As soon as a film is completed, the work does not end. Most feature films participate in international film festivals. Most of a movie’s earnings have traditionally come from markets outside the United States. Translators and language subtitling organizations utilize the CCSL to render an actor’s lines in the local tongue of a specific country.
The Purpose of CCSL
The Combined Continuity, Dialogue, and Spotting List, or “List” as commonly known, is a legal and working document representing the final exhibition, in contrast to the Shooting Script. Because it is a transcript, it can be utilized in court if there are any legal disputes over the film’s accuracy.
A film’s scene, shot, actors, dialogue, and timing can all be gleaned from this list by referencing a certain foot and frame or Timecode position.
Depending on the “density of content,” a CCSL can generate anywhere from 360 to 400 pages daily.
The Legal Purpose
The CCSL is the written transcript of the videos. The CCSL is used by compliance (censorship) officials worldwide to ensure that a film is in accordance with the laws of the countries in which it is shown. It’s an essential element of what’s handed over to networks and studios, and it helps tremendously when it comes time to retool the content for local tastes.
Subtitling and Dubbing
Most notably, dialogue annotations shine when used to subtitle or dub a video into multiple languages. Once the in-timecode and out-timecode of a dialogue list have been captured on paper and the duration determined, the voice-over for the dubber will have a much better concept of how much time is available to squeeze in the dialogue in the foreign tongue.
Let’s say you wanted to document your viewing experience down to the minute details, including the various camera angles and images used during the film. After the camera has moved to a new position, the on-screen action is described (pan, tilt, zoom in, zoom out). Instead of seeing it on a screen, you’re experiencing the movie firsthand on paper.
It’s a blessing that this is one of the few jobs that can be done effectively by a human writer, not a computer program. When it comes to developing plots and atmospheres, no AI can match the experience and skill of our writers. Even the best writer will only have an hour to do justice to describing the first five to seven minutes of a video.
Wrapping Up
The process of converting CCSL into a workable caption and subtitle format is no different from any other translation and localization effort in that it must be thoroughly tested. Why? Most CCSL providers utilize their document template, and CCSL formats were not designed to be used for digital media deliverables. It means that not all CCSL files have the same amount of work to be converted.
Remember the following: 1) When working on creative production, always inquire as to whether or not the production company possesses the continuity list, a spotting list, or a combined list; and 2) Always test it before assuming it can serve as the basis for your audio and video translation project. Do this as early as possible in the localization process; as we’ve stressed before, proper planning is the most important factor in completing projects on schedule, within budget, and without compromising quality.