Clean interview
One known speaker, professional audio and a straightforward transcript specification.
Unscripted / reality / documentary
The footage is messy. The transcript cannot be.
Overlapping dialogue, walk-and-talk interviews, unfamiliar names and radio-mic bleed are normal production conditions. BestTranscript scopes the difficulty before quoting and uses human verification where the story depends on it.
Where generic output breaks
Production audio is not a podcast.
Overlapping speakersOff-camera dialogueRadio-mic bleedAccents & namesWalk-and-talkTimecode jumpsMultiple sourcesVisual context
Useful in the story room
Not just accurate words. Findable moments.
A production transcript should let a story producer search a name, exchange or reveal and return to the correct source—not spend the afternoon repairing the transcript first.
CAM_A_04201:14:22:08
MAYA I didn’t tell anyone because I thought the challenge had changed.
CAM_A_04201:14:27:11
PRODUCER (O.S.) When did you realise it hadn’t?
CAM_A_04201:14:31:03
MAYA At the tasting. That was the first time.
Choose the right tier
Clean interviews and complex reality are priced differently.
Multi-speaker production
Several speakers, production talk and identity continuity across files.
Complex reality
Overlap, noise, visual descriptions or demanding source-timecode repair; quoted after review.
Rushes transcription answers
Scope the difficult parts first.
Can you transcribe overlapping reality TV dialogue?
Yes, but overlap, radio-mic bleed, off-camera speech and uncertain speaker identity are scoped from representative footage. Ambiguities are marked rather than silently guessed.
How are rushes transcription hours calculated?
The quote is based on each supplied source file and its difficulty. Duplicated audio, isolated tracks, multicamera sources and turnaround requirements are reviewed before pricing is confirmed.
What timecode information should we provide?
Provide the intended source clip, frame rate and the timecode source the editorial team will use. Visible, embedded and auxiliary timecodes are checked during intake and discontinuities are flagged.
Production pilot
Use your difficult footage for the pilot.
A clean interview proves very little. Send representative production audio and evaluate the transcript where it matters.
Scope a pilot