CDSL – Combined Dialogue and Spotting List

CDSL or Combined Dialogue and Spotting List includes all spoken dialogue and speaker IDs to help in creation of subtitles for film distribution.

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CDSL Sample Template - Caption Easy

A CDSL contains the dialogue of the film in the form of subtitles. The dialogue list portion contains a complete account of the dialogue of the production. The spotting list portion contains the subtitles of the production, the time they begin and end, and their duration.

  • Transcription
    The full dialogue of the production is written, including pauses and/or interruptions.
  • Speaker identification
    Every time a new dialogue starts, the speaker is named. If the speaker is not in the shot when the dialogue is spoken, it is written as an ‘off-screen dialogue’. In the spotting list portion, who the speaker is talking to is also included.
  • Time code
    Each dialogue is written with a time code to mark when it starts and ends.
  • Subtitle duration
    ‘Time in’ and ‘time out’ are used to note the duration of each subtitle which consists of two lines of dialogue.
  • Sound effects
    All speaker related sound effects, such as coughing, laughing, sighing, sneezing, etc. are shown.
  • Music and lyrics
    The beginning and end of all music and lyrics are enclosed within the ♪ symbol.

Download Sample: PDF

Your distributor or network may ask for any of these other post-production scripts:
Dialogue List | CCSL (Combined Continuity and Spotting List) | As-Broadcast script

The Post Production Script Workflow

1. You Upload Media

You can send us your media through Dropbox, G! Drive, YouTube, Vimeo etc. or upload securely to our ftp.

2. We Work & Deliver

We write the post production script with timecodes and format it with the relevant template.

3. You Pay after Delivery

Our consultants pleaded us to follow industry norms & charge you before delivery. But we are confident in our work & only invoice after we deliver your order.

Some of our work

Nighthawks

CCSL

Defiant

Dialogue List

Adventures in Public School

CDSL

Age of Summer

CCSL

Active Measures

CDSL

Demonic

CCSL

Click to view some of our recently completely films and documentaries on IMDb

What fellow filmmakers are saying?

  • “It was great working with Caption Easy on my feature. They turned around great work at an affordable rate. I’d recommend them to anyone in need of this service.”

    Leah Bleich
    Director/Writer
    • 1-Aug-2023
  • “Working with Caption Easy was so EASY! Great communication and delivered exactly what we needed in a timely manner for such a reasonable price. We will definitely use them again!”

    Ashley Bracken
    Producer
    • 25-Feb-2022
  • “We needed a CDSL for both a feature doc and the trailer. I was impressed by how easy it was to communicate with the team, and the vast amount of experience they had.”

    James Pickering
    Producer
    • 25-Feb-2022
  • “If you are looking for a professional company Caption Easy is the way to go. The turnaround was very quick and helped us meet all deadlines including weekends.”

    Ryan W. Smith
    Producer/Writer
    • 20-May-2020

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        Frequently Asked Questions

      What is the use of Spotting List services?
      A spotting list is the foundation for subtitles of the source language. Proper line and subtitle breaks are given according to the subtitling standards. Spotting List helps in translating to other foreign subtitles.
      What is Spotting List of a film?
      Spotting List is the subtitles of a film in the source language. It also includes the name of the speaker and to whom the speaker is addressing.
      How is Dialogue and Spotting List different?
      In dialogue list, the on-screen and off-screen information is also provided. In spotting list the speaker that is being spoken to is included. The Spotting List also follows the subtitling conventions of line breaks.
      Is CDSL produced manually?
      While we have some in-house custom made software solutions to help with formatting and syncing, the actual grunt work is all done meticulously by our experts in the field. This means that every single shot in the film is scanned for speaker identification. Every word is transcribed. Every lyric and sound effect is heard by human ears.

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