Subtitle Horse - MagPIE - guidelines/magpie YouTube – Amara –

16. A word about YouTube Video
You can only caption your own videos.*
YouTube provides robust support for captioning.
BEWARE of auto-captions- not adequate!
YouTube has other features worth noting.
What to do when you don’t own the video…
* Amara claims to provide capability to enable other people to caption your videos (crowdsource). This is still under investigation…

17. Demo Time
Let’s do some captioning…

18. Resources for Further Study
Captioning Key:
Subtitle Horse:
YouTube Revealed: controls/
Caption other people’s YouTube videos:
WebAIM tutorial:

19. Questions?

20. Thank You!