Production Transcripts

With CaptionSync you can request Production Transcripts for your media files. In this tutorial we describe how.

Introduction:

If you're already familiar with Production Transcripts, make the request now.
Production transcripts, or time-coded transcripts, are full transcripts of media files with periodic timestamps, typically placed at every speaker change, and periodically within a speaker’s monologue. CaptionSync allows you to select the frequency of timestamps.

Production Transcripts are typically used for:

• Video editing
• Interviews and panel discussion recordings
• Focus group recordings
• Depositions

If you are a video editor, Production Transcripts are extremely helpful in locating segments of interest for editing, saving significant time in post production. They are normally ordered on raw footage and help editors select the content that is going to be used on the finished video/movie. Usually the timeline of the finished video/movie is completely altered, when compared to the raw footage. So we don't recommend requesting Captioning for your media file until you have its final version ready.

See a Production Transcript sample at the bottom of this tutorial.

Tutorial

One-Time Setup:

• Log into your CaptionSync account and go to Settings -> Account Features. Select Add Production Transcripts to my account, and click Request Account Feature. You will receive an email updating you about the feature status. Note that if you can't see Production Transcripts on the "Account Feature to Add" drop-down menu, then it's already enabled.

Making a Production Transcript request:

• Once you're notified that the feature is enabled, go to Caption/Transcribe -> Change Submission Type, select Production Transcript, and click Change. You can make this the default Submission Type by checking Save as default.
  Note: if you're using AST-Link for Mac AppleScript, you need to ensure you save the submission type as default, since the droplet on the Mac will use the default submission type (if you have more than one enabled on your account).

• Open the New Production Transcript Submission page. Fill out all the fields of interest, including leaving Guidance for the Transcriber. Note that if you wish to have our transcribers identify speakers by name (e.g. >> Pat: Speech), you need to make that request in the Guidance.

• In the Advanced Settings, you can choose the language in your media file, the Timing Resolution** and set an Offset, if necessary. Additionally, you can request a Clean Transcript in multiple formats (.clean.txt, .clean.pdf or .clean.docx). Note that these 3 formats do not contain any timestamps. So ensure you leave the .prod.txt output selected.
  If you want your settings to apply to all of your subsequent submissions, then check the Save Above Settings As Default box. Next click Apply Changes.

**Timing Resolution is the frequency at which timestamps are added to the transcript. The maximum frequency is 30 seconds and the minimum is 120.

• Submit your media file and click Start Upload.

Once the upload process is complete and you see the success page, you can follow the status of your submission by going to the Status of Submissions page. When the submission is complete, you will receive the results via email, and they can also be downloaded from the Submission Details page.

List of URLs submissions:

If you're making a Production Transcript List of URLs submission, make sure you change the submission type before you make the request. This is the Submission page you'll see:

Additional Notes:

• Currently, CaptionSync does not allow you to run a "Redo" of a Production Transcript Submission.

• This type of submission does not generate captions.

• The frequency of the timestamps is controlled by what you select in the Timing Resolution drop-down menu. This value is approximate though -- CaptionSync attempts to place the timestamps in logical places, at the end of sentences and/or when speakers change, so the frequency of the timestamps will be somewhat dependent on your actual content and may not exactly match the selected resolution.

• We do not take timecodes from the media file. If you need an Offset value, you need to set it under the Advanced Settings, before making the request.

• Pricing for Production Transcript Submissions can be found in the Main Price Sheet (found in the help section of your account).

• This format can also be requested as a Captioning output, in which case timestamps will be placed at a fixed frequency of 60 seconds.