The survival record of the subtitle group in the "Great Copyright Era": Platform policies are tightened and new types of profits are tested.

Article丨Wenzai

Gu Dabaihua, a well-known talk show translator on Weibo, has encountered some "trouble" recently.

Blogger "a Turen" announced that he would no longer produce videos for Guda Baihua Translation. Suddenly, Guda Baihua's long-established independent translation image was broken, and the subtitle translation team behind it It also gradually "surfaced". Many people believe that since a team is conducting translation activities, it would be more appropriate for the so-called independent translation "brand" of "Guda Vernacular" to be renamed "Guda Vernacular Subtitle Group".

The subtitle group, a mysterious organization that is constantly experimenting in the "gray area", has been able to achieve extremely high "national demand" because of its unique content production chain. This also explains why Guda Baihua can rely on translating talk show videos to become a Weibo V with 11.87 million fans.

With the rise of cross-language film and television, subtitle groups have "peak demand" to balance resources

The production process of Chinese subtitles is not as simple as imagined.

Judging from the frequency of videos with Chinese subtitles released by "Guda Baihua", we can know that the content is not produced by one person. Not to mention how difficult it is to translate multiple videos by yourself in a short period of time. In the traditional subtitle group configuration, steps such as resources, translation, timeline, proofreading, post-pressing, and art poster production require a lot of personnel. Only through mutual cooperation can we complete the production of Chinese subtitle videos.

In terms of Chinese subtitles for film and television, China has increasingly reached a "peak of demand" in recent years. People are no longer limited to domestic film and television content, but instead focus on obtaining more content information from abroad, so subtitle groups have emerged one after another. From the perspective of content dissemination, subtitle groups are cross-language film and television communicators, providing a lot of convenience for domestic people who love foreign film and television works.

The members of the subtitle group often have a wide range of occupations. Some of them are students, some are civil servants, or full-time wives who are married and have children. Members of the subtitle group use their free time in their current lives to translate videos. Due to the general non-profit nature of the subtitle group, the "work motivation" held by the members is simply "love".

Gathered together because of their love for the same culture, different subtitle groups will have different group preferences. "Phoenix Angel TSKS Subtitle Group", "Korean Fans Subtitle Group", and "Fantasy Park Subtitle Group" have already laid a "golden name" in the direction of Korean dramas and variety shows, forming a "matrix" of established Korean-language subtitle groups. Last year, The "sudden rise" of the "Shen Dao Subtitle Group", "Female Man Subtitle Group" and "Old, Weak, Sick and Disabled Subtitle Group" have also successfully opened up new territories for the Korean subtitle group, providing the audience with more subtitle choices.

Among the Japanese subtitle groups, "Rijing Subtitle Group", "Pig Japanese Drama Subtitle Group", etc. have also had their own brand effects, and even formed a Japanese hobby centered on the subtitle group community. In terms of American dramas, there are new and old subtitle groups such as "Tattered Bear Subtitle Group", "Renren Film and Television Subtitle Group", "FIX Subtitle Man", etc., which continue to provide Chinese subtitle video output for American drama lovers.

In addition to classification by language, there are also subtitle groups gathered by fans to independently serve idols. While complying with the subtitle group's survival rule of "generating power for love", the purpose of the fan subtitle group is more clear. When idols and fans do not understand each other in the same language, the output of the fan subtitle group contributes to the interaction between idols and fans, and the subtitle group's secondary creation and uploading of idol resources can also bring greater benefits to the idols themselves. publicity effect.

Copyright "hidden dangers" are always there, and the platform's crackdowns are increasing

Although the number of subtitle groups is constantly increasing, the subtitle group still belongs to the "gray area", especially in the momentum In the booming "copyright era", the production path of subtitle groups is "perilous".

In 2016, two Chinese members of the "Shengkong Gakuen Subtitle Group" in Japan were arrested for violating Japanese copyright laws. Copyright issues have always been a "heartache" that the subtitle group cannot completely solve.

Many subtitle groups always add statements such as "This subtitle is only for learning and collection, please do not repost or modify it, and do not use it for commercial use" before the Chinese subtitle video list they produce to indicate their non-compliance. Profitable nature. And it is precisely because the subtitle group does not make money from videos with Chinese subtitles that it can play "edge ball" on copyright issues time and time again.

