Exploring Subtitle Data for Interactive Experiences in Virtual Production

Project partners: Bournemouth University, University of Dundee, ITV

This collaboration has been awarded funding from XR Network+ to explore the integration of subtitle data into media production workflows to drive viewer engagement, enhance accessibility, and create new revenue streams.

Traditionally used to improve accessibility, subtitles provide timed transcripts of dialogue and audio information. This project will explore how subtitle data, with its rich contextual and timing information, can offer more than just accessibility benefits, presenting new opportunities to enrich content.

The project team will demonstrate the potential of this data to enrich content through practical and innovative virtual production approaches. By leveraging existing prototypes to create immersive narratives, the team will assess the effectiveness of the data within traditional media workflows. 

Researchers will collaborate with ITV to undertake viewer evaluation activities to explore the impact of the prototypes on viewer engagement and strategies for seamless integration into production teams’ workflows.

This research shifts the focus from subtitles’ conventional role in accessibility to their broader potential as a valuable data resource in virtual production. By demonstrating the feasibility of integrating subtitle data into these workflows, the collaboration aims to pave the way for future advancements in virtual production technologies.

The project is one of four initiatives supported by the XR Network+ Prototyping, Impact and Acceleration (PIA) round two funding call, with grants of up to £10,000 awarded to researchers at UK universities to develop new ideas and complete existing research related to VP. 

Image credit to Benjamin Gorman.

Categories: Film, Research, Technology, TV