Written by Kyle Barghout, on 13-02-2008 18:51

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Early FanSubs

Early FanSubs were produced using video editing equipment. First, a copy of the original source material was obtained, this was known as ‘raw’. The most common source of raw was a commercial laserdisc. However, a commercial VHS tape or even a homemade video recording could be used as well, however, this would create a lower quality finished product. A translated script was then made to match the dialog of the raw video.

The video script was then ‘timed’, this is the process of assigning a "start time" and "end time" for each line of subtitling; in other words, this determines the length of time a given subtitle would remain on the screen. Timing a script was usually done in conjunction with computer software designed specifically for that purpose. The person performing the timing would watch the source video and would assign all the attributes of the subtitle text using a computer. The two most popular programs used in this process were JACOsub and Substation Alpha.

Once the script was prepared and timed, the next step was to produce one or more ‘masters’. A master was a high quality copy of the finished FanSub, from which many copies for distribution could be made. The FanSubber would play back the raw video through a computer equipped with a genlock in order to generate the subtitles and then overlay them on the raw signal. The hardware of choice was an Amiga PC, this was because most professional genlocks were highly expensive.

The final output of this arrangement was then recorded. The master was most often recorded onto S-VHS tape in order to try and maximize quality, though some FanSubbers were forced to use inferior, but less expensive VHS. Once completed, the master copy was then sent to a distributor. FanDub distributors were usually separate from FanSubbers, who did translations and produced masters. Since most members of the FanSub community did not want to profit from their activities, FanSubs were usually not sold. Usually, fans who were wanting a copy of a given program would mail blank VHS tapes to a FanSub distributor, along with a modest payment for shipping expenses.

The distributor would then record copies onto the "customer's" blank cassettes, and ship them back. Alternatively, a FanSub distributor might sell copied tapes outright, but at a low price which was intended to be enough to cover the cost of blank cassettes and shipping. This style of FanSubbing was quite cost-intensive for the FanSubber and the distributor. The raw usually was purchased at a high price; nearly all Anime Laserdiscs (or tapes) cost more than $50, and many cost more than $100. It would not be uncommon for a $50 Laserdisc to contain just 30 minutes of video. Obtaining quality raws for a series of moderate length could cost over $1000. As well, many FanSubbing groups paid professional translators in order to generate the script. Then, expensive video equipment was required: Laserdisc player, PC, genlock, and recording deck for producing the master; subsequently two or more video decks were then needed for producing distribution copies. Professional grade video hardware such as players, recorders, and editing decks was extremely expensive; easily into the thousands of dollars. The video quality of early FanSubs was not good.

The high cost of equipment forced most FanSubbing groups to use less expensive but inferior quality consumer grade electronics. Even when a high quality LD source and professional grade hardware could be used, the final FanSub was at best a third-generation copy. In reality, most FanSubs in circulation were fourth or fifth generation copies, and were not made on professional equipment. Thus, in practice quality was usually very poor, though the actual localization and translation were closer to a professional level than those found in modern FanSubs.

 [Some of the content in this article was provided by Wikipedia]

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