Video platforms’ purchase of copyrights for foreign variety shows and dramas has also become a new “hidden danger” for subtitle groups. The emergence of early subtitle groups was precisely because domestic video platforms were seriously insufficient in “importing” high-quality foreign works, and the supply of translated versions could not balance with demand. However, as the video platform continues to improve and develop, in order to protect its own copyright interests, the platform has intensified its crackdown on subtitled videos with Chinese subtitles.

After Bilibili introduced a large number of genuine Japanese dramas and animations, it removed all Japanese drama videos with Chinese subtitles, including "Unnatural Death". And under relevant review, videos related to copyright platforms such as Tencent, VLIVE, Xiami and other copyright platforms were removed from the shelves for "platform copyright reasons".

Subtitle groups are very careful about copyright issues, but there will still be cases of "commercial use". Many so-called "resource sites" will collect the Chinese subtitle video results of each subtitle group and compile them. It is organized for sale. "Someone once cut our videos with Chinese subtitles into discs and sold them on e-commerce platforms, and even used the videos with Chinese subtitles for resource transactions on WeChat. We have also tried to report and complain, but they were repeatedly banned. In the end, we can only remind everyone not to commit theft. "We pay for the videos with Chinese subtitles," said a member of the "T-EGG Tea Egg Subtitle Group" who specializes in producing Chinese subtitle videos for the Korean idol group EXO. They are also very helpless when their Chinese subtitle video results are stolen by others and used as commercial subtitles.

In addition, in addition to copyright issues, the members not only make no profit in the operation of the subtitle group, but also need to "subsidize" the construction of the subtitle group. Opening an independent webpage for the overall resources of the subtitle group like "FIX Subtitle Man" requires a lot of money to rent a network server. If the fan subtitle group wants to make a complete DVD video of an idol concert with Chinese subtitles, they first have to pay for it themselves. Buy the DVD. The subtitle group still needs to make additional expenditures to ensure the "integrity" of operations even if it is not profitable.

Searching for a variety of problem-solving ideas, the subtitle group made various plans

Under multiple pressures, the subtitle group also began to explore new paths.

Many subtitle groups have begun to cooperate with video platforms, taking advantage of the copyright benefits and platform advantages of video platforms to complete their own optimization. iQIYI has purchased the Chinese subtitle video production rights of the Korean variety show "Running Man" to the "Phoenix Angel TSKS Subtitle Group" subtitle group that cooperates with it in Korean variety production, and will provide the subtitles as soon as possible after the program is broadcast. The subtitle group has genuine film sources. Under the division of labor and cooperation, the Chinese subtitle video will be "released" 4-5 hours after the program is broadcast, and the subtitle group will also receive part of the compensation for this.

iQiyi provides the platform and resources, while the subtitle group devotes time and energy, and the two collaborate to obtain the "benefits" they need. Not only that, the subtitle group online video aggregation website established in Singapore has also successfully reached a cooperation with Huace Film and Television to convert Huace's dramas into different languages ??to achieve the "overseas export" of domestic dramas. The influence of the subtitle group The power is constantly being seen by industry platforms.

In addition, in order to maintain their own balance of payments, subtitle groups began to insert "pre-roll ads" into videos. Apps such as “Little Red Lips” and “Kuaikan Comics” have achieved huge publicity benefits in promoting videos with Chinese subtitles. And precisely because the audience understands the subtitle team’s efforts in producing videos with Chinese subtitles, they are highly receptive to advertising. "The subtitle group accepts advertisements in order to operate better, which we understand very well," said a senior Korean variety show lover. Cooperating with the platform may only achieve a small income of ten yuan a minute, but advertising But it can ensure the operation of the subtitle group in a long-term and stable manner.

The "commercialization" of subtitle groups is one of the initial explorations of the entire Chinese language industry.

It can be seen that whether the subtitle group is "grasping" copyright or trying to "commercialize", it is to be able to better produce systematic output and more quickly Provide audiences with better content resources. Saying "thank you" may be the only thing most people can do for the subtitle group, but maybe just a "thank you" can give the subtitle group more strength and support it to move forward. Maybe one day, the subtitle group can A flower bloomed in the gap between the "grey areas".