A Captioner’s Encounter with Middle Earth: Art, Fandom, and an Unexpected Encounter

Captioning and The Art of Movie Making

There is a magic to movies—a flickering, golden spell that draws us into new worlds, lifts us out of the ordinary, and lets us walk alongside heroes and dreamers. As a captioning company, this enchantment is not just admired from afar; it is woven into every line we transcribe or translate, every nuance we capture, and every story we help make universally accessible. We work with film every day, as a constant reminder of that blurring boundary between imagination and reality, where one finds themselves a participant in the world they once only admired from afar. A moment in life that shimmers with the magic of stories brought to life.

As a captioner, I spend my days translating words into meaning, bridging worlds for those who listen. But my evenings are reserved for painting—brushstrokes that conjure the dappled light of Bag End and the laughter of pipe-smoking friends. My journey with the hobbits began with paper and gouache paint, and culminated in a meeting with the actors whose performances transformed fantasy into legend, and a signed artwork that will be treasured forever.

Brushstrokes of Middle-earth

Being a fan of The Lord of the Rings my whole life, my project began as a personal challenge: to capture the essence of each Hobbit in one portrait to be signed at the Love of Fantasy convention in London. I poured over reference images, watched the films countless times, and read passages from the books to remind myself of the essence of the movies and books, to help bring the characters to life on paper.

Each Hobbit presented a unique challenge: Frodo’s introspection and burden, Sam’s steadfastness, Merry’s mischievous intelligence, and Pippin’s naive exuberance. As the paintings neared completion, the challenge became not only technical – capturing likeness and mood – but also philosophical: how does one translate courage, friendship, and hope into colour and form?

The Road to Meeting the Hobbits

The adventure started when I discovered that several actors from the “Lord of the Rings” films would be attending a fan convention in the city of London… It then took an unexpected turn when it turned out I would be in Calgary, Canada during that time and so, would be unable to attend the event! The prospect of meeting the very individuals who had given voice and movement to Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin was irresistible. I pictured myself with my finished paintings carefully wrapped and tucked under my arm, joining throngs of eager fans, each of us hoping to glimpse a bit of magic in person…

But it was not to be…

There are moments in life where circumstances conspire to keep us from the places we long to be – moments when, despite our enthusiasm and careful plans, we must entrust our hopes to someone else. Unfortunately, life’s obligations held me fast, but a close relative stepped into the breach and became my unexpected ambassador to Middle-earth. Unable to attend in person, my true treasure lay in the anticipation of my art being shared with the actors whose performances had inspired it.

Each interaction was brief, yet profound. The actors signed the painting, offered friendly words of encouragement, and allowed film and photos to be taken. I was struck by their generosity – not only with their time, but with their willingness to engage with fans on a personal level.

Reflections on Art and Fandom

The experience of painting the Hobbits and meeting the actors illuminated something essential about fandom. It is a powerful creative force, a way of participating in the stories that shape us. Subtitles and other audio to text services are often considered as optional add-ons; extras in the post editing process that companies need to work with in order to tick a regulations box. But to us, accessibility services mean so much more. In writing captions, providing translations, sign language interpreting and recording audio descriptions for the blind, the magic of film can be made accessible to everyone, especially when captioning a movie.

So there you have it, captioning a movie. If you have a movie that you would like captioned or for any other accessibility service then click the button below for your quote.