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The Importance of Audio Description

Closed captioning has become an essential standard for deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals. Yet its equally important counterpart, audio description, often remains overlooked. 

Audio description provides narrated commentary that describes the essential visual elements of a film or television program, such as "actions, characters, scene changes, and on-screen text that are important and are not described or spoken in the main soundtrack." ~ WCAG 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) Level AA. Here's a great example that also defines audio description:

Creating High-Quality Audio Descriptions

When scripting your video for audio descriptions, remember that the core function of audio description is to provide a clear and objective verbal account of what is visible, not assumptions or interpretations. In other words, avoid narrative assertions and inferences—remain objective, never subjective. 

The image below from Perkins School for the Blind describes the difference between "What You See Is What You Say" (WYSIWYS) and inferences.

Inference: Andy stands in the rain. His arms are open, embracing his new freedom. He has a look of euphoria and relief on his face.

WYSIWYS: Andy stands in the pouring rain. He holds his arms outstretched, his head tilted back and his eyes are closed.

Inference vs. WYSIWYS Be careful not make inferences in your audio description. You are not telling audiences how to feel about the visuals.; you are just describing the visuals to them. How they feel is up to the audience!
Courtesy of Perkins School for the Blind, Audio Descriptions: Best Practices (PPT)

Creating a Quality Audio Description

What to Describe

Remember you are describing elements of the presentation that are
"not described or spoken in the main soundtrack." Those elements would be:

  • People on screen - Names of characters when they appear, physical descriptions (hair color, clothing), and notable facial expressions. 
  • Actions and movements - What characters are doing, how they are moving, and significant gestures. 
  • Scene changes - When the setting changes, describe the new location and key visual elements.
     
  • On-screen text - Any important text that appears on screen. For example, a title card with the movie title and credits, a speaker's name appearing on the screen, or key points displayed as text during a presentation.

  • Context awareness - Describe elements relevant to the scene and plot development.

How to Describe

  • Be Concise - Descriptions should be brief and include only essential visual details using descriptive, accurate, and appropriate language.

  • Natural pauses - Insert descriptions during the natural pauses in the dialogue.

  • Terminology - Avoid technical terms unless necessary. Do not use phrases such as "we see" or "as you can see."

Now that we have a more precise definition of audio description and some best practices, take a look and listen to this example from The Hunger Games. See what best practices you can identify.

Audio descriptions are crucial in making entertainment and information accessible to people with visual impairments. Crafting effective audio descriptions, however, requires careful attention and practice. The best practices described in the post are not an exhaustive list but are a great place to start.

Resources

Maggie Vaughan, CPACC
Content Marketing Practitioner
DubBot